Saltpeter and tree stumps

I’ve heard a lot of people saying you can get saltpeter from stump removers if you want to make BP. I have a stump maybe ten inches in diameter, left from the tree I cut, that was growing out of a wall. I also have some saltpeter. How effective would it be if I drilled a one inch diameter hole in the stump and filled it with saltpeter? I guess I should cover it with plastic to keep the rain out. Will it be as effective as commercial stump removers or should I simply buy the commercial stuff?
Thanks

Greg - my understanding is that the saltpeter is to help the stump burn.

no burning, the salt peter helps the stump decompose quicker. not all stump remover is salt peter, and its getting harder to find the good stuff.

Also instead of 1 1" hole drill many 1/4" holes spaced out, This will spread the material and give it smaller sections to work on.

I use 1/2 spade bit holes about 6” deep and regular store brand sugar or pancake syrup.
Whatever gets the rot going will work.
That reminds me, SWMBO and I need to cut and drip Tordon on a few ( hundred) Mesquite and Locust trees this month.....

The old method using potassium nitrate took some time to get going the stump was drilled holes filled then allowed to get rained on the water soaked the nitrate into the wood the process was repeated several times. Then a hot fire built on the stump it done well the wood smolders right into the roots one coworker said he would never do it again he hade smoke coming up in his lawn for a couple days even with a sprinkler wetting it down.

I have never used the method because of what he said I did try to make a "Swedish torch " out of a 12" cherry tree stump by slicing it like cutting a pie with a chain saw the fire never burned near enough to the ground the stump was 4 years dead . The one next to it same size I left a foot high at 7 years I hit it with a skid steer bucket and worked it lose to pull out . My Chevy 4X4 pickup would not budge it at all .

You said it was coming out of a wall? I would guess neither fire or a stump grinder are an option if you can cut and drill a bunch out it will rot faster. If the wall is to a home using sugar as suggested above may be inviting pest you do not want.

Here is an article : https://www.urbanforestprofessionals...ces/stump-rot/

Actually my first goal is not necessary to disintegrate it, but to make sure it is dead, so it doesn’t start sprouting new growth.

do the tordon thing if you just want it dead.

Wonder if you could drill a few holes in the stump and put in some of the stuff you use in septic tanks (bacteria) to eat the stump away.

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Originally Posted by firefly1957

The old method using potassium nitrate took some time to get going the stump was drilled holes filled then allowed to get rained on the water soaked the nitrate into the wood the process was repeated several times. Then a hot fire built on the stump it done well the wood smolders right into the roots one coworker said he would never do it again he hade smoke coming up in his lawn for a couple days even with a sprinkler wetting it down.

I have never used the method because of what he said I did try to make a "Swedish torch " out of a 12" cherry tree stump by slicing it like cutting a pie with a chain saw the fire never burned near enough to the ground the stump was 4 years dead . The one next to it same size I left a foot high at 7 years I hit it with a skid steer bucket and worked it lose to pull out . My Chevy 4X4 pickup would not budge it at all .

You said it was coming out of a wall? I would guess neither fire or a stump grinder are an option if you can cut and drill a bunch out it will rot faster. If the wall is to a home using sugar as suggested above may be inviting pest you do not want.

Here is an article : https://www.urbanforestprofessionals...ces/stump-rot/

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I lit off an old pine stump one November, it was still burning through the roots in April, even after all the winter snow.

Stumps left to rot is a dinner bell for termites. I cut down a very large pine tree that was just too close to my house. I paid a man $125 to grind the stump. A waste of money.He ground it to just below the grass. I drilled holes in the stump and tried the so called stump remover to little effect I finally started to dig the stump out and found a large termite colony. The queen was huge. She looked lick a caterpillar except she had four small front legs.

If you just don't want it to sprout cover the entire exposed surface with tar.

In an earlier post ... in this section ... a fellow was looking to get rid of 3 jars of sulphuric acid ...
That should take care care of his disposal problem and the tree stump problem .
Gary

What I did. I made sure the stump was cut below the surface of the lawn then drilled 6 deep 1" holes, loaded the holes with Stump Out (potassium permanganate), corked the holes with a small bit of broom handle, then covered it with soil. No growth so far. Roots need to be wet once in a while for the stuff to leach into the roots, I'm told.

