Pesky Saplings Question

[Willa]

I was thinking a hand tool pruning saw. Ten to twenty bucks. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Worth-Garden ... /205582381

But then again, I prefer hand tools and rarely even consider power tools.

one of those and one of these (or similar) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-32-in ... /206178697

See my initial statements about upper body strength and hand tools. I am built for reading books not digging ditches. Lobbers that can cut a max of 1.5" won't help with the 25 +/- stump conglomerations scattered throughout the yard, with a diameter at the base 2" +. A cheap pruning saw could make a dent in them, very, very, very slowly with a great deal of effort.

These tools could contend with the pesky saplings in the beginning stages, and yes these types of tool are locally available.

[Mick_VT]

I was thinking a hand tool pruning saw. Ten to twenty bucks. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Worth-Garden ... /205582381

But then again, I prefer hand tools and rarely even consider power tools.

one of those and one of these (or similar) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-32-in ... /206178697

See my initial statements about upper body strength and hand tools. I am built for reading books not digging ditches. Lobbers that can cut a max of 1.5" won't help with the 25 +/- stump conglomerations scattered throughout the yard, with a diameter at the base 2" +. A cheap pruning saw could make a dent in them, very, very, very slowly with a great deal of effort.

These tools could contend with the pesky saplings in the beginning stages, and yes these types of tool are locally available.

The loppers are for the saplings / bushes the saw for the other stuff... ok done trying to help here

[phil]

what if you just dig down a little, throw an old sheet of plywood over it, maybe with some heavy plastic, then bury it by a couple of inches. in a few years it'll probably look after itself if it can't get any light or push the plastic up?

I rent one of those trimmers with the blade every year. it's tiring but they come with a harness and I get the blades that are like three prongs. then i sharpen them with an angle grinder and beat the crap out of the rental.. I can cut everything to ground level. I keep looking for a used one but they are around $800 or so and up for the commercial ones.

but for that it isn't much. the problem is the dirt is in the way and I agree on the sawzall. the other thing you can do to get at the roots is dig a hole nearby and then use the garden hose to wash the dirt away so you can see them.

You can drill a hole into anything like stumps, then pour your choice of poison down or even just allow it to keep filling the holes wiht water when it rains.

I have something nasty like the one by the foundation . Mine is some sort of crabapple. I keep cutting whats above ground but it wants to live and it's sort of under the bay window and sort of protected from rain. it has a big root system and I keep wondering if it will just die on it's own if it can't get any leaves to support the root system? an axe will work but you'll hit rocks and be sharpening it and cursing me for suggesting it. at least the sawzall is useful for other things if you dont' have one.. they are lots of fun. you'll stab the odd thing and bend the blade so get a packet of blades and you are good to go. careful what you ask for on Craigslist I'm biting my lip now..

[Willa]

I'm definitely thinking a Sawzall is the best option for the stumps and stumpish things. At least 10 of them are crammed right up against the foundation or the sort of cement curb type thing that raises the flowerbeds slightly(is there terminology for this ?). Some vigilance on the part of the previous owner would have prevented this (sigh).

I'll see if my friend can do a Sawzall date. If not, I guess I'll buy one, though I hope to have very little to do with stumps or demolition in my future. If the biggest ones could be banished, and the tripping hazards cut down to ground level, then I can snip off the small suckers and saplings as they pop up. Like playing garden whack a mole.

[AlsatianND]

See my initial statements about upper body strength and hand tools. I am built for reading books not digging ditches. Lobbers that can cut a max of 1.5" won't help with the 25 +/- stump conglomerations scattered throughout the yard, with a diameter at the base 2" +. A cheap pruning saw could make a dent in them, very, very, very slowly with a great deal of effort.

These tools could contend with the pesky saplings in the beginning stages, and yes these types of tool are locally available.

Sorry tl/dr, but if you're approach doesn't include chemicals the stump and root remnants left underground will always sprout new shoots in the spring. It will be like fighting the mythological hydra.

[Gothichome]

Willa, we removed several weed trees and a whole lot of over grown lilac bushes placed far to close to the home. The lilacs were easy, the good old saws all did the trick. Stump rot (available at nurseries and gardens centres) did the trick. For the suckers that popped up all over the place after, I sprayed with round up mixed a little thicker ( ok, a lot thicker) than the instructions mention and spayed the suckers. The shoots growing in the lawns, I allowed to grow about twice the size of the grass, and also sprayed with round up. To avoid the over spray on grass I would cut a slice to the middle of a piece of card board, maybe .3 meters square. Slid the card board around the offending sucker and sprayed. Took about two growing seasons but I think I got'em beat into submission. This summer I should see how well it worked.

[Willa]

Sorry tl/dr, but if you're approach doesn't include chemicals the stump and root remnants left underground will always sprout new shoots in the spring. It will be like fighting the mythological hydra.

See Sara's experience on page 2 of this thread.

There are at least 50 living bushes and trees around the perimeter of the property. Even if I poisoned every new sprout/stump/stumplet for years I will have an ongoing sapling/sucker battle no matter what. My approach would be to nip those in the bud, once I have the older yearlings and stumps in bad places under control.

I have a cat who is a hunter who eats his prey, so I do not want to risk using poison as there is no way to prevent possible exposure to mice, voles, contaminated insects eaten by birds, etc. He's crafty so he will escape, even if I was determined to make him into an indoor cat. If a mouse wanted to enter through basement, there are many routes available, I'm sure.

My long term goal is to make the back yard be more than a weedy field. I hope that with intentional planting, care and maintenance that this will be possible. I want as little lawn as possible, hardy perennials, non grass ground cover and a controlled overgrown look. Also a ground surface without dangerous tripping hazards, random holes, etc.

[GibsonGM]

I'd cut the larger guys down with a sawzall after digging around them 4". Then I'd put something on them like a little salt, and bury them.

[phil]

i found a neat saw at a garage sale. on first glance it's a regular handsaw but when you pick it up it's about twice the thickness and has a lot of set to the blade. that thing is great for larger branches.

if you happen to have a collection of old handsaws I think you could make something similar by sacrificing a weary old one by increasing the set. there is sort of a crimper tool for that but if you didn't have that you could use pliers or peen them over a tad. that stops the saw from getting stuck and also makes it harder to start the cut in a defined spot. the amount of set defines the kerf. I dont' know how many still sharpen their own saws but you are supposed to use a certain sized file depending on the teeth per inch. If you look there is some good info out there to show you how to do it properly. you wouldn't start with a finishing saw, you want big teeth for branches.

I found a rip saw with huge teeth. about 5 feet long but only one handle. sometimes you see the two handled ones for two men to run.. It's probably more interesting than useful. I can only imagine cutting boards from a log with a handsaw.

[awomanwithahammer]

This may not help with your bigger problems, but I bought this tool a couple of years ago:
https://www.extractigator.com/
It will fit up to about a 3" diameter trunk and pulls it right out of the ground (if you're holding your mouth right). It relies heavily on your body weight and doesn't really take a lot of upper body strength to push down on--just make sure you are bracing yourself for when it gives way!

As I said, it may not work for your many-times-pruned stumps, or the ones close to the foundation, but for stray volunteers, it seems to work quite well.