Stump remover

[heehaw]

i priced a stump grinder, or actually someone to do the stump grinding, and can hire someone with a really big backhoe to dig out 4 or 5 stumps for what they want to grind two.
heehaw

 

[jinman]

Sugar.....Really......I have about 400-500 pine stumps to rot from a recent cutting around my house, havent heard about the sugar thing, Im sure that would attract every fire ant within a 10 mine range, but that is what Im doing now is letting the fire ants build thier mounds on them, I would say that at least every other stump has ants building on them and I know they will rot a stump out too! But if I add fuel to the fire....ie. SUGAR....I bet they would work over time to rot them for me, I thought about salting them, but I want to eventually plant these areas for wildlife, so I really didnt want to do the salt thing. Jinman have you tried the salt deal????? Did it seem to speed the process?????

Salt will not work, neither will bleach. While those things work well to kill the tree, they do not accelerate decomposition. The use of sugar or molasses encourages decomposition and attracts bugs. The use of nitrogen fertilizer, as Jerry said, is also a very good way to accelerate decomposition. If you can drill holes and cover with cow manure, that will also get nature going. Of course, if the stump is in your yard, cow manure is probably not the best choice. Covering the stump with mulch and keeping it moist is good in all cases. This type of decomposition may take up to two years, and that's why stump grinders are popular.

Remember, salt is a preservative and bleach kills bacteria. Those are the two things you DO NOT want to do to a stump unless you want it there forever.

 

[1bush2hog]

Saltpeter -

This from Wilkipedia - Potassium nitrate is also the main component (usually about 98%) of tree stump remover; it accelerates the natural decomposition of the stump.[7]

 

[Highbeam]

There are a few "other" things that salt peter can be used for. I wouldn't want to go to a store looking for salt peter.

 

[sunspot]

Remember, salt is a preservative and bleach kills bacteria. Those are the two things you DO NOT want to do to a stump unless you want it there forever.

A good reason NOT to set the stump on fire. I remember reading that old timers used to fire blacken fence posts to delay the rotting. It killed the bacteria.

 

[1bush2hog]

There are a few "other" things that salt peter can be used for. I wouldn't want to go to a store looking for salt peter.

Then order some off the net

 

[RedDirt]

mahlers,
I'm with CurlyDave. Get out as much as you can, especially at the perimeter of your room, then bridge the gap with a thickened concrete beam or thickened slab with added reinforcing in either case.