If you have a tree stump in your garden, you may be concerned that it acts as an eyesore in your landscape, especially if it’s located in your front yard. Tree stumps can also invite termites or carpenter ants to your property. Organic gardeners must avoid using toxic brush-killing chemicals like sulfur chlorate or ammonium sulphamate. You can use low-impact stump removal methods, or you can incorporate the stump into your landscape.
Manual Tree Stump Removal
You can remove small tree stumps, or tree stumps in a state of advanced decay, by digging and chopping them out. If you’re cutting down the tree, leave enough stump standing to grab onto. Dig as much soil from around the base of the tree as possible, exposing the roots. Chop at the roots with an ax and pry at the stump alternately, until you’ve lifted the stump out.
For larger stumps or stumps of freshly cut trees, consider hiring a service to grind the stump out for you. Arborists use a machine that acts like a wood chipper, but the stump grinder goes beneath the soil to remove subsurface roots. This reduces the chance that suckers will grow back from live rootstock. After the grinding service, cover the area with soil and replant with lawn, groundcover, or garden plants.
Natural Tree Stump Killer
You can speed the natural decay process that eventually claims a tree stump. One way to do this is by cutting the stump flush with the ground, and situating your compost pile directly on top of it. The constant moisture, heat, and mycorrhizal fungal activity of the compost pile can cut the decay process in half.
You can also drill holes in the stump, and apply high-nitrogen organic fertilizers to the stump periodically. Blood meal and fish meal are two organic fertilizers high in nitrogen that increase the activity of the bacteria involved in stump decay.
Tree Stump Pedestal
If you have a large, handsome tree stump in your yard, memorialize it by turning it into a pedestal for a birdbath, sundial, or other garden ornament. If possible, use a router to carve out the middle of the stump to a depth of one inch, which creates a lip to add stability to your pedestal. If you don’t have any woodworking tools, top the pedestal with a planter secured by nails.
Tree Stump Planter
If your stump has aged for one or more seasons, you can turn it into a flowerpot. Don’t do this with fresh stumps, as the decay process of fresh wood draws nitrogen from the soil. Hollow out old stumps with an auger, and fill with potting soil. Use trailing specimens like ivy to create a rustic look that blends in with the garden.
Source:
Reader’s Digest 1001 Hints & Tips for your Garden. (1996). The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc: Pleasantville, NY.
Jamie McIntosh - Jamie has written hundreds of garden articles for the web, and is your guide to Flowers on About.com.
