The EASY Way to Remove a Bush Stump || Black Gumbo

If you have ever needed to make some bushes, shrubs or small trees disappear, the methods for extracting and removing the stump and roots are often labor-intensive. Rather than hand-digging and manual cutting, or pulling with a jack, engine lift or truck-and-chain, I'll show you how to use a reciprocating saw to get the job done quick. This was really easy, and made short work of the thick roots.
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Black Gumbo shares our suburban, backyard, sustainable gardening efforts. We work a small-scale, typical Zone 9a garden and raised beds, the kind of gardening accessible to all. We tend to take the slice of life approach and hope you will enjoy our family, our dog, our cooking, our adventures, and occasionally some commentary and advice. We love family, joy and friendship, and we invite you to enjoy these things with us!
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[@thavylor]

Thank you. I knew there would be an easy way to cut those roots than to clip and saw those stubborn massive 40 years old shrub roots. I am glad I google a way to do. I've been digging and snipping and clipping and saw them off by hand.

[@randyrice1429]

I'm a 75 yo woman who used your method to remove rootball from 25 yo holly tree. Used two blades and very little digging. Gotta admit, it wore me out, but was so proud when it worked. Been wanting to get rid of that thing for several years. Thanks!

[@robertevans8024]

A former employer bought a house he wanted to restore in the 80's. He had some bushes he wanted dug up. He left to go get lunch. When he came back the bushes were completely removed roots and all. I used a come along and a chain hooked to the back of the dump truck and yanked them suckers out in no time at all. It would have taken hours with a shovel. He couldn't understand why I didn't break a sweat or get all dirty. He was impressed with my ingenuity and gave me a raise. Work smart, not hard, when you don't have to. 😎

[@scorpionxing9594]

I believe it but sometimes it could matter the angle or location of the stump that’s being removed as well but informative tho

[@robertevans8024]

@@scorpionxing9594 i said bushes. Not a tree. 😂

[@wm5994]

Never miss an opportunity to kiss your boss' ass.

[@richardsmith9609]

I am 70 years old and have difficulty doing yard work. I had three Lilac bushes with hundreds of suckers sprouting around the base of them. I bought a pruning blade for my Sawzall and sawed around the base of the bush in concentric circles. The suckers and roots were easily removed and it made the job much easier. Thanks for the great video!!!

[@letitbee7248]

Thank you for sharing this tip!! I'm a 57 yo woman and I was able to remove the root balls from 4 boxwoods this morning in about an hour using your method. The boxwoods were about 20 years old so they were well established. I did have to get the shovel out and pry up from the bottom but it was very doable. I also used garden clippers to snip off the smaller running roots. I thought I was going to have to hire someone to do the job but thanks to you, I saved a bunch of money. Many, many thanks!!!

[@michelleorrlawson1622]

You go girl! I’m 47 going on 57 and your comment is great inspiration to me! 😃

[@mikeharrington5593]

The recip saw is great for tree/bush roots. Be prepared to use the spade to dig down 6 inches or more as you progressively expose all the roots to ensure there are no bricks/stones under them which will blunt the blade very quickly. I find using a lump of candle wax to regularly lubricate the blade helps prevent the blade sticking. Also (particularly with small trees with roots 4-6inches thick) it's a good idea NOT to leave yourself with a stump but instead to leave a trunk at least 5-6 ft tall (trim off the side branches). This gives you great leverage on the roots as you progress & by wiggling/rocking the trunk it helps to locate the hidden roots. Even when you pull the trunk down 90 ° you may still need to cut thru more roots. If you are working alone, don't overdo the heaving/straining because it can be very hard work requiring frequent rest breaks until you have severed all the roots. Approach the task in a steady methodical way so you don't cut into the wrong things or fall over your tools !

[@ScottHead]

Good advice, thanks Mike!

