Stump Grinding vs. Stump Removal

Grinding, which is what most people want

• A machine chews the stump 6 to 12 inches below grade and leaves wood chips behind.
• Fast - usually one to two hours - and far less disruptive to the yard.
• It depends on stump diameter at ground level, root spread, and grinding depth.
• You can lay sod or seed grass over it immediately.
• The remaining roots decay in place over a few years and cannot regrow, because they have no way to produce leaves.

Full removal, which you rarely need

• An excavator pulls the entire root ball out of the ground.
• Leaves a large crater that has to be filled and compacted.
• Costs several times more than grinding.
• Genuinely necessary before a foundation, a pool, or a structure goes in that exact spot, or where the entire root system must come out.
• Considerable collateral damage to surrounding lawn and beds.

Choosing

• Planting grass or a bed over it: grinding.
• Planting a new tree in the same hole: grinding, deeper, with chips removed. Wood chips tie up nitrogen as they decay.
• Pouring a slab, footing, or driveway there: full removal.
• Worried about termites near the house: grinding removes the bulk of the food source and is usually enough.
• See the stump grinding cost guide for current ranges.

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