On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 11:50:25 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

The message
from (P Verstege) contains these words:

What did work was to excavate around the stump and then drill numerous
holes through the stump as far sown as possible. Then I snapped it off
and filled in the hole. a Lot of work and only a small stump.

But what if Iwant to plant another tree there? Will the rotted
(rotting?) roots kill off any new roots? That's why I was thinking of
burning them out - so I can clear the ground for something else

No, but it might attract honey fungus.

If you want to plant something soon, don't use sulphuric acid on the
stump. Otherwise you can drill some deep holes into the wood and pour in
battery acid, and that will reduce the stump to (eventually) carbon, but
to a brittle mass fairly quickly.

Next time, take most of the branches off a tree you want out, cut round
the roots and attach a rope to as near the top as possible (taking into
consideration the strength of the trunk there) and using the height of
the tree as a lever, pull it over.

Then you'll have a rootball from which you can dig/crowbar/pickaxe the
earth from it.

I have never tried this but beleive that you drill a number of holes as
large and deep as practical into the stump. Fill these holes with
saltpetre in solution, repeat this filling for a number of times. Then
built a small fire over the stump. The saltpetre absorbed into the stump
will cause it to burn well.
Perhaps someone who reads this will have tried and can say if or not it is
practical.
Cheers
John T


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