How to Burn a Stump with Diesel – Effective Methods

Uprooting is a complex and difficult process, which requires either serious efforts of one or several people, or special equipment equipped with equipment to perform these works. Therefore, often, instead of uprooting, they resort to burning the stump. This method of removal requires significantly less effort, and in some cases is the only way to properly remove the stump, but it should be used with caution. Today we tell about how to burn a stump with diesel and other methods.

When It Is Possible to Burn Stumps

Bacterial infections affecting the roots and trunks of trees cannot be destroyed by uprooting, because even a small piece of the root remaining in the ground contains these bacteria.

In addition, pathogens are found in the soil surrounding the roots, so even the complete removal of the root system does not make the soil safe for trees.

During the rise of groundwater caused by rain or other factors, some of the bacteria gets into them and can infect nearby plants. To avoid this, it is necessary to destroy the infection located in the roots and soil, for which the soil is treated with aseptic substances or heated to a temperature that leads to the death of bacteria.

Treatment with aseptic substances is not always effective, especially on clay soils, due to poor water permeability, so burning is the most reliable way to destroy a stump.

Also, stumps are burned if it is impossible to remove the clod and roots in other ways. This is especially true in cases when cutting and uprooting do not lead to the death of the root system and after a while new sprouts appear from the roots remaining in the ground, and treatment with herbicides that kill the plant is unacceptable for some reason.

Types of Burning

There are three main methods of burning stumps, which differ in purpose and execution:

• surface;
• full;

We will analyze each of the methods in detail.

Surface

For him, the stump is covered with firewood and dead wood, then diesel fuel and set on fire. As a result, only the aboveground part and a little of the underground part are burned.

This method of burning is not suitable for fighting bacteria and fighting sprouts from root residues. The main condition for the complete combustion of the stump is the use of firewood, the diameter of which is not inferior to the diameter of the stump near the ground. The active burning time is 2-5 hours, then there is a risk of fire from burning coals for another 5-10 hours.

Full

To burn a stump in the ground, a hole is dug around it to release the roots, which are then cut off and used as diesel fuel. For the complete combustion of such a stump, it is necessary to put firewood together with the roots in the pit, the size of which is not less than the size of the stump in the lowest part.

Burning time is the same as that of the previous method of burning, and the risk of fire from coals persists for 10-15 hours.

Chemical

This method allows you to burn even deep roots without digging them out. To do this, saltpeter or urea is placed in the stump and left for 1-2 years so that the reagent impregnates the wood.

After soaking, the stump is set on fire with a small amount of kindling. Burning is 30-90 minutes, after the end of burning there is no danger of fire, because the wood burns completely, leaving no coals.

How to Burn a Stump

This is a fairly quick way to remove a tree stump. Unlike impregnating the stump with saltpeter, this method does not require much time and leaves the roots of the stump intact in the ground. In order to avoid an underground fire, this method cannot be used on peat soils.

There are two ways to burn a tree stump with diesel fuel.

A metal barrel without a bottom can be installed on the tree stump. In this barrel, you need to periodically burn garbage and eventually the tree stump will burn out completely. This method is best suited for a fresh, recently sawn stump.

You can make a so-called Finnish candle from a tree stump. This method is suitable for dry stumps. Fresh stumps will often go out.

• First, a hole is drilled in the center of the stump. The diameter of the hole should not be too small. The diameter from 20mm is best suited.
• After that, the second hole must be drilled on the side of the stump in such a way that it connects with the first hole. This side opening is necessary to supply air to the burning zone. For better air supply, you can drill several side holes.
• Pour 100-200 ml of diesel fuel or charcoal ignition liquid into the hole, which is used in the preparation of shish kebab.
• We make a wick from a cotton fabric and moisten it with a flammable liquid. We lower the wick into the hole.

If the stump does not ignite the first time, then you need to add small dry branches and repeat the arson again.

Safety Precautions

Here is a list of rules that are not prescribed in the documents, but their violation often leads to fires and injuries:

• Do not use gasoline or other flammable liquids for ignition, if you accidentally pour your clothes and start a fire, you can get serious burns.
• Do not make a fire in windy weather. The stronger the wind, the higher the flame from the burning wood, and the sparks fly noticeably further. In addition, in windy weather, it is easier for a spark or a flown coal to ignite combustible materials than in calm weather.
• Do not leave burning wood unattended, if something goes wrong and safety measures cannot stop the spread of fire, then you must immediately start extinguishing it, and if the fire is too strong, call firefighters.
• When watching burning wood, always stand to windward (so that the wind blows from you to the fire), so as not to inhale smoke. This is especially important for chemical combustion, because the smoke from saltpeter-soaked wood is acrider than from ordinary wood.

Other Removal Methods

To destroy stumps, you can use ordinary salt, saltpeter or copper sulfate.

