I have a couple of stumps that need to go. I cut them off low and flat, and cut a bunch of slits in them to hold the rain water. Is there something else I can put in the slits to speed up the rotting process that is not harmful to 2 little boys and a fur-lizzard? I was thinking salt, maybe. Any other ideas?
Removing Stumps Naturally?
- Thread starter jr37
- Start date
I know you mentioned naturally, but saw this on TV. Almost looks too good to be true.
http://www.drpower.com/stump-grinder.aspx
http://www.drpower.com/stump-grinder.aspx
Commercial straight nitrogen (45-0-0) fertilizer. This works best if you drill several holes (vs. slits) with your widest drill bit in various places in the stump. The wider and deeper the holes the better.
Soak the ground around the stump, and cover it with a plastic tarp to help retain moisture. Cover the plastic tarp with organic mulch such as tree bark or straw. Add some heavy stones as necessary to hold the tarp in place. Keep the mulch wet.
Periodically remove the mulch and tarp and thoroughly soak the stump and the ground around it. If you still have that nitrogen source at your disposal, add more of it. Then reapply the plastic tarp and mulch. Soak the mulch again, too, to keep the tarp wet and weighed down.
Perhaps bury a length of old garden hose extending out from under the tarp so you can add water to the stump without removing the tarp. Cap the exposed end of the hose when not in use to keep creepy crawlies from clogging it. You may also be able to mix the nitrogen fertilizer with water and feed the mix through the hose. (Will that work?)[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]
<hr size="2" width="75%">[/FONT][/FONT]DR Stump Grinder? kinda pricey at $1889 - $2429 (on sale!).
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anonomoose
New member
Or you could just give it a couple wacks with an axe, heap dirt on it and call it a day.
I have cut them off below ground level and then covered. They rot eventually...then the ground sinks over time...just keep adding dirt as it does.
I remember that Detroit Edison cut some huge trees down just above the ground, and the guy took a jug of something or other and poured it on top around the edges; I asked him what it was, and he said, if I come back in one year, the whole stump would be crumbled up and nearly disolved.
He was right and it did the job....some sort of enzyme or such....but it worked slick. If I had believed the guy I would have found out what that stuff was and kept track on where to buy it...as it was that good.
I have cut them off below ground level and then covered. They rot eventually...then the ground sinks over time...just keep adding dirt as it does.
I remember that Detroit Edison cut some huge trees down just above the ground, and the guy took a jug of something or other and poured it on top around the edges; I asked him what it was, and he said, if I come back in one year, the whole stump would be crumbled up and nearly disolved.
He was right and it did the job....some sort of enzyme or such....but it worked slick. If I had believed the guy I would have found out what that stuff was and kept track on where to buy it...as it was that good.
JR,
I also suggest the grinder. In our area you can rent them from the hardware stores and I've used them twice. Very effective and you're done in an hour our so. No chemicals, no dynamite, no problems.
Depending on the diameter, make sure whatever you rent is adequate in size and can handle the job. The one in the video appears to be light duty. The one I rented was for a full size 30" stump and I had it back to the store in about 90 minutes.
When Grinding Stumps, think like "Tim the Toolman", more power...Grrh Grrh Grrh!
...and like Moose said, they sell an Enzyme that disolves the wood over time. Our local hardware store sells it but I have no experience with it. We have a dog and would just as soon not have anything harmful out there that the dog would eat, drink, or roll around in.
Good Luck and be Safe with whatever method you choose.
Gary
I also suggest the grinder. In our area you can rent them from the hardware stores and I've used them twice. Very effective and you're done in an hour our so. No chemicals, no dynamite, no problems.
Depending on the diameter, make sure whatever you rent is adequate in size and can handle the job. The one in the video appears to be light duty. The one I rented was for a full size 30" stump and I had it back to the store in about 90 minutes.
When Grinding Stumps, think like "Tim the Toolman", more power...Grrh Grrh Grrh!
...and like Moose said, they sell an Enzyme that disolves the wood over time. Our local hardware store sells it but I have no experience with it. We have a dog and would just as soon not have anything harmful out there that the dog would eat, drink, or roll around in.
Good Luck and be Safe with whatever method you choose.
Gary
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Hmmm, dynamite … or better, TNT, or maybe C4. Now there's a thought. Takes me back to a US Army Engineer School course in Explosives and Demolitions.
Such a fun course!
