Cover stumps or not?

[MarkLily22]

I just had two trees cut down.
Their stumps are just below the ground surface.

I would like to know whether I should leave the stumps exposed during the winter (snow) or cover them with soil?

My aim is to have them decay/rot as much as possible and then cover them in the spring with grass.

TIA!

[rainbowgardener]

I think they will decay better if covered with soil.

OTOH, I recently removed a stump, by getting a big bag of charcoal, piling it all around and over the stump, putting some wood on top of that and burning it. It burned for hours and then smoldered for a day and a half or so and when it was all done, what had been a stump a foot high and wide was burned out below ground level so it left a depression. Some of the roots burned out too, and a lot of what roots were left were so dried out, that they were easy to just pull right out of the ground.

[tomc]

I like, use, and have reccomended, Rainbows advice of burning out a stump where it is safe (and legal) to do.

Where that is not possible and having it chipped out is not afordable; simply drill many holes in the cut face and add enough manure or fertilizer to fill (holes) or cover stump, to speed decay.

[MarkLily22]

I like, use, and have reccomended, Rainbows advice of burning out a stump where it is safe (and legal) to do.

Where that is not possible and having it chipped out is not afordable; simply drill many holes in the cut face and add enough manure or fertilizer to fill (holes) or cover stump, to speed decay.

Excellent folks.
Thanks very much for your quick responses!

Although a backyard neighbour has a yearly bonfire, I wouldn't feel comfortable managing a small fire.
I think I'll go the drilling/fertilizer route and then cover with soil.

Thanks again!

[john gault]

I chop them up as much as possible with an ax, to the point that they are covered in soil. If you want them to degrade quickly they must be covered in soil because it traps moisture so the micros, including fungi, can do their job; it wouldn't hurt to water it once in a while, if needed, not unlike how we water our compost pile.

[bullthistle]

o matter what you do, drill and fill with soil, just remember when it rots you will get a depression in the soil that will need to be backfilled and you'll be surprised just how much soil you'll have to backfill.

[MarkLily22]

o matter what you do, drill and fill with soil, just remember when it rots you will get a depression in the soil that will need to be backfilled and you'll be surprised just how much soil you'll have to backfill.

Thanks John and Bull, I'll follow your advice!