[@louisvl10]

yea doing a little digging before cutting also saves your blades. i only do one or two cuts per stump, still havent had to replace any blades

[@glendapeters8899]

I'm almost 72 and asked for and received a battery Sawzall for Christmas. I've already taken it to some overgrown shrubs by the house trimming the thickest stems back. I'm going to now use it to cut some barberries out that I've wanted changed. Thanks for your video!

[@armontnash3086]

Sir , I just cut two of those type of shrubs out of my yard, I was going to call a contractor but now I see there is no darn need! This was very helpful for me I appreciate the information.👍

[@nodemever3291]

More than a few companies now make sawzall blades with carbide tipped teeth The blades are more expensive than regular blades but well worth the extra cost You can cut roots down in the dirt with ease and little if any noticeable wear on the teeth I bought 2 a 6” and a 9” when they first went on the market and have cut 30 or more small stumps out with them and they are still going strong

[@tailwaggindragon]

That's how I pulled out 4-5 root balls. It takes some work on the big ones, but the smaller ones came out no problem. I filled the holes and threw down some growtrax on the bare soil about a week ago and it's already sprouting grass. Yay!

[@gbinman]

The first time I did that was in the late 70s. I had a Milwaukee Sawzall (still have it) that didn't have any heat issues.

[@peterrebhahn1113]

The reciprocating saw you used here makes a lot of sense because dirt is very hard on saw blades but reciprocating saw blades are cheap. Totally makes sense to sacrifice a 50 cent or $1 blade for a project like this rather than a nice hand saw or a chain saw.

[@snakeeyes1649]

You saved my back… Thank you for sharing this great idea!!!!

[@annbrownlee8813]

I’m so glad to find this! I have hugely overgrown holly berry bushes in front of my house that need to come out but I’m afraid of the big roots like you had. Hopefully I can use a saw and get those suckers out!!

[@markreep7841]

I use Diablo's carbide pruning blades, 9" & 12". They cut faster and last much longer. Not cheap, but a search will find better prices online than at the box stores.

[@bluesdawg8014]

I've been doing the same thing. 100% success I use my Makita saw for almost all of my tree trimming work from the ground. A chain saw for higher branches. Safes big dollars doing this yourself. Los Angeles

[@Dee.C]

That down spout looks like a good place to put a rain catchment barrel . They are so easy to make , even I can do it LOL ! I love the great idea to make another place for some of the plants you have .

[@GriffithsFfestiniog]

Good video and a very useful way to get rid of unwanted stumps, I have recently removed similar stumps but used a pruning blade with much larger teeth give that a try.

[@EastxWestFarms]

Hi Scott, here's a crazy idea: before yanking out old shrubs, call your local bonsai club and see if someone wants to come by to dig them up. Some of these old landscape shrubs can be trained into award-winning bonsai. The Houston bonsai club had a guy who's entire collection came from urban landscape shrubs.

[@mealbla7097]

Pretty cool

[@vashon100]

whose vs who's

[@lillieknight]

I’ve also seen it done with a chain saw by a tree man I hired one time. Be careful with the potted plants. In the Heights and elsewhere there’s been problems with thieves stealing beautiful potted plants from porches and the front of people’s houses. Thanks for showing how it’s done.

[@DanielSheehan-bf4gc]

Did exactly the same thing to remove a bird seeded forsthia which was raking over an area next to my veg garden expansion. Try using a 10 or 12 inch pruning blade also called a limbing blade a pack of three cost me about $9 at lowes then a quick pull from the tacoma and it was history. MY WIFE WAS HAPPY AND MY BACK WAS TO! 10:19

[@laurenpaolini7073]

I saved this for my husband to watch, thinking it would be a great tip. He says "Oh, he's using my sawsall trick!" Lol This definitely works!

[@mostuniquemary]

Another great idea! My last home we took the unwanted bushes out by taking the stumps down to soil level, taking a 2" wide/12" long spade drill bit, drilling down into the stump, stuffing them full of salt then watering the salt in. They broke down in about a year. No other plants were going to replace them so that worked for us (heavy salting makes land barren for those who don't know).

