Have a stump just lying around? Whether you’ve recently removed a tree or not you could still be dealing with a leftover stump. Stump removal is a whole separate process from tree removal. Some may choose to keep it, but here are some other stump removal alternatives to consider.

Timing Stump Removal

When you have a tree removed, it’s possible to have the pros grind down the stump as well. Since this is a separate process requiring specialized equipment, it’s usually not included in the price of tree removal but can be added.

To save the additional expense, you may decide to keep the stump and incorporate it into the landscape. Depending on where it’s located and its current condition, a stump can be transformed into a pleasant garden seat, table, or other yard decor. However, if the tree was diagnosed with a disease or the stump is in the middle of a yard and could become a tripping hazard, it’s best to have it removed.

When you remove a stump depends on how you want to remove it. If you don’t have the funds or expertise to grind it with heavy equipment, then you can wait a year or two for the wood to dry out and start to naturally decompose. This makes manual removal easier.

If you choose to go the more chemical route, you should start this process soon after the tree is cut. A stump that’s already begun the decomposing process becomes more unpredictable when chemicals are added and/or burned.

Ways to Remove A Stump

There are multiple ways of getting rid of a tree stump. They all involve their own level of knowledge, equipment, and time. The quickest and easiest way is to have a professional grind it down once they remove the tree. If you decide to save this expense and do it yourself it will still cost you time and money.

Some of the other ways you can remove a stump is by:

Chemicals. There are products available at your lawn and garden store that work to help move the decomposing process along faster. Holes are drilled in the top of the stump to help the product seep into the wood. It could still take a year or two for the stump to break down. Plus, you need to remember you’re dealing with a hazardous substance and take the proper precautions.

Fire. Stumps that are in the process of breaking down are also more porous and will absorb kerosene easily. You can let the stump smolder, but this is not something you should leave unattended.

Digging. You can try and dig the stump out yourself. Once you clear the dirt away and sever the roots with an ax, keep going to access the root ball and expose the taproot. A smaller stump is easier to remove this way. You may have to chop up a larger stump to get it all out of the hole.

Stump Removal Alternatives

Say you don’t want to deal with chemicals, fires, or heavy expensive equipment. There are other alternatives to removing a stump, or at least making it easier to work around.

Save yourself the strenuous digging by simply cutting the stump flush with your lawn. You can use hand tools and a saw to level it to the ground and smooth it over. This eliminates the tripping hazard and also makes it easier to mow around.

If the stump is in a garden, you can also get it as low to the ground as possible and simply cover it with mulch. Accelerate the composting process by keeping the area around the stump moist. You can even cover it with a tarp and then lay mulch on top to keep it even wetter.

As the stump decomposes, it becomes easier to chop up and remove. You can let nature take over and help it along by cutting away the soft, spongy parts until there’s nothing left. This is still an ongoing process, but you have nature on your side.

You could just wait for nature to do all the work and decompose the stump on its own. However, this takes several years for even a small stump to return to the earth.

If after taking all of this into consideration you decide you don’t want to wait and want the stump removed in the easiest and safest way possible, call Elite Tree Care for a quote on removing the stump sooner rather than later.