What is the easiest way to remove tree stumps?

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Step 1

Get the top of the plant that you are removing to a manageable size.

If this were a small tree, or an evergreen with one, or several upright branches that were good and rigid, consider cutting them off at about 4 feet high and removing all the small branches below that.

The reason for leaving them taller when possible, you can get a lot of leverage with those four-foot upright branches. As we begin to get the stump loose, that leverage comes in handy and the stump comes out sooner.

Step 2

As you start the stump removal process, using your spade, you are going to start digging a little trench around the stump. Make sure to turn your spade backward.

It’s not a big deal, but with the spade backward you can sometimes pry against the stump to get a little leverage. But mainly, you want to dig away from the stump, throwing the soil outwards to expose as many roots as possible.

Are there any secrets in these trees stump removal instructions?
Yes, the further away from the stump you dig, the easier it is, and the more successful you will be.

Step 3

After digging around the stump as much as you can with a spade, you start using the landscape bar to cut some of the roots around the perimeter of the stump.

The secret to using the bar is to just keep going around the stump, stick the bar into the soil, move it back and forth slightly to open the trench a little and make pulling the bar back out easier. Just keep doing this all around the stump.

The technique is to lift the bar out of the ground and then stab it back in, the weight of the bar creates enough momentum to cut any small to medium size roots that are in the way. Keep the bar at such an angle that eventually you will be able to get to the center of the stump from underneath with the tip of the landscape bar.

At first, it won’t seem like you’re getting anywhere, but eventually, you will see the stump start to move. Once it starts moving, it’s as good as out. Just keep stabbing that bar into the ground.

Before you know it you will have cut all the roots around and under the stump and will be able to easily pull it from the ground.