Tree stump removal instructions that make a very difficult, if not an impossible job, manageable.
I spent about 20 years re-landscaping homes. We used to re-landscape three homes a week, and we did all of this work on evenings and Saturdays because I worked a full-time job.
I have no idea how many homes I re-landscaped over the years, but the number is well over 500.
Every one of those re-landscaping jobs had overgrown landscaping that needed to be removed before we could even start the actual landscaping job.
That meant that dozens and dozens of tree stumps and large stumps from overgrown shrubbery had to be removed.
Of course, country wisdom says that you just back up Bubba’s pickup truck, wrap a chain around the stump and drive away as fast as you can.
I’ll admit, I’ve done that. Does it work? Sort of. But it’s also a great way to really tear up a pickup truck, completely destroy the lawn, and possibly damage the house.
Therefore it’s not such a good idea. Especially when you are doing work on somebody else’s house like I was doing.
So over the years, we refined a technique for actually removing these stumps by hand. Tree stump removal by hand with the wrong tools is an impossible task.
Tree stump removal with the right tools is doable. I won’t say it’s easy work because it’s not. But if you use the right tools and the right techniques you don’t have to strain your back and ruin your tools.
It’s more of a methodical process of digging around the tree stump with a good nursery digging spade, and using a landscape bar, also known as a spud bar to cut the roots as you encounter them while digging.
The secret is to start out away from the stump. If you start working too closely to the stump you will encounter large heavy roots that will be too difficult to deal with.
So if you start out a little farther and just start digging a small trench around the stump with the spade, then going around in the trench you just dug with the spud bar to cut the roots that the spade won’t cut, then more spade-work, then more landscape bar work, that tree stump will come out of the ground.
Don’t pry and bend up your tools. Use the tools to cut the roots. Prying won’t get you anywhere and your tools will be ruined.
I’ve been teaching this technique on the Internet for a number of years now and people write to me all the time and tell me how well it worked for them.
Happy digging! -Mike
Mike I used my pressure washer to blast and scrub around the stump.
Dirty water flying everywhere….
Make a small drain trench away from stump to drain water.
Roots exposed
Cut em with a lopper or chainsaw.
Done
Great video Mike!
I remember my husband trying to remove a dead azalea bush with a rope and his truck. The rope snapped and it shredded a long row of my tiger lilies down and looking like they had been professionally cut by a hedge trimmer! My younger son was behind the lilies some distance away but the rope was long. I am glad it did not slice his neck off. Hubby caught hell that day! Beware self gardeners!
I am currently in the midst of grinding out a couple dozen LARGE black walnut and honeylocust stumps – minimum of a foot, all the way to five feet in diameter (more or less, counting the big fat roots) I had cut down this spring. I bought a DR Pro stump grinder for about $2500 – renting one would have cost many times that, since I’ve been working on this since about June. I’m 66, female, and doing it by myself – hubby has a bad back. I sure couldn’t DIG out all of these! (Your method HAS saved me a ton of work on the wild honeysuckle bushes, though.) The DR has saved me YEARS of digging, or ripping out the undercarriage of vehicles driven over the stumps. I’ll be using the rotted-down grindings as soil conditioner in flowerbeds and eventual garden.
I love the DR because it only weighs 175 lbs. I looked at others that weighed twice as much – I only weigh about 150, so the extra weight would have made it much more stressful to my arthritic knees and back. I’ve learned ways to use it so it doesn’t hurt me – except every once in a while it likes to rear-up like a horse, which yanks and gives me brief whiplash. Gotta watch these machines!
Becky,
Be careful, power equipment can be dangerous. For others reading this, I’ve rented a diesel powered stump grinder for $500 a day. In one day, a few hours really, I’ve removed dozens of pretty large tree stumps. A big grinder grinds fast. Small grinders? It’s a pain staking process.
I have another method which works for me ! Instead of the tree spade and spud bar I use a Railroad pick , tree lopper , and a camp hatchet . The pick makes fast work digging the ditch around the tree, can be used to get pulling leverage under the roots and powers through the tough clay , and only costs about $25 instead of $125, roots are cut with lopper , and if too large hatchet. Around here some of the roots are large and go straight down , while others go radially near the surface so , I cut the roots and use the pick to help pry them out , if necessary. Due to the weight and leverage of pick , I find it quicker and less tiring than a shovel . A lot of soil around here is brick hard, and a shovel barely penetrates , even if jumped on with 2 feet !
