Poking Around

The stump of our former flowering crabapple tree needed to be removed, but I was … well, … a bit “stumped”!  My DIY inclination was undeterred, but I was obviously in unfamiliar territory.   

How do I approach this project, the “business end” of which (i.e., roots) is entirely underground?  

Theoretically, if I cut the roots, the stump should be much easier to remove altogether, but I wasn’t sure whether crabapple trees had a “tap root”, which would represent an imponderably larger challenge.   

Not knowing what I didn’t know, I decided to go “POKING AROUND” … progressively removing dirt around the base of the stump and around the visible roots to get a better sense of the scope of the project – sort of an anatomical pre-mortem.  This was instructive.  I discovered what I later learned were “buttress roots” – roots that extend both above and below ground that hold the stump, the tree and the underlying earth together.  They were impressive, to a point of discouraging any tactical approach to disconnection from the stump.  I also found that the stump did not, in fact, terminate below the surface root system but disappeared below my “poking” tolerance depth, further discouraging any attempt at complete physical removal.  Hereupon, we had an “Ah, Ha!” Moment: 

This is precisely why commercial tree removal services simply grind up the above-grade portion of stumps and leave the remainder to disintegrate underground! 

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New strategy: Since I had already acquired a chain saw to cut down the trunk of the tree, I cleared enough additional dirt around the stump to top-cut it just below ground level.  As a result, I now have a 3” deep X 12” sort-of-round souvenir paperweight!   It’s not Redwood or Sequoia … but its 25 years in the making represent just a little more than 1/3 of my life … so far.   

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More “Poking Around”

The instruction packet for the new chain saw … and the battery … and the battery charger was almost as impressive as the buttress roots of the crabapple tree!  As a “good scout”, I did just enough “poking around” in the manual to get the combination operational without endangering myself or others.  But I only did selective need-to-know poking around to get to that point.  Once the final deed was done, I figured I should learn more about the proper care and tending for this new tool.  Alarmingly, about half the manual was dedicated to sharpening the chain – which turns out to be a completely imponderable task, even with detailed instructions!  Perhaps if I do some more “poking around” – with saw and manual both in hand – it will become a more manageable proposition.  Otherwise, I’m going to leave the sharpening to the experts!

“Know when to hold ‘em; know when to fold ‘em.

Know when to walk away; know when to run.”

Kenny Rogers

“The Gambler” 

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Summation:

“Poking around” has many advantages.  It provides information; it debunks mistaken assumptions; it fills important gaps in our knowledge base; it can inspire; it can dispel myths; it can add some level of “sense” or reality to an otherwise errant belief; it can discourage unprofitable or untenable pursuits; it can get us off dead-center uncertainty paralysis; it can make the imponderable ponderable … the impossible possible … the possible inevitable.  

Don’t settle for being “stumped” or stuck in the mud; start “poking around” YOUR sandbox, watch life become more manageable, and look for great things to start happening!  Quartermaster