[totalnovice]

Hiya,

On my allotment there are a number of tree stumps that i need to get rid of. My dad mentioned he though there was a product on the market that rotted them in situ, but i can't seem to find it. Can anyone tell me if such a product exists and if so where i can get it from. I really don't want to dig these great big blighters out!

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[FCG]

How big is it? If the stump is out of the way and the major roots spreading out from it are gone you could quite possibly turn it into a great seat.

Other than that i'd say fire is your best bet or a mini JCB at getting rid of these.

[DavidT]

The product was called Root Out, but I think it may have been banned. Are the stumps still live?

[pumpkinpatch]

i have not heard of this but ther are a number of products out there if its still living and out the way just hammer some copper pipe into it of you can buy a product where you drill into the wood then squirt the stuff into the hole and it kills it of

[totalnovice]

Yes, the stups are still alive, and not tall enough to turn into a seat sadly (unless i shrink a couple of feet ) I wouldn't be too bothered about them but they are right where i need to put my shed and greenhouse.

thanks so far!

[SG6]

Whatever you put on the stump will take a couple of years to rot it away. It is not going to happen in a month or two. And there are the roots as well.

Suspect that the answer is a lot of digging, cutting through the roots and levering out of the stump. Use the trunk as a lever.

Believe that companies have stump grinders for hire but no idea of the cost and use, or they would applicable to your situation as I have the idea that they are used on mature tree stumps.

[SnooziSuzi]

if you know someone with a 4x4 with a winch you might be able to get them pulled out, if they know what they are doing and after the roots have been severed of course

if the tree wasn't that big in the first place then why not just sever the roots then get a board or thick plank, dig out around the rootball and inch the plank underneath.  keep doing this and keep inching the plank underneath until you can get some purchase on the rootball and then lever it out.

I think it was easier to say than to do mind you 

[joyfull]

either that or hire a mini digger - great fun to play with 

[celjaci]

Not sure but think you can burn a stump out if you drill holes in the top and fill with a strong saltpetre solution, keep topping up for a while ( don't know how long ) then light a fire on top.
The saltpetre acts as an oxydizing agent and allows the root to burn

Anybody ever tried this? Not sure how much saltpetre you need to use or for how long

[Kristen]

Hire a stump grinder?

[sunshineband]

Seats sound good and you can always just cut off any growth that shoots out around the base 

[SG6]

Had this before but saltpetre is the active ingredient in gunpowder.
So not going to easy to get a supply of it these days.

Police and MI5 will take a dim view of it I suspect. 

[totalnovice]

LOL! I am sure the neigbours would have a field day if police and MI5 got involved. 

Think I might just keep cutting the srouting bits off and knock bits out as and when i can. It's not exactly the stump to the great oak or a redwood cedatr we are talking about!  Thanks for all the replies.