Alex, have you ever tried using a hand held cordless sawzall instead of a tree lopper? I haven’t done that but am wondering as you can hack through just about anything with one of those and it wouldn’t mind (so much) being in the dirt. Have to cut the roots horizontal though not vertical – in order to keep the blade from bending.
Thomas,
Sticking any kind of a blade into the dirt will dull it faster than you can think. I’ve been doing this for more than 40 years and never stick any kind of a saw blade in the ground.
I’ve done this for years. They make a tree pruning blade for them and it makes short work of the roots. I’m working in sand, so probably easier than clay or the like, but works like a charm here. I buy similar brand battery powered sawzalls at yard sales for peanuts because the batteries are expensive for them and no one wants to pony up for that. I have one dedicated to this and I figured it would be sacrificial, but here we are, many years later and it’s fine.
We had a huge Maple tree in Ca. and this method worked great for us. Bought some extra blades, cheap.
I live in FL. And use my sawzall with Diabl o pruning blade in my Dewalt Sawzall. I cut the branches and smaller trunks to all the wild growing bushes . Florida loose soil and a hearty blade dies a quick work for me. It’s a bit rough on the hands pushing through the thick roots but I finally am ridding my property of these fast growing yellow flowered trees that die every winter then come back with bigger root systems.
Good grief! The stump flying over paints a great word picture. It’s worthy of a Wiley Coyote video. My landscaper friend broke up the drive train of his pickup pulling a stump. He broke up big expensive parts too, like the transmission case.. I’d love to know if your truck survived this without substantial damage to the driveline.
George,
I never pull stumps with my truck. If they are small enough to be pulled by a truck they are small enough to remove by hand and do a lot less damage to lots of things.
An ever green of some kind has grown up near my garage and I want to move it to a spot near my driveway which had been lined with trees which were removed because they were leafless and looked awful.
I plan to dig around the base of the tree which has a trunk about two inches in diameter and the seedling is about six feet tall now.
I will use a Mantis electric rototiller to dig the hole into which it will be moved after I get it out of the ground.
Encouraged by your stump removal experience.
Bill,
Sounds good, but I’d wait until fall to move an evergreen.
I’ve read you cut the roots farther way from the tree it’s self in the fall then by spring you can dig it up
Thanks for showing me how to take out the stumps but my tree was already cut off a while ago and I just want to get the stump out. The tree is a redbud and I know the roots go really deep from pulling one out a few years ago. Will your method help me get it out?
Marsha,
Absolutely it will.
How to get an 18” diameter cherry stump out? I need to put a 6foot tall fig in its place?
Cathi,
That’s pretty big. Cut it flush to the ground and rent a stump grinder and dispose of the chips before you replant.
I need to remove 2 cedar trees with 6″ to 8″ diameter. I presume this tecniwie ahoul work okay?
Bob,
It will work fine, just make sure you dig out far enough and leave a nice tall post to give you leverage to rock the trees back and forth until out.
I am so glad that I came across this article. We have a few stumps in our backyard that we really want to get rid of so I’ll have to keep these tips in mind. Hopefully, we will be able to get rid of them soon and start working on our yard.
Hi Mike,
I was wondering if there are different approaches for different types of tree stumps. We had an infection run all throughout the trees in our yard and we had to chop down three of them. We had a willow and two oaks. They currently are just stumps right now that we want to get rid of. You said that this isn’t easy work and I’m assuming that it can take a while. I think in our case, it may be beneficial to hire someone to get the job done. Let me know your thoughts!
Aria,
Any stump of any size often requires the use of a stump grinder. Either rent one or hire it done. Doing them by hand they really need to be 4″ in diameter or less. Unless you want to spend days on it.
Removed three tree stumps with just a pick axe and shovel today in just 3 hours
its really very simple
Nick,
That’s awesome! I spent at least 20 years re-landscaping homes, so every other evening was spent removing stumps by hand. It’s work, but on most small stumps it works great.
Thank you for the video. It was a big help!
