How to rot stumps

[Old Fart]

Hello everyone. New here, but a longtime lurker, now hoping to mine the vast knowledge on this site.
We moved into our 1991 home about three years ago, and I'm trying to 'make it ours'. So far, so good, except for some landscaping issues. One of the previous owners went nuts in the tree and shrub planting mode, and over populated the property (city lot) with WAY too much stuff, which is also WAY too big/tall at this point in time. We LOVE trees and shrubs, but this is too much!
I've started thinning the forest (mostly evergreens, a few maples), but now I'm faced with...STUMPS!
Most are in areas that rule out grinding (close to fence, close to pavement, close to buried electric/water/sewer), so I'm looking for another method. Digging is out...I'm too damned old/tired for that ****, plus it's been my experience that digging out roots is like wiping your **** with a hoop...there's no end to it!
Due to the locations, burning is not a viable option, so...
I'm looking for a method of accelerated rot! I like to watch grass grow, and I think I'd enjoy watching stumps rot!
So, any suggestions to the best way to do this, besides spending a day drilling holes, etc? I'm thinking maybe hollow out the tops and plant some high-nitrogen-producing flowers, hollowing out and flooding with Epsom salt?
I don't want to use anything that would have an environmental impact, but I want these things gone. I can be (somewhat) patient awaiting results.
Thanks in advance for any and all(?) suggestions.

 

[70staged]

Following as I have a few as well

 

[laser3kw]

how big are these stumps? 4" or 40"?

 

[BillK]

how big are these stumps? 4" or 40"?

This If they are small I have a couple of sacrificial chains for my chain saw and I just get most of the dirt away from them and then cut them off below ground level. You could probably do the same thing with a saws-all and very coarse blades.

I have never tried it but I cannot imagine any method of "rotting" them that would not take at least several years.

 

[Bogie1632]

There are quite a few chems you can put on a stump to speed decomposition...with varying degrees of effectiveness.

My recommendation is get a decent drill and some augers bits, something around the 1" size (I wouldnt go under 3/4"). Make as many holes as you can in each stump and then add a stump chem like Spectracide. You will still be waiting weeks to months for it to become porous and soft enough to remove below grade but with so.e time and patience it will work.

Good luck.

V/R
Bogie

 

[zkdiesel]

Stump grinder guy for a day. One and done

 

[pmiranda]

I saw a product called Stump-Out but it requires waiting a year or two for the stump to be dead and dried, and then you have to drill holes, put this in there, add kerosene and slow-burn it. So not quick. Basically, you either have to remove the things mechanically, or wait many months for them to fully die and rot.

 

[rlitman]

...I cannot imagine any method of "rotting" them that would not take at least several years.

It does take a few years. But can still be WAY faster than letting it go to nature on its own. 2-3 years is better than 10+.

The easiest way to speed things up for me is to drill lots of holes. I have a carbide tipped (you'll want carbide, because plain steel edges will dull very quickly) ship auger. 18" long IIRC. Using that and my Hole Hawg, I can perforate a stump, allowing it to weather from the inside out.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Per my grandfather's advice.
Cut them close to the ground.
Cover with a few inches of dirt.
Plant strawberries.

I had a few large (2ft diameter) stumps when I bought my first house.
I enjoyed strawberries. When I decided to widen the driveway a few years later I was surprised that the stump was "gone".

 

[MatBirch]

I've had excellent luck by just cutting them as low as possible, and starting a pile of charcoal briquettes right on top. It will burn slowly down well below grade. If concerned, pre soak a ring around to help prevent smoldering underground across the yard.

 

[Ben Buck]

^^^^
This has worked for me.

 

[nadogail]

I would call the Stump Grinder Man, that has worked well in the past for me.

 

[jkeyser14]

This If they are small I have a couple of sacrificial chains for my chain saw and I just get most of the dirt away from them and then cut them off below ground level. You could probably do the same thing with a saws-all and very coarse blades.

I have never tried it but I cannot imagine any method of "rotting" them that would not take at least several years.

Sawzalls work better in dirt. No crevices to fill with dirt and sand, blades are cheaper and more readily disposable, etc.

 

[Ralf11]

if you really want them to rot, it will take years.

Fewer years if you add a powdered "quick rot" to them and piss on them everyday, but still years....

 

[TractorJeff]

You can grind them flush even with Utilities buried underneath

 

[engineer2]

They used to sell granulated potassium nitrate for burning stumps. Drill some holes, sprinkle it in, light it with some lighter fluid. Worked OK, but you had to keep an eye on it if it was close to a building because it burned a long time..

 

[65ranchero]

stump grinder can get pretty close to the fence
depending on how many could be a one day rental

 

[MerlinsBeard]

I still remember when I was a teen and went to my grandpa's tree farm one time to discover that I could obliterate several old 4-6" tree stumps cut about 4' tall to pieces with my bare hands and feet. That was a fun day.

 

[clutchee]

I have had good luck with cutting them low. Then drill holes in it.

