Removing tiny stumps

JamesHW · May 9, 2018

It’s difficult to suggest strategies without knowing what species (know your enemy). Since you’re sure it’s not the Tree of ****, Ailanthus, which I am intimately familiar with due to a neighbor who has a full grown one in their yard, then I might suggest the Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) which has fruit, is invasive and is present in Ohio.

joecoin · May 9, 2018

JamesHW said:
It’s difficult to suggest strategies without knowing what species (know your enemy). Since you’re sure it’s not the Tree of ****, Ailanthus, which I am intimately familiar with due to a neighbor who has a full grown one in their yard, then I might suggest the Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) which has fruit, is invasive and is present in Ohio.

No, not Callery Pear. These things produce a white waxy berry sized fruit in late summer.

Haytillnoon · May 9, 2018

WVH1977 said:
I could be wrong but it sounds like you have a type of invasive tree growing. If that is the case you need to make sure you get all the roots up. I had this problem with an invasive tree called "tree of heaven". It was a pain getting rid of them. When I rented a mini-ex to clean up some of my property I dug everyone of those suckers out of the ground and burned them. Their roots stretched way out through the ground and would shoot up everywhere. After that I kept cutting the grass/weeds around the cleaned up area to keep them from coming back up.

You might want to check with your local forester or local Co-Op and see if they can tell you what kind of tree it is and if it is invasive. They can usually give you info on how to eradicate them.

Once cut to ground level, another way to prevent grow back is to mix a solution of 50% Roundup and 50% latex paint (best if dark color for cosmetic reasons). Paint (or slop) the mixture onto the stumps. The paint will hold the roundup so it really kills it. Standard round up, not the extended control.

Creamer · May 9, 2018

Gary Fowler said:
You need one of these to pull thru the ground. It will uproot 90% of the root and stump. Then a pass with a bush hog to shred everything up.

If it were me I would rent a tractor and one of these for a few hours and make short work of those stumps. Once this goes thru the ground a blade might be handy to get out the ones that worked their way between the teeth but they would loosened up and come out easily after a pass with this.

joecoin · May 10, 2018

I've been working on these buggers for 4 years. Everywhere I have cut them I have continued to mow, so they are not growing back. That eliminates the need for herbicides.

I've though about renting a tractor with a ripper like Gary Fowler suggests, maybe I will.

I'd still like to know if anyone has tried using a chain saw with a de-barker on it.

Ford850 · May 10, 2018

I can picture the same brushy trees with the white berries, but I can't think of what they are. Probably some of the brushy dogwood family or something similar. Lots of small stems that are hard and springy. I can't imaging clearing that with a chainsaw debarker, but maybe that's just me since I'm tall and have a 'less than great' back.

I still think the weed wacker with brush blade would work best, if you can borrow or rent one.

joecoin · May 30, 2018

Update on the tiny stump dilemma:

As I was beating some of the stumps in to submission with the sledge hammer, I had a brilliant idea.

Build a hydraulic ram that would push downward and shove the stumps into the soil. Same as hitting them with the sledge hammer.

How much force (how large of a ram and how much hyd pressure) would be required to match the force of a sledge hammer blow?

I am going to cross post this question in the hydraulic sub forum.

Thanks.

pmsmechanic · May 30, 2018

I wonder if something like this would do the job

Jumping Jack Compactor | eBay

teejk · May 30, 2018

I've had experience with both box elder and now poplars. A lot of trees depend on "runners" instead of seeds. I cut a bunch of box elders once and was surprised to see that the limbs left on the ground would send out roots half way up the length trying to re-establish themselves. Same with poplars. I think you have to grub out the underground horizontal feeder roots.