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| I've just bought a house and found in the yard a box elder stump. The previous owner says it was cut down years ago, but it hasn't rotted much at all--still extremely hard to cut through. It's right over a gas line, so we can't stump grind it. And I don't want to use anything remotely toxic. Any tips for how to speed up the decomposition? I'm on the California Coast, so we're just heading into rainy season. So far I have:
- dug the stump out and exposed it to air
Thanks!
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by albert_135 Sunset 2 or 3 (My Page) on Mon, Nov 12, 12 at 13:35
| I found this on the GW's landscape design forum Removing a Tree Stump with HIgh-Nitrogen using ~ rot stump gardenweb ~ as my search terms. |
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| Buddy......get a tiger torch (20 lb propane) from a freind and some sort of steele covering to harness the heat drill some holes in the stump as deep as you can dump it full of gas or diesel and set it on fire and let it burn down. |
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| Get a big bag of charcoal and soak some in charcoal liter and put it on the stump, light it up. The hot coals will burn it out. You can add fire wood as needed to keep the hot coals up. You can also use an electric fan to blow on the hot coals to speed up the burn. If it a big stump you may have to remove some of the ash and start again. I burned many stomps out like this. Give it a try. Let us know what you used. |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Tue, Mar 12, 13 at 17:30
| I don't think I'd get hot coals anywhere near a gas line. To rot more quickly, the stump should stay moist as often as possible. Anything green (as being the opposite of brown, in terms of decomposition) that you can pile on and maintain contact with the stump will help accomplish that, and speed the decomposition process by providing the nitrogen necessary to compliment the stump's carbon. Cut grass, kitchen scraps, will help it decompose more quickly. In the fall, covering it with a pile of leaves will speed the decomposition over winter by retaining moisture. If you have a drill, put holes in the stump to expose more surface area to decomposition organisms, moisture and oxygen. I hope you are thinking in terms of years, it will take that long to rot. If the stump will support a pot, you can put a potted plant there that you water often, until the top surface of the stump gets too craggy and crumbly to hold it. |
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- Posted by Fascist_Nation USDA 9b, Sunset 13, (My Page) on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 14:49
| Here is a way to enjoy the view while it is being broken down: |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Tue, Mar 26, 13 at 14:20
| Oh that looks nice, and rotting nicely! I usually let sweet potato vine climb on/around my stump. It won't hold a pot anymore, but used to. |
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