Tree stumps pose a dangerous trip and foot-stubbing risk to children playing outside in your yard, and may damage lawnmowers by running over them. Furthermore, they take up valuable garden space and decrease property values.
Left unattended, stumps and their roots will become home for pests, fungi and organisms; eventually invading other trees or even your house and growing into them. There are various methods that can be employed to kill and remove these unwanted guests;
1. Local Garden Centers
Stumps and their roots can be unsightly and disruptive, as well as becoming breeding grounds for pests and fungi that threaten healthy trees. Rotting stumps may drain vital water resources away from surrounding plantings while damaging underground pipes buried underneath the stump itself, and growing living stumps may sprout new shoots that interfere with landscape design or pose safety threats to children and pets.
If you are capable of removing your stump yourself, using a drill and potassium nitrate, drill holes into its surface and sides before filling them in using fire. Finally, set fire to it until all roots have been consumed by flame. Although this method requires more labor intensive effort than others, it will do an effective job in clearing away all roots attached to it.
For large and stubborn stumps, professional help may be the way forward. Arborists possess the tools and knowhow needed to perform stump grinding or stump removal. This process typically involves digging out and cutting away the remaining stump while simultaneously severing its roots before chipping away its wood mass to form mulch for reuse later. The remaining root mass should decay naturally while any leftover wood chips can serve as useful mulch material.
Some services charge by stump diameter; while others offer flat fees for multiple stumps. When considering hiring services or going it alone, compare prices from multiple businesses before making your selection. Alternatively, portable stump grinders can be purchased from home improvement stores to make this task simpler.
2. Yard Sales
Tree stumps can be an eyesore in any yard and even lower its property value. Additionally, they pose a tripping hazard and pose injury risks to anyone walking through or using their lawnmower in that area of the yard or lawnmowering the grass around them. Furthermore, their presence encourages invasive plants to sprout up and flourish there as well.
However, it's possible to transform an unsightly tree stump into something beautiful for your landscape - like furniture like a stump garden table that will make an eye-catching centerpiece in your backyard and provide seating on patio.
Repurposing a tree stump into a flower or vegetable planter is another simple DIY project, only requiring tools and gardening know-how. Simply chip away at its sides until you reach a flat surface before carving out its center for planting space.
Hollow tree stumps provide ample room to store soil, fill it with flowers, vegetables or small trees and act as planters. If you don't have time or skills to create planters out of them, an alternative use for them could be creating outdoor chairs carved from tree stumps - carving benches from stumps is a simple yet enjoyable project that allows anyone interested in woodwork to add rustic elements into their garden design.
3. Local Craftspersons
Professional tree stump removal should always be left to professionals, particularly if homeowners attempt to do it themselves. Homeowners who attempt to do it themselves may quickly discover it's not as straightforward as initially imagined and end up spending both money on equipment rental/purchase as well as time on this task.
Stumps can be unsightly eyesores in any yard and provide hiding spaces for termites, ants and wood-destroying fungi that cause structural issues in homes, sidewalks and patios. Furthermore, stump roots grow underground where they damage pipes as well as cause other structural issues for both homes as well as sidewalks and patios.
Burning or chemical rotting are the two primary methods for eliminating tree stumps. Burning can be done easily when done on dry wood by pouring kerosene or fuel oil through holes and waiting for it to turn to charcoal; while chemical rotting requires similar approaches but with much more toxic substances.
Professional stump removers typically charge either by the hour or stump removal services typically factoring in factors like location, terrain, stump size and complexity of roots, proximity of buildings or utilities and proximity to utilities when setting their fees for stump removal services. All these variables can alter or drive up or down average prices associated with such jobs.
4. Etsy
An eyesore tree stump can detract from curb appeal and leave your yard looking neglected, while also being a safety hazard to children and adults playing in the garden or walking in it, creating soft spots or depressions that might trip someone up. Furthermore, they obstruct space that should otherwise be dedicated to plants such as gardens, other trees, or other landscape features and can even present hazards when using lawnmowers!
As the stump decays, it attracts insects and fungus that can damage its nearby trees and plants. Ants, termites, wood wasps, borer beetles, worms, and other pests can make themselves at home within its depths - even eventually spreading to nearby healthy trees and plants! Fungi in or around a stump may even spread into nearby water pipes causing costly damages.
Stump removal can be both time-consuming and expensive. A single stump can cost well over $100 to remove depending on its size and method of removal; costs increase further if roots have grown into sidewalks, driveways, buildings or are near underground utilities such as water, gas or electrical lines.
An attempt at stump removal on your own can be costly, requiring equipment such as a stump grinder and chainsaw. Other methods may involve burning, chemical rotting or digging up and cutting up of the stump itself; professional tree services offer quicker solutions at less expense and time commitment.