Introduction

Instead of spending hours digging out a stubborn shrub, use a lever system to remove it without breaking your back.

Shrubs are the backbone of most home landscapes. But when they succumb to disease or weather, or they outgrow their allotted space, they need to go. The challenge: The roots of a dead shrub don't come up easily. I've found even small shrubs can hold on tightly, making them surprisingly difficult to remove.

More than once in my decades of landscaping, I've tackled a dead shrub with a shovel, pick, loppers and even a spud or digging bar. The latter is usually a five- to six-foot-long heavy metal bar with a wedge or taper on one end. But there's a much easier way! By setting up a simple lever system that would make any science teacher proud, the roots release with a fraction of the effort.

To gain the best leverage, place the jack stand farther away from the shrub than the jack itself to provide the most lift. After connecting the chain around — and possibly through — the roots and securing it over the lever arm, it's miraculous to watch it slowly pull the shrub out of the ground.

Sometimes it's easier to cut off the branches to give you plenty of working room. Just don't cut them all the way to the ground where the chain might slip free of the root ball. Leaving eight to 10 inches usually works well.

If you have a shrub that needs to be removed, pull on a pair of work gloves, take out your jack and jack lift and follow our step-by-step.