Here is a comment from one of our readers….
Mike
I just finished watching your proven technique for stump removal. I wish I had seen your video years ago. Many years ago. I tried to remove a large stump so I could install a culvert for street access to property that I owned. I tried to dig out the stump but after a couple of hours I realized this technique would turn into an all day job. I tied a couple of old (each 25′ long) construction slings together; secured one end around the stump and roots and the other end around my pickup truck trailer hitch (4-wheel, limited slip front and back drive). After trying to ease the stump loose using 4-wheel low with no success, I tried backing up a couple of feet, put the truck in drive and hit the gas. Still no success after a couple of tries. Last resort, I tried backing up about ten feet, going forward gave full throttle. When I got to the end of slack in the sling the truck came to an almost instantaneous stop (I am not sure if the truck came off the ground or not). The stump (at least 150 pounds) came loose flew over the top of the pickup and landed in front of the truck. I thanked God that I was not injured or killed and have never used this technique since. .
Good grief! The stump flying over paints a great word picture. It’s worthy of a Wiley Coyote video. My landscaper friend broke up the drive train of his pickup pulling a stump. He broke up big expensive parts too, like the transmission case.. I’d love to know if your truck survived this without substantial damage to the driveline.
Is there any way to protect my balckberry bushes from another nasty winter like we had last year. I only harvested a couple of hands full of berries this year. I assume the flower buds frozen in extreme weather of last winter and spring.
Thank you much for the very important advice to dig further away from the stump! where the roots are smaller. I used a “super sawzall (electric) to cut the roots.
Another helpful tool we have found is a 2.5 ton to 3.5 ton hydraulic auto jack.
We took out 10 huge 10′ to 12′ tall bushes growing along a foundation by digging a trench straight in under the bush, sliding in a short length of 2×12, then sliding the jack down on the 2×12 and jacking the bush out of the ground. Have used this technique on red buds, sassafrass, and smaller oaks where access is limited.
We used the landscape spade handed down from my grandpa, an 8′ real heavy iron bar used to shift rail in the old days, a reciprocating saw w/pruning blade(s), the hydraulic jack, some sweatin’ and cussin’ too.
Preferred tool is the John Deere, but you can’t just drive it anywhere; well you can, but not everyone appreciates the nice tread patterns.
Bruce,
Thanks for sharing the hydraulic jack idea. Never thought of that!
I recently rented an apartment and the previous tenant only cut the grass. The land owner thought they could just cut the young trees growing in the beds down to the ground and that would be that. It worked for the winter but now its almost summer and tree shoots are growing everywhere! Some of the stumps growing don’t have just one stump, they’re multiple stumps growing together like a mulberry tree/bush and they’re close to the ground and they’re right in the middle of a flower bed. Do you think this method will work for these or should I try a different method?
Kristina, it should work just fine.
Removing a stump this small is simple. I thought you were going to remove a big stump.
I would love to have your soil. Mine is red clay and there is no way you could remove that stump in 15 minutes from my property. Also the bar you use, we call a tamper bar because of the round end. It is used to tamp down the earth around a fence poll. Thanks for the info, it will be very useful, but maybe just a little more time.
Robert,
I spent 20 years re-landscaping homes and we hand dug stumps every night in every kind of hard soil you can imagine. I works.
I’m a single woman of 78 who lives on a canal that is lined with 5 cottonwoods & lots of wild trees. There isn’t a hole that I’ve dug that didn’t have to have a deep root waterer used the day before so I could dig a hole either to plant or to remove due to roots. I’ve had to really work at this but now after 20 yrs. It looks so nice.
This is great…I had – key word had – a stump that wouldn’t come out. Saw this video and bought a spud bar and nursery spade which helped me get the stump out in a matter of minutes. The spud bar is an awesome tool.
Hi Mike
I don’t have the obvious strength you and Dustin have to use a spud bar (I’m 64) but my friend the reciprocating saw does! I have used the combination of your nursery spade technique and my recip. saw with great success for stumps and shrubs. Thanks for all your wonderful information. You are making me a much better gardener! Thank you
Thank you for showing, it’s nice to see that there is actually a process to getting stumps out of the ground. Our primitive family pulls the boys that “aren’t doing anything” to come out and muscle our way through it, I’ll do ten wacks and you do ten wacks! Keep up the good work Mike.
