When a tree finally reaches the point where it needs to be removed, be it due to disease or damage from a storm, then you might be focused on removing the trunk and all the branches. Tree removal in North County San Diego should be done by a professional, to make sure that the tree is brought down safely and without damage to surrounding power lines or other trees. However, once a tree has been brought down, there is still the stump and the roots.

Since the tree stump and roots are often an integral part of your landscaping, you might be wondering how to have it removed in a way that doesn’t damage the surrounding landscaping. Plus, you might be concerned about leaving the tree stump if the tree that was removed had a disease. After all, you don’t want it to spread to your other trees.

Here is what you need to know about how to painlessly remove a tree stump without damaging the surrounding landscaping.

Kill the Tree Stump

One of the first things that needs to be done is to kill the tree stump. Otherwise, it will continue to use nutrients in the soil and collect water, potentially damaging the surrounding landscaping by using up the resources within the soil. While in some cases, the roots and stump will die off on their own, the truth is that it does not always happen.

There are several techniques that you can use to naturally kill off the tree stump, thereby avoiding damage to your landscaping. One of the first is drilling. Essentially, you drill holes directly into the tree stump, making the holes anywhere from ½ inch to 1 inch wide across the surface of the stump. The holes need to be anywhere from 8 to 12 inches deep, because the deeper holes will help to speed up the biodegrade of the stump. Make as many holes as possible. Another way to increase the speed of the process is to pour Epsom salt down the holes. Doing this will help to dry out the stump and dissolve it from the inside out. You might even find that you can use the remains of the stump as part of your compost pile, simply because the Epsom salt will make it fairly easy to pull apart.

Use a Grinder

Tree removal in North County San Diego could involve more than just taking down the tree itself. You could also request that they remove the tree stump. That might be done using a stump grinder. Typically, a chainsaw is used to cut the stump as close to the ground as possible. Once that is done, they will set up the stump grinders. There is a lot of wood chips and dust, so anyone using a grinder will need to have the appropriate protective gear.

Once the grinding is completed, the chips need to be shoveled out and the hole filled in with fresh soil. If you find any roots left, take an axe and chop them up. The most important thing is to make sure all the wood chips are removed from the area.

Dig It Out

This option is likely the most time consuming. Plus, prying a tree stump out of the ground can end up creating a large hole and ripping up the area surrounding the stump. If you are looking to avoid disrupting the landscaping, you might want to avoid just digging it up.

The fact is that digging up a stump means finding all the roots and that can involve tearing up your yard, depending on how big or old the tree was. Therefore, it might be worth exploring other options.

Using Epsom Salt

As previously mentioned, drilling holes and filling them with pure 100% Epsom salt, which has no added ingredients, can increase the destruction of the tree stump. To make the process go even faster, you should wrap the tree stump with plastic, thus sealing the Epsom salt into the stump.

It is important that you do not use table salt, because it can be damaging to the surrounding soil. Epsom salt, on the other hand, does not damage the soil, although you want to be careful to avoid getting any of the Epsom salt onto plants surrounding the tree stump. Plus, you can collect the Epsom salt and use it again.

Each of these techniques is meant to minimize the damage to your landscaping and even give you a fresh new place to create a flower bed or simply plant grass seed. No matter what your decision for that space in your yard once the tree removal is completed, the truth is that you can remove a stump without destroying your landscaping. Working with a certified arborist, you can get your tree and the stump removed successfully. Contact our team today to discuss the situation with your tree and how we can assist you with tree removal in San Diego.

Recognized as a top tree care company, Tree Barber Enterprises serves thousands of residential and business customers in North County San Diego. Our Certified Arborist is highly skilled and extensively trained in the latest arboriculture techniques, which enables us to perform our tasks quickly, safely and economically.