Dig out a tree stump

How to Remove a Tree Stump (Video & Instructions)

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner dig out a stubborn tree stump.

By Roger Cook

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In this video, watch This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook help a homeowner remove a tree stump by hand.

Project details

Skill

3 out of 5 Moderate Removing stumps is exhausting, tedious work.

Cost

$100 to $150, if you rent a stump grinder

Estimated Time

2 to 4 hours to dig out the stump by hand; 45 to 60 minutes using a stump grinder

Do It Yourself Stump Removal

Even though digging out a tree stump isn’t the easiest job, you can do it yourself. Unless you have a bad back. Using an assortment of tools, you’ll cut through the roots to allow you to push out the stump. Start by digging through the dirt with a shovel to expose all the roots. Then use a hand saw, pruning saw, and loppers to work your way through the roots as described in the instructions below.

What’s the Fastest Way to Remove a Tree Stump?

For those who don’t want to spend hours shoveling out dirt and cutting roots, you may want to consider renting a stump grinder, which will do the trick in less than an hour.

How to Remove a Tree Stump from the Ground in 12 Steps

Use a pointed shovel to dig out the soil around the tree stump. Continue digging until you’ve exposed the roots all the way around the stump.
Cut small-diameter tree roots with bypass loppers.
Use a pruning saw or reciprocating saw to cut through larger tree roots.
Chop through hard-to-reach roots with an iron digging bar.
After cutting all the roots, push over the stump, then roll it out of the hole.
Backfill the hole with the excavated soil and loam.
In the spring, rake grass seed into the soil and water frequently.
If you have to remove more than one stump, rent a gas-powered stump grinder.
Remove any rocks from around the stump, then use the stump grinder to slowly chip away at the stump.
Stop grinding when the stump is 6 to 8 inches below the surface.
Rake away the wood chips, then fill the hole with loam.
In the spring, plant grass seed.

How to Remove a Dangerous Tree

Tools

Tools & Materials

Pointed shovel
Bypass loppers
Pruning saw
Digging bar
Power stump grinder
Garden rake
Leaf rake

How to Remove a Tree Stump

What can we help you find?

Tree stumps are often left in the ground for a reason — they can be very difficult to remove. Removing a tree stump is not as impossible as it seems though. In fact, with the right advice and tools, you can do the job yourself. Here are a few ways to get the job done.

Dig Out the Tree Stump

Step 1. Dig Around the Roots

Dig out the soil around the stump. Expose as much of the roots as possible, by removing the surrounding soil using a shovel or spade. Work in a circle around the stump, removing the dirt. You may need to dig fairly deep on each side of the larger roots to really expose them so that you can cut or chop them up. If you cannot uncover the largest roots of the stump, consider a different method of removing the stump.

Step 2. Cut Up and Remove the Roots

Chop up any exposed roots. Cutting up the roots can be done quite a few ways. Depending on root diameter, you can use bypass loppers, a saw, a shovel, an axe, or a hatchet. The goal is to chop them up or cut them into pieces for easy removal by hand.

Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying debris when using an axe to cut up roots.

Wear work gloves to protect your hands while you remove roots from the ground.

Step 3. Remove the Tree Stump

Pull out the stump. Once a majority of the stump root structure has been removed or damaged enough, you should be able to pull it out of the ground or push it over, tearing it away from any remaining small roots that are still attached.

Use your shovel as a lever to pry the stump up if need be.

Gather up the cut-up roots and pieces, along with the stump, and discard them. Consider chopping them up further and adding them to your compost pile, if you have one.

Step 4. Patch the Hole

Fill the hole where the stump once was with topsoil, loam or potting soil, etc. Pack it down by hand or with a tamper so the ground is level with the surrounding area. Add grass seed or lawn repair patching to the area so grass grows in and matches the area with the rest of the yard.

Grind the Tree Stump

Step 1. Rent a Stump Grinder

Use a stump grinder when necessary. Some stumps are too large or stubborn to be removed by digging them out. In many cases, a stump grinder might be needed to shred the stump for easy removal. Stump grinders can be rented at home improvement centers and stores. These machines work by grinding the stump and roots down to about 1’ into the ground, which is usually enough to destroy the whole stump.

Wear eye protection, gloves and earplugs while operating a stump grinder.