We’ve used the pickup truck method, but we use a gradual pull.
We also have an old Farmers Jack and a chain with lock. Wrap chain around stump. Lay over top of Jack. Lock together. Pump handle to get stumps out of ground.
For nasty little bush stumps, away from other plants, cut top and bottom off #10 food can. Put over stump. Add wood or charcoal embers to can to burn stump to ground.
Another way….drill holes into large stump. Pour something into holes to activate rotting process.
Last way…use the large stump as a center piece in yard. Chisel out 6 inches down leaving a 2 – 3 inch border around outside. Fill with dirt. Plant flowers in it.
Thanks Liz, great ideas.
I think this is one of the most significant information for me.
And i am glad reading your article. But wanna remark on
some general things, The site style is wonderful,
the articles is really great : D. Good job,
cheers
Thanks Shauna, I appreciate that. -Mike McGroarty
I have some boxwood hedges that are growing around the circumference of my home, have to dig them out or get a chain. (was always afraid if I pulled them with a chain that it would destroy my home’s foundation – I live in a mobile home with cement block/stucco around the bottom.)
I will try to do it this way first! Thanks
Kathy,
This is a much better option. When you pull things with a chain lots of things get damaged. The lawn, the vehicle and possibly the foundation.
Well Mike thats a nice video and certainly work in your area but in mine you better get something to dig black clay soil that if wet can’t get off the shovel if dry can’t get spade into ground your basic techniques will work but oh! wish I had soil that easy to dig in.
Hay Mike I have see this one on YouTube will i think i have sine them all for rial i keep with someone that i real want and this I want
Correction to previous comment I planted “two” not “to” Ash trees
I have removed many tree stumps by hand over the years – basically using Mike’s techniques
but using a Grubbing Axe ( pick axe with one side of the head large and flat). I find it easier. BUT after the stump is removed, to prevent the remaining small roots from sending up suckers,I take a hand drill – drill a hole in the roots and fill them with sodium chlorate ( if not available a cheap alternative is winter Ice Salt) this causes the roots to rot away.
Roots under the drive could be approached in the same way – cut root at edge of drive – drill a large hole in the root that goes under the drive and fill the hole with Sodium Chlorate or Ice Salt ( the rougher the better) – this should cause the root to rot away.
I had a “benjamin ficus” tree. We cut it all the way to the ground. The thing is that it was planted in a hole surrounded by concrete. Now I wish I could plant something else, but, need to remove the stump. How to? Also when I first moved to this land, I didn’t know much about anything to do with landscaping. I planted to Ash trees neer my home. We later did a concrete driveway along the area of the trees. Now after over 40 yrs of living here the roots went under my driveway and lifted up part of the slab. I do not want to remove the trees,but would like to do something about the roots. Any suggestions?
I have private hedge around my house but they have grown up with lots of leaves on top and bare lower down they are about 8 ft tall. how do I prune them.I dont want to cut them down as they protect the house from the north winds ..Also I have row of them down the driveway .how do I shape them thanks I have learned a lot from you … missy
Great viedo, How to with tools need..
Don
Had to respond!
I love to use better and easier ways of doing a job. But, I can tell you digging a stump out of the ground by hand is NO easy task, using proper tools or not! I’ve got approx. 20 tree stumps of maple, hickory, holly, and pine that need removed and I challege anyone that after the second stump of any size you will throw your tools down and go inside cussing the whole way. My g-grandfather would have at least had a helping hand with a good team of horses and a good sharpened axe he would have sharpen himself in the shed.
Thank you for one nice video. Wish I had known what two tools would have made removal of various plants, that have good roots on them, a breeze a year or two ago. It surely was a struggle but now that I know what to use I will have a quicker and easier time.
