Tree Stump Removal -- The Cheap and Easy Way
Wednesday September 3, 2003
You've decided to remove a tree from your landscape. So you lace up your Paul Bunyan steel-toed boots and saunter out there to cut it down. You even remember to yell, "Timber!" at just the right moment. You're darn proud that it fell where you wanted it to, with no damage to property or injury to yourself. You even have enough energy left over to clean up the mess left behind -- all but the tree stump, that is. Getting rid of tree stumps can be the most difficult part of tree removal. Renting stump grinders is an expensive option -- and inconvenient. Let's take a look at a cheap and easy alternative that just requires a little patience....
Comments
My 83 year old friend has had a pine tree cut. A ragged stump is left. She has not the money to hire someone to get rid of the stump. any suggestions as to how to do some landscaping around it so it won’t be an eyesore?
Put a container garden on the stump. Preferably, something with vines trailing down (like vinca).
They charged my mom $100 dollars for a tree stump removal..
They took like 2 hours or so.
But i’ve seen places say it only cost 60 dollars.
Was I overcharged with the 100 dollars.
Prices vary greatly based on where one lives — not only from state to state, but even from town to town. Therefore, only those comparisons conducted on the local level are meaningful.
Someone told me bleach and rock salt poured over the stump would rot it and in about a year would be able to pull it out of the ground. Has anyone tried this or heard of this?
Hi Chris,
Yeah, I’ve heard of rock salt being used in the stump removal process. I’m sure there are other substances out there that you could use, too, including the ones sold commercially for stump removal. It’s mainly a matter of determining what’s available, affordable, and environmentally acceptable to you — and then experimenting!
I lived in Chicago for many years. People in the boonies used charcoal. Yes, first make sure you call the gas company to locate any gas lines or other buried pipes. Secondly start with a small amount of charcoal, such as a small bag that all you do is light the bag so as to not use any type of charcoal lighter fluid. Then if you place the charcoal on the stump and start the bag, with constant supervision and perhaps with a call to the local fire department for safety, Safety, and yes Safety. The charcoal may take a few hours to consume the stump depending if the stump is dead and dry, or still green. Remember, Safety first, fire is very dangerous. If all goes well, get some hotdogs and enjoy, have a picnic!
Depending on your location, the type and size of the stump and heavy equipment access to it, I think $100 for two hours of stump-pulling work is darn cheap. Must have been a pretty nasty stump to take 2 hours. $60 may be appropriate for a smallish stump. Folks around here want $150 just for backhoe delivery… then $95-115 per hour plus disposal fee. I am low man in my area at an average cost of $75 plus disposal fee for pulling a 12-16″ stump. Price varies a lot with number of stumps (more=less per stump) and type.
I have heard that triple 10 fertilizer mixed with a little water, poured into holes drilled into the top of the stump will kill it. Also, non diluted roundup and spectricide brused on the stump will kill it. Don’t forget to dispose of the brush afterwards.
I had my tree cut down all the way with only 6 inches remaining above the ground. I had not started any stump removing attempts like using the “Stump Remover” product, so the tree is still alive. Now, my objective is to re-seed/plant grass over this area.
If I were to grind the stump all the way to below ground level, will it permanently kill the tree? I hate the sapplings that grow around the tree stump now. Appreciate all comments/suggestions/ideas!
Yes, stump-grinding would provide a quick solution for your problem.
Slice into the tree/stump and stick a penny or two inside, it will kill any tree or stump.
Penny,
Thanks for adding your two cents (sorry, I couldn’t resist!).
So check this out. I had 2 olive tree stumps that I had to remove and I discovered a great tool to do it!!! Came to me to day as I was thinking, “man I wish I had a Backhoe”. SO, I was thinking what is the next best thing to use that is nearly as powerful as a vehicle and not as strong as a backhoe…. Hmmm.. I know MY AUTOMOTIVE FLOOR JACK. Since I could not afford a backhoe. I dug under one sideof the stump about 18 inches then jammed the jack under it. I places a board under the jack a 2×6 will do initially. this prevents the jack from digging into the earth. Then I jacked it up! When the jack reached full extension I put blocks under the side of the jack to hold it up. THen I put some block under the 2×6 to get it up higher again. tehn jacked again. In two hours I got a monster 2′ deep by 5′ square stump out of the hole and tipped it over with my truck… This was awesome!!!! FYI this should work with taprooted trees too. BE VERY CAREFUL as this techniquecan be VERY DANGEROUS if you dont understand some basic physics. Hey it works!
Wow, I definitely have to try out that method this summer. I may end up blogging about your discovery! Thanks.
COMMENT 15 VERY DANGEROUS. Your eyesight is more precious than you think. It may be worth it to rent a backhoe.