I then put a bag of charcoal over it and piece of tin. I do this 3-4 times. Usually it consumes itself and is level with ground or just ash remains.

Good luck.

 

[tdcisco1]

Drill and fill with a high nitrate fertilizer

 

[justanengineer]

I cut the stump low, drill a square pattern of 1/2-1” holes every 6” or so, then let it sit a week or two to dry. After that it’s usually easy to split out big firewood chunks with an axe along the holes. Usually I can get rid of most of the stump, tho with deeper stumps I do cheat and just bury anything 12”+ below ground level.


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[jsaw]

Sawzalls work better in dirt. No crevices to fill with dirt and sand, blades are cheaper and more readily disposable, etc.

I have good luck with the sawzalll. I use plaster blades. If I get into dirt, the plaster blade is not affected at all as it is designed to be used in abrasive gritty material.

 

[PugetDude]

Dynamite.
It's the ultimate stumper-flipper-upper.

 

[didit]

I did the drill a gazillion holes, let it dry out and split with axe method to about one foot below the surface. A 2 year time period. It was an old seed maple volunteer with a 2' plus diameter, along the fence line. Ten years later, the only evidence of a tree ever being there is the slight depression I had to fill in occasionally.
I had 3 other smaller trees that I cut down but left the stumps. One day I noticed a crew that was contracted by the city to cut some trees down and grind the stumps in the area. I got them to grind all 3 stumps for $50.

 

[Metal-Marc]

Per my grandfather's advice.
Cut them close to the ground.
Cover with a few inches of dirt.
Plant strawberries.

I had a few large (2ft diameter) stumps when I bought my first house.
I enjoyed strawberries. When I decided to widen the driveway a few years later I was surprised that the stump was "gone".

So in the end, you ate the stump.

 

[PoorUB]

I had a few trees get Dutch Elm and removed them myself. I dug down a few inches, pressure washed the stumps to remove as much dirt as I could and cut them of 3-4 inches below grade and cut them off with a chain saw.

 

[HenryAZ]

This If they are small I have a couple of sacrificial chains for my chain saw and I just get most of the dirt away from them and then cut them off below ground level. You could probably do the same thing with a saws-all and very coarse blades.

This is what I did. To prevent the stump still sprouting, pouring diesel fuel on it does the trick to prevent that.

 

[Old Fart]

Thanks for all the input!
My first choice would be dynamite, but I don't think I should be trusted with the stuff. Second (and most likely) choice is the Spectraside or equiv rot promoter, since these are all in somewhat inaccessible areas. Time is not THAT big of an issue, as I really don't the immediate gratification (but BOOM (dynamite) would be fun!).

 

[laser3kw]

Thanks for all the input!
My first choice would be dynamite, but I don't think I should be trusted with the stuff. Second (and most likely) choice is the Spectraside or equiv rot promoter, since these are all in somewhat inaccessible areas. Time is not THAT big of an issue, as I really don't the immediate gratification (but BOOM (dynamite) would be fun!).

dynamite is like medicine. You don't use it all the first time.
A little bit at a time until the problem is gone

 

[Sevenhills1952]

Years ago a landscaper told my Dad (rip) to put lots of grass clippings on stumps to rot them.
It did seem to work well.

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[b-boy]

I know you'd prefer not to burn, but I've used an old steel barrel with no bottom. I create a burn barrel. I add charcoal and whatever wood is handy. Burning it a couple of times for a few hours usually does the trick. The steel barrel keeps the fire under control.

 

[Ralf11]

Lots of ways are better than waiting for it to rot, but rot is what the OP said...

 

[blunn]

Epson salt will rot a stump . Drill holes using a spade bit , deep and as large as possible, then fill with epson salt . I made one disappear in about six months .

 

[Iron Beaver]

I'm looking for a method of accelerated rot! I like to watch grass grow, and I think I'd enjoy watching stumps rot!Thanks in advance for any and all(?) suggestions.

Use them as an anchor for something really, really important and expensive

 

[MushCreek]

I bought a piece of land with hundreds of southern pine stumps. They were ten years old, and hadn't even begun to rot due to the high resin content. I had them removed by a guy with a loader, but they were out in the open. He missed one in a confined spot, so I built a small raised bed garden over it. I should look one of these days to see if it's actually rotting under there.

 

[BetterDays]

Epson salt will rot a stump . Drill holes using a spade bit , deep and as large as possible, then fill with epson salt . I made one disappear in about six months .

If using salt, I am not sure anything would the grow in that area. Salting the earth kills all.

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[rlitman]

If using salt, I am not sure anything would the grow in that area. Salting the earth kills all.
...

Epsom salt is not salt.

 

[crazylunker]

Epsom salt is not salt.

Corrrect and I even use it around my tomato plants as they love the magnesium.

 

[jimkinney]

I was told by an old friend to drill and fill with butter milk to speed up the rotting. I've never tried it, but he swore by it.

 

[fourjeepin]

I have them cut low then let the termites eat them.