Stump Removal?

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this but I'll ask it anyway :)

I have a very annoying maple stump right in front of my house. The tree has been gone for a long time but the stump grows LOTS of new shoots every year and I want to get rid of it. The roots are growing towards the house and even the roots have shoots growing off them.

I've tried pulling it out and thats not going to work, but I need to get the whole thing, including the roots out as they are still growing.

Any suggestions?

Sounds like your stump is big enough to drill holes in the top and carefully pour Round Up into it. The stump should absorb it and it will kill the whole works.

I've been trying to get a foot tall stump out of the front of my house too for forever it seems. Dh used some stump killer stuff 2 or 3 years ago. It doesn't grow new shoots, but it's still there. I may break down this year & pay someone to grind it for me. It's got to go.
Good luck

that would work for getting rid of the new shoots but how do I get rid of it?

Do these "chemical burning" powders actually work on stumps to burn them out?

None that I've ever used work. The best option for actually getting rid of the stump is to do like 2racingboys said--pay someone to come in and grind it out for you. THAT works!

Stump grinding is an instant solution and you can go right ahead and plant there. However, RoundUp or any of the glyphosate brands WILL kill the roots if you do what NatureLover said. It doesn't contaminate the ground, either, like some stump killers do. I don't even think a lot of the old stump killers are on the market anymore.

How do they grind it?

all I know is they bring some kind of machine & "grind" it down. It ends up being a pile like saw dust sort of. I'm seriously going to have to do that since I know dh will leave it there foreeeeever if I let him. It's already been there a couple years. It's worth 75 to a hundred bucks to me. I can't tell you how many times I have tripped over the darn thing. lol -wasn't at the time of course. :/

The reason I asked was that I was wondering if it is something I can do myself. Somebody told me to drill holes in mine and put salt down in the holes. That that would kill it. I thought maybe it would rot after that and be easy to take out. I haven't tried it yet.

So now my question would be, what kind of tool or machine do they use to grind it up.

You can also burn them, I suppose, if it's legal in your area. One of mine is close to a building, so I don't think I'd try that there. I have others that might be burned pretty easily.

Just a thought.

I appreciate the thread, as I have the same problem.

It's just called a stump grinder. I bet you could Google and find some more info. The part of the tree still in the ground is not likely dead, so it won't burn easily. Some people object to using salt because it contaminates the soil around it. If you have several years, you can keep cutting off the sprouts and eventually the roots will die and rot away. If you want to plant something there soon, a stump grinder is the absolute best choice. I hate to say what they would charge wherever you are. Several years ago here it was anywhere from $45 to $75.

You can go to your local rent-a-center and find stump grinders. One tip, however. If the stump is anywhere near where a cable line or some other utility easment may be found, call to have the lines located so you aren't cutting them. My wife works for a company that collects damage claims for a major cable company, and they're like grim death when going after damagers who don't call for a utility locate. Forewarned is forearmed.

You can find people with stump grinders in the yellow pages or on line (a stump grinder looks like a big, thick circular saw on an articulating arm) that will charge reasonable rates but for one stump it may end up costing the same as doing several at the same time. For example I had two medium stumps ground at our last house for $100 but at our new house to do 13 stumps (some fairly large) it was $200 and this was 4 years ago. I guess you have to pay for the travel time whether it is one stump or many.

You can also get an axe and a grubbing hoe and do it yourself, but it is lots of work. Dig the soil around the roots with the grubbing hoe and chop the roots next to the stump with the axe and further out (a foot or so). Continue going around the stump digging out more soil and roots. Once below soil level you might have to use the axe to start cutting the stump. Eventually it will give and you can pull the stump out.

Some people will attach a chain (or rope) to the stump and a bumper of their truck or car and pull it out this way but I don't know if this is very safe especially if you get too much tension on the chain or the bumper is not designed for these loads. I would still cut all the lateral roots if you go this way. I have never done it this way but have seen it done (one guy broke his rear window when the stump gave and came flying back to his car - NOT SAFE or smart!

Another way is to burn it out. Cut the roots and dig down around the stump a foot or so. Build a teepee of wood around the stump and set a fire. You may have to feed the fire for a few hours until the stump is gone or practically gone.

A stump grinder is by far the best method but it depends on how much you are willing to spend.

One more thing - once they grind the stump, there is a pile of shavings left, and until they decompose, things won't grow in them. You'll probably have to dig some of that out and replace with a wheelbarrow or so of good soil, IF you want to plant it immediately.

We had a large tree in the back yard that was damaging the house foundation, so we had to have it cut down, and we had the stump ground up. I am SO glad we spent the little bit of extra $ to have that done. Especially if the plant is in danger damaging your house. Don't wait until the roots attack your foundation (like the previous owners of our house did). Big trouble! Stump grinding did leave a depression in the yard, since we didn't fill it in w/ extra soil, but a year later, it was the best place in the yard for planting. The rest of the tree roots finally started to break down, and the chips from the grinder composted, so the soil was rich and loose and fluffy- pretty deep down (2 1/2 feet maybe). We had very happy tomato plants.

I agree that having the stump ground is the way to go. It is gone that day, you clean up the shavings, add soil & you'd never know it was there.
I would measure the diameter of the stump, then call several tree services & get an idea of what they would charge. We have a local tree service that will do it for $25 - $40 per stump. We usually aren't in a hurry, so I just call & ask him to come by when he's in our neighborhood.

One word of warning though. The stump grinder is a fairly large machine and they have to get it close to the stump. It is similar to having a large riding mower drive up next to the stump, so if the ground is wet or the tree is in a flower bed, you could have some damage to your lawn or plants.

If this link will work, here is a picture of a stump grinder. The one our tree service uses is a bit larger.
http://www.uspraxis.com/

I tried the Round up method, drilled a few 1/4 inch holes and filled it with round up. The position of the stump would make it pretty tough for a stump grinder to get to it and shred it up, plus the roots are growing pretty close to the house. we'll see if this keeps it dead :)