We have pruned back a tree stump to near ground level. It’s rooted deep into a retaining wall so there is little chance of digging out the root ball.

Is there a readily available chemical that would kill off the stump down to it’s roots?

Roundup.

Road salt work a treat and is readily available.

copper sulphate

You might still be able to get something called Deep Root or Root Out. New rules seem to ban decent effective chemicals all the time. If not a bit of Round-up will do. What type of tree was it anyway? Just keeping it in the dark under wood chip or an old blanket would suffice. Nothing will make it rot quicker though, especially engine oil, which we have had to inform several costomers that it will do a great job of preserving it.

Salt works well

Stump grinder then diesel the biatch!!!!

Napalm.

I used ASDA bleach last time. Drilled holes into the stump and poured the bottle in over a few days. Seemed to work well enough.

Just write something offensive and the moderators will soon kill it off. 🙂

This is what you are up to on your trip?

Glyphosate – Drill or cross-hatch the stump to increase surface area, but make sure it can’t run-off, don’t want any wastage.
Tip from a guy with English Nature – mix it with old engine oil, makes it stick and can’t be good for it – from when I was doing a lot of laurel clearance.
This will stop it growing/shooting but not necassarily speed up the rot process.

If you’re just looking to smarten the garden so you don’t clip it with the mower, dig down around, slice another layer off the stump and turf over the top.

Tip from a guy with English Nature – mix it with old engine oil

😯 Someone from English Nature suggested that.

Nothing will get rid of it, you can kill it so it’ll stop growing but that’s it. You either need to grind it, dig it out or live with it.

[/quote]This is what you are up to on your trip?

I like a random project on a tour.

Thanks folks we will give the round up a try first, there is some in the shed.

A bit of diesel will sort it

Possibly a very stupid idea, but what would happen if you drilled lots of holes into it, poured loads of petrol into it over the course of a few days and chucked in a match (from a sensible distance!).

Step away from anything chemical if this is in the USA. My brother in law has a place in Tacoma on a wooded plot and they are massively protective of the Puget Sound catchment and runoff areas, I’d guess Oregon is similar. They have a tiny list of what they can use on the land and local water board have very big sticks if they think you’re putting anything nasty down. They have been very helpful in showing him the ropes and what he can use though.

Still sounds like a fun trip though.

Kuco – the fact it was English Nature says it was a while ago, they can be quite focussed on invasive removal at any cost.

If working in a water sensitive area, roundup bi-active has a quicker break down for aquatic work, not that it is toxic to us, just makes sandwiches taste funny.

midlifecrashes – Member
Step away from anything chemical if this is in the USA.

Shame they don’t pay as much attention to the wider environment.

Another vote for drill holes and pour bleach in here.

Napalm

Liquid oxygen

Do you really need to nuke this thing with chemicals, unless you dig it out the roots will be there for years.

Killed off a tree in our garden by taking it down to the stump, cut of any regrowth maybe twice and it’s now kaputt

I thought the trick with tree stumps was to drill a hole and put salt down. I’m not sure roundup does anything unless there is greenery?

I’d suggest you leave it. Root degradation may lead to the retaining wall falling down…..

If you dont want to use chemicals and can’t get the stump out, try and remove the bark as low as possible as this is where new growth starts from.

Glyphosate(round up) does work, but you do need to paint it on when the cut is fresh. you can freshen up the cut by cutting of a thin slice.
Cutting off the re-gen is going to be the most environmentally friendlyand cheepest option. salt, bleach, napalm are not!!!

From Farming with Dynamite

What it Costs to Blast Out Stumps.

At the latest “Farming with Dynamite” demonstration, held under the auspices of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, at Ivor, Va., on August 11, 1910, one and one-half acres, containing forty-six stumps were cleared in one day, at an expense of $18.00, including labor, or an average of 39 cents per stump.

Records kept by the Long Island Railroad, covering operations on their Experimental Farm, showed that, including the wages of the men who did the work, the cost of blasting out stumps averaged about 16 cents per stump.

Records kept of the cost of this work in different sections of the country show as follows:

Locality and Kind of Stump. Average
Diameter. Average Cost
Per Stump.
Southern—
Pine Stumps 29 inches $0.30
Pennsylvania—
Apple, Ash and Chestnut 34-½ inches .56
Michigan—
White Pine, Maple and Birch 32 inches .47
Minnesota—
Birch, Ash, Spruce and Pine 20 inches .16
Illinois—
Oak, Walnut and Gum 30 inches .53
Western—
Fir, Pine and Cedar 50 inches 1.13
Redwood 8 feet and over 2.00 and over
Records kept by Prof. A. J. McGuire, Superintendent Experimental Farm of the University of Minnesota, show even lower costs.

💡 woodwormz 😀