Removing Bushes

• 1). Cut the branches with a branch pruner into easily manageable sections of about 2 feet each, then remove them from the main bush. Bag the branches for disposal or reduce through a wood chipper. Continue to prune back the bushes until left with the stump of the plant.
  
  
• 2). Pull any roots that extend above the surface of the ground from the soil by hand. Cut any portion that you cannot remove with the pruner.
  
  
• 3). Dig a trench around the stump with a spade to expose the root system down to the base of the stump or at least 6 inches deep. Cut the roots surrounding the stump as you go with the edge of the spade or the pruner if fully exposed.
  
  
• 4). Cut the stump at the 6-inch level using a handsaw. If the trench exposes the base of the stump then place a pry bar beneath the stump and pry it up from the soil. Pull the stump completely free and place in the bags or into the chipper.
  
  
• 5). Fill the trench with the soil you removed.
  
  

Killing Stumps

• 1). Plunge an electric drill with a bit at least 4 inches long around the perimeter of the stump. Create as many holes as possible around the perimeter.
  
  
• 2). Dilute a broad-spectrum glyphosate herbicide with water in a bucket, following the herbicide instructions for woody brush use.
  
  
• 3). Fill the drilled holes with the herbicide, and then wait about six weeks and reapply the diluted mix a second time. Two applications should be sufficient to kill off the stump and prevent further growth.