How to Remove a Palm Tree Stump: A DIY Guide
Because that palm tree may be beautiful but the stump it leaves behind isn’t
That beautiful palm tree may be a gorgeous addition to your backyard, but palm tree stumps, on the other hand, can be an eyesore. Fortunately, learning how to remove a palm tree stump is possible—though it’ll require a little sweat equity if you go the DIY route. We’ve outlined four common methods for palm tree removal, plus the pros and cons for each.
How to Prep to Remove a Palm Tree Stump
Whether you or a professional is tackling the job, there are some steps you can take to make palm tree stump removal easier and safer.
Root removal will speed up the process for most of the methods outlined below, so start there. Although for stump grinding, waiting to cut roots may help secure the stump while you go over it with the grinder. If the roots aren’t in the way, you can take them out when you’re done if you’re grinding the stump. You can use a shovel to expose the roots. Use your hands to rip out small roots or cut out larger ones with a small saw once they’ve been detached from the stump.
As for safety, we recommend wearing protective eyewear and gloves. If you plan to cut trees down before you remove stumps, a hard hat is necessary, too. You should also check local tree removal laws and obtain a permit if necessary, researching the requirements for each method.
How to Remove a Palm Tree Stump
The most common methods to remove a palm tree stump are:
Digging out a palm tree stump
Grinding up a palm tree stump
Palm tree stump rotting
Palm tree stump burning
Just a note: We strongly recommend DIYers dig or grind up palm tree stumps. While you can try the other two methods, you’ll generally want to avoid chemical rotting or burning stumps on your own when possible.
Digging Out a Palm Tree Stump
So long as you’re cool with putting in some elbow grease and can acquire a few tools, this is probably the most accessible DIY option if you’re trying to get rid of one or two palm tree stumps. It’s tiresome work, so you may consider hiring a local tree removal service if there are many palm stumps to remove.
1. Dig Around Surface Roots
Because palm tree roots grow laterally and deep into soil, you’ll save yourself some time by digging a shallow base around the roots at the surface—even a few inches just to expose the roots so you can work around their sides. You may even be able to free them with your hands if the surrounding soil is loose, but wear gloves.
2. Slice or Saw Out the Surface Roots
Use a saw or knife on smaller roots above the surface to detach them from the stump. Pull them out of the ground if possible to clear room for when you dig.
3. Dig Deeper to Expose the Deeper Roots
Keep in mind, palm tree roots can penetrate the earth as deep as 50 inches (30 to 36 inches is around average). But you really only need to expose the roots holding the stump in, so digging right below the stump and cutting away roots at or near their origin can save you some digging time.
4. Use a Crowbar or Shovel to Remove the Stump
Once you remove the roots, you should be able to get leverage underneath the stump itself with a crowbar or shovel to remove it. Place the crowbar underneath a large, ideally flat section of the stump’s base, avoiding rotted or gnarled spots where it might slip.
Apply pressure to one end of the crowbar using your arms and upper body strength to bring it to the earth, lifting the stump slowly from the ground. You may have to reset the position a few times as it pulls away. Go at it from various angles until you find a weaker side if one doesn’t want to budge.
Wear gloves and work methodically to avoid injuries. Never stand on a crowbar to apply pressure, as you might slip and hurt yourself.
Grinding Up a Palm Tree Stump
Using a stump grinder is another popular DIY method, although you’ll need a truck or larger vehicle to haul the device as well as a willingness to operate machinery. Home improvement stores rent stump grinders by day or hour.
Renting a stump grinder costs $190 to $270 per day on average. If you can do the work in a single day, it might be worth it. But because most contractors lower the cost-per-stump when they have a few to tackle, hiring a pro might make sense for big projects.
1. Wear the Proper Gear
You absolutely need to wear eye protection, gloves, long pants, work boots, and long sleeves when grinding a stump with a machine. Debris will be flying, so it’s better to be safe than sorry here.
2. Use a Saw or Chainsaw to Trim Down the Stump, If Possible
The lower you can get the stump before you begin grinding, the more effectively the machine can work. When it’s level, the machine has the natural advantage of the device’s weight to help it go deeper.
Palm tree stumps aren’t as wide as other trees, so you may be able to cut it away with a handsaw, but it’ll be grueling work. Use a chainsaw if you can and feel safe working with one. Take proper tree cutting precautions, such as wearing gloves and eyewear (also make sure it’s legal to cut with a chainsaw where you live without a permit) if you go this route.
3. Run the Stump Grinder Over the Palm Tree Stump
Work from various angles and go over the stump slowly when using a stump grinder. Release the clutch, then lower the grinder to tear up sections slowly, working about three inches of depth at a time. Once removed, stop the grinder, move it to another section, then repeat until you’ve come at it from all angles. Repeat until you go deep enough to remove the whole thing.
Start around the perimeter of the stump and avoid roots for now; you can tackle those later, unless they’re in the way.
4. Treat the Area
Once the stump is gone, there’s a little more work to do. You’ll kill surrounding grass if you leave piles of ground-up stump ashes on top of it.
Either use a rake to remove ash (or a blower to spread them out). You can also level and spread the section out, cover the section in new dirt or wood chips, and apply water to help the new surface settle.
Rotting Out a Palm Tree Stump
Rotting a stump naturally can take up to ten years. This method uses chemical enhancements to help speed up the rotting process so you can hack the stump out in under two months.
1. Buy a Stump Removal Agent
The most effective stump remover products vary by name, but they generally contain high concentrations of potassium nitrate. Products cost about $10 per bottle.
