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ken_adrian

cut flush.. and planting near what was left

back of the house... ALL UTILITIES underground in the bed .....

arbs failed for multiple leaders ... who knew back then.. that buying at the hardware store.. led to multiple leaders that would fail in snow or ice load ...

juniper witchita blue failed for tip blight..

can not dig out stumps due to utilities..

i am going to plant some jap maples and conifer.. one gallon... and it might be right next to rotting stumps.. IT WILL BE DONE ... so dont waster breath on talking me out of it ...

what would be your concerns over time.... and how would you deal with it ...

i have specific questions in mind.. but i want to here you gut reactions first ... if the attorney asks leading questions.. he only gets answers to the question he asked.. and might miss other things...

hit me with your best shot...

ken

Comments (12)

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    10 years ago

    If the dead were large trees maybe the ground will sink as their roots rot away. Not immediately fatal to your new transplants.

    In my younger days I removed honeysuckle roots with a sawzall and shovel. WAY too much work but it kept the cursed things from resprouting.

    I also have an irrational fear of planting a tree of the same species next to a stump. I feel bugs which have a taste for xxxxx wood will be there already thanks to the stump lol.

  • outback63 Dennison
    10 years ago

    So this is the defendant telling the attorney how to proceed with his case.

    Why not have the utility company's mark their lines and determine a coarse of action from there. Direct burial electrical cable starts at 18 ". Check local codes. Cable and phone direct burial depths are all over the place. Again check local codes.

    I surmise your just looking for an excuse to avoid digging the stumps out. Apparently you had no concerns the first time you planted the Arbs so why now is it an issue with direct burial utilities?

    I would dig them. Then you will not have any concerns.

    Cost for defendant giving attorney expert advice. $200.00 and up.

    I'll let you off easy. $200.00. Send check. You know my address.

    Dave

    Here's one I dug yesterday and I am 20 years older then you.

    Get off your duff and get out the shovel. LOL

    A little root bound wouldn't you say. A 20 year old Pinus sylvestris 'Hillside Creeper'

    {{gwi:826100}}

  • wisconsitom
    10 years ago

    I'd not be particularly worried about any aspect of doing as you suggest. Some settling later? Sure, but insignificant. Some "bugs" to worry about in the decaying stumps? No, decay organisms are never the same species as virulent plant pathogens. Nitrogen "drag" as decay organisms use N to do their work? Not one good example of this theoretical event has ever been documented, to my knowledge. Plus, easily compensated for-if you think it is happening-with a handful of fertilizer. And at least in my part of the world, Digger's Hotline will indeed mark the approximate location of utilities, but will never, ever make promises concerning their depth. Maybe in your deep sand everything gets buried deep, but I know of rocky areas where the stuff is just below the surface-all completely legal.

    But in the final analysis, do as you wish. No harm will result.

    +oM

  • alley_cat_gw_7b
    10 years ago

    Ken, If you call miss utility, be there when they show up.....they mark all kinds of unnecessary stuff if your not there to hold their hand.

    Al

  • alley_cat_gw_7b
    10 years ago

    Hey peep.....can you send us some pics? lol

    Al

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    have had miss dig here 3 times over the years ... they are very convert in their answers .... electric.. cable and phone all come in there.. they can tell me where within 6 inches becasue their gizmo isnt that precise ....... we are talking about a 4 foot wide bed ... and they will NOT commit to depth..

    all 3 guys said depth-wise .... there is were it is supposed to be.. and where the gomer put it ...

    i am not messing with it ... i am lazy ... am extremely afraid of unrestrained electricity .... period.. this isnt king tuts tomb.. i am not going to do an archeology dig ....

    i figure the juniper .. will probably be there for a few decades ... and the thuja not far behind...

    i figure rotting wood will steal water and the decomposition process has the potential for stealing nitrogen ...

    so IF I REMEMBER.. i will throw down some fert once a year ...

    and luckily.. its on drip irrigation.. so the water should be all set ...

    any comments along those lines ..????

    ken

  • unprofessional
    10 years ago

    Unless it's a walnut, you're overthinking it. Plant and move on.

  • alley_cat_gw_7b
    10 years ago

    How did you plant the original stuff ?

    Al

  • 123cococo
    10 years ago

    What we do here in the country is pour persimmon juice on stumps. The deer will tear the stump apart and do all the work for you. That said I have planted a whole conifer garden around stumps with never an issue. I just keep filling in with good dirt as it shrinks in.

  • botann
    10 years ago

    I plant around stumps all the time with no problems. I never put a lawn over a stump, ground up or filled over, because of slump. In the bed, it's never noticed.
    I have turned some stumps into compost piles in remote areas of the garden. In my climate most stumps don't last long, especially if I add a little fert once in awhile and chew up the top of the stump with a chainsaw. A friend of mine adds critter bait because a compost pile can attract them for a place to hide.
    Go for it as planned Ken. I don't see any problems.
    Mike

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    yeah.. i am overthinking it..

    consider the job done..

    ken

  • 123cococo
    10 years ago

    Forgot to add something important for those in my zone. When a large stump is rotting in the conifer bed , snakes,particularly copperheads are prone to get into the impressions that occur around the base. They love rotting wood. If you choose to leave it you must be vigilant.