[@marksautman882]

I cannot thank you enough. I had to remove eight 10+' tall bushes that were 17 years old and had side roots up to 8" thick. While not easy, this was much easier than the alternatives. I am not much of a handy man, but I could do this. For those interested, I used a 12 amp corded DeWalt reciprocating saw with Milwaukee 9 in. 5 TPI AX Nail-Embedded Wood Cutting SAWZALL Reciprocating Saw Blades. I also used a 5" trenching shovel in between the inner and outer circles to allow me to better cut under the thick stump which was up to 2 feet across.

[@pere4267]

Awesome step by step. I’m gradually digging up a 20 yr old, 60 foot long viburnum hedge, and replacing it with fruit trees. One tip. Get some carbide tipped pruning blades (not gonna mention any brands). They don’t get dulled by the soil near as much. They cost a bit more, but were a game changer for me.

[@josanders4051]

That s hat I wanted to know. When i ask what ind of blade. Carbide steel blade??

[@user-ig4ib7kp6n]

You were right: it was pretty easy. I removed 6 Oleander, went through about 8 blades. I did use a strap and come-along to provide tension. I found that the Red Devil 12" pruning blades worked best for me.

[@healthygirl3021]

Thanks Scott, perfect timing for a garden clean up project this weekend. Didn’t realize this type of saw would work so well with removing stumps and roots. Much appreciated! Happy Spring! 🌱🌸🌻

[@lukustreloar7243]

Hi Scott To sharpen blades use a thin grinder blade to sharpen teeth

[@atomicbd100]

This video is just in time! I have been trying to get rid of an old knock-out rose so I can plant shade loving plants! Thanks Scott!

[@nancyfahey7518]

Yes, I've done many yamadori in my day with the Sawzall. You can also, if you have time, put a free ad in the paper. Free whatever tree, however tall, you dig.

[@jeanettehaygood4154]

@Scott Head I had to laugh when you were showing how dull your blades had become. I was reminded of when our contractor/friend brought his massive commercial rock saw out to dig a trench for a new electric line. We live in west Texas in Uvalde county and deal with our fair share of rocks. Unbeknownst to us we are evidently sitting on a bed of granite or something similar. His blade hit that layer and every cutting tip was completely shorn before he could turn the machine off! It was incredible to see! Yes indeed, keep a sharp blade! 👍🏼🤣🤣

[@lynncm3188]

I’ve been using this method for years and years. My salzall or reciprocating saw is a women’s best friend. Have an electric one and a battery operated kind, equally work very well. Could not live without it.

[@tmsw111]

That's it I'm buying one tomorrow. Started this KZbin research to take apart pallets. AND I can dig out the annoying bushes in front of my deck??? I'm sold.

[@josemartin6500]

Thanks for sharing Scott , like a good neighbor . After watching several videos I think you figured out the best way ,with the least amount of tools.

[@garythompson9452]

Greetings from England Scott, thanks for putting this up.

[@billchesnut5852]

Yeah, Removed several bushes about 10 years ago the sawzall works great a long blade is the answer. I did have one bush "bush try to come back. I soaked it in water attached a pull rope and drug it out..Great video keep up the great work.

[@jackiehorsley9263]

that definitely looks a wee bit faster to dig out a shrub stump glad you got the job done

[@julieb9215]

I’ve done similar before but the last thing I used my reciprocating saw for (with a brand new blade of course) was to cut thru a ham bone to make the ham fit down into my crockpot. 😂

[@flowzerr4550]

Probably would work for a hambone amputation too! 😂

[@libbylauderdale1382]

Did you really do that?

