clear up the leftover from a tree

20 years ago

Hi,

After a year of waiting for budget, my home owner association finally promise to remove a poplar tree a foot away from my backyard fence. The workers will apply round-up too. My question is whether I need to dig out all the roots from the tree in my garden. How soon can they become rotten? Can stump remover speed up the rotten process? Or should I simply leave them alone because they won't compete with other plants any more?

I appreciate anybody can share your valuable knowledge in this regard. Thanks for your time.

Regards.

Tony

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

brcuni
20 years ago
I have the same problem with 4 tree stumps. I'm hoping someone responds.
adirondackgardener
20 years ago
I'm interested in how your tree company is applyng Roundup. Are they spraying it on suckers already coming up from the roots (which they will have to keep returning to re-apply)or are they planning on dousing the soil in hopes of possibly slowing down future growth. If the former, it is as quick and effective to simply lop them off at soil level and keep an unneeded chemical out of your garden. If the latter, you are going to be disappointed, and you've poisoned the ground needlessly.

In a year or two, the roots should stop sending up suckers and rot.

I had two poplars snap on a storm last summer. I cut the trunks off very close to the ground and covered the remaining inch or two of stump with soil to speed rotting. A few minutes of snipping and the normal lawn mowing in the area will control the suckers.
Related Professionals
Concord Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Daytona Beach Landscape Contractors · St. Louis Landscape Contractors · Chicago Landscape Contractors · Mesquite Landscape Contractors · Lagrange Landscape Contractors · Cape Coral Architects & Building Designers · Bowling Green Architects & Building Designers · Jackson Architects & Building Designers · Marietta Architects & Building Designers · McAllen Architects & Building Designers · Gloucester Architects & Building Designers · Beatrice Architects & Building Designers · Albany Architects & Building Designers · Gillette Architects & Building Designers
waplummer
20 years ago
I see no need for roundup. Poplar is a soft wood and should rot fairly quickly. Even before it starts to rot, a grub hoe should be able to demolish part of it.
pablo_nh
20 years ago
I do the same as Adirondack. Usually a little soil and some mulch... then I don't have to mow there either.

I also cut a few grooves in the surface to hold water and increse surface area just a bit. I don't know if it helps or not.

Stump remover is just ammonium nitrate fertilizer as a nitrogen source for speeding the decomposition. I water the area of the leftover tree stumps with "used beer" on occasion for the same purpose.
suburban_farm
20 years ago
I'm not entirely sure if this helps, but we used mushroom plugs in a bunch of stumps after Isabel came through two years ago. The mushrooms fruited (I'm scared to eat them since I'm not 100% sure they're the one's we planted.) but they are supposed to help break down the stumps. They make an interesting addition to the gardens, and they're not bad to look at. They even make chain saw oil infused with spores. Worth a shot since the plugs at least are uber cheap. If anyone else has had any success or failure breaking down stumps with this method, I would be interested in hearing their stories.

Here is a link that might be useful: Suburban Farm