How To Remove A Tree Stump By Hand (In 20 Minutes Or Less)

Why do all the work to remove the tree stump down a couple feet? The only reason they used to do this in the past was so they could plow the field. I don’t think you’ll be doing any plowing soon.

More ways for how to remove a tree stump:

If the tree stump is in a flower bed or garden you shouldn’t till or plow. The latest research shows its bad for your soil health. When tree removal specialist grinds out a stump they only grind the stump down a couple inches below the level of the soil.

So why should you exert all the effort of removing a tree stump down so far? You don’t need to.

All you really need is for the stump to be below the level of the soil. I just removed one of my tree stumps by hand and I was able to do it in about 20 minutes. Heres how I did it.

1. Remove dirt or grass around the stump.
My stump was in my lawn so I removed the sod around the tree stump in a 2-foot diameter circle. I only dug down maybe 3 to 4 inches.

2. Cut the stump.
Setting the sod to the side I used a cordless reciprocating saw and started cutting the stump at about 3 inches below the level of my grass.

You could also use a chainsaw or a hand saw. If you use a chainsaw you may want to dig a bigger deeper hole. Be careful not to get your chain into the dirt or hit rocks because it will dull your chain fast.

If you are using a reciprocating saw then it helps to have one of the longer blades made for cutting wood. I worked my way cutting around the whole stump.

I wasn’t able to get to the middle of the stump so I used a sledgehammer to finish the job. It was nice that I left the stump a little tall so I had more leverage to break it off.

3. Replace the dirt or grass.
Once it broke off and all I did was replace the sod back to and covered the stump with a little dirt and some sod I dug up in another part of my yard. You could get a scrap piece of sod from a sod farm or just throw a little seed down.

You could just leave it and let the grass do the job. It will eventually grow in and cover the stump.

That's it. Pretty fast and easy. The stump is only a few inches below the soil but over time the fungi in the soil will decompose the rest of the stump and give all the nutrients to the grass.

4. Recycle the stump.
In fact, a cool technique I have used in my garden is called hugelkultur beds. Basically, you bury a bunch of wood and grow stuff on top of it. The buried wood acts as a sponge for water and feeds the roots of your plants all the food and water they need with little watering on your part.

The stump under your grass should do the same. So instead of hauling off tree stump just bury it and plant stuff on top.