How to Remove a Stump with Saltpeter

Saltpeter significantly increases the ability of wood to ignite, so it is used if the site allows you to build a fire here later. You need to act carefully: after using saltpeter, even the roots under the ground will burn. How to use saltpeter: deep holes are drilled in the stump itself, as far as the drill allows, fill them with saltpeter, fill them with water, and then they are clogged and left for the winter or until autumn, if the work takes place in the spring. In 5-6 months, saltpeter penetrates the entire root system. Then, as far as possible, you need to choose the ground around and build a fire.

One disadvantage is that nitrates also get into the soil, and they can harm nearby plants. To restore fertility to this place after burning the stump, it is covered with healthy earth and for the first year plants are planted that do not eat, giving a lot of green foliage. These plantings will pull out excess nitrates from the soil, and then you can plant something useful here.

How To Remove A Stump With Copper Sulfate

Copper sulfate also helps to quickly get rid of the remnants of a diseased tree. It, like saltpeter, is placed in holes drilled in the stump and left for about a year. Then the stump, as mentioned above, is burned − or the remains of decomposed wood are extracted in the usual mechanical way.

A Tool for Removing Stumps

Many chemical products designed to remove stumps are made with potassium nitrate. This compound contains potassium, nitrogen and oxygen, which reduce the time of natural decay from several years to 4-6 weeks. This is safe for the environment and is a fairly fast method. Removal agents are most effective when used on old, dead stumps. If you are dealing with a freshly cut tree, start with a stump killer based on products containing systemic insecticides, such as triclopyr, to destroy the roots and prevent the re-growth of shoots. Apply the chemical to the top of the stump for a few minutes after making a fresh cut, so that the product is quickly absorbed into the remaining stump and roots. If the stump was cut not so long ago, but not 10 minutes ago, then you can drill holes as in the version with salt.

Removing A Stump with Mushrooms

This is another way to turn a stump into dust. To do this, you will need oyster mushrooms or honey mushrooms. Mushroom caps need to be crushed, filled with water and shaken well. After this solution is filtered and the stump is watered. To increase the area of moistening, you can make notches in the stump with an axe. To maintain constant humidity, the stump must be covered with branches. It is advisable to moisten the stump occasionally, especially in hot weather. After a few months, the mycelium should germinate. The average stump will yield mushrooms for about 6 years, then the stump will turn into dust. The remains of the stump can then be easily broken up. The best time to infect a stump with fungal spores is the period from May to August.

FAQ

What is the fastest way to burn a stump out?

The effectiveness of burning directly depends on the method of preparation. If the stump is covered with firewood and burned, then only that which is located above the ground or buried 3-5 cm deep and is located near the fire will burn. You can increase the efficiency of burning by digging up the roots and laying firewood not only on the trunk, but also on them. However, already at a distance of 1-2 m from the fire, if the roots are damaged, they are not such as to completely collapse. Therefore, for effective burning of roots at a great distance from the stump, as well as reducing the volume of land work, wood residues are impregnated with special reagents.

How do you burn a rotten tree stump?

With a long drill on a tree, two maximally deep, communicating channels are drilled into the stump: one vertical in the center, the other at an angle to it. Then pour 100-200 g of diesel fuel or liquid for igniting coals into the central hole (this is better than gasoline, which will burn out quickly), lower a wick made of cotton tape about half a meter long and soaked in the same diesel fuel, and set it on fire. For better gorenje it is necessary to drill a few more side holes in the lower part of the stump and at first maintain the fire. Then it will work by itself. Depending on the quality of the wood — raw and dense or old and rotten — the stump will burn out within about 12-15 hours. By the way, they also practice this option: they just regularly build a small fire on the saw, which slowly but surely burns it to the roots.

Can I use diesel to start a fire?

Just pour diesel fuel over the stump and set it on fire − it will be of little use. Yes, it will not give more growth, but it is unlikely to get rid of it completely. But some summer residents act differently. You can still set fire only to the stump itself, but this is a troublesome, although effective. From the stump, you can make a kind of Finnish candle or just punch two holes to ensure a long and effective burning from the inside. One hole is made in the center deep into the stump, and the second – horizontal − so that it intersects with the vertical one. A wick is placed in the vertical hole – a rag with kerosene − and ignited.

Conclusion

One of the most unpleasant residents on the gardener’s plot is a stump. And okay, if it’s small, from some cherry. Well, puffing for a day or two and you can uproot it. Fortunately, we have a simple and convenient way, and which we talked about in this article.

Burning is one of the ways to get rid of stumps left after cutting or felling trees. Its main advantage is that no special tools or complex equipment are required for incineration.

This method is not time-consuming; it will not require a lot of effort or specialized equipment from you. With this method, you alone can easily remove at least a dozen stumps from your site. There is no secret of deletion, as a matter of fact, there is no.

As a result of the use of an open fire, this process has a drawback: it cannot be used in places where it is impossible to make a fire. Namely, near gas pipelines, houses, overhead power lines, etc.

But in this way, you can remove absolutely any stumps in size and condition: raw or rotten.

After reading the article, you learned:

• when it is possible to burn stumps;
• how to do it correctly;
• what security measures should be followed.