Island bed over ground tree stump?

[nellie923]

I lost a sugar maple tree a couple of months back. Sad. Now there is a large bare spot in my front yard, so I'm thinking of a) planting grass on it, or b) making a raised island bed. I have seen videos where folks just dump dirt on top of the ground stump and start planting, but others say the sawdust from the stump should be removed in any case, as it tends to be acidic. Not sure if maple does this... The space is approximately 12' in diameter. I like the idea of the raised bed, perhaps with a Japanese maple as a key feature, along with azaleas (ever green). I was planning on doing a stone border two stone high, the kind that are approximately 12" x 3" or so. If I wanted to plant the Japenese maple in a 7 gallon pot, would it have to be dug really deep and possibly interfere with the roots of the old maple? Maybe I should do the grass for now and wait for more of the old tree to disintegrate? Thanks for any advice!

 

[Meadowlark]

I love the idea of your raised island bed and azaleas would love it there. The Germans have for centuries been growing things on top of decaying wood...Hügelkultur.

I would not worry one second about the roots as they are decaying also over time and releasing nutrients to the soil...nor the sawdust same thing.

 

[Meadowlark]

You might find this interesting...

MSN

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I wonder, but don't know, would the original tree have taken out a lot of the type of nutrients your Japanese maple would need? Amending the soil well first might be a good idea, I can't see it doing any harm either way.

 

[nellie923]

I plan to add compost and nutrients anyway, as I think you are right about the decaying tree taking more than it gives, so to speak... Thanks for the tips!

 

[cpp gardener]

Add at least as much actual soil as ground stump material. As the stump decomposes it will slump and end up as a hole.