Had hollywood twisted junipers cut to ground level 7 yrs ago. Used stump rmvr chemical to no avail. Help?

Question

Removal crew assured me the stump would rot out but it hasn't happened. Short of digging it out what should I try next?

Answer 1

1. Dig them out = hard work without heavy equipment.
2. Burn them out - you still have to dig under the stumps to get the heat underneath them.
3. Blast them out. This would be very satisfying, but people frown on their neighbors playing with explosives these days :) .
4. Hire a stump grinder.
5. Use a more effective stump rotting material. In order for plant material to rot, or compost, there is a carbon to nitrogen ratio you have to overcome. Just as plants need nitrogen to grow, so do the fungi and bacteria that cause wood to rot. A stump is mostly carbon, with very few of the other nutrients that the microbes need to grow. The "stump rotter" materials I have seen for sale usually contain potassium nitrate as a water soluble nitrogen source. Drill some holes in the stumps and fill them with water soluble fertilizer (the powder, not dissolved in water). Miracle gro, potassium nitrate, Ammonium sulphate, urea, or any other soluble material you can get your hands on. Refill the holes with fertilizer 2 or 3 times per year. This is not a fast process, but the fertilizer will speed it up. My experience is that the stump itself does not rot too fast, but the roots anchoring the stump will rot away, allowing you to pry the stump out of the ground in a year or so. Good luck

Answer 2

Short of digging.........ah, nothing. Even getting a professional stump grinder in will only lower it about 7-12 inches below the soil. By now it's pretty dry....but you might try this: dig the soil out around it and replace with manure, dried leaves and compost.......then keep it moist. Basically build a compost pile on top of it. I did this for an olive tree stump......it took a few years plus whenever I was in the area I turned the compost aside and chopped on the stump, cutting roots......taking my aggravations out on it. One day I had the shovel under what I suspected was the last root and lifted and by golly the whole thing budged. I stripped off the compost and popped up the stump.

So depends on do you want it out now............buy keg of beer and invite some friends over. Or keep it moist and surrounded may manure/compost and let it rot.

Answer 3

Hire someone with a skid steer and a u blade to come and dig it out. Easiest and most effective. The products that rot out stumps don't work and are a waste of money.