Burning out tree roots
 

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these
words:


"P Verstege" wrote in message
om...
(Steve Harris) wrote in message
...
I don't know about burning out conifer but I tried it with Sycamore.
I
tried various ignition methods including building a hot bonfire over
the
stump. It doesn't work - you get a harder slightly smaller black
stump.

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?

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the
latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the
former
is just sand.

I think it's time for your medication, Franz :-)

I gardened happily and successfully with just that for soil when my garden
was on the Bagshot sands.

Franz

Burning out tree roots
 

In message , John Towill
writes
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 are unlucky. Mine attracted an inedible but large fruiting fungus
that eventually weakened the stump enough to get it out without easy
access. However, it wasn't quick and took the best part of a decade to
work!

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.

It won't burn particularly well, but if you can get it loaded with
enough potassium nitrate and alight it will continue to smoulder if it
ever gets dry enough. I tried this with an old dead 2' diameter pear
tree stump about a decade ago. The effect was that it would not burn
because ground was far too wet even on the driest summer days.

However it did accelerate fungal decay. I finally removed the stump by
digging it out this year after the fungi had weakened it sufficiently.
Even then it required several heavy scaffold poles to lever the stump
out.

Perhaps someone who reads this will have tried and can say if or not it is
practical.

Fill the holes with dry saltpetre - no point adding any more water than
is absolutely necessary. There is usually far too much water in the wood
to get anything embedded in the ground to burn.

A pine tree might be willing to go more easily with its resinous sap.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

Burning out tree roots
 

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
In message , John Towill
writes
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 are unlucky. Mine attracted an inedible but large fruiting fungus

[snip]

What did it look like? How certain are you that it was inedible?

Franz

Burning out tree roots
 

The message
from Martin Brown contains these words:

It won't burn particularly well, but if you can get it loaded with
enough potassium nitrate and alight it will continue to smoulder if it
ever gets dry enough. I tried this with an old dead 2' diameter pear
tree stump about a decade ago. The effect was that it would not burn
because ground was far too wet even on the driest summer days.

Saltpetre *IS* potassium nitrate.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

Burning out tree roots
 

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 12:31:07 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message
from Martin Brown contains these words:

It won't burn particularly well, but if you can get it loaded with
enough potassium nitrate and alight it will continue to smoulder if it
ever gets dry enough. I tried this with an old dead 2' diameter pear
tree stump about a decade ago. The effect was that it would not burn
because ground was far too wet even on the driest summer days.

Saltpetre *IS* potassium nitrate.

I was hoping that as it's Sunday, you were going to quote something
biblical about the burning bush.
--
Martin

Burning out tree roots
 

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the
latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the
former
is just sand.

I think it's time for your medication, Franz :-)

I gardened happily and successfully with just that for soil when my garden
was on the Bagshot sands.

I'm sure you did, but what's the relevance to burning out tree roots etc?

Janet

Burning out tree roots
 

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Burning out tree roots
 

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:00:36 GMT, Janet Baraclough
wrote:

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the
latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the
former
is just sand.

I think it's time for your medication, Franz :-)

I gardened happily and successfully with just that for soil when my garden
was on the Bagshot sands.

I'm sure you did, but what's the relevance to burning out tree roots etc?

You were right first time Janet :-)
--
Martin

Burning out tree roots
 

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:46:47 +0000, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)

I think Franz meant beach sand
--
Martin

Burning out tree roots
 

In article , martin
writes
On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:46:47 +0000, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)

I think Franz meant beach sand

sigh
Do you not look at smileys?
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Burning out tree roots
 

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 16:04:44 +0000, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , martin
writes
On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 15:46:47 +0000, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)

I think Franz meant beach sand

sigh
Do you not look at smileys?

sometimes :-)
--
Martin

Burning out tree roots
 

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these
words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the
latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and
the
former
is just sand.

I think it's time for your medication, Franz :-)

I gardened happily and successfully with just that for soil when my
garden
was on the Bagshot sands.

I'm sure you did, but what's the relevance to burning out tree roots
etc?

Unfortunately, much earlier on you snipped the bit which tells you what the
relevance of my answer was.
You really ought to indicate where you snip. {:-((

Franz

Burning out tree roots
 

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the
former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)

Touche. Beach.

Franz

Burning out tree roots
 

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these
words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the
latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and
the
former
is just sand.

I think it's time for your medication, Franz :-)

I gardened happily and successfully with just that for soil when my
garden
was on the Bagshot sands.

I'm sure you did, but what's the relevance to burning out tree roots
etc?

Unfortunately, much earlier on you snipped the bit which tells you what the
relevance of my answer was.
You really ought to indicate where you snip. {:-((

Franz

Burning out tree roots
 

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

The difference between beech sand and good garden soil is that the latter
has a large percentage of rotting and rotten organic material and the
former
is just sand.

[snip]

But isn't 'beech sand' made entirely of rotting wood? ;-)

Touche. Beach.

Franz