You’ve cut down a tree that was preventing sunlight from coming into your living room. You’re thrilled about the natural light, but you’ve still got one problem: you have a giant tree stump in your yard.
You think about leaving it there, after all; how much damage could a tree stump do? Well…
Roots are the unseen, underground parts of a plant that take in nutrients from the soil and provide structural support. Even after the rest of the tree is cut down, the roots may continue to grow for some time. Depending on where the tree stump is, growing roots can affect your home and structures around it.
If left to grow, the roots may spread out and cause damage to the structure of your home or patio. They can also cause cracks in the sidewalk if the roots reach the edge of your property.
As a stump decomposes, it will become a host site for pests, insects, fungi, and bacteria. These infestations could spread toward your home, costing you a lot of money in pest removal. These organisms also affect the ecosystem of your yard, leading to the proliferation of potentially invasive species.
When you’re out mowing your lawn, you don’t want to have to keep an eye out for the stump you left behind. You could trip and fall, throwing out your back. You’ll end up lying on the couch for four days, wishing at least once an hour that you just cut down the stump before all this happened.
Stumps can also be a hazard to your children. If they’re out playing, they’re certainly not paying attention to the ground, nor will they listen to your warnings to “watch out for the stump”. They could fall and break their arm or end up with some painful skin damage.
Save yourself a hospital trip and a lot of crying by taking care of your stump now.
We know stump removal can feel like arduous and unnecessary work, but there are actually many ways that removing a stump can benefit you and your home.
If you remove your stump, you don’t have to worry about your family and friends’ safety while they’re in your yard. You’ll be able to host barbeques and birthday parties without posting a safety disclaimer.
You’ll be able to carry out yard work without fearing that you’ll run into the stump and disrupt your flow.
Curb appeal helps bring new buyers in. If they see a decomposing stump on the outside of the property, they’ll be less likely to want to see what the inside looks like.
You can pay a professional to remove a stump, which costs anywhere from $200-$600.
Or you could spend less than five hours to remove the tree stump yourself and feel like a DIY pro.
If you’re ready to take on a stump removal project, read on for our 7 steps on how to remove a stump.
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You’ll want to dig up or trim plants that could get in the way of your work. Remove the rocks around the base so nothing goes flying during your process. Clean the area so that you have the best sightlines and a clean and safe workspace.
During this point, you should also be aware of where utility lines may be. You don’t want to dig a little too deep and disturb the utility lines for yours or your neighbors’ homes.
When you’re removing a small stump, simply digging around it may help you loosen and remove it. You can wet the soil for two days leading up to the removal in order to loosen the roots and soil.
You want the soil to be moist but not so damp that it becomes muddy.
You can drill 8-12 inch long holes into the stump and pour stump remover or saltpeter into the hole. If using saltpeter, you can top it off with boiling water to activate the mixture.
Softening the stump can make the removal process easier.
When using a stump grinder, you want to take extra care to make sure the blades are sharp and the area around the stump is clear of debris.
At this point, you’ll use a chainsaw to cut the stump as low to the ground as possible. This makes it easier for you in the end because you’ll have less stump to grind.
When the stump is as close to ground level as possible, you can bring out the stump grinder.
Use the hydraulic lever to raise the grinder over the stump and make sure it’s level.
The wheel will slowly grind the stump down into wood chips. You should move it slowly side to side so that you’re getting an even cut over the stump.
You’ll want to dig about four-seven inches down, depending on the environment around your stump and the depth of your roots. Sometimes a tree may have shallow roots, but other times, roots can extend several feet down into the ground.
Once you’ve ground down the main part of the stump, you can use a shovel to dig up the remaining roots. You may need to break up bigger roots with an axe.
If the roots extend deep into the ground, you can leave them there and let them decompose underground. They will more than likely will rot within a few weeks.
Root removal is the part of the process where you want to be careful of utility lines. Deeper digging can pose a risk to underground infrastructure.
This part of the process is also quite labor intensive, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to do this part.
You can usually leave a ground stump the way it is and leave the rest to decompose after you fill in the hole, but if you want a comprehensive stump removal, taking up the roots will be part of your process.
Once you’ve removed the stump, you’ll need to fill in the hole. You can use the wood chips that the grinder produced and toss them in to level the ground.
You can also cover the area with mulch or topsoil to reduce soil compaction (soil compaction is where the soil is pressed tightly together, reducing drainage and water flow capabilities).
You can spread grass or plant seeds over the area and in a few months, you’ll have a brand new patch of foliage.
Filling up a space with new plant life allows new roots to grow and enrich the soil.
Removing a stump can take a lot of effort, but we promise, you’re going to feel so proud at the end of it.
You’ll improve the safety of your home for your friends and family as well as the curb appeal of your yard if you ever sell your home.
If you remove the stump yourself, you’ll have the bragging rights and title of DIY Queen (we know you want that title).
You’re going to have a lot of wood and debris to throw away at the end of your stump removal process. That’s why Discount Dumpster make it easy to rent a dumpster that’s small enough to fit in your yard but large enough to handle all the debris.
We’ll deliver a dumpster right to your home and you can toss in the dirt, rocks, and wood chips as you work. You’ll be able to maintain a clean and safe workspace so you’re not climbing over mounds and mountains to remove your stump.
Give us a call and we’ll help you set up your dumpster rental for your stump removal!
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