I recently carved some in-ground tree stumps in my back yard. Is there any way to preserve the stumps, while leaving
them in the ground? I have already sealed and varnished them
and put termite stakes around them. I want them to last! Help, anyone?

Hey there Tnsqwatawa (that's quite a mouthful ). It would seem to me that there is no sure-fire method for preserving an in-ground stump over an extended period of time. Even if you take severe precautions they would only affect the visible portions of your work. I would imagine that weathering and decay from within and underneath would be very difficult to overcome.

Of course, I may be completely wrong as I have never attempted to do what you propose and someone in here may have some more helpful insight. The sealing, varnishing and termite protection you have so far seem like excellent ideas. I wonder if they would be deterrents to ants and other wood loving insects though.

This would actually make for a wonderful case studyand maybe some others in here have other precautionary ideas or have stumps of their own to try this stuff on. It would certainly seem helpful if we were to know one way or the other.

Good Luck and welcome to the forums,

CM

[garymassey]

I Have In-ground Carved Tree Stumps, Cottonless Cottonwood, In New Mexico, Very Hot No Moisture. The Carver Was Not Sure How To Presurve Them. I Used 50% Oderless Minerial Spirits To 50%boiled Linseed Oil, They Turned Darker Than I Like. I Bleached Them Out With Oxy Deck, They Are Back To Original Color, What Can I Use To Seal Them With That Will Keep Them Light. And If I Varnish Them Will It Flake Off In The Sun

[Colin_Partridge]

No way to control what happens below ground. I do these stump carvings all the time. Here is what I do. I make sure I leave about two feet of stump between the ground and the carving. All the measures you have heard here are excellent but you cant control the mildew and what ever that comes from the soil. If it starts to rot the two feet I leave enables me to saw the carving off level and then make a cement pad and put the carving into that. This way you wont ever have to worry about underground rot
Colin

[can i have the ear back]

try digging alittle around the tree stump and cutting it off below ground leval sealing the roots that are showing sealing the carving where you choped it of putting back on top of stump and full the dirt back in