Stump removal

Hello folks,

My recently purchased house & front garden has this eye sore;



I've no idea how old the stump is or how long it has been left in this state however I want to remove it and repair the lawn.

What's the best way of tackling this? Is there any sort of treatment worth doing first and foremost or is it worth just digging and seeing how big and complicated it's going to be?

Thanks!

 

Hiya Temmy
Well, I would have a go at digging it out. Nothing to lose.
Can you get a grinder in there?

 

We have just removed 7 stumps like that (some some a lot bigger). Not easy, but if you are reasonably fit it is possible. You need to clear away the soil from round the stump and find the roots. Using an old saw or a very sharp chain saw, sever them. Then with as big a wrecking bar as you can find, try to lever out the stump to get at the tap root. Cut that too. It is not a quick job.

 

Don't be afraid to dig a big hole. Having plenty of space around to work in will make it a lot easier. It looks like the lawn needs a bit of TLC so youre not spoiling the perfect lawn.

It appears to be 7 to 8" diameter so should come out with a bit of hard work. I wouldn't bring a stump grinder in to remove it. This would create more mess and would be overkill.

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum Temmy.

Stumps mean hard work even small stumps are a pain to dig out.

I agree with Verdun; Palustris and andrews; dig the stump out. Access to your stump is excellent and if you've had similar rainfall to us then the ground should be soft making the job a lot easier.

What equipment do you have; just a spade and saw can get your stump out but I find using a bottle jack to be quite efficient; I now dig to below the stump to a depth allowing the bottle jack to be inserted; there will most likely be a decent root exposed by your digging so remove this root then it can make a very good jacking point where it's been cut from the stump; for big stumps I use a 9 ton bottle jack but for smaller stumps use a 2 ton trolley jack; if the ground is soft then a short length of 4" x 2" timber placed beneath the jack will spread the load preventing the jack burying itself. Safety is paramount because a jack can suddenly be expelled with a lot of force; I find it most rewarding once I start jacking a stump out listening to the roots straining and cracking; once the stump moves it then shows where the rest of the roots are located; it's certainly hard work but not as hard as doing lots of digging.

When I removed our privet hedge I used a 12' long scaffolding very heavy pipe; I dug under each stump then used lumps of wood and stones as a fulcrum and simply levered each stup out saving a great deal of digging.

Please update us because it makes a change watching someone else do some grafting.

Kind regards, Colin.


A double stump elderberry being removed; first I had to break through a 2" thick concrete path which I didn't know was there.


Even a stump this size tends to have thick roots. If you use a chainsaw take safety seriously and don't run the chain into the soil otherwise it will quickly dull and become useless.



Once you get your stump out then you can move on to bigger jobs like this 80' tall tree one of two I felled and disposed of. Good luck and play safely.

 

Mind you, huge satisfaction when you do get that stump out Temmy.
Surprising how an apparently immovable stump suddenly gets loose.....then the crowbar, more digging, cutting and renewed energy and strength will enable you to win in the end

 

I had a Prunus Padus in the garden until about 10 yrs ago. Nice tree and flowers, but the flowers came and so did the winds and rain. My friend, a tree surgeon cut it down for me. The stumps soon provided a home for fungi and is now barely visible.

 

really, you think that is an eye sore. its a wee little thing. just throw some dirt on it in due time the bugs will eat at it. I have stumps that are huge, we have been burning at them for last 4 years. cost too much for a stump grinder. We took 8 trees down a few years back. Maybe you can just put a planter on it, depending on the location.

 

The trouble with leaving a stump and its attendant roots is that there is always the possibility of Honey Fungus invading them.

 

As a less dangerous alternative to a chainsaw, a reciprocating saw (sometimes called a scorpion saw or sabre saw) works very well. No problems getting it into the soil to cut roots either. The main risk if you do that with a chainsaw isn't dulling the blade, it's the chain picking up a stone and you or someone else being "shot" by it.

 

Hi,

There are lots of videos on YouTube redstar showing how to burn stumps; I like the American way to remove stumps though; guys here in the UK if they own a decent socket set they think they are doing well but how many Americans have huge workshops with big powerful kit like diggers with buckets which they use to pop out the largest of stumps; if an American guy wants to hang a picture he fires up a big compressor and gets his equally big nail gun out.

A few years ago I felled and disposed of two 80' tall conifers but the stumps at 20" diameter are still here and I've no intention of trying to dig these two up; trees up to 30' tall yes I'll remove the stumps and roots.

It's possible Temmy has never removed a stump previously and if so I can understand him asking for advice after all not everyone has had to remove a stump and it can be very daunting for the first time; it's easy to forget Temmy that the stump doesn't have to be removed all in one go; just keep digging around it when you feel like it and eventually you'll get the stump out; the first one is always the worst.

Kind regards, Colin.



The cats and squirrels enjoy nature's seat. We have two of these.

 

For smaller stumps I use a Newcastle Drain Spade. Annihilates a root with one thrust.

 

I’ve been hard at stump removal today, I have 10 to do so took on the largest this morning. My lessons learned are: Dig a lot wider around the stump, saw off roots close to the stump and again quite far down the root to allow the stump to be wiggled free. Hard work but there’s a sense of relief when complete

 

I've remove lots of tree stumps by hand and with a digger, some come out easy some harder, I once had to dig up a very big oak stump which was about 10 feet across, as it was a long time before H&S and in the middle of a big field we used T N T wouldn't use it nower days only to save time with making it easyer to move about afterwards, but it back fired as it blew up, the stump flew up into the air and landed back into the hole, we were hoping for it to be blowen in half to make it easer to move with digger as it was to big and heavy

Them were the days

 

not in a hurry to burn our stumps. as we live in a wooded property, have plenty of twigs, limbs, leaves to pile high on it and hit it with a match. then sit with a glass of wine and watch the fire. all is good.