How to Remove Tree Roots
When you’ve removed that tree from your backyard, you’re probably thinking of removing the tree roots as well. Tree roots can take up a lot of space in your backyard, not to mention may be a home to fungi and other bacteria. Here’s how to get rid of tree roots and how to remove them completely.
Tools
Axe
Mattock
Chainsaw
Garden mulch (For more information on mulches, read The Guide To Mulch)
High-nitrogen garden fertilizer or cow manure
Drill with your biggest drill bit
Procedure
There are roughly three ways of removing tree roots. One way is to rent a stump grinder, which can be quite expensive. This method is a manual way to remove tree stumps and tree roots, but still not as labor-intensive as the standard way of tree root removal.
Cut down the tree stump as close to the ground as you can using a chainsaw. Be careful not to overdo it, so much so that your chainsaw hits the ground. This is potentially dangerous and can damage your chainsaw.
Get your drill and use the largest drill bit you own. Drill holes all throughout the stump a few inches deep. The wider and deeper the holes, the better.
Fill the holes with water, followed by high-nitrogen garden fertilizer or cow manure. If you’re confused as to which type of high-nitrogen garden fertilizer to use, make sure that the nitrogen garden fertilizer that you’re getting has the highest first three numbers among all of them on its label.
Use water to thoroughly soak the area all around the tree stump, including the roots. Cover the tree stump and the tree roots using plastic tarpaulin.
Cover the plastic tarpaulin with organic mulch. Water the mulch thoroughly. Put some large stones on top of the tarpaulin to keep it from blowing away.
Leave the tree stump be for a couple of weeks, making sure that the mulch on top of the tarpaulin stays nice and damp.
This process will hasten the rotting of the tree stump and its roots, making it easier to remove it in the future.
Test if the rotting process has been accelerated. If it’s still too slow, keep on adding water and high-nitrogen fertilizer in the holes you’ve drilled.
Once the stump and the roots have softened enough, use a mattock to loosen the roots, and an axe to remove the stump.
Removing Only the Roots
If you’re removing the roots and retaining the tree, make sure that at least 2/3 of the tree roots remain all around the tree. Use a spike to cut the roots clean away from the rest of the tree. For more information regarding this article, read how to get rid of a tree.