Felling some serious trees with one or more (determined by the size of the trunk) blocks of TNT on opposite sides of the trunk; with one side a tad higher than the other, you could lay 'er down exactly where you wanted 'er to go. Also, shearing railroad rails similarly, with a block of TNT on either side of the rail, but displaced in opposite directions along the length of the rail by an inch or two; shears the rail like a hot knife through soft butter!
I'm thinking of a shaped charge in a large hole in the stump, aimed downward. Result: Smithereens!
Aw, but the neighbors would probably complain. Ya just can't have any fun any more these days!
The Mythbusters' standard caveat probably applies: "Don't try this at home!"
favoritos
Well-known member
Here is an old thread on the subject. It has some pretty funny suggestions.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tips/msg0412444421263.html
Good Luck.
We have a few old and not so old stumps. They just rot away over time, but it takes awhile.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tips/msg0412444421263.html
Good Luck.
We have a few old and not so old stumps. They just rot away over time, but it takes awhile.
snow_monkey
New member
I know you said naturally but it takes way too long. How about a back hoe or bulldozer? Ask one of the woodburner dudes. If you dug around the stump and let it dry for a few weeks then start a coal or another type of combustible that will burn through the stump. Not sure that would work but worth a try. I hear that wood stove pellets get real hot !!!
You can dig deep around it and cut it flush or below the soil line but it will cost you a chainsaw blade.
You can dig deep around it and cut it flush or below the soil line but it will cost you a chainsaw blade.
favoritos
Well-known member
I just saw this on another forum. It is funny how this just happened to be posted today.
"Subject: Kids will be Kids
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow.
Did you know that a 1955 40-horse Farmall tractor tire will take six rounds before it goes down? Tough son of a gun.
That got boring, so being the 10-year-old Dukes of Hazard fan that I* was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head.
I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Let's face it, to a 10-year-old mouth-breather like myself, Ether, really doesn't "sound" flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1-pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).
At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the Ether can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1-pound pyrodex and 16-oz can of Ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know?
You know what? Forget that. I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too.
Now we're cookin'.
I stepped back about 15 feet and lit the 2-stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck...OH SHOOT! He just got home from work.
So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a can't believe what I'm seeing look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 decibels of sound. I caught a half-millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering one foot above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.
There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That tree got up and ran off.
So here I am, on the ground, blown completely out of my shoes, my thundercats T-shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback: ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN IT CEASE FIRE!!!!!
His hat has blown off and is 30 feet behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 feet over our backyard. There is a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard, the fenders are drooped down, and are now touching the tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on.
I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR and dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again."
Thanks Mom.
One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, mom had been griping about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.
Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.
I got this in an e-mail today, thought I'd share it with y'all."
"Subject: Kids will be Kids
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow.
Did you know that a 1955 40-horse Farmall tractor tire will take six rounds before it goes down? Tough son of a gun.
That got boring, so being the 10-year-old Dukes of Hazard fan that I* was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head.
I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Let's face it, to a 10-year-old mouth-breather like myself, Ether, really doesn't "sound" flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1-pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).
At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the Ether can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1-pound pyrodex and 16-oz can of Ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know?
You know what? Forget that. I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too.
Now we're cookin'.
I stepped back about 15 feet and lit the 2-stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck...OH SHOOT! He just got home from work.
So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a can't believe what I'm seeing look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 decibels of sound. I caught a half-millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering one foot above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.
There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That tree got up and ran off.
So here I am, on the ground, blown completely out of my shoes, my thundercats T-shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback: ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN IT CEASE FIRE!!!!!
His hat has blown off and is 30 feet behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 feet over our backyard. There is a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard, the fenders are drooped down, and are now touching the tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on.
I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR and dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again."
Thanks Mom.
One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, mom had been griping about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.
Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.
I got this in an e-mail today, thought I'd share it with y'all."
I like the fertilizer idea and maybe burning them. I don't know if the salt block is legal in Wisconsin, but I like that too. I would use the backhoe, we have one at work, but it's 20 miles away and my trailer isn't big enough to haul it. The stump grinder is out, because I used a small one last year and was not impressed at all, and the bigger one is just too expensive, I don't need them gone that bad.
Thanks for the ideas!
Thanks for the ideas!
G
G
Guest
Dig down around the perimeter about 1 foot. Fill up the area with cheap charcoal and set it off. Done.
snow_monkey
New member
My stump is real dry. I got a bag of kingsford and some marshmellows!