Unwanted Roots

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Jennsroses Ignacio, CO Mar 17, 2019

I bought a house that was not taken care of for a while. Several sucker trees took hold and grew tall.
Some of the trees have died and some I am going to cut down but I am stuck with a bunch of roots popping out of the ground.
I want to plant a rose garden in this location. I realize my best course is to do a raised bed but I still need to dig down into the ground so my roses can take root.
How do I get around or rid of all the roots without breaking my back or crushing pipes under the ground?
This garden will be in my front yard and it's not a big yard.

Post #10416711
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hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA(Zone 7b) Mar 18, 2019

It is best to call 811 before digging so they can locate and mark all underground utilities. Not 100% accurate but close enough to be careful or avoid digging in those areas. I hit the underground main electric line which was a foot away from the markings on the lawn by the utility locator. I was going slow so did not cut the sheathing.

Large stumps are best removed by a stump grinder (hire somebody who does this work) or rent one from Home Depot or other stores that rent them. Small stumps can be removed by cutting all the surface roots with an axe or grubbing hoe (a fireman's axe is my favorite tool for this with a small hoe end and an axe end). A shovel to remove soil around the severed roots and continue until you are deep enough to cut the tap root (wiggle the stump to expose the tap root). Leave enough stump to use for leverage if you want to go full manual. Even large stumps can be done this way but it will probably take many hours and days to remove it.

Enjoy your workout and new rose bed!

Post #10416848
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