How to dig up a tree stump?

[Deleted User]

What would be the easiest way to dig up a stubborn tree stump? I have already broken a garden fork.

Also climbing ivy on the other side of the garden is proving difficult to remove. We want shut of it all so we can plant some nice flowers.

Thanks

barbeque

excavate around the base exposing any roots on the surface. sever any deep rooting side roots and then lever away till it is free. This has just been done a couple of times while doing conservation work and proved quite effective. Hope this Helps

Leif

Deleted_User wrote: »

What would be the easiest way to dig up a stubborn tree stump? I have already broken a garden fork.

Also climbing ivy on the other side of the garden is proving difficult to remove. We want shut of it all so we can plant some nice flowers.

Thanks

I should warn you that I have only started uprooting plants this year, so others may offer better advice. How large is the tree e.g. diameter of the stump, and what kind of tree is it?

Some people recommend using a car and tow rope to pull it out, but you can destroy clutch and/or gear box, and it can be dangerous (a YouTube video shows why). Apparently a land rover with winch can help.

I removed a small tree today. There were several stems up to about 4" across. I cut the stem at the base. Then I excavated around three sides (it was inches from a fence), cut as many roots as I could see using loppers and a saw. Finally I used a log splitting wedge and club hammer to split the stump. Not easy but it worked. I also had a Sycamore about 10" across at the base. It is so close to the fence that it has pushed it aside, so excavating roots on one side is impossible. I will put glyphosate on it to ensure that it does not sprout again. But you might be able to excavate around and sever the roots. You could try the wedge and hammer trick too.

I tried drilling the Sycamore stump using a power drill and a 22mm wood drill. Frankly I think the beast was too big for that, as Sycamore is a fairly hard wood. But that would provide another method to cut large roots, as sawing a buried root is not easy.

Leif

Just seen that barbeque beat me to the post. Yes, follow what he says, perhaps he could say what he used as a lever, as I have broken a spade and a fork using them as levers, which is not their intended purpose.

barbeque

we used a 4' long pinch bar, or any strong steel bar that you can get a leaverage on would do. Only used the spade for digging. It was hard work but. The one we used was an inch in diameter.

steveeeee

barbeque has it spot on. I've just finished digging out four conifer stumps of various sizes and did it that way. Hard work but very satisfying

dorsetlady67

I have/had an extremley large diseased hazelnut tree we decided to remove it about 18months ago.We cut all branches back to the stump & finaly got the trunk down to about 3ft x3ft but it's just way to thick to cut away anymore so we began digging out from underneath to expose it's roots but that was a waste of time as the root's just went to deep so we decided to burn it out from underneath.

We have had the stump ablaze 3 time's now & yesterday I did a quick inspection after not going near it for a couple of months & blow me there's new shoots sprouting from it!!

I think sometimes you just have to admit defeat & leave it be or call in a proper tree surgeon...Good luck

Leif

I removed a Buddleia with a 6" trunk at the weekend. I first cut it down to near soil level, with the wood put aside for a stove. It was hard to lever out being next to the drive, so I cut away as many side roots as possible then used a (Fiskars) wedge and club hammer to split the stump. After 30 to 60 minutes it was out. The wedge works less well with hard woods such as Sycamore simply because the wood is so hard. I know as I had to remove an 8" Sycamore stump planted against a fence, so cutting roots on one side was not possible. I also used a drill and 21mm wood bit to help fragment the Sycamore.

Did the OP succeed?

walkers-crisps_are_evil

Alternative solution for lazy people like me. Cut it down to a flat stump level. If it likely to re sprout like buddleia then apply 5ml (depending on make) of glyphosate to a cut in top of base. Put huge pot on top with something nice planted in it. Works for me.

grannyjo

We has a large sycamore stump about 6ins high and 18ins accoss which kept sprouting. In the end I covered it in black poylthene (thick) then put a small mound of soil on top. I planted some hardy geraniums on top which seemed to flourish even though there waas only about 2 ins of soil. After approx 2 years, the stump was rotting away, and I could break large chunks off. It worked for us with little effort