Thanks Mike. I’ve been looking around on how to remove a bush, stump and came up on your video. Man, great, simple and easy on how to remove a tree stump (great Tips!) . First now i have to get my spade and landscaping bar. I’ll let you know how it turned out. Thanks a bunch.(:
a reciprocating saw will cut all the roots and save loads of time too. once you have dug the trench to the roots, use the reciprocating saw to cut the roots and push on the trunk until you have cut all the roots off. cheers
I use a version of the same (called a hacksall) with a pruning saw blade that is available online (couldn’t find it locally) Make life much easier. Unlike a chain saw, the dirt doesn’t seem to dull the pruning saw blade. I won’t put my chainsaw in the dirt – kills the blades in seconds.
Thank you guys. I wish I’d seen this before cutting 6 trees down to the ground….
Mike, Dustin, great job guys. I have lots of small trees to cut and dig the roots out. I know how my husband and I will be doing it now. Thank you.
Hi Mike
I cant see the video. Where and how can I see them.
Tkanks a lot for your good webpage.
Wonder if there is enough root on the sapling removed to replant it??
Mike– what should I do with oak leaves I have heard that they are very acidic and shouldn’t be used on garden or mulch pile. Do you put all your kitchen and yard waist in your mulch pile. Or maybe I should ask what not to put in a mulch pile.How about a video on this subject.
THANKS BUDDY 🙂
Hey Mike,-I love the video’s keep em coming. Great job Dustin, I too have to do the grunt work for my Dad now.I wish I had a Kabota Tractor. Heck forget the Kabota just send me Dustin for a week or so. My Dad is 83 and still gets out and does things outside and Im 48 and have a hard time keeping up with him. I guess Im his Dustin lol LOVE TO GARDEN WITH My DAD. Have any good ideas for oak leaves in the fall, I have 2 1/2 acres of leaves.
Hi, Any kind of leaves can be composted , if you are in a hurry , chop them first with lawnmower or shredder, then pile high dampen and cover them, preferably mix in some green grass clippings . If you pile them about 4 feet high and 7 feet wide . They should heat up and break down into some nice compost ! I use composted leaves , a little clay soil , and about 1/4 Pine bark fines to make potting soil on the cheap.
Hi Mike – thanks for the video!
I just took out 5 or 6 shrubs yesterday & while it wasn’t difficult (mostly rotten) I sure could have used the advice of this video!
Enjoy all the information you provide. When you go to purchase the tools in your videos can you purchase these at your local hardware (Lowe’s or Home Depot) stores. Thanks again for your time and great videos.
The action hoe is available at many hardware stores. If your local hardware store doesn’t sell them, ask the manager if they can order one in for you. You might
also find them at garden centers or in gardening catalogs.
Kathy Anderson
Mike’s Assistant
Hi Mike,
Loved the video. I have a big problem. Just paid a guy $1,000 to take down 4 40-yr. old pine trees. The stump diameter is about 3 ft. around cut close to the ground. I don’t think a stump grinder will do the trick as these stumps had 5-inch roots shooting out and wrapping around the stumps! I called an excavator and he wants another $1500 to take out the things. It’s an incredible waste of money.
See my comment below – you might want to use a brace and bit and drill many deep holes – depending where you live a $5 bag of salt could do the trick.
How do you use salt? Do you drill holes into the stump and pour salt in them? Is that all? About how long does it take to work?
I heard that you drill deep holes and pore in Epsom salt.
I have 4 acres coconut farm.which is Best bush trees for fencing’s. I’m in India.i expect no outsider should see Even an inch iside
Techney Arborvitae
Mike, what do you know about wood chippers?
If I hadn’t seen your video, I would have dug much closer to stump and gotten into
tougher work. Thanks Mike!!
Yeah, come and try that in Texas clay soil. LOL. No way. I do like your nice, dry, light soil though. I wish I had it down here!
I had to dig up a pine stump about 30 years ago so I could plant a dogwood. I thought I would get to China before I got to the bottom of that thing. I’ve found with big trees cut them off close to the ground.
Then get an auger drill and drill a lot of holes in the stump and pour in salt or some stuff called “Stump Rot”. You have to wait a few months for the stuff to work. Cover the stump with charcoal and light it off.
It’ll burn that sucker all the way into the ground. This takes more time, but it’s a lot less work.
