Tree stump removal

[Aquachiefofficer]

About 20 months ago I felled a 60 year old hawthorn at the bottom of my garden.
The tree had silver leaf and was in poor condition and infecting other trees in my own garden and my neighbours.
The stump, about 14x16" is my problem.
I covered it with the base of a water butt after felling so that fungi had a better chance of growing but short of waiting beyond my allotted time it ain't going away.
Is there a commercial chemical product that can be applied to promote fungal or bacterial growth to accelerate decay?
All help appreciated.
Paul

 

[sunnybob]

a pound ot two of blackpowder on bonfire night is always appreciated by the locals :shock: =D> =D> =D>

 

[MikeG.]

If its situation (and yours) allows it then a bonfire on top of it can deal with a stump effectively. Otherwise you could drill some big holes in it, and make sure the top is hollow, so that water sits in it and aids rotting. Placing a water butt over it may have actually sheltered it, and prevented rot taking hold as quick as it otherwise might have done. Hawthorn is a pretty tough thing to kill, and it may well be shooting elsewhere off the same roots, helping to keep the root ball alive. If you badly want it gone, then dig it out. It isn't that big a job by hand, because you can chop roots off underground.

 

[Tris]

Hire a stump grinder, I got one in last year and did 6 stumps (30-45 cm dia) in a day.
Dig a slight ramp down to the stump and you'll get a foot below the surface easily.
Hawthorn puts down a good tap root and can be a pig to dig out.
Tris

 

[Eric The Viking]

SBK (Stump & Brushwood Killer) works quite well. From your local ironmongers.

I've used it quite a few times down the years, although last time only one of the two saplings actually died off: I may have done it wrong or the formula might have changed from years ago. Ask the oldest chap in the ironmongers if it's still any good

E.

 

[Tris]

SBK was reformulated about 10 years ago (IIRC) as the active ingredient at the time became too expensive to re-license for home use. Unfortunately many of the effective garden chemicals went this way at the time.

 

[Eric The Viking]

That's a great shame, and explains the disappointing result I got last time. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Ammonium sulphamate. Used to be sold as a herbicide, but is no longer approved for that use. But you can buy it / use it as a compost accelerator - which is what you want, I think. Any herbicide effects are just a bonus :wink:

Attempts to burn it out will be difficult; it is dense old stuff, and wet besides.

 

[Tris]

Tony,
Think you might mean ammonium sulphate, worked brilliantly for this sort of thing. Ammonium sulphamate is a nitrogen fertiliser, hence its use for compost accelerator.

 

[pollys13]

MikeG has the right idea, drill a lot of holes in it and water will collect and water collecting will rot it out. I also found mine wasn't partial to drinking bleach

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Think you might mean ammonium sulphate, worked brilliantly for this sort of thing. Ammonium sulphamate is a nitrogen fertiliser, hence its use for compost accelerator.

No, other way around. Ammonium sulphate used as a fertiliser, Ammonium sulphamate broad spectrum herbicide (no longer approved in EU) and compost accelerator.

 

[Aquachiefofficer]

Thanks gents.
I think I'll try the easy way first, drill it and use sulphate and uncover it.
However if it's not reducing by next November I might just take sunnybob's advice!
Regards, Paul

 

[sammy.se]

No, other way around. Ammonium sulphate used as a fertiliser, Ammonium sulphamate broad spectrum herbicide (no longer approved in EU) and compost accelerator.

That might change soon ;-)

Whoops! Sorry, wrong thread!

Neighbour had a similar issue, got sick of waiting a couple of years and hired a stump grinder. Quite impressive machines, very noisy and very messy.

 

[MARK.B.]

Many many years ago during "Bob a Job Week" a local elderly couple got my mate and me to dig out a old willow stump,took us two days of sweat and blood but we stood back and admired the crater with the nice old couple ,then the lady produced her purse from her pinny and handed us each a shilling. Well didn't know if we should laugh or cry so we just said thank you and left .
I guess my advice would be get a Stump grinder in unless you can find a couple of boy scouts