Cutting down or chopping down a hazardous or dead tree is about a quarter of the work required for getting the tree fully removed from your property. Chopping up and removing the rest of the tree is also a lot of hard work. One of the toughest parts of removing a tree is dealing with the tree stump.
When you cut down a tree, a large portion of the stump is usually left behind. Below the ground surface, the entire root system is also still in place and many of these roots can get in your way if you have a new construction underway. There are quite a few different techniques you can use to get rid of the tree stump. Here are some of the most common tree stump removal strategies to try.
01. Use Chemicals to Rot the Stump Away
One very popular way to get rid of tree stumps on your own is by using chemicals. In this method, you will need to drill lots of 10-inch holes into the tree stump. Once the holes have been drilled, you can add chemicals to the holes. There are many chemical products you can use such as stump remover, stump killer, or potassium nitrate. Use a scoop to add these products to the holes.
When you have the holes filled, you can now pour hot water into the stump. Keep adding hot water until the chemicals have been fully dissolved. Your stump should now slowly start to rot away. With this method, it usually takes about a year to get the tree stump fully removed.
02. Dig the Stump Out
If you don’t want to expose your garden to chemicals, but need to get it removed then you can try digging it out from the ground. Grab an ax and shovel and start digging away the soil around the stump. To remove the stump, you will need to dig down quite deep.
Once you reach a depth where the roots become softer, you can grab a digging bar and mattock and start chopping the root system. When all the roots have been cut off, you can drag the stump from the ground and fill up the hole. This method is quite labour intensive. It will take at least 12 hours to get a large stump fully removed.
03. Burn the Tree Stump
You can also burn the tree stump. Grab a drill and drill lots of 10-inch holes into the stump. Now grab some fuel oil and pour it into these holes. You should soak the stump in fuel oil and allow the wood to absorb lots of fuel. Now grab a lighter and set the stump on fire.
Be careful when lighting the fuel because it can have an explosive effect. Once the fire has burnt out, you can start breaking up the remaining pieces of the stump using a shovel and fill up the holes.
04. Get an Excavator
You can also get the stump removed professionally by hiring an earthmoving or demolition company. They can arrive with an excavator and dig the stump out from the ground. This is a very quick and effective solution but it can be quite costly.
You also need enough space on your property to allow these machines to reach your stump.
05. Use a Stump Grinder
A stump grinder is one of the best ways to get rid of a tree stump. Companies like Pete Pete Stump Grinding will arrive with a compact machine that is designed to grind down the stump into small wood chips. The stump is ground to below the ground surface.
The leftover chips can be used as compost to create healthy soil or they can be removed from your property. The leftover root system will quickly rot away within just a few months and your stump issue will be a thing of the past.
Out of all these methods, we believe that using a stump grinder is the quickest, most eco-friendly, and least destructive method to get rid of a tree stump for good. Contact Pete Pete Stump Grinding in Geelong today to learn more.
We offer tree stump grinding in Marshall, tree stump grinding in Moolap, tree stump grinding in Ocean Grove, root ball removal in Geelong, tree stump grinding in Portarlington, tree stump removal in Armstrong Creek and other nearby suburbs. We will be happy to answer any of your questions about our professional tree services and give you a free quote for your stump removal job.