Step 2. Grind the Tree Stump

Follow all instructions for operating the stump grinder. Place the grinder over the stump and activate it. It will grind the stump down and then work its way into the ground to cut up the roots. Once you’ve ground the stump down into the ground, use the grinder on the area directly around the stump location to also get the root structure.

Step 3. Remove Debris and Fill the Hole

Use a shovel to remove the ground-up stump and roots and other debris. Discard of the debris in a yard refuse bag or add it to your compost pile.

Fill the hole where the stump once was with topsoil, loam or potting soil, etc. Pack it down by hand or with a tamper. Add grass seed or lawn repair patching to the area so grass grows in and matches the rest of the area.

Burn the Tree Stump

Step 1. Build a Fire

Build a fire upon and around the stump to burn. Ignite the fire and let it burn for several hours — refuel it with wood to keep the fire going. This process can take quite a bit of time, so plan accordingly. Start as early in the day as possible. Before you start, check your local ordinances to see if outdoor fires are legal in your community.

Don’t leave the burning stump unattended.

Make sure there is nothing else flammable within 3’ of the fire.

Keep a garden hose nearby to extinguish the flames in an emergency.

Step 2. Remove Ashes and Fill Hole

After the fire has been extinguished and the stump burned down, shovel out the ashes and place them in a metal bucket in case there are remaining hot embers or ash. You can discard of the ashes later when they have completely cooled.

Fill the hole with topsoil and tamp it down until it is level with the surrounding area.

Use a Chemical Stump Remover

Another stump removal option is to use a chemical stump remover. This is the least labor-intensive method, but also takes the longest to remove the stump. It can take weeks to soften the wood enough to chop up.

In order to effectively use a chemical stump remover, you need to create holes in the stump into which the chemical can be applied. Use a drill with a large bit to drill a number of holes in the top of the stump. The holes don’t need to be a particular size, but should be large enough for you to be able to pour in the stump remover.

The remover itself usually comes in powdered form and is sprinkled/poured into the holes. Over time, the chemical stump remover softens the wood and speeds up decomposition. Follow all manufacturer instructions before applying the remover.

Keep children and pets away from the stump area to avoid the risk of ingestion or other contact.

When the wood has decomposed and softened, chop it up with a hatchet or shovel and remove the debris. Fill in the area with soil and level it off like you did with the other removal methods above.

You can also burn the remaining softened wood if it is hard to chop up and remove. Use the directions provided above to burn the rest of the stump.

Great work! The tree stump has been removed and you’re ready to tackle some other lawn and garden projects.

Project Shopping List

Here’s what you’ll need to complete this project successfully.

✅ How to uproot a stump by yourself

How to uproot a stump by yourself

How to uproot a stump by yourself earth-sweeper

How to uproot a stump yourself

Self-removal of stumps on the site can be carried out by 2 methods: chemical and mechanical. The first is the destruction of wood from the inside by various means that are freely available in stores. The physical method involves cutting off the roots and pulling out the stump. The second method is preferred for a number of reasons.

To destroy a tree from the inside, one of two substances is used:

a solution of potassium or sodium nitrate. In the middle of the stump, a wide hole is drilled into which the substance is poured. From above, the notch is covered with a film so that it is not washed away by rains and not inflated by the wind. After a few weeks, the wood will be saturated with saltpeter, and it will be possible to set it on fire. Even the roots located underground will burn out. The method is not applicable on peat soils, since their underground burning may begin, which is almost impossible to stop;
coarse salt. If you sprinkle a tree frame with it every day, then in a year it will rot. But this method can only be used to clear the site for construction, as the land will also suffer.

It is undesirable to use chemical methods of uprooting stumps in areas that are planned to be used for agricultural activities. In addition, they require too much time.

Get advice

Stumps are mechanically removed in several steps:

Exploration - the search for the largest roots. A lot of water is poured around the object of removal so that the soil becomes soft. After that, a metal pin 400–500 mm long is taken, and the largest roots are “palpated” with it.
Excavation and cutting. It is necessary to dig out the found roots so that they can be reached with a hacksaw or saw, and then separate them from the trunk. An ax cannot be used - the wood is elastic, and there is no good stop.
Stump of the central root. To get to it, you need to tilt the stump with a lever or winch.