I am doing an overhaul and a beautification at the V.A.Medical Center grounds north campus, between the Domiciliary Bldgs 214 and 217 Quad Area where the Veterans hangout and relax. My Question is there are 3 Coral tree Stump to be removed, what is the best way to do this?
There is a tree stump removal product called, “Stump Remover” that breaks down the wood fiber of stumps, leaving them porous. That’s the easiest way, short of having a professional come in with a stump grinder.
I have a tree stump to remove. It is close to a house and rooted very deep. I was considering digging as far as I could just so that I could get a chain underneath it. My plan is to then hitch the chain to the back of my van and pull out the root. It sounds easy, but I am wondering if it is a good idea. I am not good with basic physics:) Please advise.
Maureen,
You have the right idea, but you’re also right to be concerned about pulling a tree stump so close to a home. Without being there, I’d never “give the OK” to such a project. It may sound good over the Internet, but a person’s home is too valuable a possession for me to make such a call. I’d have a pro come over and take a look at it, if you want to be on the safe side.
tree stump can vary in size. From couple inches to several feet so different method may be advised for different stump. I’ve removed stumps from pine trees with stump around 6-8 inches by digging around and cutting secondary roots off with shears or an ax. Cut off main roots usually with an ax and us a long 5 foot or so pry bar to loosen the stump. Eventually it comes out, no easy task but works. Right now I’m working on a 14 inch stump but I use a chain saw on the roots which I dig out dirt from underneath so it’s nice and clean so the saw doesn’t hit any dirt or rocks, I use water to clean around it. Power washer will help remove dirt around the roots which is helpful - I don’t have one so I use power tip water nozzle.
Regarding comment 14, tree don’t actually have tap roots, its a myth. they might start off with one, but it dies off pretty quickly.
Cost saving tip!
Tree Stump remover is repackaged Nitrate of Potash, (aka Potassium Nitrate, Salt Petre, Salt Peter). It’s a high nitrate fertiliser that works wonders on your Strawberries and tomatoes (plus a lot of other soft fruit). You can get Pot.Nitrate a *lot* cheaper than branded “Tree Stump Remover”
A word of caution. Pot.Nitrate is an oxidising agent (used as the oxidiser in Gunpowder!) and can increase the risk of fire in dry areas.
thanks for the information on stump removal. I have a young tree that has been killed and now I think I need to get rid of the stump and roots. the cirmcumferance of the tree is small, about 4 inches in diameter. Since it is so small, can I just cut it down to the grass and leave it? If I do, can I plant another tree close to the left over stump?
There are different strokes for different strokes here, but in my own approach to tree stump removal, I use a mattock for stumps this small. It’s more work initially, but perhaps means less trouble in the long run. Using the mattock, I cut through all the big roots; eventually, the stump will be loosened enough to be broken out (or you can make a final cut just underneath it to remove it).
I have roots from a huge maple tree left in my (dirt) driveway. Why do they smell so bad? How can I remove them? The stump grinder guy did the best he could with his machine, but the smell is the big problem. What could I use to nutralize the smell? THanks for any help.
I have new tree sprouts growing from the large tree i had removed in my front yard. There are many partially exposed roots, some extending up to 15 feet away. I am in the process of remving the stump, without the grinding. While the tree stump decays will the new sprouts die off too? What a pain! Thanks for help!
correction - new sprouts from the partially exposed tree roots, not tree stump itself as of yet. I trim down any sprouts, by the way.
Margie,
I’ve heard a lot of issues surrounding tree stump removal, but bad-smelling roots is a new one on me. As far as I know, short of bringing in the heavy equipment to just scoop everything out and haul it away, all you can do to remove the offending maple roots is to dig them out with a mattock. As a temporary “neutralization” of the smell, I suppose you could set up Tikki torches when you’re working and/or relaxing outside.
No, if the sprouts are coming “from the partially exposed tree roots,” then removing the tree stump won’t stop the sprouts. You’ll need to remove those tree roots, too. After doing so, in case you miss a few rootlets, you might want to lay down a tarp (light deprivation will stymie any more sprouting). You can apply mulch over the tarp to hold it down and dress up the area. Eventually, everything underneath will rot — but you need lots of patience!
We had a walnut tree removed a while back and are trying the “holes in the trunk, nitrogen in the holes, etc.” method to break down the trunk. Can you give me an idea of how long this might take? The article we read says this method “speeds up” the natural process, but does not offer any time estimates. Thanks for your help.
HJC,
There are too many variables to consider to provide solid estimates: where you live, the weather you’ll be having, your soil, the girth of the tree stump, etc. But this much is safe to say, as a general rule: with tree stump removal using the nitrogen method, time is counted in years, not months!