Tree stump removal to prepare for fruit and nut trees
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years ago
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cecily 7A
2 years agoRelated Discussions
to remove or not remove tree stumps
Comments (5)I don't know about the disease part, but I do know they're nuisances. If you grind them, you will just be grinding them down to the surface of the soil. It may take some years for them to rot, although they are softwoods, which might make a difference. If you want to plant much, they'll probably be in your way. Stump farms are hard to plant. Pulling them up will require heavy equipment, and then you have to decide what you're going to do with all the stumps. Here, they burn them, but you may have pollution laws there. I would suggest calling your local Cooperative Extension Service (see link below) and ask what options you have. I suspect that it's going to be rather expensive. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: U.S. Coop. Ext. Service offices...See Moreadvice on fruit and nut trees in Provo
Comments (4)REGARDING PAWPAWS: I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but I have grown several varieties of pawpaws for over ten years in the California central valley. Although the climate there is much milder, I understand the soil and water conditions are quite similar to Utah Valley (including very heavy, alkaline soil), and I can offer my experience with this interesting fruit. For whatever it's worth, here are a few things I've learned: 1. Pawpaws require patience. Typical growth is a few inches the first year, a couple feet the second, and several feet the third, after which fruiting may begin. Before being established the trees look puny, and require protection. 2. They grow well in the shade. Those I have planted in the sun are broader but more scraggly; those in the shade of larger trees are more vigorous and more columnar in shape. I think they fruit better as well. A variety called "Prolific" was my fastest grower and earliest and heaviest bearer, and it has spent most of its life in fairly dense shade. 3. The ripe fruit are the size and shape of a good-sized potato, with a green or yellowish skin, usually with dark blemishes which look like bruises but are not. They will often grow in a cluster of up to four fruit. The flesh is custard-like, ranges from white to yellow, and there is a row of large flat seeds down the center. For most people, pawpaws are an acquired taste. Those who expect a taste like a cherimoya (to which they are related) will be disappointed--the texture is similar but smoother, and the taste is much sweeter and stronger, and very different. They have been compared to bananas, but the only similarity is strong sweetness and a powerful, distinct flavor, which is not at all like that of a banana. Comparisons with custard are probably most accurate, as the texture and sweetness are very custard-like. Some fruit tend toward the bitter, especially near the skin, and that is the limiting factor for some people. I have observed that white-fleshed pawpaws tend to have a milder flavor and sweetness whereas yellow-fleshed ones are stronger and more intense, but there is quite a bit of variation, even from the same tree. All this being said, it is hard to beat a perfectly ripe pawpaw for flavor and texture, and even skeptics in my family have to admit that under those conditions they are delicious (though they usually only want a taste). 4. You get a better crop if you hand-pollinate with a small paint brush in the Spring, but in years when I lacked the ambition they still bore fruit--though this is with multiple varieties planted in the same yard. 5. Getting the correct ripeness is a bit tricky. The skin should have a "give" but not be too soft. I have found that the best way to have good ripe fruit is to check under the tree daily. Fruit that have just fallen from the tree are generally nice and ripe. Miss one and it will be over-ripe (or nibbled by vermin) by the next day. They will save a few days refrigerated, but once you cut one open it will go bitter quickly if not eaten. I have not tried cooking with them. Freezing them did not work for me--they went bitter and had to be thrown out. 6. The tree is small and reasonably attractive with large tropical-looking leaves which when crushed have an odor like burning tires (only appreciable when crushed right under the nose--the trees do not emit a smell). It is fully deciduous. Flowers, which come out on bare stems in the Spring, are quite unique. Since the tree is fairly narrow, it does not occupy much space. I tend to crowd my trees, and the pawpaws have done fine under those conditions. 7. Pawpaws will sucker from the roots if they are disturbed (maybe even sometimes when they are not), potentially producing a cluster of small trees, a "pawpaw patch". These suckers are from the root stock, not the graft, and if they fruit it will likely be inferior fruit, unless you planted a seedling rather than a named variety. Suckers can come up quite a distance from a mature tree--as far as 10 feet. They are easily removed, but will continue to come up occasionally. I hope this information might be helpful to somebody....See MoreZone 5 fruit and nut trees Northeast, Nebraska