If there are more than three stumps on the site or the stump diameter is more than 200 mm, it is better to entrust the work to professionals. Also, do not get down to business if you need to prepare a site for the foundation. The described methods assume that the earth will be excavated for agricultural needs - this requires about half a meter in depth. If it is planned to place a house on the site, it is necessary to remove the root system more thoroughly.

Professionals use special equipment. It allows you to remove stumps quickly and efficiently. The following units are used in the work:

tractors. With a tractor bucket, it is possible to remove a lot of stumps in a few hours, taking into account the preparatory work. Its use is expedient in large areas;
shredders. There are two types of equipment: drills and saws. The first ones drill the stump deep, leaving only the root system from it, which will rot itself over time, and when dug up it will not create many problems. Saws allow you to turn the top of the stump into sawdust, raze it to the ground.

Here you can see the current prices for uprooting stumps.

how to uproot a stump with your own hands without effort + video

Danil
Tell me a simple way how to uproot a stump on the site.

When developing a plot or renovating a garden, the issue of stump removal becomes relevant. It is not always possible to attract equipment to uproot them, and then you have to do everything yourself. By learning how to get rid of stumps without much effort and watching a video, you will be able to cope with this task.

Content

Existing methods of removing stumps with your own hands

Removing stumps using a winch
The use of potassium and urea
Salt, water and mushrooms
stumps: video

existing do-it-yourself

You can uproot stumps by yourself in the following ways:

manually with an ax, crowbar and great physical effort;
with winch;
using chemicals;
without chemicals.

The first method is very time consuming, so we will leave it unattended. The last 3 remain.

Removing a stump with a winch

This method makes it easier to remove high stumps, about 1 m. In addition to a winch with a lifting capacity of 3 tons, you will need a lever, a rope, an ax and a shovel as auxiliary tools. Having collected all this set, you can get down to business:

Dig deep into the object until the root system is visible.
Trim the roots or chop them with an axe.
Secure the winch using a support nearby.
Fasten the cable to the stump, put some strong piece of wood under it from the side where the winch is located. It will serve as a support when the stump bends as a result of the applied efforts.
Start winching. The stump will gradually come out of the ground along with the remnants of the roots, and if something remains, the same winch will help to pull it out.

This method greatly facilitates the removal of the stump, but the use of physical force does not preclude it. Therefore, if you want to achieve a result, completely freeing yourself from hard work, then use the help of chemistry.

Use of potassium nitrate and urea

To use this method, cut the stump low. In autumn, drill a series of holes in it with a diameter of about 6 cm and up to 40 cm deep. In this case, for every 1oo mm of the stump diameter, there should be 1 hole.

When frosts begin, pour saltpeter into each hole, pour water over it, tamp it down, and wrapping the stump with a film of polyethylene, leave it to winter.

Advice: to stimulate the process of saltpeter absorption, it is practiced to use a solution of high concentration, which is replenished for several days in a row.

In the spring, a dry stump is opened, gasoline is poured into one of the holes and set on fire. Everything burns out quickly due to the presence in the body of a stump of a large amount of oxygen released when saltpeter is heated.

Attention: the method must not be used on peat bogs. This can cause a massive underground fire.

Urea decomposes wood, so after a year it will simply disappear. The application technology is no different from the previous one, only instead of nitrate, urea is placed in the holes. In the spring, having removed the cellophane, you will see that you do not even need the help of fire.

Salt, water and mushrooms

If the stump is in the place where you plan to build some kind of structure, then the destruction of the unwanted object can be done with ordinary kitchen salt, only coarse. The stump soaked in salt will turn into dust.

Attention: do not use salt in the garden and on the beds, it will destroy not only the stump, but also the soil around.

Is there an alternative to chemistry? Just the following method is just that. It is not only effective, but also useful, however, one should not expect a quick result, because. the destruction of the stump will last more than 1 year. We are talking about the colonization of the removal object with fungal spores. To do this, holes are made in the stump and the mycelium of mushrooms or oyster mushrooms is covered, watered and covered with a film. The crop is harvested in a year, and the sent organisms gradually do their job - they destroy the stump.

You can also use this simple and quick method:

Dig a hole around the trunk, then step back 0.5 m from the stump and dig another trench in a circle.
Use a hose and high-pressure water jet to wash the roots off the ground.
Wait until the water in the pit soaks into the soil, cut off the roots and pull out the stump hanging in the air.

As you can see, you can deal with stumps on your own. You just need to choose the most suitable method.