# Stump help



## coolbrze (Jan 21, 2010)

There's a stump that was 'ground' last year and has some sm. branches growing up out of it. Looks to be a Bradford Pear as there are others in the area, but I'm not certain. They branches are only a foot tall but given the proximity of the stump to the underground gas line, I don't want to grind. Is there anything I can pour on it to kill it completely that's not harmful to the environment, or any other suggestions on how to kill it?


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## ddhlakebound (Jan 21, 2010)

You can use several different chemicals to kill the roots which are attempting re-growth, or just cut them off at ground level and put a couple layers of thick plastic covered with a few inches of mulch over them. If you block the light, they'll be unable to grow. 

They may attempt to sprout outside the plastic, or grow towards the edge for light if the plastic is too small.


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## purplewg (Jan 22, 2010)

We have some trees down here that will do that. What I do is cut the suckers off exposing the meat under the bark and coat good with a non-selective herbicide and diesel mix. It works for me every time.


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## coolbrze (Jan 22, 2010)

What chemicals or non-selective herbicides do you guys use? Will they kill other plants close-by?


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## EdenT (Jan 22, 2010)

Glyphophosphate or glyphosate, sold as round up, zero and various other things. Breaks down fairly quickly (about 24 hours). Best trick would be to re-expose the stump and drill holes in it close to the cambium as you can and pour the glypho into them. It's a translocating herbicide so don't mess around with the dosage, just follow the instructions to the letter and all will be well. I am not a fan of 'diesel' or other residual petro-chemicals being added to my environment.


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## Rftreeman (Jan 22, 2010)

roundup concentrate 100% (not diluted) works great for me..


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## EdenT (Jan 22, 2010)

Dammit RF, your not supposed to drink it!!


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## Rftreeman (Jan 22, 2010)

EdenT said:


> Dammit RF, your not supposed to drink it!!



does taste kinda funny........lol


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## fishercat (Jan 23, 2010)

*rock salt works and is cheap.*

i use the water softening kind. black plastic works too.not as well.


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## ND_ash (Jan 27, 2010)

Check out Clarity Herbicide, I've used it for 3 years and it kills or seriously stunts anything woody. Doesn't harm grass but could be tough on flowers if it came in direct contact. mostly used on pasture land to control tree and brush growth. I spray the stumps after grinding them and then back fill, never had a problem yet.


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## pdqdl (Jan 27, 2010)

That *Clarity* is some pretty bad stuff alright. I have never used it, as it has an agricultural label. The labeled instructions do list turf and pastureland as "crops" so I suppose that someone with a turf and ornamental pesticide license could use it.

This product has a number of unusual precautionary statements, including a number of references to avoiding runoff and drift problems. It is probably not at all safe around other broadleaf plants.

There are no labeled instructions for stump treatment; doing so would be a violation of federal law.

Here is the product label, read for yourself:http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld797002.pdf

If you really want to pesticide a stump, use Tordon RTU. Labeled for that purpose, and it works very well. Glyphosate is safer, but not as effective.


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## Pruning Artist (Jan 28, 2010)

Rock salt . Not only kills the stump but rots it out too . Works good for stuff in fence rows where you don't want to close with saws as well . Cost...$3 - $4 a bag .


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## arbor pro (Jan 28, 2010)

pdqdl said:


> That *Clarity* is some pretty bad stuff alright. I have never used it, as it has an agricultural label. The labeled instructions do list turf and pastureland as "crops" so I suppose that someone with a turf and ornamental pesticide license could use it.
> 
> This product has a number of unusual precautionary statements, including a number of references to avoiding runoff and drift problems. It is probably not at all safe around other broadleaf plants.
> 
> ...



Tordon is commonly used by utility ROW companies to keep stumps from resprouting. We used it for years when doing removals under power lines. Rather than spend the money on stump grinding, the utility just had us spray the stumps.

It's a residual so, nothing in the area is going to grow back for years. Not something you want to use if planning to replant in the same area.


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## pdqdl (Jan 28, 2010)

Tordon residual...not really a problem (usually) if used as a stump treatment. Broadcast spray for killing acres of brush? True!


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## purplewg (Jan 28, 2010)

I use Pronto. It will also kill any surrounding vegitation so make sure nothing in the run off area is important. I mist the edge of my driveway with it and spray my fence lines with it also.


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## pdqdl (Jan 28, 2010)

Pronto is just another product containing Glyphosate. It will work OK if a freshly cut stump is treated during growing season.


Dormant season, long after it was cut: ...Not much hope of success.


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## coolbrze (Feb 16, 2010)

So... lots of options. The BP was cut last year but has sprouted new shoots, still looking for my best bet...


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## purplewg (Feb 16, 2010)

coolbrze said:


> So... lots of options. The BP was cut last year but has sprouted new shoots, still looking for my best bet...



Just curious, which of the opinions did you try? We have Pepper trees here that do that but I have never had one come back from skinning the suckers off and spraying a good non-slective herbicide on the bare bark.

Some don't like to do it but I mix a little diesel in to get the herbicide to stick.


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## flushcut (Feb 16, 2010)

I hear agent orange is good stuff:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange: But glyphosphate works well.


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## pdqdl (Feb 16, 2010)

Agent orange was mostly 2,4,5-T (ester); a close relative of 2,4-D (amine) that is a very common broadleaf weed control. Naturally, it works real good on killing brush, but volatility is a big problem unless you are planning on defoliating the entire neighborhood.

The biggest problem with the agent orange was the dioxins and other nasty things that were included. While I don't know for sure, I have always suspected that the manufacturers were deliberately sloppy about refining the dangerous by-products out. [Hey! We are just dumping it on the enemy, right? After all, you do want the low bid, don't you?] I have always suspected that they also disposed of some of their nasty industrial wastes by shipping it out in the agent orange, but I have not ever read anything to that effect.


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## flushcut (Feb 16, 2010)

You do know that was a joke, but thanks for the history.


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## highpointtree (Feb 16, 2010)

burn the stump out !!!!













take picture's too...LOL


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## pdqdl (Feb 17, 2010)

Flushcut: I know you were just funnin. Besides, you would really need to be a hardcore mental case if you saved some agent orange for 40 years.

I don't think you could buy any now, even if you advertised your desire on ebay & craig's list.

Poor agent orange always got bad press; it wasn't the product's fault. It was the folks making it that turned it into a toxic brew. Many years ago, I could buy "turf ester" that was essentially the purified active ingredient in agent orange. It worked really well for tough lawn weeds, and the price was pretty good, too.


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