Comments on: To hasten a stump’s demise

By: Norm

Norm — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:48:21 +0000

A couple comments about the posts here:
1. The Stump-out directions do not say to use gasoline. They suggest the use of Kerosene which is much less volatile than gasoline. I am in the process of following the directions on one of my stumps. I will report back with the results.
2. Rotting stumps do not fertilize anything when left to rot. In fact they take nitrogen out of the immediate soil to help breakdown the wood. Much like decomposing saw dust, you add nitrogen to a stump or saw dust to speed the breakdown process.

By: Ginny Stibolt

Ginny Stibolt — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:24:14 +0000

Here's what I did to a sweet gum stump in the middle of our backyard: From Stump to Butterfly Haven.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:01:55 +0000

Why not just let the stump rot on its own? The stump will break down and fertilize the plants around it over an extended period of time.

By: Jim/ArtofGardening

Jim/ArtofGardening — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:09:11 +0000

A stump in my hellstrip between sidewalk and road was left after the city came by, unannounced, and chopped down a horse chestnut tree that’s been slowly dying for the eight years I’ve lived here. There is now a low stump. I don’t think I would ever use anything that required gasoline & fire in my very urban setting. That’s crazy talk. It took eight years to chop it down, I’m sure they’ll be by with a stump grinder before 2016.

By: Mr. Mann

Mr. Mann — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:25:21 +0000

A close friend of mine has been doing lawn care and landscaping for over a decade and rarely employs a stump grinder. Rather, once the stump is cut flush, they use an axe to cross cut the surface of the wood and break up the stump, cover it with good fresh compost, and finish with a heavy mulching.

It’s not nearly as quick as a stump grinder, but within a year it breaks down enough you can start planting on top of it again. We did this with some thick, well established arborvitae last spring and had a nice garden plot planted over top of it this year.

By: Shirley Bovshow "Edenmaker"

Shirley Bovshow "Edenmaker" — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:22:02 +0000

I would tarp the neighboring plants and grind away! It ‘s been the most effective way to get rid of tree stumps in most all my projects. Of course, when I’m working for others, they don’t want to wait six weeks. They want me to make it go away now!

Let me know how your experiment goes Susan.
Shirley