We have just had a conifer hedge taken down and can’t decide how to deal with the stumps. Stump grinder was the first choice but it didn’t fit through our doors and we’ve no side access 😩 the lads drilled holes for stump killer but we’re not keen as we’ve got small kids running around and next door have a dog who is often in the garden and as can be seen it’s very close to theirs so hesitant about putting stump killer in.
How hard would it be to dig these six stumps out ourselves?
Or are there plants that we can grow on or around the stumps? I’m hoping to maximise biodiversity in the garden and we like a more natural look so things don’t need to be pristine, I wondered what the options might be for going with the stumps rather than against them.
All insights much appreciated!
by Puzzleheaded_Echo372
39 Comments
I personally wouldn’t bother trying to get them out completely – it’ll be a pain and take you forever. I’d dig around the current stumps and cut them down further, then cover with soil, mulch, and plant some new hedging.
Leave them, let them rot and let the beetles enjoy them. Nothing grows without beetles.
I don’t know if the devil reads this subreddit, but a great task for any souls sentenced to eternal damnation would be to dig up tree stumps.
Even if they charge you £10000, hire someone in to get rid of your stumps. I only had one stump to remove & it nearly killed me. It was by far the worst job I’ve ever had to do in the garden.
Grinder if stumps round here it would be 250 to 400 quid
I think I have read that confers degrade soil quality.
I have planted holly oaks into the exact same situation after grinding out stumps and having added a bit of soil conditioner
I’ve put open bottomed planters on top of them and leaving stumps to become compost. The tree surgeon painted something on so they work not sprout
https://preview.redd.it/htjelbbotm0g1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=626207800c4ce6058128c18733a6fc59da430d8d
WIP – 4 silver planters 40x45x240 cm , in process of cladding them as building from sleepers was too pricey. They are being planted with fruit trees, roses, clematis and jasmine. Previously a row of 10 tall & wide leyllandi
I inherited some leylandii when I bought my house, and just left the stumps. They can’t grow back from old wood, so will just rot away in time. Stump killer is pointless as they will just die anyway.
Nothing I’ve planted since seems to care the stumps are there, and what’s left is now hidden by the new stuff.
Could have left about 4ft on them and ratcheted them over so they ripped most of the deep roots out.
Now they’re cut down to the ground you’ll want to just leave them. Maybe blast them with an axe or chainsaw down to ground level but ultimately they’ll need to rot out now.
I had to dig out 2 similar sized stumps in my own garden. It is NOT easy, but it can be done.
I don’t know how heavy a stump grinder is, but that’s a short fence and if your neighbour has access… Equally, given how much back-breaking work it’ll be to remove these manually, it may well be worth removing and re-fixing a stretch of fence to get the grinder through from next door.
Rotting stumps takes forever, even with chemical agents. You *can* remove them manually, but after the first one you won’t fancy tackling the others.
You can buy (edible) mushroom inoculated spore plugs. The idea is you drill multiple holes in the tree stumps, and insert the plugs, which infect the stump.
A very slow way to eat away at a stump, but you get mushrooms meanwhile… although it is not guaranteed to take.
Pop some potted plants so it looks intentional
No need or point for stump killer – conifers won’t grow back. Drilling holes will help nature take its course more quickly though.
I dug a couple out, hard work but not impossible, if you’re not in a rush I’d suggest drilling loads of holes in them and filling with water,
Are they leylandii? Their roots arent very deep, you could get 6 out with a mattock in an afternoon:)
Just plant around them. They won’t come back now. Only slowly die and rot away.
Your soil will be terrible tho. Very little nutrients and a whacked pH.
Buy some manure (not peat, not compost, not topsoil) from a gardening centre. A few bags should do. Try to dig it in best you can.
Now is the time to get a load of daffodils in!
Swedish candle!
What did you do with the rest??
