Well-friendly stump killer ?

[The Doodle]

Hi,
I have a couple of stubborn Russian Olive tree stumps (24" dia.) that I would like
to (finish murdering ! ) get rid of, without worrying about contaminating
nearby wells . Spectracide didn't seem do do anything; someone arond here (where we live)
suggested "drilling a 1" hole 8" deep and putting in concentrated Roundup (not the Walmart Roundup) " . I hesitant to do that because of the well issue .

So, is there anything that works, that's safe ? . Wells are 20-50 yards away .

Thx,
D

[rainbowgardener]

Personally I think the most organic, eco-friendly thing is to burn them out. I had a stump that size that I covered in charcoal (across the top and piled up all around the sides) and lit the charcoal. It burned and burned and then smoldered for a couple days and when it was done, even the roots had burned out.

[imafan26]

Why not use stump killer. It causes a slow rot. It is primarily potassium nitrate. You would drill several holes in the stump; pour the stump killer in the holes, water it and cover it with plastic and mulch. It is accelerates natural decomposition and is often used prior to burning the stump.

The product says it does not harm surrounding vegetation, but you may need to contact the company to find out if it is a problem for wells.

https://www.spectracide.com/Products-and ... mover.aspx

[ElizabethB]

The problem with Stump Killer is that the chemical travels to the extremities of the roots.

I had a large 7' tall x 4' wide shrub 4' from my garden. G cut it back then used Stump Killer. It had an adverse effect on my garden because the roots of the plant extended under the garden.

I would not want those chemicals anywhere near a water supply.

DITTO RBG on burning. If you can not burn then hire strong, young college students to take it out manually. Provide them with the tools they need to do the job then finish the job with cold beer.

You can also find labor from half way houses.

Good luck

[rainbowgardener]

Or you can hire landscape people who come with a huge drill and drill it all out, leave just a pile of chips.

[catgrass]

I have killed Chinese Tallow tree stumps by drilling holes in the stump, then pouring a mixture of boiling hot salt water, vinegar and hot pepper into the holes. My ex and his brother killed his mother's bamboo using water left over from a crawfish boil. This will kill the surrounding grass, too.

[Wombat]

I concur with rainbow, I hired a stump grinder, easy to use, efficient and worth the money.