Uncle!
Today’s project was digging out the stump near the house on the property line with Paul and Pam. Or so I thought. First step was transplanting the rhodo that was growing next to it. That was accomplished fairly easily, and has inspired me with a possible solution to the “slope” problem up to Chris and Lorri’s: plant shrubs along there, which will clump and make the slope attractive. California lilac is one option. More rhodos is another.
Anyhow, Tammy and I started digging away at the stump. First step was clearing away all of the grass, broom, blackberries and stuff that was clustered all around it. At this point, things were still looking up. The mattock that I bought a couple years ago was making short work of breaking up the foliage and the dirt. Even the mass of rocks that I was expecting was no match for the mattock. We started piling rocks and dirt. Then I started digging down on one side. I wanted to discover at what height the tree stopped and the choppable roots started. My heart sank as the answer seemed to be a couple of feet down, and the roots were still a good 12 to 16 inches through.
I gave up at noon and rested this afternoon. Then after dinner, I took another crack at digging. I wanted to do some more discovering and try to estimate how long it would take. An hour later, I had uncovered three major root branches, including the one that has inspired me to stop digging. One root was going straight down. There is no way I can get at that one to cut it. Plus, by removing more dirt, the size of the trunk, which was hidden by the weeds and the dirt, truly became apparent.
So I’m going to wait until after the long weekend and then make some inquiries about professional stump removal. It was an interesting project while it was feasible.
Good grief! How’s your back??
My back’s fine. I had various aches and pains. My hamstrings are still stiff.
I think we’ll call the stump "the Iceberg": most of it was hiding beneath the surface. You can see in the picture what was beneath the dirt (brown) and what was behind the growth (darker). If you just look at the light-coloured stuff you can see why I thought I could do it myself. 🙂
ahhhh,chop the side roots, tie a chain around it and drive away with the Mazda…. muah ha ha ha ha….
That’s the Langford way.
That’s how I pulled the 2 trees out in my yard!!!!
Honestly though, I think a stump grinder is in your midst and probably the best solution….