OT: Stump Preservation

dbCooper

Lost a tree to some pine needle blight disease.  About a 30 footer, already missing the shade it provided.  Not sure of the species, but it would lose about half its needles each fall.  I won't miss cleaning those up, especially out of the rain gutters.

I had the removal folks leave the stump, to a height of about 4'.  It's about 18" across at the top.  Future pedestal for a plant, sculpture or something.  

When it stops oozing sap should it be coated to preserve (delay) the wood from rotting?  I have spar varnish and Thompson's water seal on hand.  Should I use one of those, something else or nothing?  Thoughts?

SGH

I have never preserved a stump that was still in the ground. However we have preserved several cedar, cypress and pine “knots” with polyurethane. I have no idea is it the best for your intended use or not. However it works great for pieces that are kept indoors. I still have some cypress knots I did as a kid. 

nolaegghead

Sure, if you seal the top you'll get some extra use out of it.  But it will eventually rot underground.  You might get a few years.  I had one cut about 12 feet off the ground thinking I'd build a tree-house on it.  After a few years it started falling apart.

Botch

No idea if your blight disease killed the roots or not.  
I would ignore the top cut surface of the tree, screw in four 90º brackets around the top, and mount a Blackstone to those brackets (leaving 1/2" clearance between the bottom, and the top of the stump).
But, I want a Blackstone, and don't have the space, so YMMV.  

saluki2007

I would cut that into side tables for your outdoor furniture.  You can seal the top and paint them what ever color you want.  I did that with some and they are going on about 5 years now.  They are under a patio and take them into the garage during the winter.

PigBeanUs

Sealing  the top doesn’t do anything. It won’t rot from the top. 

It’s still “alive” right now. Just doesn’t know it’s been decapitated. 

You could try to get it to absorb borates (borax+water) through the cut area. But the only thing living part of a tree is right under the bark. Everything else is cellulose. And not “living” per se. 

You really have no chance. It’s a pine 4x4 pounded into the ground. Pressure treated wood is crap pine (no one would build a dining table from the wood they make into PT).

but at least it (PT) has been treated 

they get the preservative into it by using... (wait for it).... pressure

you don’t have their chemical soup, nor a way to pressurize it. 

But borates are a human-friendly chemical treatment. It’s basically soap. Termites die bc it kills the bacteria that digest the cellulose for them. Same for carpenter ants etc etc

problem is how do you get liquid to move through the stump?  Well, in a living tree, the leaves draw water UP from the roots. A trunk doesn't suck water down from the sky. 

But even then, the sap moves through the thin layer of cells under the bark. Not the entire trunk. 

And either way, that mechanism (leaves drawing water up by evaporation) is gone. Yer fvcked. 

maybe every couple days, once a week, saw off a fresh quarter inch of the stump. Paint some borax dissolved in water onto it.  After what? Six, eight weeks, you *might* have soaked it enough to delay rot for a few years. 

*Maybe* it will absorb into the stump over time. 

Doubtful.  

Cut it down and move on. 

also: Lit is the kind of guy who votes for the cHrISTiAN caNDIDAte while railing against the homeless. Who thinks billionaires shouldn’t pay taxes bc he might be one some day (despite  *maybe* making $65k a year), and who thinks colleges indoctrinate impressionable youth, (despite having gone to college and still being a right-wing extremist (i.e. not iNdOcTrINated himself). 

RRP

@PigBeanUs  gave you GREAT advice with both the smarts and logic behind it. I’ve lived in a neighborhood for nearly 42 years which was virgin wooded land. Over the years I as well as many neighbors have lost 100 to 300 year old oaks, hickories, ash, elms and other species. Saving a stump is a waste of effort and time. Sorry, but what’s dead is dead and move on.

PigBeanUs

Thanks Ron. Glad you agreed with everything I said. 

GrateEggspectations

I have nothing to add to the above. Because the source of the moisture is underneath, there is no surface treatment that will halt the decay. 

I have a friend who paid a wood worker to carve a very neat sculpture into a stump on his property. It will not last indefinitely, but it is unique and very beautiful. 

When we moved into our new (old) home last year, there was a very large stump that we had professionally ground. The contractor did not grind low enough, and so we paid a different contractor to get it all the way down this year. Took two attempts and more money than it should have, but it is now level with the rest of the yard. 

nolaegghead

hahaha...the ol' bait and switch...

dbCooper

Thanks all for the responses and bursting my bubble.  With time one should learn to make decisions after seeking advice.  Maybe some day I'll get there.

As an aside, my smarter half was against leaving the stump from the beginning.  She will get a kick out of seeing this thread. 

HeavyG

It will still be around for a few years so go ahead with whatever you had in mind and enjoy that while it lasts.

northGAcock

It looks like a pine, and I have had great success with preserving. As Carey stated, you need to seal the top. Before you do so, let the sap extract a few weeks, harden…. before sealing. Sand it down and seal with multiple coats. 

northGAcock

…..one more thing, plant some Ivey (4-5 plants around the base………around it and it will improve the visual. 

nolaegghead

Might be fun to get the chainsaw out and do a little sculpting and finish off with a pair of pumpkin at the base....but what to sculpt?....hmmmmm

alaskanassasin

I have never attempted this but if I were, I would strip the bark so it dries, drill a hole in the base and fill with insecticide, let it sit for the summer, then sand, seal.

nolaegghead

most wood rot comes from fungi, although insecticides such as borate salts will kill both

GrateEggspectations

HeavyG said:

It will still be around for a few years so go ahead with whatever you had in mind and enjoy that while it lasts.

This is a good perspective, but you should also know that rotting wood is a fantastic refuge for insects. Having a rotting stump near your home provides a haven for all sorts of beetles, ants and the like - many of whom may travel into your home. 

northGAcock

GrateEggspectations said:

HeavyG said:

It will still be around for a few years so go ahead with whatever you had in mind and enjoy that while it lasts.

This is a good perspective, but you should also know that rotting wood is a fantastic refuge for insects. Having a rotting stump near your home provides a haven for all sorts of beetles, ants and the like - many of whom may travel into your home. 

Just put up a sign by the house….(.No insects)

alaskanassasin

Obviously the only clear solution would be to excavate the stump then pour a mold around it, then recast in concrete and plant it back in the yard.

alaskanassasin

Do you happen to have a 3D printer?

saluki2007

Sounds like you should just burn down your house and move across the country….

Botch

 

HeavyG

GrateEggspectations said:

HeavyG said:

It will still be around for a few years so go ahead with whatever you had in mind and enjoy that while it lasts.

This is a good perspective, but you should also know that rotting wood is a fantastic refuge for insects. Having a rotting stump near your home provides a haven for all sorts of beetles, ants and the like - many of whom may travel into your home. 

Naahhh... the stump actually ends up playing the same role as that of a sacrificial anode.

All those critters would naturally be checking out your house anyway. Once that sappy stumpt starts decomposing they'll be drawn to that soft juicy pulp (it's like a perfect brisket to them). All those bugs then draw in the avian characters that scoop them up like jelly beans.

RyanStl

alaskanassasin said:

Obviously the only clear solution would be to excavate the stump then pour a mold around it, then recast in concrete and plant it back in the yard.

End qoute.

You might be onto something.  He could sell them.