Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi
My daughter had a tree cut down about 18 months ago. She didn’t have the stump removed as the tree surgeon assured her it would die off and if it didn’t, he would return to treat it. It didn’t die off and has sprouted a lot of shoots from the stump. Despite her contacting him numerous times he hasn’t returned. Does anyone have any suggestions for killing it off? Several people have suggested salt.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Drill some holes and pour in some neat glyphosate weedkiller then fasten a sheet of plastic over so nothing can get at it.

Also chop away any remaining bark on the trunk.

Dear Chloe,
perhaps one of the simplest ways of dealing with the stump is to cover it with some old compost sacks (ones coloured black on the inside). Cut them open so they are flat and staple them together so they make a sheet big enough to cover the stump with about 75cms on each side of it. Do two or three layers of this if you can to make sure any small holes or gaps in the sacks are covered. Weigh down the edges with bricks, rocks or even just some soil. to keep the sacks in place and leave for at least 2 years. If there are sharp bits or twigs sticking up do try to remove them first but if this is not possible then cover the stump with some layers of newspaper to act as a cushion between the stump and the plastic. If the stump sprouts enough to shift the cover trim the sprouts and reposition the sacks. It may take a while for the tree stump to get the message but it will do so eventually.
Regards Sally Wright.

Thank you all so much for your help. I will pass on your suggestions to my daughter and let you know how she gets on.

chloe. I drilled the top of the stump, and filled holes with creosote. Then cover.