The great pine stump debate with a client in Asheville

A homeowner wanted a big loblolly pine stump gone and gave me two options: grind it down for $300 or let him try his 'secret recipe' for natural decay. He picked the recipe, which turned out to be drilling holes and filling them with pancake syrup and yeast. A week later, his yard was covered in very happy, very sticky ants. Anyone have a better natural removal method that doesn't attract every insect in the county?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake63813d ago

Drilling holes works, but you need to fill them with plain old salt. Rock salt or even the cheap stuff from the grocery store. It draws out moisture and makes the wood unlivable for fungi and bugs. It takes a few months, but it just turns into spongy rot you can break apart with a pick. No syrup, no ants.

oscarc5313d ago

Wait, you just break it apart with a pick after? That sounds like a crazy amount of work.

jake_torres686d ago

My old deck needed 20 pounds of salt.