Mesquite Stump Left in Yard

[naturebond]

Hello Everyone. I had a large mesquite tree cut down 5 yrs. ago, because the roots were starting to lift my concrete patio. The tree pro said the tree stump and roots would die naturally once the tree was cut down, as long as I prevented any regrowth, which I did. The tree stump has no outer bark left, is bleached out and looks dead, but my patio has more cracking. Could the roots still be alive? Don't know what to do now. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Hello Everyone. I had a large mesquite tree cut down 5 yrs. ago, because the roots were starting to lift my concrete patio. The tree pro said the tree stump and roots would die naturally once the tree was cut down, as long as I prevented any regrowth, which I did. The tree stump has no outer bark left, is bleached out and looks dead, but my patio has more cracking. Could the roots still be alive? Don't know what to do now. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

I'd call the "tree pro" and have him explain what's going on.

 

[naturebond]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately the man is no longer in business.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately the man is no longer in business.

Can you post pictures?

 

[derwoodii]

photos be helpful, i suspect ground subsidence as soil moisture level changes... are you on clay or loam earth?

 

[naturebond]

Can you post pictures?

Sorry, not possible to post pictures.

 

[naturebond]

photos be helpful, i suspect ground subsidence as soil moisture level changes... are you on clay or loam earth?

The soil is clay.

 

[derwoodii]

The soil is clay.

has it been dry or very wet ? if so clays soils can expand or shrink and foundation suffer.

 

[naturebond]

has it been dry or very wet ? if so clays soils can expand or shrink and foundation suffer.

Thank you for your interest. I'm in the southwest desert where it's very hot and very dry. Did get some rain this past winter. The newest crack is raised up in the center of crack, like it's being pushed up by a tree root and tree stump is five feet from crack. <This is the reason I think the tree roots are still alive. Would grinding the tree stump now after five yrs. help at all or could I poison the roots through the dead stump?

 

[derwoodii]

I prolly should have looked up the species prior to chiming in as it was one i knew nothing about and now say yes yes if can grind that stump remains away deep as you can then add some herbicide chemical eg diesel to help kill it off.. If can inject ( safely ) a woody weed poison into area of crack that may help neutralize any rouge roots under the foundations..


https://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Mesquite.pdf

Mesquite trees have a long taproot that they use to locate enough moisture to keep them alive. This feature allows them to survive through droughts. There are recorded instances of taproots of the mesquite tree reaching a depth of almost 200 feet down into the soil. The roots of the mesquite can regenerate if the tree is chopped off above, making the mesquite one tough tree to get rid of. Ranchers feel that the mesquite removes water from the land that could be used for livestock and farming, making it unpopular with those individuals.

 

[Bernard_Ritchie]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately the man is no longer in business.

That might say something right there!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

[TNTreeHugger]

That might say something right there!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

That's what I was thinking.

 

[naturebond]

I prolly should have looked up the species prior to chiming in as it was one i knew nothing about and now say yes yes if can grind that stump remains away deep as you can then add some herbicide chemical eg diesel to help kill it off.. If can inject ( safely ) a woody weed poison into area of crack that may help neutralize any rouge roots under the foundations..


https://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Mesquite.pdf

Mesquite trees have a long taproot that they use to locate enough moisture to keep them alive. This feature allows them to survive through droughts. There are recorded instances of taproots of the mesquite tree reaching a depth of almost 200 feet down into the soil. The roots of the mesquite can regenerate if the tree is chopped off above, making the mesquite one tough tree to get rid of. Ranchers feel that the mesquite removes water from the land that could be used for livestock and farming, making it unpopular with those individuals.

Thank you for your research. I had not seen this info before, but it sounds like this is what's going on. I'd like to be better informed on my second attempt to get rid of this tree. Before I have to hire someone new: Do you know a brand name of herbicide to use? What is the cost of grinding the stump out? Thanks for your help.

 

[derwoodii]

find a local tree contractor for the stump $$ and he should be able to advise on correct herbicide as well

 

[naturebond]

find a local tree contractor for the stump $$ and he should be able to advise on correct herbicide as well

Thank you.