Stump Removal

[LLigetfa]

I remember there was a powder that you mix with water and pour into holes drilled in the stump that will then help to burn it out when set on fire a week or so later. I forget now what it was called and don't know if it's still available.

 

[bsruther]

I have a 3 foot Silver Maple stump from a tree that I cut down last September. I've burned up most of the wood from that tree trying to get rid of the stump. I think part of my problem was that the roots were still bringing moisture up and a bigger part of the problem was that I was just burning the surface of the stump when I would try to burn it. Last week I went to a local farm supply store and got some stuff called stump rot. There is nothing on the label stating what the ingredients are so I did some research and discovered that it's probably saltpeter. I drilled numerous holes into the stump with a 1" paddle bit to a depth of about 1' and filled the holes up with the stump rot. I'm supposed to wait 4-6 weeks and then fill the holes with kerosene, let it soak in and repeat, then burn. I hope this works because I'm getting tired of looking at this stump.

I've read that there are many things that you can put in the drilled holes to accelerate the rotting process, from fertilizer to milk.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I leave my stumps about 20" high....drill a hole in the middle and put a solar landscape light in it....got a area with lights that look like a bunch of mini spaceships

 

[LLigetfa]

I've read that there are many things that you can put in the drilled holes to accelerate the rotting process, from fertilizer to milk.

I don't know about milk, but with fertilizer and diesel, you don't have to wait for it to rot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANFO

 

[sullystull]

An old feller down the road had a fairly large stump. He burned it. Not sure what he burned on top of it, but its just about to ground level now.
I only noticed it burning a few days. Not sure how long it took.

+1
Depending on their location, I would also burn them. Have a different bonfire each night.

 

[ksting]

ksting, you also have to remember that fireworks are not all that common in Canada. We have them, but they tend to be fairly expensive and not the real good ones that you have in the US. That is why I asked the question, and then I thought I better get my lazy fingers up off the keyboard, and decided to google it.

You can get Cuban cigars in Canada, and beer with an alcohol content that dwarfs US beers, but no good fireworks? What's up with that?? Wait a sec, pour some of that beer on the stumps. That should get rid of them!

 

[DBoon]

My wife tells a story of when she was a little kid and the neighbors across the way had to remove a large sugar maple stump (in this area, it probably means ~3 feet across). Anyways, the neighbor got some dynamite (he knew someone who had access to it somehow) and put a couple of pieces under there, wired it up and detonated it from about 100 feet away, and the stump didn't budge. Then he doubled up on the dynamite, and same thing - didn't budge. So at this point he started packing the rest of the case of dynamite under and around the stump. Then, still from about 100 feet away, they detonated the dynamite and the stump was blown out of the ground about 30 feet in the area with dirt and rocks flying everywhere and these guys running away from everything about as fast as they could. All this (semi-)safely observed from the inside of their house about 250 feet away.

So, I'm thinking you'll need a lot of M-80s if that is the route you decide to take.

 

['bert]

ksting, you also have to remember that fireworks are not all that common in Canada. We have them, but they tend to be fairly expensive and not the real good ones that you have in the US. That is why I asked the question, and then I thought I better get my lazy fingers up off the keyboard, and decided to google it.

You can get Cuban cigars in Canada, and beer with an alcohol content that dwarfs US beers, but no good fireworks? What's up with that?? Wait a sec, pour some of that beer on the stumps. That should get rid of them!

Wasting beer is even less of an option then the recreational explosives. Rather drink the beer until I can't see the stumps :coolsmirk:

 

[mayhem]

I have a 3 foot Silver Maple stump from a tree that I cut down last September. I've burned up most of the wood from that tree trying to get rid of the stump. I think part of my problem was that the roots were still bringing moisture up and a bigger part of the problem was that I was just burning the surface of the stump when I would try to burn it. Last week I went to a local farm supply store and got some stuff called stump rot. There is nothing on the label stating what the ingredients are so I did some research and discovered that it's probably saltpeter. I drilled numerous holes into the stump with a 1" paddle bit to a depth of about 1' and filled the holes up with the stump rot. I'm supposed to wait 4-6 weeks and then fill the holes with kerosene, let it soak in and repeat, then burn. I hope this works because I'm getting tired of looking at this stump.

Guy at the local hardware store told me about this stuff. He said when you light it, the whole hting just basically vaporizes. Interested to know how it works out for you...was thinking of trying it myself, but its like $8-10 per stump plus the kerosene...probably even or a bit less to jsut rent a grinder and tear em apart on a long weekend.

 

[Bspring]

For what its worth, any black powder up to FFFF you buy today dumped into a hole drilled into the stump will just burn. Ammonium nitrate is much more difficult to get today and when you do find it, it has a coating around it so you would need to grind it before use. It does not like water or even moisture in the air so you have to know how to deal with that issue. You will also have to have a blasting cap. An M80 or rifle shot will not ignite it. As for using dynamite the amount used is calculated from the diameter of the stump.

 

[ksting]

ksting, you also have to remember that fireworks are not all that common in Canada. We have them, but they tend to be fairly expensive and not the real good ones that you have in the US. That is why I asked the question, and then I thought I better get my lazy fingers up off the keyboard, and decided to google it.

You can get Cuban cigars in Canada, and beer with an alcohol content that dwarfs US beers, but no good fireworks? What's up with that?? Wait a sec, pour some of that beer on the stumps. That should get rid of them!

Wasting beer is even less of an option then the recreational explosives. Rather drink the beer until I can't see the stumps :coolsmirk:

Either that, or you'll wake up sleeping next to one of the stumps! "I swear I counted at least 18 rings officer!"