Last spring I was in for a treat. Little did I know, I was about to get one of the greatest physical challenges of my life. No, I wasn’t entering an “iron man” competition or joining the army.
It was something right in my own front yard. On her way out the door one sunny morning, my wife looked over at me and said, “Would you dig-up that tree today and just remove it. The thing must be dead.”
I stared out the window at the good-sized tree. Oh, it was dead. But, weak it wasn’t. It was going to take some brawn and endurance to get that baby out of the ground.
I needed to know how to remove tree stump roots and all. No worries. I knew I could get the job done before she returned from work.
You may be wondering how to remove a tree stump. Well, this is how I went about it. The first thing I did was give the old hunk of wood a once-over. It was about 7 inches in diameter. Not too awful large, but hefty.
It was time for a few tools. I knew I was going to need an axe, a strong digging spade and an all-purpose pry-bar. No problem. I had them all and was ready to go.
I started by chopping the tree down at the base. It didn’t really have much on it as far as branches and leaves go. Once this task was complete, it was time to think about how to remove the stump.
I grabbed the garden hose and saturated all the dirt surrounding the tree, two feet around the base. I proceeded to dig a good-sized mote around the tree stump. This allowed me to see how deep it went and how large the roots were.
WOW, was it going to be a pain cutting through those roots. Nevertheless, I began to do so with the digging spade and my sharp pry-bar.
Every once in a while I would stop to take some refreshment in the form of my favourite beer, then carried on cutting and eventually start prying up the stump with the six foot pry-bar.
An hour had passed. I was determined to get this stump out at any cost. Finally, it happened and man, was it heavy. I lugged that sucker out of the hole and tossed it to the curb with the garbage. It was a task of it’s own to refill the hole with soil and smooth it out.
That is how to remove a tree stump or dead trees. Or at least it worked well for me. It only took a few basic tools and plenty of energy.
If the tree has already been cut down, you shouldn’t even need the axe. It’s certainly a satisfying experience once you’re finished, but plan on being exhausted. Otherwise, leave it to the experts!
