Question
My neighbour has a small Apple tree in her garden which is diseased, she has tried for many years to treat it!  She has decided to remove it and has asked me the best way to remove the stump!  Also is there a chemiical based root and stump killer that she can replant after removal?

Answer
The root system will sprout back so you will need to paint the freshly cut stump with a herbicide called Roundup. Roundup can be paimted on the cut surface. The plant will translocate the chemical into the root system and kill the plant. You need to beware that Roundup will kill any green plant it is sprayed on. Make sure you do not get it on grenn vegetation that you do not want killed.

Quick, easy and cheap methods to remove these stumps do not exist, but here are some helpful tips on what can be done.

Rotting

If there is no particular hurry in removing the stump or if you can camouflage it, rotting is the easiest, cheapest and safest method of removal. You may also consider leaving a tall stump to rot naturally and provide food and habitat for wildlife. Rotting wood is a favorite source of insect food for a variety of birds.

The organisms that rot or decay wood are called fungi. Fungi do not possess chlorophyll and consequently must derive food from other sources such as wood stumps. For fungi to live and grow, they must have the proper temperature, moisture, oxygen and food conditions. Food is supplied by the stump or wood, and oxygen is supplied by contact with the atmosphere. For optimum fungal growth, the temperature should range from 50 to 90 degrees F. The wood moisture content should be approximately 20 percent to slightly higher, but not water soaked. These optimum conditions do not exist for long periods, thus stump rotting actually occurs intermittantly and decay of the entire stump is a long-term process.

To enhance decay conditions, the stump should be cut as near ground level as possible, covered with sod and kept moist. If possible, several large holes at least 1 inch in diameter should be bored vertically into the stump. These holes expose more wood and slightly hasten decay. During the first year following tree removal, the organisms that decay the wood tend to be nitrogen-limited. That means that the addition of fertilizer during the first year, especially a high nitrogen fertilizer, will hasten decay. Be careful not to add so much as to cause a fertilizer 揵urn?to surrounding plants.

The organisms that come along to decay the stump after the first year or so tend to be carbon-limited. That means that adding high nitrogen fertilizer no longer hastens the decay. The alternative is to add carbons (in the form of sugar) to the wood after the first year. Simply add some ordinary granulated sugar through those holes and the process will speed up considerably.

As the stump rots, depressions or holes will develop. These can be unsightly and a hazard. You can re-fill these depressions with topsoil as they develop.

There is no miracle chemical on the market that dissolves a stump overnight. Some of the more common chemicals offered for sale are potassium nitrate or saltpeter, sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Some chemicals have been ineffective.  

You can go ahead and plamnt next to the stump the new tree will do fine. The herbicide nor the rotting stump will not effect the growth of the tree.