Comments (5)You'll probably get many and varied opinions, but . . . here's mine. I live in Canada and can't/won't suggest any sources of plants for you. There are many apple cultivars that will grow in zone 5, but some will be better in your location than others. I'd ask for advice at a local nursery. Be prepared to spray for disease and pests or be very selective about choosing disease-resistant strains. One of my apricots in zone 5 -- called a "Manchurian apricot" by the seller -- has survived many years but has never born fruit, even when the other apricot plants were still alive. My aronia has survived and born fruit in zone 5. Based upon a single experience with them in zone 5, I'd say "unlikely" to nectarine, peach, and Asian pear, and based upon many experiences I doubt that figs would survive without a lot of effort (like burying them before winter -- and even then it might be "iffy"). I don't have much experience with cherries except for native black cherry and Manchu/Nanking bush cherries. Both do acceptably for me. I'd try the fairly-recently developed dwarf cherries from Saskatchewan. My pears, even the Early Gold, Ure, and Ussurian pears, are surviving but not thriving. That could be my fault because ALMOST ALL OF MY PLANTS MAINLY "FEND FOR THEMSELVES" amongst the tall grass and weeds. They get little care except for fencing from wildlife and, some years, a mulch of leaves around them before the snow flies. Hopefully, someone who gives his/her plants more attention will add comments to what I'm saying. And hopefully they haven't been muttering too much to themselves as they've been reading my thoughts and so-called advice. My two pecan "trees" -- five or six feet tall -- are about 15 years old and die back (tip kill) most winters. They were grafted and the grafts died the first winter but the rootstock survived. I do give them special care, both summer and winter, but still . . . No nuts on my hazels, also about 15 years old -- but at least they haven't died (yet) from blight. The plums are doing okay and produce fruit. The persimmons and paw paws are struggling still, ten years after they were planted. No fruit and limited growth each year. Having said all that, it has been fun experimenting. Best wishes....See MoreWhat should I do after tree removal & stump grinding?
Comments (9)Mostly that. :-) The tree roots you're not going to be able to do much about quickly; they'll rot over time and the soil will...become even more uneven, actually. Add a quarter inch of soil at a time in low spots to bring it up, repeating every six weeks in areas with grass to give the grass time to adjust. Areas that are currently bare can be leveled immediately but, as always, count on some re-leveling as it settles. Be sure to use top soil without much or any organic matter and don't use compost! Compost will rot away to nothing eventually and leave you with uneven soil all over again. Soil tests can be done immediately as well, just make sure not to get any wood chips or bits in the test. I can and will read Logan Labs and will generally at least give a try on others, but don't make any promises. Amendments aren't recommended during seeding or on very young lawns, so you're going to be limited this fall except in emergency conditions. New seed will require watering three to four times a day, even to the detriment of the existing grass. Fortunately, it doesn't require much water, but it does demand to be kept damp at all times until it sprouts, and for any mix with bluegrass in it, that can be a solid month. I do recommend bluegrass because it's a nice, self-repairing grass. And I don't generally recommend professional services without a lot of research because...well, a lot are less than professional. :-)...See Morerwiegand
2 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years agoI know you all are going to enjoy this...
There are 4 stumps in my front yard that I'd really like to disappear. They were here when I bought the place, so at LEAST 20 years old. But the house was built in 93 and I'd bet that they were really taken down then.
When I bought the place I drilled holes and added some kind of stump killer, and every year I put mulch around them to (a) help me not hit them, and (b) theoretically make them rot away faster.
So I started to dig them up last week.
The first one, after I've dug down about 3 feet:
You can see that the base of it extends outward. But worse, what's left is AS HARD AS A DANG ROCK!! I could shave off about 2" of rotted wood around the outside, but after that it's petrified.
I tried to shear it off at ground level using my electric chain saw, thinking I'd just cover up the rest. I'm not sure if you can tell from the second pic, but I made it about 3" before the 3 fully charged batteries all died. That was 20 minutes of cutting!!
Next day, I decided to tackle a smaller stump; thinking that if I get it out and there's a hole, I could use the excess decomposed mulch from the other one to fill it in. I dug it out about 18":
Same thing, the exterior was soft but after a few inches it's just petrified. I bent my steel shovel trying to dig it out, so I gave up and thought I'd try to shear it off, too.
With this one, I could make it about 2" in before the wood would swell around the blade and it wouldn't cut anymore. So I'd have to cut 2" parallel to the ground, then cut downward to take out a small chunk... rinse and repeat until the batteries died.
This is where I am after 4 days:
It rained today, and I'm glad because my back needed a break!! At this rate, I'm going to be hacking on the SMALLER stump every day for about 2 more weeks :-O :-OToronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years agocecily 7A
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years ago
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
vgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agoJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
2 years ago- PRO
Granite City Services
2 years ago
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davidrt28 (zone 7)