How To Get Rid Of Large Tree Root?

[JAS21]

Guys..this looks the best forum to ask....

A couple of years ago we had three trees cut down. The stumps were left at or a bit above ground level.

My wife, who should know what to do covered the quite large stump in sea salt. Over that, some plastic and then soil to hold it all down. So two years later stump is still there and not much wants to grow in that area.

The other two stumps I built a charcoal fire over.....not exactly successful either, just have a hole in the middle about six inches deep.

In the UK you would drill some holes and pour on SBK (a brush wood killer) maybe mix with a bit of diesel. Hopefully in two years time it would have rotted.

What can you use in Thailand please?

[chownah]

My experience is that in Thailand some kinds of trees have roots that rot and/or get eaten by termites within a few years...and some have roots that last for decades. If you are in a hurry then dig them out....if you are not in a hurry then just wait.

Edited July 21, 2007 by chownah

[Mid]

What can you use in Thailand please?

locals ..... a shovel

suggested for falangs......... a back hoe.

and before anyone starts , yes I've had the unhappy experience of grubbing out stumps with a pick 'n shovel .

[Gary A]

My experience is that in Thailand some kinds of trees have roots that rot and/or get eaten by termites within a few years...and some have roots that last for decades. If you are in a hurry then dig them out....if you are not in a hurry then just wait.

We certainly have LOTS of termites but it appears that they don't find ANY of our tree stumps tasty. I have been happy just to keep them from sprouting. Building a fire on top of the stump is the best way I have found to kill it but the termites refuse to cooperate.

[dumball]

My experience is that in Thailand some kinds of trees have roots that rot and/or get eaten by termites within a few years...and some have roots that last for decades. If you are in a hurry then dig them out....if you are not in a hurry then just wait.

We certainly have LOTS of termites but it appears that they don't find ANY of our tree stumps tasty. I have been happy just to keep them from sprouting. Building a fire on top of the stump is the best way I have found to kill it but the termites refuse to cooperate.

When a tree is first cut down , you drill a large hole about 1 foot into the stump , fill it with salt peter , plug the hole and give it a few months to eat its way well down into the stump as the sap recedes , then set fire to it .In your case you may need to add water to get the salt peter down into the roots and do a couple of applications about a month apart , good luck .

[LaoPo]

Don't use chemicals, salt or diesel.....

Have some young strong kids from the area DIG the roots out and give them some money...

Everybody happy

LaoPo

[JAS21]

My experience is that in Thailand some kinds of trees have roots that rot and/or get eaten by termites within a few years...and some have roots that last for decades. If you are in a hurry then dig them out....if you are not in a hurry then just wait.

We certainly have LOTS of termites but it appears that they don't find ANY of our tree stumps tasty. I have been happy just to keep them from sprouting. Building a fire on top of the stump is the best way I have found to kill it but the termites refuse to cooperate.

When a tree is first cut down , you drill a large hole about 1 foot into the stump , fill it with salt peter , plug the hole and give it a few months to eat its way well down into the stump as the sap recedes , then set fire to it .In your case you may need to add water to get the salt peter down into the roots and do a couple of applications about a month apart , good luck .

Thanks I will try that.

[JAS21]

Don't use chemicals, salt or diesel.....

Have some young strong kids from the area DIG the roots out and give them some money...

Everybody happy

LaoPo

Where I live their parents give them too much money and they either play football or ride around on motorbikes..good suggestion though. Think I will go for the chemicals. I like to potter in the garden anyway.

[Aujuba]

Dig a giant whole around the tree stump and completely under it. When you are done you'll have a nice place for a swimming pool.

[macb]

You could also drill holes of a good size and fairly deep then fill them with a vert strong Round UP Solution this will work its way into the roots then it kills from the bottom up

[Gary A]

By far the easiest and maybe the best way is to hire someone who has a stump grinder/chipper and have the stump ground down to six inches or so below ground level. Next question is why aren't there people here to offer that service? It's not like it's a VERY expensive piece of equipment. It runs off the power take off of a tractor and would be useful for eucalyptus growers as well as people who are tired of looking at stumps. Another good opportunity for a young man who would like to have a good business building and selling stump grinders.

