What does stump grinding involve?
Stump grinding uses a machine with a spinning, carbide-toothed wheel to chew a tree stump into wood chips. The operator sweeps the wheel back and forth across the stump, working down until it's several inches below the soil line. Surface roots running out from the stump get ground too. The chips can be used to fill the hole, or we can rake them out so you can add topsoil and seed.
When should you have a stump ground out?
A stump should be ground out when it's in the way of mowing, when it keeps putting up new sprouts, or when you want to plant or build where the tree used to be. Grinding also makes sense when a stump is starting to rot and drawing insects. Fresh stumps grind just as easily as old ones, so there's no reason to wait after the tree removal itself.
Why do leftover stumps cause problems?
Leftover stumps cause problems because the roots underneath are often still alive. Norway maples, black locust, and tree of heaven are common in local yards, and all three send up suckers from a cut stump for years. As a stump rots it draws carpenter ants and termites, which can move from the stump to a nearby deck or house. Stumps are also a tripping hazard and a mower blade's worst enemy.
What affects the cost of stump grinding?
Stump grinding cost depends mostly on the width of the stump at ground level and how many stumps you have. Hardwoods like oak take longer to grind than pine. Access matters, since the grinder has to reach the stump through a gate or down a slope. Rocks buried in the glacial soil around a stump dull the teeth and slow the job, and so does hauling the chips away instead of leaving them.
Should you grind the stump or remove it completely?
Grinding is the right choice for almost every residential stump. Full stump removal means digging out the whole root ball with an excavator, which tears up a large section of yard. That's only worth it when you're pouring a foundation or patio right where the tree stood. For lawns, gardens, and a tree that came down in a nor'easter, grinding below grade does the job.
Stump grinding questions homeowners ask
How deep do you grind a stump?
Standard stump grinding goes several inches below the ground, which is deep enough for grass and most plantings. If you plan to plant a new tree in the same spot, we can grind deeper and clear out more of the old root mass.
Will the stump grow back after grinding?
Most stumps don't grow back after grinding. A few aggressive species like tree of heaven can still push up sprouts from roots farther out. Cutting those sprouts as they appear usually ends it within a season.
Is it safe to grind a stump near my sprinkler lines or fence?
Stump grinding near sprinkler lines, invisible dog fences, and low-voltage lighting is safe when we know where they run. Mark what you can before we arrive, and for deeper grinding we call 811 so underground utilities get marked first.
Stumps on waterfront and estate lots
Around Oyster Bay Harbor, Bayville and Mill Neck, many stumps sit at the edge of a bluff, inside a planted border, or close to a seawall. Big London plane and copper beech stumps on older estates can run wider than a car door. We grind those from the outside in, protecting stone edging and lawn irrigation as we go, and rake the chips back so the border looks tidy the same day.
On a slope above the water, we leave the deeper roots in place when they help hold the bank, and grind only what sits above the soil line. Ask us before planting the spot.
Beech leaf disease has left many dead beeches on North Shore lots, and their stumps tend to rot quickly, so grinding them soon after removal keeps fungus from spreading in the bed.