You cut down the tree, but what about the stump?

Sooner or later, every landowner is faced with the question of how to kill a tree stumps that remain after the cutting of old trees. In fact, there are several options. We tell you about the most popular ones.

The stump is masked. How to remove a tree stump with a chainsaw

If there is no opportunity to uproot the stump, you can disguise it quickly.

Organize the beds on the plot so that the stump is in the inter-row. Make this passage wider. In doing so, cut the stump with a mini chainsaw as close to the ground as possible. Dead wood will rot in the soil in five years.
A stump on a terrace can be one of the supports for a retaining wall.
If the stump is located in a remote part of the garden, you can make a temporary or permanent compost heap around it. No space is wasted, and with the active reproduction of microbes in the pile, the stump will rot quite quickly.
In addition, the stump can be used as a foundation to create a vertical flowerbed.
On a stump, you can grow oyster mushrooms or bee mushrooms. Drill a couple of dozen holes in it (10 cm) and fill them with mycelium, which can be bought in a garden store. Or fill in there the trash from a forest stump with mushrooms.

Sturdy, non-rotted stumps of fruit trees (Almond Wood, for example) can be used for firewood for the fireplace or wood chips for the smoker.

How to remove a tree stump without a grinder. Tree removal under the rule.

If you have the task of getting rid of an old tree and then uprooting the stump, cut the plant at a height of 50-60 inch: a tall stump is needed to make it easier to swing it during uprooting. Attach the moving end of the winch to the top of the stump, pull it taut and systematically chop up the roots on the side opposite to the winch with a sharply honed spade. When the roots are cut on one side, secure the winch on the other side and repeat the procedure. It remains to remove the stump from the ground.

How to remove a tree stump with chemicals

An extreme way to get rid of a stump is to burn it. But not with fire – this is a long time, and the roots will not burn anyway. You will need ammonium nitrate and a drill. Insert a wide feather drill bit into the drill, with which you can drill a hole 3-4 inch wide. Make a dozen holes in different parts of the stump 10 inch deep. They should not be through, you need blind holes in the wood. Fill the prepared holes with ammonium nitrate and pour water to the edge. Cover the stump with polyethylene film to prevent the solution from being washed away by rainwater. When the liquid is completely absorbed, repeat the procedure. Thirty-four such soaks are usually sufficient. After that, build a small fire around the stump. Due to the saltpeter distributed throughout the stump, it will quickly and completely burn. Do not forget the fire safety rules when making an open fire!

How to remove a tree stump with epsom salt

Sometimes, the extensive root system continues to produce leafy shoots, the stump continues to grow. Fortunately, there is a simple solution – English salt (Epsom salt), it is not ordinary salt, it is a chemical compound of magnesium sulfate.

Start by using a drill to drill holes at least 6 mm wide, about 3 inches from the outside of the stump. Drill as deep as possible into the stump, spacing the holes at least 0.5-1 inches apart.

When you have drilled as many holes in the stump as possible, fill them with English salt and then add enough water to saturate the minerals.

Finally, sprinkle Epsom salt around the entire base, and cover the stump with a tarp or bag so rainwater can’t wash your secret ingredients out of the holes.

Tree stump coffee table

After buying a dacha or house, often an old garden with old trees is inherited. One way to plant your favorite trees and ennoble it is to uproot the trees. And from the stumps can be made flowerbeds and made a recreational area.

Stumps for flowerbeds are recommended to leave a height of about 20 inches. For the table – 15 inches. In the stumps under the flowers you need to drill with a wide drill holes about 12 inches deep. About 1 inch of small pebbles should be placed in the bottom, fill to the top with fertile soil and plant the flowers.

For the table we use the widest stump. It is necessary carefully under the level to cut off the top. And as a table top to lay on top of a wide wooden circle. The top to grind with sandpaper, burn and cover with corrosion-resistant compound (you can buy it in a hardware store).

Other sawn down trees and their stakes and rounds, can be used as chairs. It turned out quite nice!

Updated at: Oct 30, 2023

Written by Fred M. Robinson

Professional agronomist, permaculturist, popularizer of knowledge in the field of practical farming, expert in horticulture and viticulture, author of books on applied horticulture and viticulture. More than anything, I like to tell what I have found and understood, and to show what I have seen. Besides writing, I am fond of photography, taking pictures of gardens, travel and nature. In my articles I raise all the most important issues that concern gardeners, farmers, all those who seek to grow and harvest abundant eco-harvest. Great experience allows in the first year to significantly improve the quality and quantity of grown vegetables, berries and fruits, and get confidence in their eco-friendliness and health benefits. As spring approaches, it's a good time to study the gardening guides!