[UnknownPoster]

Did around the rootball and let the weight of the tree pull the stump out when it falls.

Easy, unless you cut the tree off first.

Now you have to dig and get a tractor and chain.

[ozzydom]

It sounds as if the stump should be well and truly dead from your previous attempt to burn it,so putting a large heap of rice husk over it and reburning should do the trick, the heat in a rice husk fire is extremely intense.

Other than that GELIGNITE.

[oswaldcassidy]

Guys..this looks the best forum to ask....

A couple of years ago we had three trees cut down. The stumps were left at or a bit above ground level.

My wife, who should know what to do covered the quite large stump in sea salt. Over that, some plastic and then soil to hold it all down. So two years later stump is still there and not much wants to grow in that area.

The other two stumps I built a charcoal fire over.....not exactly successful either, just have a hole in the middle about six inches deep.

In the UK you would drill some holes and pour on SBK (a brush wood killer) maybe mix with a bit of diesel. Hopefully in two years time it would have rotted.

What can you use in Thailand please?

copper nails if you can get some or drill some holes and put creosote in the holes

[sibeymai]

A good mixture of phosphate and diesel should do it pretty quickly.

[Mid]

I'm still betting that a shovel will be involved ...............................

[euca]

I have been giving this some thought recently as I have about 40 euca stumps to get out. Many of the suggestions sound good to me and I recognise several. [You can't readily get copper nails now but maybe some old copper electrical wire stuffed into the holes would answer - with deisel or used lube-oil]. I'm told lube-oil must be 'used' as it then has acids in it and, of course, it has become cost effective.

I see the cost of kids and shovels would be Bt50 per stump - how much would a charcoal burner pay for a stump, I wonder. There is obviously a small business in this for t'lads [the many bros-in-law] and I have been contemplating a tree-jack of some sort, possibly with the bill, fulcrum and shoe made up from old railway line rail. This should get a stump out quick enough to make a profit out of it. It should also rip out enough lateral root but I guess there is a tap root to be broken off and that it would be pretty hard to get at??? If it works I guess making and selling them becomes a business opportunity. Just a thought.

[ozzydom]

I have been giving this some thought recently as I have about 40 euca stumps to get out. Many of the suggestions sound good to me and I recognise several. [You can't readily get copper nails now but maybe some old copper electrical wire stuffed into the holes would answer - with deisel or used lube-oil]. I'm told lube-oil must be 'used' as it then has acids in it and, of course, it has become cost effective.

I see the cost of kids and shovels would be Bt50 per stump - how much would a charcoal burner pay for a stump, I wonder. There is obviously a small business in this for t'lads [the many bros-in-law] and I have been contemplating a tree-jack of some sort, possibly with the bill, fulcrum and shoe made up from old railway line rail. This should get a stump out quick enough to make a profit out of it. It should also rip out enough lateral root but I guess there is a tap root to be broken off and that it would be pretty hard to get at??? If it works I guess making and selling them becomes a business opportunity. Just a thought.

Just how big are these stumps ?? diameter....!!

[JAS21]

I have been giving this some thought recently as I have about 40 euca stumps to get out. Many of the suggestions sound good to me and I recognise several. [You can't readily get copper nails now but maybe some old copper electrical wire stuffed into the holes would answer - with deisel or used lube-oil]. I'm told lube-oil must be 'used' as it then has acids in it and, of course, it has become cost effective.

I see the cost of kids and shovels would be Bt50 per stump - how much would a charcoal burner pay for a stump, I wonder. There is obviously a small business in this for t'lads [the many bros-in-law] and I have been contemplating a tree-jack of some sort, possibly with the bill, fulcrum and shoe made up from old railway line rail. This should get a stump out quick enough to make a profit out of it. It should also rip out enough lateral root but I guess there is a tap root to be broken off and that it would be pretty hard to get at??? If it works I guess making and selling them becomes a business opportunity. Just a thought.

This is 'used' engine oil..yes? that should have plenty of acids in it.

[euca]

I have been giving this some thought recently as I have about 40 euca stumps to get out. Many of the suggestions sound good to me and I recognise several. [You can't readily get copper nails now but maybe some old copper electrical wire stuffed into the holes would answer - with deisel or used lube-oil]. I'm told lube-oil must be 'used' as it then has acids in it and, of course, it has become cost effective.

