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 the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 38.5× more often in r/Landscaping than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Renting a stump grinder2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Aerate and seed over the areaDid this help you?
- 3Using a steel pry bar for leverage combined with a reciprocating saw to cut rootsDid this help you?
- 4Pulling the stump out using a truck and a tow strap with safety precautionsDid this help you?
- 5Calling multiple tree service companies to get estimates and find the soonest available removal dateDid this help you?
- 6Consulting online forums like Reddit for legal and insurance reassuranceDid this help you?
- 7Considering temporary support cables as an alternative to full removalDid this help you?
- 8Burning out the stump by having fires in itDid this help you?
- 9Leaving the stump to rot underground and filling it with soilDid this help you?
- 10Using shovels and a mattock to dig it out manuallyDid this help you?
- 11Listing the wood for free on Facebook Marketplace for someone else to haul awayDid this help you?
- 12Hiring a tree service to cut it up into piecesDid this help you?
- 13Using the log as a nurse log for landscaping or growing mushroomsDid this help you?
- 14Having a chainsaw sculptor carve a bench or table out of itDid this help you?
- 15Using a reciprocating saw or sawzall with pruning blades along with a mattock and shovelDid this help you?
- 16Drilling holes into the root and pouring glyphosate or stump removal products into them to kill and rot itDid this help you?
- 17Waiting 2 to 3 years for it to naturally become easier to removeDid this help you?
- 18Using a shovel, saw, and farm jackDid this help you?
- 19Leaving the wood shavings in place over the winter to decompose, then adding topsoil and seeding in the spring.Did this help you?
- 20Hitting fresh cuts with concentrated brush killerDid this help you?
- 21Repeatedly removing new growth over a few years without herbicideDid this help you?
- 22Applying tree poisonDid this help you?
- 23Leaving deep roots behindDid this help you?
- 24Planting in a container above ground instead of in the groundDid this help you?
- 25Hire a vacuum excavatorDid this help you?
- 26Haul away wood chip infested soil and bring in topsoilDid this help you?
- 27Accept that the roots are here to stay and eventually decayDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Anyone know what I can do with this tree? Some friends helped cut it down but now we don’t know if to post it on Facebook for someone to take? Would someone even take it? How much would a tree service charge me to cut it into pieces?”source ↗
“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 ↗
“The roots have been kicking my butt so far.”source ↗
“How critical is it that I remove every last trace of root? Can I leave the deepest stuff behind? Some of the roots found there way right up to the foundation and that worries me a bit.”source ↗
“We had a tree removal service come several months ago and we discovered this big root was not removed. There is no tree, so its just the root. Its growing miniature trees/bushes out of it and is a nuisance.”source ↗
“The initial tree removal crew wont come back, and we want to save money so it’ll be a DIY project.”source ↗
“The thing is, this root is pretty big and im not sure how far the root spreads.”source ↗
“Trying to avoid renting or buying big heavy machinery for this.”source ↗
“Any suggestions other than getting an axe and getting to work? I can, but wondering if there is a more efficient way to do this.”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 ↗
“Within a year both trees had come back as zombie tree/bushes.”source ↗
“But here we are in October and they’re back again.”source ↗
“I don’t want to pay twice to have these trees ground out but I need them gone.”source ↗
“will these just come back again and again and ruin my new DG and sod?”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 ↗
“How do I go about removing the roots without cutting the lines? Or should I accept that the roots are here to stay and eventually decay?”source ↗
“Should I remove the shavings and fill? Or let it decompose over the winter, then add topsoil and seed in the spring?”source ↗
“I’m really concerned about the time between now and the tree getting removed. If it falls before they remove it would homeowners insurance still cover us for the damage it would obviously do?”source ↗
“I have to wait a week staring at this obviously compromised tree wondering if I’m going to get sued out of my home if it falls in the mean time and I don’t know for 100% certain I’m covered if it does.”source ↗
“Does anyone have any advice or sympathy or anxiety meds they could share?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 13Why do crape myrtles look so ugly after severe pruning?
- 2Why are my bushes turning brown after watering?
- 3How to level a yard after removing a tree without killing the grass
- 2How to fill deep holes in the yard from removed structures
- 3How to remove a large tree in a tight space between fences
- 10How to kill volunteer trees near a house without herbicides