Stump Grinding
We grind the stump below ground level so you can lay sod, plant something new, or park on it. The chips leave with us or stay as fill. You decide.
The short version
A stump does not just sit there quietly.
In Florida a stump turns into a termite and carpenter ant hotel within a season or two. It sprouts shoots that keep coming back no matter how many times you cut them. In wet ground it holds water. And it makes an otherwise finished yard look unfinished.
Grinding chews the stump and the big surface roots down below ground level, so you are left with a pile of chips and soil instead of a crater. How deep we go depends on what you want to do with the spot.
Tell us your plan and we grind to match
- Laying sod over it: about six to eight inches down
- Planting a new tree there: a lot deeper, and usually a few feet over from the old one
- Pouring a patio, a shed pad or a driveway: the stump and the big roots all have to go
- Just getting it out of sight: shallower, and cheaper
How it works
What to expect on the day
Mark what is buried
Sprinkler lines, invisible dog fence, landscape lighting wire and utility runs all sit at exactly the depth a grinder works. Tell us where they are before we start.
Make sure we can get to it
A grinder needs a path in, and gate width is usually the problem. We will tell you at the estimate if a fence panel has to come off.
We grind it out
The wheel works across the stump and the big surface roots, well past where the trunk was.
You decide about the chips
They make a bigger pile than people expect. We can haul them off, spread them as mulch somewhere else on your property, or fill the hole back in with them.
Topsoil if you are sodding
Fill the hole with topsoil rather than chips. Wood chips pull nitrogen out of the soil as they break down, and your new grass will struggle.
From our jobs
Real photos from our own jobs
Questions
Questions people ask us about this
Is the stump included when you remove a tree?
It is priced separately. Some people want it gone entirely, some want a chunk left as a seat or a planter, and some are replanting and want it ground deep. Tell us your plan at the estimate and you will get the right number.
How big a mess does grinding make?
Bigger than most people expect. A large stump produces a pile of chips several feet across. We can haul them off, spread them somewhere else on your property, or fill the hole back in with them. We decide that with you before we start.
Will the roots keep growing?
Once the stump and the big surface roots are ground out, what is left will not grow back into a tree. Some species will throw up shoots from surface roots for a season though. If that happens on your property, call us and we will sort it out.
Can you grind a stump another company left?
Yes, all the time, including stumps that have been sitting there for years. Older ones are often easier. We still need to know what is buried nearby before we start.
Free estimate
Get a free estimate today.
Tell us what is going on. We will come look at the tree, tell you honestly whether it needs to come down, and give you a price in writing before anyone starts cutting.
- Free estimate, and you are not obligated to book
- A certified arborist looks at your tree, not a salesman
- You get the price in writing before any work starts