A stump up to about a foot across can be removed by hand: dig a trench around it, cut the side roots with a saw or mattock, then pry the stump over and cut the last roots underneath. Around twelve inches is where Iowa State University Extension says digging stops being practical, because past that the work grows much faster than the stump does.
Is your stump small enough to dig?
Lay a tape across the stump where it meets the soil, and take the widest reading, flare and all. Under six inches is usually a short job. Six to twelve inches is real work but doable. Iowa State puts the practical limit for digging at about a foot, and Illinois Extension calls anything over fifteen inches more than most people can manage. The wood matters too. An old pine stump that has started to soften gives way far sooner than an oak cut last spring. And if the stump is a shrub with many stems, the job is different: see the shrub stump guide linked at the end.
Tools that earn their keep
A round-point shovel for the trench. A mattock, which has a digging blade on one side and a cutting blade on the other, for chopping roots and breaking clay. A long steel digging bar for leverage. A pruning saw or bow saw you do not mind wearing out, since soil blunts teeth fast. A cordless reciprocating saw with a long pruning blade saves a lot of arm work on thicker roots. Loppers for the small stuff. A garden hose, a tarp to pile soil on, sturdy gloves and safety glasses. An axe works too, but soil and grit dull its edge and send chips flying.
Mark the lines before the shovel goes in
Hand digging still counts as digging, and both states run a free locate service through 811 that needs a few working days' notice. The locators mark utility-owned lines only. Neither state's service will mark what belongs to you, and in a yard that is often the list that matters: drip irrigation in a bed, sprinkler pipe, the low-voltage cable to path lights, invisible fence wire, a line out to a shed. A mattock swung blind through a sprinkler line is a small disaster. A swing through an electrical cable is a serious one.
Dig the trench
Start a foot or so out from the stump and dig a ring around it. Iowa State Extension describes a trench one to two feet deep, and on a small stump the shallower end is often enough. Throw the soil onto the tarp so it can go back in later. Make the trench wide enough to get a saw blade and your hands into it. As roots appear, wash them with the hose. Clean roots are easier to see, easier to cut, and kinder to your saw. Red clay digs easiest when it is damp, not baked hard and not soaking, so a day or two after rain is a good time.
Cut the roots in the right order
Cut the side roots first, and cut each one twice: once close to the stump and once at the outside of the trench. Pull the piece out so the root cannot keep holding. Work all the way round. Then push on the stump from different sides. A root that is still holding shows itself by lifting the soil or creaking. Each tilt lifts one edge and bares a few of the roots running straight down beneath it, so reach in with the saw there, then tilt it the other way. Set the digging bar on a block of wood and use it as a lever when your hands are not enough.
Pace the work, and protect yourself
Hand digging is mostly about not getting hurt. Keep both feet clear of the mattock's arc and swing it in short, controlled strokes. Wear safety glasses when chopping roots, because wood chips and grit come straight back at your face. Lift with your legs, take breaks, drink water, and quit before your back makes the decision. A small softwood stump in loose soil can be an afternoon. A foot-wide hardwood in clay can be a whole weekend. If you are three hours in and the stump has not moved, that is information, not a challenge.
Fill the hole, then deal with the stump
Put the soil back in layers, firming each one with your feet, and leave it mounded slightly, because it will settle. If grass is going over it, finish with a few inches of real topsoil instead of the clay you dug out. Roots you cut beyond the trench stay in the ground and rot on their own, so there is no need to chase them across the lawn. The stump itself is heavy with soil. Let it dry, knock the soil off, and see tree stump disposal for where it can go. Have bushes rather than trees? Read how to remove bush and shrub stumps.
Common Questions
What is the easiest way to get rid of a small tree stump?
For a stump under about a foot across, digging it out by hand in an afternoon or a weekend is the quickest no-machine route. If you would rather not dig, drill holes, fill them with high-nitrogen fertilizer and cover the stump with soil to rot it over one to three years. Grinding is quickest of all.
Can I cut a stump below ground level with a chainsaw?
Not well. Once the chain touches soil or a stone it dulls almost at once, and a dull chain cuts badly and is harder to control. A low flush cut is fine. Below that, dig the soil away and use a pruning saw or a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade, since a worn-out blade costs far less to replace than a chain.
Do I need to dig out all the roots of a small stump?
No. Take out the stump and the roots inside your trench. The roots you cut off farther out have no trunk to feed them, so they die and rot in the soil over the next few years. Under a lawn or bed that is harmless. Only dig further if something solid, like a post or slab, is going in that exact spot.
What to Do Next
If the stump turns out bigger, harder or more tangled than an afternoon of digging, send two photos and your town for a grinding quote. Call (828) 574-4474 or see stump grinding.