I see the cost of kids and shovels would be Bt50 per stump - how much would a charcoal burner pay for a stump, I wonder. There is obviously a small business in this for t'lads [the many bros-in-law] and I have been contemplating a tree-jack of some sort, possibly with the bill, fulcrum and shoe made up from old railway line rail. This should get a stump out quick enough to make a profit out of it. It should also rip out enough lateral root but I guess there is a tap root to be broken off and that it would be pretty hard to get at??? If it works I guess making and selling them becomes a business opportunity. Just a thought.

Just how big are these stumps ?? diameter....!!

Fifteen to twenty inches across at the ground with multiple smaller stumps sticking up out of 'em. We want to pull some, leave some to provide fence-posts, cutting back all growth on these - and let some regrow to three-year wood. This last idea of the three I am reconsidering in view of your comments about obtaining quality seed from Oz - I would value your advice further. Early days but I like euca and hope to keep several rai of it, selling three-year wood.

Yes, lube-oil is engine oil.

[lannarebirth]

If it's really low to the ground, i'd just cover it in chickenshit and let it decompose. If it isn't knock it out with a tractor. Manure works pretty well though. A lot of stumps I find very decorative and a good base for orchids and such, so I just leave them in place.

http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.S...oval.13971.html

[ozzydom]

If your planting

I have been giving this some thought recently as I have about 40 euca stumps to get out. Many of the suggestions sound good to me and I recognise several. [You can't readily get copper nails now but maybe some old copper electrical wire stuffed into the holes would answer - with deisel or used lube-oil]. I'm told lube-oil must be 'used' as it then has acids in it and, of course, it has become cost effective.

I see the cost of kids and shovels would be Bt50 per stump - how much would a charcoal burner pay for a stump, I wonder. There is obviously a small business in this for t'lads [the many bros-in-law] and I have been contemplating a tree-jack of some sort, possibly with the bill, fulcrum and shoe made up from old railway line rail. This should get a stump out quick enough to make a profit out of it. It should also rip out enough lateral root but I guess there is a tap root to be broken off and that it would be pretty hard to get at??? If it works I guess making and selling them becomes a business opportunity. Just a thought.

Just how big are these stumps ?? diameter....!!

Fifteen to twenty inches across at the ground with multiple smaller stumps sticking up out of 'em. We want to pull some, leave some to provide fence-posts, cutting back all growth on these - and let some regrow to three-year wood. This last idea of the three I am reconsidering in view of your comments about obtaining quality seed from Oz - I would value your advice further. Early days but I like euca and hope to keep several rai of it, selling three-year wood.

Yes, lube-oil is engine oil.

Stump jacks or Trewella type jacks are stocked by Tool-Pro at Udon Thani, as are good quality western style axes, (english made) both good tools to have if your going to grow Eucalyptus.

It sounds like the stumps are still live so they are not to hard to get out,just dig a small trench around the stump about 2 1/2-3 feet out and cut through the lateral roots as you find them a bit of rocking and you will see where any remaining are located, then just dig a hole in under till you locate the tap root and cut that, if you have a tractor available just hitch on after you have cut the laterals and the tap root will most times break off or at least the stump should tip enough to expose it.

The capillary area of a tree is just under the bark so by stripping the bark off the stump will kill it, its called ring barking.

I,m sure a couple of strong-backed locals would get the stumps out for you for about 50 baht per.

If your replanting I would suggest you plant fairly close spacings, ie. 6 foot between rows (for access) and seedlings 4 foot apart, this tends to force your saplings to grow longer and straighter as they compete to get above each other to get more light,if you then harvest every second tree at 3-4 years the suckers on the cut stumps are part shaded and tend to do the same,then harvest the remainder of your originals 1-2 years later.

Keep you eyes out for when mature Euca are setting seed and look for a good specimen of tree that has seed branches,harvest some seeds and propogate you own seedlings,this way you know what you are planting as euca seed true to type.

[euca]

Ozzydom,

Many thanks for your thoughts on this.

rgds

Euca.