Be careful with augers! They can hit a root or rock and suddenly stop, causing your wrist to snap. I avoid them because they are dangerous, but if I do use them, I operate it as SLOWLY as possible, and keep a very LOOSE GRIP on it.
use an impact driver it breaks at the clutch instead of your wrist making it much safer and time efficient
Hi Mike! Sure looked easy. Not at all like the cherry trees that were “smaller” that I had to take out. Some of those roots are like the trunk! and yes, we started out and worked in, but it wasn’t at all so easy. I like your vids! Thank you for taking the time to teach.
Looks like you have sandy soil.
Wonder what it would have been like in heavy clay soil?
You may would still be at it! Ha!!!
That looked like a pretty easy tree to get out. How does it work with a larger tree? That is the problem for me,
Do they make nursery spades with longer handles? I can’t dig bent over like that due to an old back injury, but I can dig if I can stand up straighter. Maybe I can get the handle modified somehow.
Thanks Mike rreally enjoy your lessons.
Mike,
Thanks for all of the info! For the first time in my 66 years we have been hit by tomato blight and lost ALL of them. HELP
Late blight has been a problem for the last couple years across a large part of the country. It’s too late to save your tomato plants this year,
but this article might help prevent a recurrence next year: http://www.freeplants.com/late-blight.html
Kathy Anderson
Mike’s Assistant
I have many vines on my blackberries and I did find out the best thing to do is wait until January to cut them back to the end of the canes. It is now August and I live in So. Indiana and would like to get some of the vines out of my way for mowing. Would it hurt the vines if I cut them back part of the way now? After cutting the vines back last January I have tons of new vines. With the summer being so hot I didn’t have locusts on the vines and very few ants. I used CD’s attached to strings and stagger them along the fence post to keep the birds away and this really works great. No more bird doodle on the vines. I am not able to put up a trellis by myself, so I just have to work with the vines the best I can. This year the berries were bigger and juicier! Just wish I could have yielded more. Thanks for your hlep and I like your website.
Mike, I’m having a hard time finding a Landscape or Spud bar. Any suggestions? Thanks. Love your website and emails. Thinking of going into the sprouting business!
I found a selection of landscape bars at the local Ace Hardware recently, and I’ve seen them at other hardware stores, but not all of them. It seems to be up to the discretion of the store manager whether or not they carry landscape bars. All I can suggest is that if you don’t find it in one hardware store, try another. You can also ask the store manager if they can order one in for you.
Kathy Anderson
Mike’s Assistant
I ordered one online from Home Depot. They don’t carry them in the store. You can order it online and then go pick it up to avoid the shipping charge. I think it was listed online under “pry bars.” I doubt that I’ll use mine because it is too heavy for me, a female. I’ll probably sell it on Craig’s List.
Thanks for the tip about not cutting the trunk near the ground. I nearly made the mistake on a whole row of four ugly shrubs that need to be removed so that nicer plants can be put there. (In fact,arborvitaes will be planted.) You may have saved me hours of work if not also another episode of sharp back pains.
I had some pine trees cut down some years back.I got the guy to cut them off as close to the ground as possible. The I got a pretty long auger bit and drilled holes in the stumps and filled them full of salt. That didn’t quite do the trick so I bought some “Stump Rot” and put that in. It took it awhile to work (a couple of months), but the stumps started to fall apart. After cooking out on the grill I put the still burning charcoal on one stump. It burnt all the way into the ground overnight. I dug one small pine stump up one time. I thought I was going to get to China before I dug the thing up.
hi mike i took your advise it worked great i love watching your videos there great!i could take out the stump myself it only took about 1/2hour my husband was amazed thankyou for the great tips janet
Janet, that’s great! I’m glad it worked for you!
That’s efficiant as it gets.
Without the expenseve cost of the spade can a person rip/pull big stumps out with say a 6″ diameter tree/pole (cut down tree), a chain, and a big round fulcrum rock or something? I saw a leverage tool something like that in Mother Earth News long time ago.. I’ll be watching for a landscaping spade ..used.
Mike, Your theory is to rip the stump out of the ground against it’s own force. If you cut some of those roots the stump comes out much easier. You could probably make some progress with a block and tackle. I’ve heard of them used that way, but have never done it. Good luck on that hunt for a good spade. It’s not the thing that you find in a garage sale. Those that have them won’t part with them on a bet.
