I’d be willing to guess that most people reading this blog post live on or have lived on a property that has a tree stump or two dotting the landscape.
Our property has several tree stumps!
It’s not unexpected.
Trees do have a lifespan. They become diseased. They might become damaged. They might grow in an area that threatens a structure. When any of these things happen, the tree is cut down and, often, the stump is left to rot away.
Do you know how long it takes a tree stump to fully rot away?
Decades. It can take decades, especially if the tree was a hardwood species.
We recently started the process of removing the tree stumps from our property.
Why?
Age.
Not the tree stump’s age.
Our age.
We’re not getting any younger.
I know, I know. It shocks me too.
Since my grasp on the obvious is very firm, let me dish up another gem. The older we get, the harder it is going to be to take care of our 2-acre property ourselves.
It’s already hard now, so the joke is on us!
We figured we could do our future selves a favor or whoever is taking care of our property by eliminating some of the obstacles that make maintaining this particular lawn extra difficult.
Have you ever had to mow around or weed whack around a tree stump? It takes extra time. It is also physically burdensome, especially if the area requires a push mower, not a riding lawn mower.
That means the tree stumps have to go.
We could pay to have the stumps ground down but we’d rather save the money and use it for something else.
That means we’re digging the stumps up ourselves. It isn’t easy or fun to dig up a tree stump but, thankfully, we’re still able to do it. It’s like CrossFit for homeowners.
Most of our tree stumps have been decaying for years now, so they are definitely easier to remove than if the trees were recently cut down. With some digging, some prying, and the use of an ax and a chainsaw, we can get the stumps out.
I’m not going to say it’s not hard work. It is. However, it’s not as time-consuming as you’d think. The last one took 90 minutes for the four of us (2 adults and 2 teens) to remove.
That’s not too bad.
In addition to making it easier to maintain our property, the stump removal is also making it look nicer around here…or it will once the grass grows in.
When we dig out a stump, we try to save the sod that’s growing around the stump. We then place it back down when the stump is removed. With a little watering, we’ve had good luck with the sod reattaching.
We also put down grass seed in the areas where there is no sod.
We still have five or six old stumps left to remove on our property, so hopefully our momentum continues and we can get a few more removed before winter hits.
How do you feel about tree stumps? Do they make you happy or not so happy? What about lawn maintenance and caring for your property as you age? Tell me everything. You can always comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.
P.S. We don’t water our lawn. We live in New Jersey where summer thunderstorms are normal and it tends to keep the grass green. New Jersey isn’t nicknamed the Garden State for nothing!
P.P.S. We have this Greenworks battery-powered chainsaw. It uses the same batteries as our leaf blower and weed whacker. The real star of the show, though, has been a long pry bar. It acts as a lever to lift the stump out of the ground when we’ve detached the roots. This one is similar to the one we have.
Thanks for being here today. It’s been a real treat for me and I hope for you. Here are some more blog posts you might enjoy reading.
The Great Garden Misunderstanding
DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured To The Ceiling
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