[@julieb9215]

@@libbylauderdale1382 I sure did! I went to the grocery store on the last day of the sale & the meat cutter was already gone for the day. Bought a ham anyway but didn’t want to have to take it all the way back to the store the next day just to get it cut so I did it myself with my reciprocating saw & a brand new blade. I like to cook hams in the crockpot but they rarely fit without cutting a little off plus some stores don’t even have meat cutters. So I tried it to see if I could do it & it worked fine. Now I know how for future. The blade I used is now stored in a kitchen drawer. lol

[@yellowdog762jb]

@@julieb9215 I use a stong pair of loppers to cut the legs off of deer and hogs I'm quartering up. The bones do splinter a bit, but they are easier to pick up of the meat than the bone dust from a saw. At the house, where one has plenty of running water to wash the meat afterwards, the Sawzall is a great idea. They're pretty darn nice for pruning trees also! :-)

[@gl15col]

It's usually best to keep planting beds away from the house, they attract termites and make it hard to see the trails by covering it up. I may try this to get rid of lots of volunteer trees along the fence without using poison, which I hate but didn't know what else to do.

[@Angie-ci1lp]

Long time since I’ve been on this video is just what I need! Thanks

[@truecrissy]

This video helped me so much! Thank you for explaining everything so well and naming the tool used!

[@poobum1966]

Hi, I use this same method removing yakka roots. Saves alot of time and effort. You can can get proper pruning blades for reciprocating saws.

[@windy584]

Great method. I have also used a shop vacuum to remove loose dirt as your cutting to expose more of the roots.

[@RandyBeers]

Another slightly messier but quicker way to get the dirt out of the way would be an air compressor if you have one, and a high stream jet air nozzle.

[@johnduffy6546]

That's a procedure I've not seen before. Sawzall blades are reasonably cheap. Gonna have to try this!

[@jeffnay6502]

Definitely the right tool for the job !!! DeWalt 12 Amp wired reciprocating saw.

[@ScaryFear]

Thank you for this. I have been going around doing this to bushes I keep cutting to stumps but won't die. I don't have someone to help dig it the old fashioned way. This makes it so even a wimp like me can do it.

[@TheeCrownedOne]

Very informative. Great instructions. We have a few stubs in our backyard I gotta get up before those suckers get any taller.

[@DiggingForHealth]

Thanks for this video! My husband is going to remove a crape myrtle that's too close to our house and watching your video this morning motivated him to do it now, lol.

[@melaniesolomon1267]

A $20 Harbor freight reciprocating saw is perfect for a job like this. I happen to have one, and a giant weed/ugly brush stump I couldn't figure out how to remove until now. In it's place, I'm cementing in a rotary clothes line. Thank you sir.

[@PeterTea]

Thanks. After spending a few hours trying to dig up a bush stump with a shovel I figured there must be an easier way. Thank you and KZbin!

[@johndale9578]

This is exactly what I needed! Thank you

[@joshuabryan8552]

Thank you sooooooo much! I removed 10 in about 2 hours!

[@uiagraphics-customprinting975]

Thank for this idea. Another great method of shrubs removal and making someone's life easier. Awesome!

[@jontnoneya3404]

The Diablo Pruning blades are pretty awesome for this! And you can get 6" and 9" blades!

[@riverdalegardens544]

Great content scott! The sawzall is a very very useful tool.

[@jackschwab3905]

Dig around it best you can . Water and soak a lot . Using an inflated tire ,tie a chain around the bush ,tie standing up toward the bush . Then hook up truck with chain or able around bush ,over tire and pull. Lifts bush up and out . Works great on fence posts too.

[@elizabethhendriks9030]

Thank you!

[@j.b.6855]

I beat you to one thing this spring Scott. I took a very large bush out to expand my garden area two weeks ago. I used a shovel and a battery powered chainsaw (one of the best tool investments I have made). I didnt have to go to deep, because I am cardboarding and wood chipping that area. To make sure nothing comes up I put an old piece of carpet from my shed over the area until I get my free load of wood chips.

[@lawrencehawkins7198]

Nuts! Another tool I need to buy! But anytime you own a house…

[@williamhall8683]

Thanks, Scott; have an eight year old shrub that grew into quite a large bush in front of the house window. I will have to hire one of those reciprocating saws, but they will save a lot of precious energy. Thanks again

[@gregarrell6132]

I use similar method. Unless you get the soil clear where you cut, the blade will dull very quickly. I use an older demolition blade that I re-sharpen with large coarse teeth, with a rotary tool or small grinder.