Hey, Mike, I was just out front wonderin’ how in the world I could get a couple 1950’s half-dead azalea bushes out of the ground by my house. Now I know it is do-able!! Thanks for the great video!!
Debbie,
You’re welcome, I know you can do it!
Hi Mike, Thank you soooo much for all the landscape ideas emails!!! I enjoy them sooooo much!!!! Your email is the only one that I make sure and have time to read or watch the video!!! Thank you again and God Bless You!!!
thanks,
Wasnaa
Wasnaa, that’s good to hear and thank you for the kind words.
HELLO MR.MIKE,THAT VIDEO WAS WAS VERY HELPFUL,I DON,T HAVE ANY TREES IN MY BACKYARD,BUT I HAVE A 8X16 BOX GARDEN,WHICH I GROW SCOTCH BONNET PEPPERS,BUT CLEARING OUT ANOTHER SPOT,FOR TAKING MY HOBBIE TO THE NEXT LEVEL,I WILL BE BECOMMING ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS OF GARDENING WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK.(P.S)YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WHEN YOUR ON FIXED INCOME…LOL.
I understand that fixed income thing alright. But I can assure you we have a lot of members in the same boat and they are doing well growing and selling plants.
Mike, I learned how to remove tree stumps from you 3 years ago, from your website and your method worked perfectly! I went out right away and bought the right tools and I removed a giant Cotton Wood tree stump that was 1 1/2 feet in diameter as well as 4 – 40 year old Juniper bushes that were well over 8 feet tall and all had thick roots that went on forever! I then taught my neighbors how to dig up their Junipers too. Thanks for such great advice.
April, It’s nice to know that my information is being put to get use.
April, I’m glad you put this info to work, but mostly I thank you for being a subscriber for over 3 years. That’s awesome!
Thanks Mike, so much good info!
Thank you for another great video Mike but I can just use my little rat terrier. He cuts big tree roots in half with his teeth if they get in his way while digging huge holes all over the yard. I will rent him out if anyone’s interested.
So, that’s what you look like! Thanks MIke, keep it coming.
What about stumps from big hardwood trees that have been cut for some time, and are only about 24″ from the ground?
I enjoyed your video!
Karen,
It sounds like your stumps need a date with a stump grinder. But being that high they also need to be cut off closer to the ground before they can be ground. There are lots of independent guys around with stump grinders that do this reasonably. Ask around.
Thanks for the info Mike! I did try it on my old peach tree which has a 4 times thicker trunk than your video. However, I made the stupid mistake of cutting off the trunk at the base so now I don’t have the leverage to rock it back and forth. I used the same tools and tried digging out a trench about 3 feet in diameter away from the trunk for almost 3 hours and was drenched in sweat and the trunk is still solidly intrenched. I cut many roots but it seems to have deep roots directly under the trunk that I can’t get too. The tree was about 30 years old and was killed by fireblight. So I’m stuck with an ugly trunk now. What about those powdery tree stump removers? Do they work? Can I pour this on it to kill and decompose the trunk?
Gary, now that you have a trench dug around that stump and more of it exposed I’d consider building a fire over what’s left and burn it down. That’s providing you can do so safely and legally. Around here we can only burn if it’s a recreational fire, which means you need a package of hot dogs and a stick.
Hi Mike
Thanks for the advise. Just want to say it is just such an amassing site you have,
So many good tips, so easy to understand. Keep it up
thanks mile for the video wish i had it when we moved in here. There were stumps everywhere we worked and worked with them wefinally went to hardware store and bought some kind of stump removal the was suppose to eat away at the root so it came up, but did not work, we ended up pourin kerosene on them and burn all we could and them dug some more till we got them up. i swore i would never do that againsix months or more we worked on those darn stumps, but you made it look easy. if i ever try to get up another one i will remember your video. thanks a lot. millie.
Thanks so much. As always, your info and expertise is appreciated.
I’ve been faced with the stump diggin’ thing numerous times. I do all the same procedure, but intstead of using your spud bar, which can be stressful to your arm, shoulder, and back joints, I use a reciprocating saw to cut the roots. There’s many lengths and types of blades at Harbor Freight, Lowes, & Home Depot that will cut the roots like cutting soft butter!
Bob, You’re right, and now they make pruning blades for reciproacting saws.
