A tree stump is not just an unsightly spot in your landscape. It also creates a potential safety hazard and can potentially damage lawn equipment.
If you have a stump on your property, and you decide to tackle the removal job on your own, here are a few helpful tips.
Stump burning is a common method to remove stumps, but requires more research ahead of time. Make sure your community or homeowner’s organization allows stump burning. Certain locations may require a burning permit and, if you live in an area that is experiencing drought conditions, there may be a burn ban that forbids any sort of outdoor fire. Make sure to check with your local fire department or municipal office before beginning the project.
Once you have made sure to adhere to all your local regulations, you need to prep the stump before burning. Use a chainsaw to cut the stump as close to the ground as possible. Then, use a drill to make holes in the stump. Each hole should be about 10 inches deep, with an inch or two of space between them. After the holes have been drilled, fill them with potassium nitrate. Then pour boiling water into the holes to dissolve the compound.
Leave the stump alone for a few weeks to allow the potassium nitrate to absorb into the wood. Then pour kerosene onto the stump, and wait another few weeks to allow the kerosene to soak into the wood. Once this has happened, it is time to burn. Remove all flammable debris such as leaves from around the stump, then construct a circle of rocks or bricks around the stump and add extra kindling to fuel the fire. A small stump needs to burn for two or three days. Keep watch on the fire and restart it if it goes out completely. Once the entire stump has burned, dig out any remaining wood or roots and fill in the hole with soil.
You also can naturally rot an unwanted stump, although this is a more time-consuming process than burning. Drill holes into the top and sides of the stump. Each hole should be about 10 inches deep and 1 inch apart. Fill the holes with a substance that contains a high quantity of nitrogen, such as fertilizer. Then spread a mixture of soil and mulch on the stump, moisten it with water, and re-apply water when necessary to keep it moist. A few months later, you will need to add more fertilizer to the stump.
In time, the stump will begin to soften, at which point you can chip away at it with a shovel or pickaxe. Fully removing a stump by this method will take as long as a year or two.
Either of these processes will remove the stump, but requires patience. If this sounds like too big a job for you, or you need to have the stump removed quickly, then contact the pros at Promier Tree to do the work. Schedule a consultation today by calling our office at (423) 765-2626.
Promier tree serves the areas of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, TN.