How Does Stump Grinding Work?
Stump grinding spins a wheel of hardened teeth at speed, taking the stump apart in thin layers and travelling downward and sideways until the ground is level.
Our stump grinding default is to leave the chip in the hole as fill, with soil laid across the top.
Why Does The Ground Slope Matter For Stump Grinding?
Safe stump grinding requires footing that is more or less level, and a twelve to twenty percent grade does not provide it.
Down the hillside, stump grinding and removal often needs a small platform cut first, and afterwards the hollow must be shaped so rain does not cut a gully through it. Both are listed on the quote in advance.
How Deep Should A Stump Be Ground?
Whatever is going into that ground next decides how deep we go, and the number is fixed on the quote first:
- Half a foot down covers grass, whose roots never travel far - Further for new planting, so fresh roots find earth instead of compacted chip - Deeper again under a slab, a shed footing or fence posts, tracking the lateral roots outward - Only just under the surface, the cheapest option, if clearing the mower is all that matters
What Should I Mention When I Call?
Three things move what stump grinding and removal costs, so raise them early:
- Underground services of any sort, since the wheel arrives at pipe and cable under full power - Your gateway measurement, because an ordinary opening only takes the small grinder - Rock or ancient fencing wire absorbed into the wood, which will take the teeth off a wheel
Does The Ground Settle Afterwards?
It does. Through the first twelve months after stump grinding the chip and soil blend packs down, so allow for one refill.
Finish the fill a little above the lawn around it. That advice counts double on a grade, where a dip catches runoff and erodes before grass has any chance to establish.