Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Miscellaneous » Easy Tree Stump Removal

Easy Tree Stump Removal

Updated : April 15, 2020

6 Comments

I’ve seen many people struggle trying to remove dead tree stumps in their yard.

In order to successfully and safely remove tree stumps, you have to have the right tools.

If you are removing an entire tree, make sure don’t cut it so far down that you don’t have any trunk to use as leverage.

Clear away the vegetation around the tree and dig a trench around the base of the tree, not too close to the major roots, but a little farther around the tree where the roots start getting smaller. When you get to the roots, you will need a heavy duty square point nursery spade and a digger tamper bar (those are both Amazon affiliate links) some of us call it a spud bar. The spud bar is used to slice the roots.  You should take the time to sharpen these tools to make the job easier.  The weight of the spade and the spud bar as well as their sharp edges will make the job easier and faster.

After you’ve chopped all the roots you can access, use the trunk of the tree as leverage to move it around to see if and where any roots are still attached.

Remember, the secret is to dig out, away from the stump.

Don’t start digging in close to the base of the tree where the roots are thicker and heavier, work farther out where the roots are thinner and easier to deal with.

Dig around the tree at an angle.

Let your tools do most of the work!

Watch me and Duston make easy work out of this tree.

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Wheelbarrow Tips & Tricks
  • Tree Stump Removal Instructions
  • Check Out My Billy Goat Outback Brush Cutter!
  • 37 Ways to Know You’re Addicted to Gardening
  • Mantis Tiller Review

Comments

  1. Debbie B says

    August 13, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    Hi Mike,
    We recently had an oak tree cut down in our front yard. We live on a cul-de-sac and have a tiny front yard but a big bad yard. The tree was very close to the drive way and we were afraid the roots would lift up the driveway. A couple of days after the tree was cut down, a guy came and ground out the stump. The roots from the tree are still there. How do we get rid of them so we can replant some grass there? The roots are pretty big.

    Thanks,
    Debbie

    Reply
    • Debbie B says

      August 13, 2017 at 5:56 pm

      I meant to say big back yard.

      Reply
    • Mike says

      August 15, 2017 at 8:15 am

      Debbie, a lot of digging and chopping. Or you can rent a small stump grinder to get rid of all of the roots, which might be the best option.

      Reply
  2. Earl says

    April 7, 2017 at 8:26 pm

    I was doing some research on stump removal for my tree care business and found your post.

    I particularly liked using the tree stump as leverage and keeping tools sharp. Both important aspects.

    Thank you for taking the time to type this and also for the video.

    As requested, I sent this to 3 of my friends who love gardening.

    Reply
    • Mike says

      April 8, 2017 at 9:19 am

      Thanks Earl, I appreciate that. As you well know, it’s crazy to bring in a stump grinder if you can do the job with a few good tools in a short period of time.

      Reply
  3. Mark Daniels says

    June 1, 2015 at 11:39 am

    As a child, we had large trees in our backward. As they continue to grow, I could see the roots moving towards the foundation. That said, we ended up getting a tree removal group to get it done. In the end, we were left we tree stumps that continue to be an obtrusion in my home. I intend to remove it, but just don’t know what to do. The video and hints displayed on doing this have both been valuable to me! I will have to test this out early morning on a Saturday.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Bed by the Month.

Posted On April 27, 2023 By Mike

$180.00 per Square Foot? Is it really possible?

Posted On March 28, 2023 By Mike

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Wow! I planted four of these 'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm in the perennial garden at the nursery last summer and look at them now. They are in bloom right now, end of June here in northern, Ohio and every person that sees them asks about them. This beauty … Read Full Article

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

This beautiful Bee Balm is part of the 'Sugar Buzz' series. I planted these in my perennial bed last summer and this year they are beautiful and blooming like crazy! They grow from 16" to 24" tall, are hardy from zone 4 through zone 8. They love full sun … Read Full Article

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service