2. Drill Holes In Your Stump
Drilling 12 inch holes spaced approximately an inch apart helps the product penetrate the stump and rot it quicker. Wear gloves and eye protection during this part of the job.
3. Pour/Sprinkle Stump Remover On Your Palm Tree Stump
Using a tree stump rotting agent is generally a straightforward process; you simply empty the liquid or powder over the area and wait four to six weeks for the chemicals to do their job.
However, you should be careful to avoid spills and contain it to the area you’re treating. Chemical rotting agents are toxic for humans, pets, and wildlife to breathe—not to mention not great for the environment, as they can make other natural compounds like wood more flammable, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
4. Cover With a Tarp
Laying a tarp over the top to help promote faster breakdown. Check back every week or so. You can start removing the stump with a shovel when it begins to crumble away.
Do careful research before choosing this method, and consider taping or sectioning off the area being treated while the chemicals do their job.
Burning a Palm Tree Stump
Doing a controlled burn is a job best tackled by a professional simply for safety reasons. This method is only reasonable in areas where wildfire risk is low.
1. Check Local Laws
Even controlled burns aren’t legal in some areas, so make sure this method is legal where you live. Obtain any necessary permits first before you start. Always call 811 before you dig to check for utility lines.
2. Set a Fire Ring Around the Perimeter
Erect a stone wall or non-flammable section around the stump or stumps you plan to burn. Make sure you have several hours to devote to the task, especially if the palm trees were just cut down. Unless they’ve been rotting and dried out for a while, it could take 10 to 12 hours for a fresh stump to burn down.
3. Soak Gasoline Into the Stump
Soak gasoline deep into the stump, its roots, and immediate surrounding areas to burn it from all sides. Everything with gasoline on it should be contained within your fire ring.
Use a match to set fire to the area and monitor it closely. Burning more than a few palm tree stumps at a time isn’t recommended due to the possibility of it getting out of control.
Should I Get Rid of a Palm Tree Stump?
There are multiple reasons you should get rid of tree stumps, whether simply for safety reasons or to spruce up your yard’s look.
If your tree stump is decaying or infested with pests like termites, removing it is in the best interests of the safety of other plants and trees in your yard. In addition, a palm tree stump can also become a dangerous obstacle or tripping threat. Plus, mowing around an old stump isn’t much fun, either, and risks damage to your lawn mower.
There are multiple ways to get rid of a palm tree stump, at least two of which you can do yourself with a bit of patience and skill. So yes, it’s probably a good idea to get rid of palm tree stumps if you use the space regularly.
How to Prevent Palm Trees from Dying
Regular maintenance, like trimming a palm tree safely and regular watering, can help keep your trees healthy and vibrant. Palm trees need to be watered two to three times per week. If you just planted them, upping that to three or four days per week is encouraged.
Identify signs of palm tree diseases early, like lethal yellowing or pink rot. Leaf spots, rotted sections on the base, brown or wilted sections, and even mold can be signs you have a problem.
The same goes for looking for signs of termite infestations. In palm trees, most pests like to target the roots first because they are exposed and easier to penetrate. They eventually work their way up to the base of the tree, at which point it could be too late.
DIY vs. Hire a Pro
Palm tree stump removal can be difficult, especially if it’s deep-rooted and surrounded by other trees. When other palm trees are nearby, you may be limited on the methods you can use for removal to keep the other palm trees safe. That’s why it’s best to hire a local palm tree removal specialist who can inspect and evaluate the status of the stump, determine the best removal method, and carry it out effectively. These removal options require heavy machinery and potentially dangerous tasks, so it’s safest to hire a professional to carry them out for you.
How Much Does Palm Tree Stump Removal Cost?
Stump grinding costs $320 on average, or $2 to $5 per diameter inch when using the grinding method for removal. Palm tree trunks are usually pretty thin (3 to 7 inches), so a professional may choose to give you a quote by the hour instead of diameter.
Considering that most tree stump contractors have a $100 minimum for their services, many will also do discounts for removing lots of trees at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, palm tree stumps are one of the most difficult types to remove due to how their roots grow. Unlike other trees, palm tree roots grow horizontally and vertically. Palm tree roots grow as deep as three feet into the ground, although soil and growing conditions could mean they go as far as 50 inches into the earth.
If you want to be able to repurpose the grass in the area where you removed a stump later, you’ll have to dig quite deep—and perhaps wide—to trim away all the roots.
Palm trees will not regrow from a stump once the tree has been cut down. This type of tree is unique because the root and stump system will slowly decay after the tree is gone, unlike other species that can regrow. That’s why it’s preferable to remove dead or decaying palm tree stumps quickly as they can become an eyesore and don’t offer future growing potential.
Palm tree stumps can take as long as seven to ten years to rot naturally. Whereas some tree stumps rot within a year, palm trees tend to last longer due to their deep root networks. Chemical rotting (described above) can help speed the process up so your palm tree stumps rot in under two months.
Burning a single palm tree stump, if you’re careful, is technically doable DIY. However, you should always take precautions to control the fire and do research if you’re burning multiple types of trees.
Some trees, such as ornamental trees, black cherry, and some oak trees, release toxins into the air when burned that can be irritating to your lungs (or even dangerous) to breathe in.
Some fast-acting products can rot a tree stump in four to six weeks. Keep in mind, these products contain harsh chemicals that may prevent regrowth in the area. Other products, like fertilizer that contains lots of nitrogen, can enhance the process and rot a stump in about a year. (This is compared to the ten years it can take naturally for a stump to rot.)