Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Removing Stumps the Safe and Easy Way
Sure, anyone can hire a tree service to pull or grind out their tree stumps but what if the stump's hard to get to, maybe crammed right up against your house or your valuable plants? Or heck, what if you'd just rather not spend the money to have the stump removed for you? Not to worry; there ARE alternatives, even organic ones.
- Paul James, TV's "Gardener Guy" recommends drilling holes in the stump and pouring a "mixture of salt and vinegar" in the holes to hasten the stump's process of decay, but I've seen others shriek in horror at the idea — because salt "poisons the soil." Okay, next idea?
- More often, it's suggested that those drilled holes be filled not with but salt but with SUGAR (which "microcritters love," one contributor to Daves Garden added). Then moisten the sugar and put mulch on top of the stump (assuming it's flush with the ground). You can use white sugar, molasses or old jellies or jams.
- If you don't have a drill, just make cuts in the surface of the stump with a saw or ax.
- Another intriguing suggestion is to cover those sugar-filled holes with construction-strength plastic bags. The plastic is reported to "cook the stump in no time." How much time? No one ever says so if you've used any of these techniques, please tell me!
- One still finds the suggestion that gasoline be poured into those drilled holes or cuts but along with environmental reasons not to do this, gasoline only stops new growth and doesn't hasten the plant's demise anyway.
Using Mystery Products
There ARE commercial products that can be purchased to hasten the rotting action of tree stumps — like Stump Remover or Stump-Out , but information about their ingredients is hard to find — their websites refer to "granules" doing the job. So why not try sugar or plastic bags first? Here's my blog story about Stump-Out, including why I decided not to use it.
Photo by David Reece.