Tordon is great, but if it is fresh cut, plain undiluted 2-4D amine will kill any tree stump. Just squirt a bit (we always used old eyewash bottles) around the cambium layer under the bark. My dad worked for the US Forestry in college selective killing in pine stands and they used stab and squirt guns with 2-4D to kill live trees. We have used the cut and squirt method to kill hundreds of stumps, never had one resprout and most rot in a year or two.

The nitrate is to offset the carbon in the wood. That makes it decompose faster. Urea fertilizer or any high nitrate fertilizer will help.

How to kill a tree without anyone knowing it. I came across this while researching the topic. It made me grin.
https://youtu.be/ICn6muY5O-8

Drill holes in it.
More the better.
Pour some muriatic acid in each hole.
Plug it with some rolled up plastic.
Works for me, and cheaper that stump remover.
Friend told me to try liquid Drain cleaner.
Never tried it.......yet

I've successfully used concentrated "Roundup". Drill some holes and funnel it in-give 2 weeks. RIP tree. Also Dudadiesel has all the chemicals you'll ever need.

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Originally Posted by Dieselhorses

I've successfully used concentrated "Roundup". Drill some holes and funnel it in-give 2 weeks. RIP tree. Also Dudadiesel has all the chemicals you'll ever need.

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Or just paint neat Roundup on the freshly cut stump with a paint brush. Works for African Tulip and a couple of others I have tried.

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Originally Posted by dbosman

The nitrate is to offset the carbon in the wood. That makes it decompose faster. Urea fertilizer or any high nitrate fertilizer will help.

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If you want to rot it out, this is key! The organisms that decompose the wood need nitrogen!

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Originally Posted by GregLaROCHE

I’ve heard a lot of people saying you can get saltpeter from stump removers if you want to make BP. I have a stump maybe ten inches in diameter, left from the tree I cut, that was growing out of a wall. I also have some saltpeter. How effective would it be if I drilled a one inch diameter hole in the stump and filled it with saltpeter? I guess I should cover it with plastic to keep the rain out. Will it be as effective as commercial stump removers or should I simply buy the commercial stuff?
Thanks

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I use 1 part Remedy and 4 parts diesel and basal spray live trees. The paperwork says to allow to stand uncut for 1 year and it kills all the way through the roots......

I have used drilling stumps and filling with old motor oil and let set for a month or two and build a fire on it and it works well for me as well.....I have tried the drilling and filling with various stump killers and met with limited success....

Drill several 1/2" holes in the tree trump: pour buttermilk with live culture in the holes. set back and watch the stump deteriorate.

I’ve tried to burn green stumps a number of times. I never got very far. Maybe the ground is too moist here, but I could never burn much below the surface. I’ve broke several chains trying to pull them out with a tractor. Thank God those days are over. Now this is only a small one, it is growing out of a wall, but if I tried to pull it out, I’m sure I will pull the whole wall down.

First I considered drilling holes and filling them with rock salt. That may stop it from sprouting, but it may end up preserving it too. There are a lot of good ideas posted here. Something to kick off the natural rooting process is probably what I need. Buttermilk? Maybe.

If you drill your holes with a .45, you can get more of what ever product you use into the stump than if you used a .22 or .38

Has anyone mentioned detcord yet?

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Originally Posted by jim147

Has anyone mentioned detcord yet?

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Too noisy for my neighbors. Not that I would think it was fun or anything... ;)

Used to be dynamite was used.

C4 for the win. :)

I've long wondered what the power companies use in the pellets they fire into 'problem' trees, to kill them, seems quite effective!

Thermite grenade!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Mr_Sheesh

I've long wondered what the power companies use in the pellets they fire into 'problem' trees, to kill them, seems quite effective!

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I’ve never heard about that being done. It’s an interesting concept shooting something into a live tree. Is it something propelled by gunpowder? Can someone tell us more about it?

I think it's a fairly quiet air rifle or pistol, i have heard of it but not seen it. whatever it is apparently is tr4ee kryptonite, effectively. Power companies hate arguing on cutting a tree which they KNOW will grow up and touch their power lines in a matter of a couploe years, this precludes that.