How to fix sunken ground from decaying tree roots without excavating
Decaying roots left underground after tree removal cause the ground to sink and create ongoing lawn problems that aeration and seeding alone cannot fix. While professional excavation is one route, property owners want a cost-effective DIY method to fill uneven spots and stop fighting a losing battle against settling earth.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Aerate and seed over the area
- 2Using a steel pry bar for leverage combined with a reciprocating saw to cut roots
- 3Renting a stump grinder
- 4Pulling the stump out using a truck and a tow strap with safety precautions
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“This is where an old tree used to sit that previous homeowner removed before selling. The landscaper said there is decaying roots that would need to be removed.”source ↗
“Is there a DIY cost effective way or is he right? He says I will continue fighting that battle if I aerate and seed.”source ↗
“How would I go about removing this stump?? What’s stopping me from using a tow strap and pulling it with a truck”source ↗
“My hesitance would be that some root or part of the stump breaks easier than you expect and it comes whipping into your vehicle.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2How to remove a large tree in a tight space between fences
- 5How to kill volunteer trees near a house without herbicides
- 5How to kill invasive vines without killing the trees?
- 2How to get rid of a bunch of old landscaping rock