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jt

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anybody on here know if it makes a difference on how fast a stump will rot out depending on what time of the year you cut it?
some (same type tree) seem to rot faster than others and i just figured it may have something to do with when they were cut.
thanks

jt
 
I do not know the answer to your question. I have heard you can apply fertilizer to a stump and it will decay faster all other things being equal.
 
I've heard that it makes a difference but no one I've talked to that has claimed it knows when the right time is.
 
If you cut the tree with the sap up it will rot faster. After cutting paint the stump with brush killer it will make the stump rot even faster.
 
Different species of tree makes a big difference as does the age of the tree when cut, older trees have harder wood and pine gets sappier as it ages. Does make a lot of sense the fertilizer on the stump, it's the fungi that decomposes the woody material, why not fertilize the mold to give it a boost. 8)
 
Depends on the type tree and its porosity. Diffuse porous trees like maple will normally rot faster than ring porous trees like oak.s. Of course this is just a general rule. The amount of water in the tree or in its environment coupled with the amount of nutrients (fertilizer as stated) which promote bacteria and fungal colonies have a large affect as well. Type sap means a lot too. If its gummy or fat - you may have to wait for a century or so.
 
Google Howard Garrett. Not exactly sure how he spells his name. He is the "Dirt Doctor" on the television and radio. Heck you could probably do better just by Googling Dirt Doctor.

Anyway, find his recipe. A lot of people swear by it. Seems like it is molasses or something in a mixed potion that you put on the stump and cover it with rotted hay or something. It makes the stump go away in a hurry.

I've never tried any of the stump mixes. I just dig 'em out with the backhoe. Mesquite are hard for me to kill. You have to dig the stump and all the branch roots too.
 
If you will put amonia nitrate on them they will rot out faster. What you need to build a stump burner an old butane tank or pipe works well. Both ends are cut out of coarse with lifting lugs also cut three or four 2 to 3 inch round holes in the bottom. Set it over the stump fill it with limbs tops etc from the down trees burns out the stump below the ground and you have to clean the tops up anyway.

PS a 55 gallon drum works well if you only have a few get two to three stumps before the barrel burns out do it the same way cut three or four air holes to feed the fire on the stump after the starter fire has burned out.
 
Fred Belknap":xs5qje83 said:
I hear you can put charcoal on them and burn them out. Never tried it but may soon.
Fred
That works good after they age a little bit. We cut down a big old elm tree in our front yard, it was rotten and partly hollow. When it was fresh it wouldn't burn. So I decided to live with it and planted flowers around it and mulched them with wood mulch. The next year, hubby dumped the charcoal down the hollow in the stump after we grilled, and it burnt the stump...and the mulch...and killed most of the plants.
 
thanks for the replies.

i always kind of figured the sap needed to be up, but my thinking is just an uneducated guess at best. wanted to see what others thought. i didnt know about the fertilizer, will have to try that. i have some oak stumps and sweet gum stumps that i want to get rid of and some more trees that i plan to cut. not enough to really worry much about, so thought i would try to give em a heads up on rotting. lol

thanks

jt
 
My dad burnt out some big old growth fir stumps that were 5-6 foot in diameter. He used a small amount of coal to build a small hot fire. He had a piece of heavy sheet metal that placed over and against the stump to hold the heat in. And he took an old canister vacuum cleaner , turned the fan around so it blew air out the hose, and then put a pipe extension on the hose. That directed air was aimed at the point he wanted to burn. It was surprising how fast those stumps disappeared with very little effort. Waiting for those stumps to rot would take a life time or more. Dad's stumps were at least 60 years old. I have old growth fir stumps on my place that are over a 100 years old.
 
Just something to think about. Rotting a stump is very similar to making compost. When the sap is up, its warm weather. When its down its cold. Adding fertilizer and stuff to a compost pile speeds it up. Making compost during the winter is a slow go. Its all the same principle. If you look at it that way it will be easier to figure out what will work and what won't.
 
Hey Joe? You know all this stuff is kinda "do-gooderish" It's dynamite :nod: THE only way to get rid of stumps and some :compute: other problems. :help: :cowboy:
 
mnmtranching":1y0447vc said:
Hey Joe? You know all this stuff is kinda "do-gooderish" It's dynamite :nod: THE only way to get rid of stumps and some :compute: other problems. :help: :cowboy:

Don't forget a sack of soda and a little diesel to be sure the stump lands on the neighbors property.
 

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