Advice needed on tree removal.

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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Westi
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I have a small & quite sweet little tree that was (I think), the graft tree from a pear, or maybe even the cherry tree I planted there years ago. As it is non productive I would like to remove it & I have bought a cherry bush to go into that spot.

I have looked online & haven't the time for a lot of the muck around ideas on there like sawing it down & drilling holes in the stump & other madness. My back would not tolerate swinging a pick, but I would happily shove a shovel in as could take breaks. My question is about how far around the tree should I remove the roots to ensure it does not grow back nor impact the growth on the Cherry Bush? From digging the bed along it in prep for the runner trench for next year I found the roots reached there so I would say nearly 2 metres but they are not thick at that distance but pretty tough. It is only about 5' tall & sparse branch growth & a thin trunk so do I saw it down or take it down via digging it out? Roots are not too deep either.

Cheers in advance!
Westi
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Geoff
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I find a trowel and a pruning saw good for removing trees. Cut the branches off but keep the trunk for leverage. Dig round with a spade a couple of feet from the trunk until you hit roots. Clean round each serious root in turn with the trowel and make two cuts with the pruning saw removing about 6" of root. When you have done the obvious roots start trying to rock the trunk (the 6" gaps make this easier) and you should be able to find more roots that need cutting. Eventually you and the tree will fall over. Probably a good idea to follow the bigger roots and cut more off them. Usual advice would be not to replant the same species so if it was cherry you might be going against that but you might as well try. You will probably have created a hole that will need some soil from elsewhere anyway but it might be an idea to swap some if that is practical.
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retropants
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What Geoff said! Very satisfying cutting through the last root with the saw and freeing the bugger!
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peter
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What Geoff said, BUT one minor change.
Long handled loppers and secateurs and easier for roots that can fit in the jaws.
You have to have back and forth room with any saw.

If you have one an old but sharpenable hatchet can be therapeutic. :wink:

Personally I also use a mattock and pickaxe.

The treetrunk is your best friend, not only for leverage but also root detection, rock the trunks and the biggest roots reveal themselves by cracking and moving the soil above them.
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Westi
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Cheers Geoff & Peter,

That does not sound too bad so a nice little job for tomorrow - after I sharpen the loopers! And with the rain we have had it shouldn't be too hard to dig down & find the roots as they reveal themselves. No doubt the little dog will assist!
Westi
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An interesting topic because I think I have to remove my two plum trees which have suffered catastrophic brown rot for two consecutive years.
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retropants
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Lidl are stocking an odd looking spade, narrow with serrated edges, supposedly for removing roots.
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Primrose
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I order whether an alternative approach would be to have a mini bonfire on it an slowly burn the stump out? If you could get a few slow burning logs on top of the stump and get it to burn, it might break down the stump and roots eniugh to then enable them to be dug out?

Wouldn,t the roots just automatically die and slowly rot away once the main stump had been effectively killed or do they still have a capacity to restart a new life of their own?
Westi
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5 hours & tree removed. Chasing the roots was not as much fun as I expected, my digging had only revealed some that the loopers could deal with, the rest I found after these came out easy peasy. There I was with big hole digging soil out below very thick roots so I could saw through them. Consequently I got pretty muddy, but all done. All I can say is I hope the roots can not regrow as they went under the side fence into the neighbours plot & no doubt I probably missed some my side as well.
Westi
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Geoff
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Well done! Right time of year to make a donation to a local bonfire if you can't get rid of it yourself.
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retropants
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Well done Westi, and you've brought back memories of removing 5 gargantuan laurels that took over half my new garden when I moved in 24 years ago! I could not do that kind of work now however, so kudos to you!
ElliotM
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1. Water the day before you plan to remove so that the soil is easier to dig.

2. Measure how many inches your tree trunk is. For every inch, plan to dig 6” deep to reach the entire root system. Using that depth, dig around the tree’s roots, which likely extend out to the outer edge of the tree’s canopy.

3. Using leverage, wiggle the root ball out. If the roots are intact, you can transplant the tree. Or if you want to dispose of it, cut it up with a chainsaw. If you go that route, wear protective eyeglasses, earplugs and gloves.
Westi
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Thanks ElliotM, I keep that in mind for next time. Luckily for me it was a small tree anyway. So long was I can stay on top of the canker on the apple & pear trees I shouldn't need this information but written in my wee garden hints & tips book.
Westi
larson12
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I'm the director of a large volunteer group that works to remove invasive weed trees and shrubs species like buckthorn and honeysuckle. Therefore, I've tried different brands and designs over the years. So far, the PowerGear 2 Long-handled loppers cut the best with the least effort, the blades are replaceable when you can longer sharpen them, etc. They are also well worth the price. The extra cutting power comes from the "double pivot" design, which means that the handles have to move farther while the blade moves less - its simple leverage -physics. You can read this article for tree removal suggestions and different Models with a single pivot design will be better if you want more maneuverability but aren't worried about cutting large or tough branches and small trunks.
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