Thanks for th video. I have several 15 in to 20 in stumps to remove. Should I give them a try? I am 64 yrs old in reasonable health and have plenty of time to do this.
Tore, If the stumps you have are 15 to 20 inches in diameter I wouldn’t tackle them by hand. You can rent a stump grinder for a little over $100 a day. Or just hire somebody to grind them. I’m not saying they can’t be dug, but it would be quite a job.
Thanks mike for the great advise!my husband already did the truck thing tried to wrap chain around the tree but broke off the tree 1foot to the ground said he was going cut it off with a chain saw the rest of it but never did so im taking your advise im going to try that tommorow my girlfriend has a spudbar i just burrow hers and get to work thanks for the info janet
Good luck Janet. Wear work boots, not tennis shoes.
Great video once again Mike!
Maybe I won’t throw my back out next time…
Some excellent information to have as needed…………..You make it look easy……..
Always pays to have the right tools…………………..too!!
Donna, I’m a big believer in the right tools. Too many people are always using the wrong tool for the job.
That looks good Mike I need to buy some better tools.
Thanks Mike;
You made my life a lot easier, got some ugly Poplars I want to remove from my property, saved me hours of work by showing me the right way, not my hubbies way, he just had knee surgery, so now I get to do it.
Thanks again for all the help I’ve gotten from your Emails.
Renate in Michigan.
Renate, You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoy what I send out.
WOW! Thank you! It seems much easier than a chain and a truck! No tracks to repair.
Thanks for the video 🙂 i wish we had seen it a week ago, we removed a seemingly “small” stump that was hidden under an old birdbath in our front yard (i guess the last homeowner didn’t want to deal with it), it looked small, but it had big roots- it took us (my husband that is, i was just the assistant) a lot of effort and a broken spade, but we finally lifted it out. That stump was shooting roots all over the place, and there was a tree already sprouting from it, right beside our foundation. Now we know a better way (with no broken tools, lol)
Very good video, I did not know that is how it done. Where i used to work , We just dug any old way till it came out. haha. You have a very nice web page Mike.
Granny, I learned to do it the hard way, just digging any old way and never know for sure which tool to use. Eventually I figured it out.
Thanks for the info Mike! Wish I had it a few months ago! I did one myself using a shovel, ax and crow bar and know now I started too close to the tree. Breathing heavy is an understatement–I worked a while, rested a while, worked a while, rested a while, and it certainly took more than 15 minutes, but finally mission accomplished! I will follow your instructions next time (or call a landscaper!!!)
Nona,
Well, you got the stump out and now you know an easier way.
Have considerable back problems, I figured out a pretty good way to remove some shrub stumps. It’s called: K-u-b-o-t-a.
When I was young and in my prime,
I used to dig stumps all the time.
But I’m older, with body askew;
I remember my granpa sayin’;
If they make a machine for it;
The work IT should do.
Be well,
Carle, I just bought a new Kubota to clear some land for my new nursery. It does make it easier.
i have a two tree stumps i need grinded or removed away. they are rather hard trees and they are cut to ground level now. they are about 17-20″ in diameter
when i go to digg the trench around them i hit more big roots and I get nowhere fast.
I thought of chainsaw but think the chain will dull immediately i thought about jack hammer with moderately sharp but not too sharp a spade bit……
any ideas?
how about those chemicals you can pour in? do they work well. I have all the time in the world but would rather get them out quickly
thanks
adam
310-486-2320
Adam Faura
310-486-2320
Adam,
You can dig out farther where the roots are smaller. The Jack hammer is just likely to get stuck in the roots and you’ll pull your back trying to pull it back. You’re right, you’ll ruin the change saw. You can rent a stump grinder for usually around $125.00. They make really nice Vemeer walk behind models that fit through gates etc.
Did you ever wonder why trees are usually cut a few feet from the ground? It’s because the guy with the expensive chain saw doesn’t want to get dirt and grit in the chain and back up in the engine. But if you have a junker chain saw that you don’t mind wrecking, you can make some big slices that will help the stump break down and deteriorate more quickly.
Thanks for the video Mike! I would categorize it under landscape design. Have to take out before you can re-plan and re-plant.