- Stump gone below the soil line
- Less digging and yard disturbance than full removal
- Ready for sod, seed or a garden bed
- Removes a home for termites and fungi
- Keep the chips as mulch or have them hauled off
What Stump Grinding Does
A stump grinder uses a spinning wheel fitted with hardened teeth. The operator sweeps the wheel back and forth across the stump, shaving it down a little at a time until it is several inches below the surrounding soil. What's left is a shallow pit filled with a mix of wood chips and dirt.
The main roots stay in the ground and decay slowly. That's the key difference from stump removal, where we dig out the stump and its main roots entirely. Grinding is quicker, leaves a smaller footprint and costs less in most cases, which makes it the usual choice for lawns, flower beds and areas where nothing will be built.
Is Grinding or Full Removal Right for You?
Choose grinding if:
- You want to mow, lay sod or put a garden bed over the spot.
- The stump is close to a fence, sidewalk or house where digging would cause damage.
- You have many stumps scattered across a yard and want them gone quickly.
Choose full stump removal if:
- A slab, pool, footer or driveway will go over the area.
- You plan to plant a new tree in exactly the same spot.
- Surface roots are already causing damage, in which case root removal may also be needed.
If you're unsure, we'll look at the stump and your plans and recommend one honestly.
Our Grinding Process and Cleanup
We bring our stump grinder to the site and check the area for rocks, irrigation heads and shallow lines. Underground utilities should be located before grinding, and we'll discuss that with you. The grinder works the stump down below grade, and we chase any large surface roots radiating out from the trunk a short distance so they don't leave lumps in the lawn.
Grinding produces a lot of chips. You can keep them as mulch for garden beds, or we can rake them out, backfill the hole with soil and haul the extra material away. On jobs with many stumps or a lot of leftover wood, our debris removal crew takes care of the rest.
Why Leaving a Stump Is a Bad Idea in Florida
Florida's heat and humidity speed up decay, and a rotting stump is a welcome home for termites, carpenter ants and wood-decay fungi. Some trees, like laurel oak and camphor, also send up new shoots from the stump, which means more trimming for you. In a lawn, stumps are tripping hazards and can damage mower blades. Grinding removes the visible part and most of these problems at once.
Stump Grinding for Homes, HOAs and Builders
Homeowners usually call after a tree removal or when they buy a house with old stumps in the yard. HOAs and property managers have us grind stumps along common areas, entrances and roadside landscaping. Builders use grinding for lots where the stump sits away from the building footprint. We work from northwest Tampa out about 100 miles, including Land O' Lakes, Seffner and Spring Hill.