[@michaelhill7632]

My stumps were from an old 2 and a half meter hedge. One stump using my method took 3 half days. Dug out my old reciprocating saw and with your method 2 stumps took me 3 half hours. Big Thanks. Now I can finally install my garden tool shed. Phew! The last remark is cause I'm working in 35 C degrees+. And your idea has saved me a lot of sweat. Regards Mike

[@ScottHead]

Thanks for letting me know it worked for you.

[@TheAvgGuy]

I've been doing this for years. However, I use a special blade especially made for cutting branches. It has big teeth like a saw for trees. Works a lot better and you only need one blade. It comes in a 9 inch long blade.

[@sandyperreault9326]

I tried to cut back two big pampas grass with the sawzall. It did not work but have used the sawzall numerous times for other garden projects.

[@almilligan7317]

I tried the reciprocating saw but something that works on these hedge roots a lot better and a lot faster is the Root Slayer spade for a lot cheaper.

[@ahmedbandoui7354]

I remove bigger roots by using hoist for force of 2,5 tonnes Effortless by pulling the chain to pull the roots. Once you have a tripod with the hoist attached to it over the roots than pulling it up is completely easy They are videos on tube

[@sanpansam7977]

I just a small hand axe to chop up those small roots. But first thing is to dig out the dirt around the stumps. It'll make the job much easier.

[@vladimirkievsky963]

Great video. Will follow though I used already an ax .

[@tiggywinkle7522]

Nice! I just cut down a Japanese barberry bush (huge and thorny!). I have the stump still to deal with. Might be getting some blades and borrowing my hubby's saw all!

[@yellowdog762jb]

I'm a huge fan of using a farm jack to pull up stumps. In your case, you make a good point about possibly damaging your side walk though. I used a few methods to pull the stumps of some of my citrus that was killed in the freeze last year. A shovel, pick ax, farm jack and a Sawzall were the most useful tools. As a kid, I watched my friend's dad pull the rear bumper off his Volkswagen bug trying to pull a ligustrum stump up. A couple of five year olds learned some new words that day. Even though I have a 4x4 suv with a proper hitch, I've always been reluctant to use that method, even when I could get close to the stump with the vehicle! The hitch and vehicle have a pretty high tow rating, but nowhere near the 4 tons the hi-lift jack has. The jacks also work really well on wooden fence posts and T posts.

[@melaniesolomon1267]

A hi-lift jack, eh? I was thinking of buying a $500 winch for the Jeep to pull the stump, but it already has a hi-lift. Great idea. Now I'm thinking I could probably use that to pull up an old slab of concrete for an old aerial antenna.

[@krishampton8163]

​@melaniesolomon1267 no no no, the jeep needs a reason for a winch and this is it! The high lift works, but so does a shovel. The winch would be so much faster and so much less effort. Not to mention the jeep has a much wider and more stable stance than the jack 😂

[@artat777]

Excellent video I’m going to use this method. Thanks 🙏

[@eugenehovekamp6038]

Just used your method where a truck and hitch wouldn't work. Done in less than 15 minutes. Thanks.

[@kfx216]

Thanks for this video! I was thinking reciprocating saw after hiring a college kid to take out a very similar root. It took him hours, and it's still not out. I've watched several videos with all kinds of recos that frankly seemed to take forever or weren't appropriate given how close my shed is. I'm going to HF to get a bunch of blades so I can do it myself.

[@MusicalPurse]

Thanks Scott, I followed your instructions and successfully removed my first stump from my yard. Ok

[@Brandon-xp1ob]

Very helpful. Was thinking of hiring someone to remove some bushes but i think I'll just buy a saw and do it myself. 👍🏼.

[@eostrike]

I've been doing it this way for years. Like you several blades and for some reason I have great luck that I end up going through sprinkler pipes.