Ideally, let the wood dry a bit, then create a hugelkultur bed over the stumps. Soil needs ammended for high acidity but otherwise it’s a great way to improve your garden and make the best of the old hedge. Over 3-5 years that raised Hugel bed would subside and eventually decompose entirely.
Build raised bed along them that will do
If they knew their stuff they wouldn’t have bothered with stump killer as there’s no way these would regrow as conifers other than Yew don’t regrow from old wood.
Leave stumps in situ & provide habitat for decomposers & plant in between. You can plant a native hedge for biodiversity with Hawthorn, Hazel, Wild Rose & Holy. If you want some evergreen shrubs that are good for wildlife then Pyracantha (flowers for pollinators & fruits for birds), some Cotoneaster & Berberis species, Escallonia. These ones aren’t native but good for wildlife.
Once established maybe plant some Honeysuckle through it which are great for moths.
I’ve got rid of 34 conifers this year, paid someone £500 to grind them out. Worth every penny.
I dug a load out in the warmer weather, 30/45 mins a day, dug around used a small hacksaw to cut individual roots and a car jack to push the stumps to break other roots
https://preview.redd.it/p0s8kzj60o0g1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e87dbf8b664118302d34cc78d6f00db141f8aae9
Just drill holes all over the top and sides to assistant in the decomposition process. Bugs and beetles will find refuge in the dry holes at the sides, some will feast on the wood from there and the wet ones on the top will begin decomposition too.
I had similar access issues but I found someone who had a very portable grinder, it was like an attachment for a logging chainsaw. It made short work of larger stumps than yours.
If you wanted them ground out, you can get small stump grinders that can be carried in.
If it was me, I would leave them to rot, unless they’re *really* in the way
I done 15 myself, slightly thinner than these but not by much. The key thing though was that I left the tree stump about just higher than wait height, then used a mattock to get right under them, there’s usually a big root that goes directly down and then 3 that come out almost horizontally, if you can break them with the mattock or use a saw then get the root underneath with the mattock then use the leverage of the height of the tree you left it’s quite easy. I’d say 45 mins per stump. Cheaper than the gym too.
They’ll rot away within 5 years. Help them by mulching round with soil or bark chips and plant a few spreading things around them.
We’ve hired a stump grinder before that we had to wheel through the house.
The one we hired was less than 60cm wide. I know that because it went through our garage internal fire door which is narrower than a normal internal house door.
You sure you can’t find one out there that fits?
I wouldn’t do anything with them, other than to drill more holes in them and leave them alone. Removing stumps is probably one of the activities for the residents of Hell…
Definitely leave them. That’s a whole heap of work to get those out and they will do no harm .
Hire a Tree stump grinder. This is the way.
I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if you ever do this again, cut the tree down to about 3 feet of stump, use a sharpened root breaker around the base of the stump (there’s usually about 3 large roots) then use the stump to rock and back and forth and it will free itself. I spent a cursed weekend doing this to about 9 large trees.
They rot away.
I’ve just done three and two last year. Bow saw, reciprocating saw, garden lopper, axe, hand trowel and steel rod. Oh and a knee pad. But as said elsewhere a small root going down is the ball buster you got to find. Wet wood is horrible but satisfaction once they are out…
My neighbour and I removed half a dozen, shovel and a reciprocating saw. The battery dewalt is vastly superior to the mains erbauer if you’re shopping.
I had a few conifers cut down and I just built a raised planter around them, filled with soil, and planted stuff in them. They haven’t quite rotted down yet but they are now hidden by other plants.
The holes serve no purpose, a, because they’re conifers and don’t regrow from stumps, so not applying chemicals wasxa good call. And b, if they were a species that would regroe from a stump, holes of cuts in the dead heartwood would make no difference other than to waste chemicals, the holes or cuts need to be very close to the outer edge to allow the chemicals into the cambium layer where it can work.
Form a raised bed, it only need to be an inch above the stumps and plant between the stumps.
Here’s a [small stump grinder](https://brandonhirestation.com/tree-stump-grinder-hire)
Stepping stones