Ann Tique
TOG
The real Mrs. Bickerdyke
Am I there yet?
Posts: 800
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Post by Ann Tique on May 6, 2007 13:11:54 GMT
Several years ago I had a row of ugly leylandi chopped down. The stumps were treated so they all died, and we have eventually tackled the job of getting rid of them ....about 30 of the darned things altogether. After such a long time I thought it would be quite an easy job - however even the smaller ones, about 4 ins diameter, have been remarkably stubborn to dig out and the larger ones, some a good 10 ins, impossible ! We found a brilliant web site: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4643462 it sounds funny, but amazingly true !! We are now up to step 7 and so far Den has not lost any limbs, but he has had a fire burning round the latest stump for 3 days and it still only looks slightly charred ! Has anyone got any other ideas before we spend hundreds on a specialist stump grinder?? Ann & Den x
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Post by Leigh Djonn on May 6, 2007 15:29:38 GMT
We have dug out a few trees from our garden, most of which were coniferous. We found that there are two tricks.
1 - leave as much stump as possible so that you have something to rock.
2 - Use a combination of digging with a fork and secateurs/pruning saw. A spade might cut through the thinner roots, but will jar if you hit a big one. Hand forks can also be used. Coniferous trees have a huge spaghetti like mass of roots. They also have a few large tap roots which need cutting with a saw. A pruning saw is ideal for these.
One final tip, make sure that the ground is ver well watered. Maybe try first without watering, but then water very well and leave overnight to soak.
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Post by Murphy Slaw on May 7, 2007 4:00:44 GMT
Tiquey chuck.
I had these monsters all round my garden. Nearly 400 feet of the things.
You will find a firmly anchored 3 ton winch turfor will pull the majority of the stumps out for you. Or at least give you a fighting chance.
You can hire one for about £15 a day.
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Post by bittymatriarch on May 7, 2007 18:49:50 GMT
Or just leave them to rot away naturally, and plant creepy ground cover plants near them.
We cut down a leylandi hedge about 3 years ago; the stumps are now rotting away and are now a haven for wild life, surrounded by foxgloves and disappearing under various spreading-type rockery plants.
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Post by Cuthbert on May 7, 2007 19:37:52 GMT
Some years ago I had about 100 cut down. As they had only been in about 18 years and had been planted about 2' apart as a hedge the trunks weren't too thick. But still several inches. I quite enjoyed removing the stumps but then I am retired. I removed them by digging roung the trunk and severing the roots at base and following the roots out to their extemities. I used a chainsaw and woodsmans axe. Laborious, and took some time, but very satisfying. The only downside was when my daughter caught me teaching her offspring to use an axe and a chainsaw.
I realise this is probably no good to you as you have to go to work to pay my pension1
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