Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do not use a tiller. A tiller is designed to move over ground and once the tines catch a root they will propel the tiller forward. A tiller can work on a short stretch of cleared ground, but even sod busting is a challenging experience with one. A root will slip a belt, clog a tine, or worse.
As mentioned, the hand tool to use would be a mattock - with a SHARP blade. It would have the heft to chop at the roots. The other tool would be a breaker bar. Both are tiring to use.
Power tools possible to use would be an electric jackhammer or demolition hammer, backhoe, trencher, or as last resort, stump grinder. Augers are for digging post holes or wells.
If the cost of water isn't too dear, you can use a high powered hose nozzle or pressure washer to blast dirt away from roots so that they can be cut with an ax or saw.
Are you in or near a rural area? Check around a farm supply store and try talking to a farmer that might have a small tractor with an auger attachment. Back the tractor up to where you want it, dig out the hole, and move to the next. I agree with Harry about the tiller. I know about hitting a root or something hard from experience. But, if you start working the ground more next year, IF those roots die out, you might try renting a rear tine tiller. I started to rent one for $45/day. A heavy duty rear time (lots of rock in the ground here) would be $80/day.
Well, actually the tiller doesn't dig the holes, just loosens up the ground. I'm not sure how much it would cost to rent one. $35 an hour maybe? Never rented one.
$35 an hour+travel roundtrip to plant two dollar and fifty cent bushes??
The poster needs to recover for a couple of days and then get a sharp narrow shovel to slice up those roots and do some digging.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.