The operations to remove trees on the site in the eyes of beginners and amateurs may seem simple and do not require special preparation. In fact, one has to take into account a lot of nuances, among which the features of the soil and the structure of the root system. Many underestimate the scale with which the plant penetrates deep into the earth - and it is precisely the powerful branched roots that cause the greatest problems in such events. Therefore, to look for the answer to the question of how to uproot trees on a site, it should be still at the stage of preparation for the removal of an undesirable object. This will make it possible to choose the best way to solve the problem and complete it with minimal effort.
When do trees uproot?
The reasons for the elimination of trees on the site may be different. First of all, these are serious diseases, a sharp reduction in fertility against the background of physiological aging, drying out, incompatibility with soil, etc. But there are other problems when the plant is healthy and can bring a stable rich harvest. For example, many gardeners are often interested - how to uproot a tree on a site in order to preserve the soil for subsequent construction? That is, in this case it is important to observe two conditions: to minimize the invasion of the soil and the violation of its structure, and not to damage the tree itself. Also among the reasons may be a change in the landscape, in the design of which there is no place for high plantings of vegetation.
Root structure analysis
The main obstacle to achieving the goal in the process of removing a tree is its root system, access to which is complicated by a layer of soil. Actually, its features are important to consider even at the stage of choosing a place for planting - incorrect determination of a suitable point on a site often leads to the need for a plant transplant. So, before uprooting a tree on a site, you should make inquiries about the roots of a particular variety. For example, spruce has a surface structure in the form of a disk, so with its removal there will be the least problems.
Conversely, many fruit trees form a powerful rod system of roots that goes far underground. It is not easy to cope with such specimens without knowledge of special uprooting methods. In any case, to assess how firmly the tree has settled in the soil, you can look at its crown, which is a mirror image of the root system.
How to determine the location of the roots?
Having made an approximate idea of the structure of the root, we can proceed to detect the location of the thickest processes. This procedure is not required in all cases, but to understand how to uproot the roots of trees on a site using the traditional digging method, it is necessary. The fact is that digging without preliminary examination is unproductive and dangerous if maintaining the integrity of the roots is required. To conduct such reconnaissance, you need a strong thin pin about 50 cm long. It is advisable to use a metal one, but wood is also suitable - the main thing is that it be strong and easily enter the ground. The device is carefully inserted into the ground and thus helps to grope the roots coming from the trunk. The perimeter of these actions should be indicated in the radius projected along the borders of the crown.
Uprooting
To save time on this operation, you must immediately prepare a well-sharpened bayonet-shovel. Around the trunk you need to dig the soil to the depth of the bayonet itself. In the course of this part of the work, trapping roots are cut off. If a heavy and sharp shovel is chosen, then there should not be any problems with cutting, otherwise you will have to use an ax. This method demonstrates the simplest example of how to uproot trees on a plot using a handy tool.
Depending on the age and size of the tree, the further course of work can be carried out alone or with the help of a partner. The trunk must be tilted, stretching the surviving roots. So new processes will be discovered that do not allow to release the tree. They should also be chopped off with a shovel or ax. This method allows uprooting of trees with a diameter of up to 15 cm. If there is a question about how to uproot trees in a section about 30 cm thick, then a different approach will be required. To do this, sometimes you have to tie the trunk with a rope at a height of about 3 m and pull it to the side until it completely leaves the ground. Well, in working with giant trees, which, however, are rare in private estates, you can not do without special equipment.
Removing a tree by soil washing
Trees are efficiently uprooted with water. To do this, you also need to dig around the trunk, and then fill the formed hole with liquid. Those who are looking for ways to quickly uproot trees on a site will be happy with this option provided that the soil has a sandy structure. If the soil is formed by heavy clay layers, then problems will arise during the process of digging, and when eroding the earth. The operation is performed as follows: with the help of a hose, a dug niche is poured with water, after which the ground on the roots becomes soft and makes it easy to stretch the tree. In any case, the liquid will wash out the surface layer and find the roots - if they cannot be pulled out right away, then you can try to chop it.
The use of saltpeter
A quite common way is when a tree is first cut down, and only then its stump is uprooted. On the one hand, this option provides some convenience when removing the base, but on the other hand, the absence of a trunk above the surface makes it impossible to extend the roots by grasping the crown. One way or another, you have to work with a stump, and a special tool will be required to eliminate it. Quite often, experienced gardeners give recommendations on how to uproot trees on a site with nitrate - this tool is used in the case of stumps.
A hole is made in the core with a depth of about 15 cm and a diameter of 1-2 cm. Then saltpeter is poured into it, and water is poured to the very edge. This ensures an intensive process of decay of the stump, as a result of which the wood is saturated with potassium or sodium substances (depending on the composition of nitrate) and dries. Further, the stump can be set on fire by making a bonfire in this place - the smoldering force due to chemical root impregnation will reach such a depth in the soil that there will be practically no traces of the tree.
Stump removal with salt
Salt acts in much the same way as saltpeter. First, the stump is sprinkled with coarse salt, and after a while, the process of destruction of wood begins. As a rule, one year is enough for the stump to turn into dust. This is a fairly effective option, how to uproot trees on the site with your own hands, but it involves a serious minus. The aggressive effect of salt on the root system cannot pass without a trace for the soil. It makes no sense to use it later for planting other vegetation, since the entire fertility potential was destroyed by salt. For this reason, chemical methods of eliminating trees and stumps are extremely rare - for example, if construction is planned at the growth site.
How to remove young trees?
The uprooting of young specimens is quite common, since gardeners, realizing for one reason or another the undesirability of growth, are in a hurry to get rid of the tree until it has formed powerful roots. To understand how to uproot young trees on a site, two aspects should be considered. Firstly, as already noted, at an early stage of development, the root system is not sufficiently embedded in the soil, so it will not cause any special problems in uprooting. Secondly, a loose crown, trunk and the same roots are very vulnerable to physical manipulations with them - in this regard, if you want to save the tree for further growth, you will have to choose the most gentle ways to remove it from the ground.
For such trees, partly an exotic way of uprooting by a winch is often used. It is not always advisable to make a full and deep digging around the trunk if it is required to maintain the viability of the plant. But if the question arose about how to uproot small trees on the site, grabbing the crown and further pulling it out through the winch mechanism can give a good and quick result. But in any case, it is necessary to facilitate this process either by impregnating the soil with water, or by surface digging around the trunk.
How to recover a vacant seat?
Whatever uprooting method is chosen, it will necessarily lead to aggressive invasion of the soil. This is important to consider when comparing the nature of the impact on the soil with future plans for its use. The simplest option for operating a site that does not involve special preparation of the land after removing the tree is construction. It is enough to fill up and compact the pit, and then proceed to the installation of the foundation and other construction activities.
If it is planned to use planting material, the answer to the question of how to uproot trees on the site should also include measures for further restoration of the soil. For example, it is recommended to introduce organic fertilizers mixed with earth into the resulting pit. To do this, compost, manure, mulch, etc. are used. In addition to enriching the depleted soil layer with nutrients, such fertilizers are involved in restoring its structure.