[@Uvoted4this]

Start with a power washer to clean out the dirt and totally exposing all root, pipes and wires. It makes the Sawzall really simple then.

[@Uvoted4this]

If you have a power washer use that to cut all the Dirt away in exposing the roots directly so they're easy to see and you're not cutting any essential wires or pipes.

[@truefamilymantruefamilyman1392]

Really enjoyed the video learned a bunch.

[@ML-mn9eu]

Good idea

[@Faji9r]

I dug up the root. It was a little tuff but I did it with a hand saw and a lopper and a shovel. It looked a lot like yours.

[@juliannedickerson7552]

Oh my gosh! Thank you for this video. I got all my bushes out in 2 segments of a half hour each with this. I would have been wrestling with those roots if not for this. Bless you!

[@dianeyee5095]

Thanks for your videos.

[@bethheerten1132]

I wonder if this would work with the large crepe myrtle roots that were left behind after the stump grinding. Every time I try to dig in that area I run into these big roots.

[@roybatty2030]

Great video, thanks. Keep wearing the hat to avoid melanoma from our friendly sun.

[@dongraham5828]

Have you posted a video on how to replace the corrugated drain pipe that you cut off?

[@ScottHead]

No, I just ran a new one and its covered with mulch. Discharges on the sidewalk where the old one did.

[@AslansLucy]

I have a very large old holly tree that was cut back and is not coming back like it should because the stumps are 7-8 inches across...worried about them being pulled out because the water line runs under them. Just something to consider when using a truck or other conveyance that might pull the stumps out

[@MR57LV]

We’ll done. I’ve pulled many plants out with chain and truck. You would have never budged this one that way. Question does using saw in dirt like that damage saw at all? Fortunately the stumps I have aren’t as big as yours. I never knew this was possible till I saw on KZbin. Amazing.

[@lukustreloar7243]

Hi Scott To sharpen blades use a thin grinder blade with grinder

[@healthygirl3021]

In your next video, could you post a picture of what this area looks like after the clean up? Thanks! 🌱

[@ScottHead]

I will, but it will take a while. I'll have videos done before I get this area cleaned up. But I'll show it.

[@diannaslonecker1756]

@@ScottHeadk

[@RedStorm.]

You can get Pruning saws all blades now, that work great for this, and for when you are digging in dirt with roots.

[@waldiforest4]

Thank you very much.

[@leohodappsr.6592]

I recently removed bush stumps with a rec placating saw. These saws are not that expensive and they do the job. I bought mine from Harbor Freight.

[@Mstymntntop]

I hired someone to remove my foundation plants around the house that were planted years before I bought the house. They tried pulling them with a truck and chain….didn’t work, so they said we needed to rent an excavator to pull them out. I introduced them to the reciprocal saw and they said “I need to get one of those” lol

[@pamelasalyers5554]

Excellent, very complete. Tx,

[@SumTingWong1482]

Easy means hiring someone to do it while you sip an ice cold beer in your flip flops and watch. 😛

[@laurafloyd5177]

👏👏👏👏 thanks for the info video.

[@SuperTalleyho]

To all the people suggesting yanking it out with a truck. Never do that with a shrub next to a foundation. You could pull out pipes or electrical buried near foundation not to mention the foundation itself.

[@ScottHead]

Indeed, that's why I did it this way.

[@deckard5pegasus673]

I was thinking to myself to use my reciprical saw to cut some roots that I found while digging, but I decided to look on youtube if there was a better idea, but now I saw this video, I guess my first idea was right.

[@JesperAndersen]

Nice trick, thanks :-)

[@bluearcherx]

Diablo makes a recip pruning blade that absolutely destroys these large branches and roots.

[@nole8923]

I have done this exact same thing. You will need to make sure you have plenty of new blades because dirt has the same effect on sawzall blades as it does on chainsaw blades.

[@GypsyBrokenwings]

I use a Sawzall on all the under ground roots. The land was cleared but a huge mess left behind.