Getting rid of large oak stump

[trentp]

So I had a pretty large oak tree cut down this week, and the company that did it mislead me to believe the entire job(cutting + grinding) would cost $400. After the tree was cut, they said it was going to be another $400 to grind the stump, so If I do choose that route, I will run as fast as I can to another company out of spite.

Anyway, what other options do I have? I have read several things about rock salt/epsom salt. How long would this actually take?

[Seven333]

You can buy over the counter products designed to rot stumps away...can't remember the name right now but the big box stores definitely carry it. I've also heard of people drilling holes in the stump and applying fertilizer...the nitrogen helps break down the stump.

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[turf_toes]

Moving this thread to the tree sub forum in the around the yard section. I'll leave a shortcut here so the OP can still find it.

[bpgreen]

There are a number of products that are sold to dissolve tree trunks. Most of them are made up largely of KNO3. When water is added, it releases the nitrogen and oxygen, which microbes can then use to digest the carbon in the wood.

I'd suggest getting a stump grinder to grind as much as possible. I've tried the KNO3 stuff and haven't had great results, but that may be because there's not enough water to keep it working.

[MorpheusPA]

You can buy over the counter products designed to rot stumps away...can't remember the name right now but the big box stores definitely carry it. I've also heard of people drilling holes in the stump and applying fertilizer...the nitrogen helps break down the stump.

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Both work, neither is fast. I took a drill to my dogwood stump and dropped urea-based fertilizer in there, then covered it. It's rotting, but it'll probably take two more years. I don't care; it's hidden in the garden under a pile of clematis and next to the new magnolia.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I finally got serious in doing an organic approach on a stump I've had behind the garage for nearly 20 years. First I located my compost pile on top of it and believed it would be completely gone in a year. HAH! When I uncovered it the stump looked fresh as a daisy.

For my next attempt I bought a misting nozzle thingie (technical term) at Lowe's that has sort of an S shape and sits about 2-3 feet high. I set that up above the stump and turned it on for a week. Lo and behold! Next thing I knew I had mushrooms growing out of the stump. And they are the mushrooms that you see on rotting wood in the woods. Check it out...

This picture was taken May 20 of this year. It shows the stump and the mushrooms growing all around on it. This was the first day I noticed the mushrooms and I go out there several times a day. They came on fast. The nasty looking, dark brown, mass to the left is a dead staghorn fern. The damage you see to the stump is mostly from drying out over the years. Bark has been knocked off of the extended roots and a couple of hardness checks were performed with a shovel leaving nicks in it. The top of the stump is covered with compost remains but it still has a flat surface across the top.

This picture was taken today (Oct 29). In a 2 dimensional image you can't really tell how hollow the stump is, but I am wildly excited about how well it has rotted away in a few months. The light colored spots on top are a mix of sunlight through the trees and what looks to be insect frass. It could be the stump has insects working on it but I don't see anything but the occasional ant. Could be carpenter ants, but if so, they are hiding pretty well. In any case the mushrooms gave me hope and that hope has been fulfilled. Now there are still a few hard parts of the stump but most of it is quite soft. Pieces of wood can be pulled out of it, and they feel like balsa.

[MorpheusPA]

When it feels like balsa, it's about to fall apart on its own.

A bit late this time, but if you can increase the surface area of the stump in relation to the volume, it'll decay faster. I find a nice drill does a good job with that, opening some holes deeper into the mass and also helping to hold a little water in them for additional decay.

If you put a bit of urea-based fertilizer (or any nitrogen fertilizer in a pinch, including organics) into the holes, that also helps accelerate decay by adding a nitrogen source to the high-carbon wood.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I think being buried under the compost did nothing but cut off the air/nitrogen supply to the fungi. Would be interesting to treat half with nitrogen supplements and leave half to the elements. As dry and cracked as my stump is, drilling holes would just be removing wood from the process.

[MorpheusPA]

Depends on the depth and moisture, I guess. Minimal burying with a pile of the correct moisture should have been OK as long as the pile wasn't hot.

Naw, once it's balsa, don't bother with the drill. It'll just shatter. That's best done in the first few weeks when the thing's still solid wood. I did it to a dogwood I lost to anthracnose, and it helped. The stump is still there--it will be for a while--but it's visibly decaying and hidden by a new Jane magnolia anyway.

[cactus]

I'd expect that something like a stump with lots of lignin, etc. wouldn't lend itself to bacterial decomposition so much as fungal, so I'm not surprised by your results. I've always heard about adding the nitrogen to the stump (or using it as a urinal), but I'd be more inclined to try inoculating with an appropriate fungal spore (maybe one that was also edible?).
I guess you way works - provide the right environment and the fungi will come. It's also probable that your compost heap pre-loaded the stump and surrounding soil with microbial goodness to help speed things along once the environment was right.

[clay&crabgrass]

ah, drill the hole down the middle and set off a 1/4 stick in there about 4-5am? baboom! now that theory depends on a lot of things: stump location, neighborhood, wifes sense of humor, affliation with possible terrorist groups.......ah, forget it.

the cans of "stumpsall" and other wives tales don't work, been there. it's either a mechanical solution or it's just time.
have a sycamore stump now acting as the base for sprinkler location. it grows a bunch of suckers in the summer and looks like a bush. oh well, good luck.

[simpson]

Just rent a stump grinder for the day and have at it. Its easy work and should only cost 100 bucks. You have to make sure you get all of the clippings out or grass will not grow there. Most of the time company's wont even haul the grindings away.

[Seven333]

I have 3 stumps in my backyard that I can't stand. My plan? Encircle with big rocks and use as a fire pit until the stump burns out

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[bpgreen]

Maybe you should try what my dad did a few years ago. He had to cut down a tree that had a trunk that was probably 3-4 feet in diameter. He had it cut down about 3 feet off the ground, carefully sanded it smooth and gave it several coats of varnish with plans to use it as sort of a natural table.

It was completely gone in less than a year.

[GaryCinChicago]

He had it cut down about 3 feet off the ground, carefully sanded it smooth and gave it several coats of varnish with plans to use it as sort of a natural table.

It was completely gone in less than a year.

MUHAHHAHAAHAHHAA!!!

[MorpheusPA]

Love it! I wonder if the varnish held in water?

[bpgreen]

Love it! I wonder if the varnish held in water?

That might be part of it. I thought of that when it deteriorated so quickly. Another contributing factor is that it was a weeping willow. They grow fast, but they're very soft wood.

[John_in_SC]

I have 3 stumps in my backyard that I can't stand. My plan? Encircle with big rocks and use as a fire pit until the stump burns out

Aaahhhh yes... The old "It will surely burn out" routine....

Tell me how that works out for you.... Never had any luck with it myself -- you burn a 12' high fire for 5 days straight.... and the stump is still good as new -- but covered with a thin layer of charcoal on the outside.....

Just pointing at you and laughing....

Turns out that with no air from underneath -- things don't burn too well....

For Trent -- call around and get quotes on stump grinding.... Also check with neighbors -- you may be able to get a better deal if several neighbors have work and he can come out and work a whole day.... rather than bringing out his machine for 1/2 hour of work on your property....

Thanks

John