Stump Removal – How to Deal With an Unsightly Old Stump

If you’ve cut down a tree in your yard, the stump left behind can be an eyesore, a trip hazard for kids and pets, or even a harbor for home-damaging pests. Plus, it’s taking up valuable space that could be better used for a seating area, a garden, or even a new replacement tree.

Stumps take up a lot of ground and often require an investment in tools to grind or remove them. However, if you’re willing to invest the time and effort (plus the price of a power-grinder), there are several options for how you can deal with an unsightly old stump.

For a quick and easy option, you can simply fill the stump’s hole with soil and reseed it to grow grass or other plants. This approach is usually less expensive and takes much less work than other methods.

Another option is to cover the stump with a tarp and pile up lots of organic waste—like wood chips, grass clippings, or dead leaves—on top of it. This will starve the stump of light, which should speed up its natural decay.

A third option is to use a chemical stump removal product that speeds up the decay process. These products are typically sprayed on to the stump and into the surrounding soil. Different products require slightly different methods of application, but most involve drilling holes into the stump and pouring in the liquid.

One final option is to physically dig out the stump and its roots. This method requires a fair amount of hard manual labor and the use of potentially dangerous tools. It’s also only really feasible with a very small stump or a stump that has been growing slowly.

If you do choose to dig out the stump, Burke recommends using a mattock, pick, or hatchet to loosen dirt around the base and expose as much of the root system as possible. Then, use a shovel or digging bar to try and dig out as much of the roots as you can. If there are any that remain, use a chainsaw or a limbing saw to cut them off. Finally, you can backfill the hole and reseed with your chosen plant.

source https://realtreesolutions.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/stump-removal-how-to-deal-with-an-unsightly-old-stump/