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Old 06-03-2014, 10:38 AM
 
101 posts, read 164,396 times
Reputation: 91

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I have a small garden bed that has been neglected for a while, and I just removed a small tree that had grown there during the period of neglect. I used a lawn mower to grind it to a bloody pulp (determination is determined), but the roots are obviously still intact.

What's the easiest way to remove or at least break up the roots so I can use the bed to garden again? Specifically, the roots are about 1/2 inch - 1 inch in diameter.

My current idea is to just use a high-powered tiller, rented from Home Depot, to turn the roots into powder, but I'm not a big gardener, and I don't know if that's a good idea.
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Old 06-03-2014, 11:09 AM
 
3,787 posts, read 6,978,476 times
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I've always dug as much as I could around it then used a hatchet to break the roots...and dig some more. I'm sure there is probably an easier way to do it but it's a good work out nonetheless.
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Old 06-03-2014, 11:22 AM
 
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I once had a fairly substantial hackberry that I chopped down. I built a planter around the stump, drilled holes in it, drenched it with stump killed, covered it up with three layers of plastic garbage bags, and put a foot of dirt on top of it.

Never came back.
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Old 06-03-2014, 11:26 AM
 
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My experience with removing crepe myrtle trees has been dismal. I had the stumps ground down, but the two garden beds they were in remain basically useless two years later because they keep sprouting from the roots. I always dig up any growth as soon as I see it, but that has me digging at least once a week. I do on occasion dig up some root that is sprouting, but there are always more. I have also tried the stump killer from the Natural Gardener and horticultural vinegar, but to no avail. I'm not up for using herbicides< as we are in the recharge zone. One of the beds has been covered in black plastic in attempt to starve out the remaining roots, but they continue to sprout. I may just have to surrender and give the area over to a crepe myrtle "bush." I don't know if your tree was a crepe myrtle, but if it was, you have a long journey ahead.
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Old 06-03-2014, 12:01 PM
 
101 posts, read 164,396 times
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What if I dug about a foot down into the bed, completely removed all the dirt, and replaced it with fresh dirt from Home Depot?

Also, the tree was an oleander.
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Old 06-03-2014, 12:14 PM
 
4,710 posts, read 7,076,832 times
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Although I am no expert, but I think oleander is less persistent than crepe myrtle. I think you don't have to get rid of all the dirt. Just make sure there are no roots left. You can do that by shaking it through a screen. I would ask at a real nursery (not Home Depot - the people who work there really don't know about these things) to make sure.
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Old 06-03-2014, 01:36 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,074,271 times
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I bought a towing strap and wrapped it around my bushes and pulled them out with my truck. Some stripped off so the towing strap wouldnt work. For those I used a hatchet to cut the roots off and just levered it out.
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Old 06-03-2014, 01:46 PM
 
101 posts, read 164,396 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by Austin97 View Post
I bought a towing strap and wrapped it around my bushes and pulled them out with my truck. Some stripped off so the towing strap wouldnt work. For those I used a hatchet to cut the roots off and just levered it out.
Damn, why didn't I think of that!?
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Old 06-03-2014, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Avery Ranch, Austin, TX
8,977 posts, read 17,487,769 times
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I've had some success with a reciprocating saw and a fresh demo blade. Easy to cut the roots in small lengths, if necessary

I think a tiller would just hang up and break a blade or a wrist
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Old 06-03-2014, 07:33 PM
 
7,742 posts, read 15,074,271 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ksoviero View Post
Damn, why didn't I think of that!?
Ill add that for some I cut the roots in the back and wrapped the towing strap around the roots and was able to pull them out that way so it isnt too late to use this method.
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