Stump Grinding vs Stump Removal – What’s Best for You?

Beautiful trees are a gardener’s dream, but they don’t last forever and once a tree has died or been damaged it needs to be removed. Unfortunately, after the branches and trunk have been taken away, you are still left with an unsightly stump in the middle of your beautiful garden. Stump removal is an essential part of tree removal if you want to restore your lawn or plant a new tree. There are two ways to get rid of stumps, you can either opt for stump grinding or complete stump removal. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide which way works best for you.

If you choose stump removal, the entire stump, along with the root ball, will be removed. This is not an easy process as a tree is a bit like an iceberg; what you see above the ground is only a portion of the entire tree. The root ball can be approximately four to ten times the size of the tree and so if you had a large tree you will also have an extremely large and expansive root ball to tackle. This makes stump removal time consuming and challenging, requiring the services of a professional tree removal company to get the job done properly and safely. In some cases, chemicals, like high concentrations of potassium nitrate, are used to soften the soil around the stump and roots.

Once the root ball has been removed you will most likely be left with a large hole in your garden that needs to be filled before you can plant anything in place of your old tree. The advantage of stump removal is that it entirely eliminates the stump and roots, making replanting more successful.

If stump removal does not appeal to you, you can opt for stump grinding. This is done in several stages by working a rotating cutting wheel across the surface of the stump and slowly grinding it to mulch. This too can be a time-consuming process as the stump grinder only peels off a single, thin layer of wood at a time. Exactly how long stump grinding takes depends on the size of the stump and it can be anything from one hour to several hours. It is important to remember that stump grinding does not remove the entire stump and root ball, it merely grinds the trunk down to below the surface. The remaining part of the stump is covered with soil and left to slowly decay along with the roots but once the grinding process is complete and the hole has been filled and levelled, you will immediately be able to plant grass, shrubs or a new tree where the stump once stood.

Stump grinding is a good way to remove a stump efficiently and it is not as labour intensive as stump removal. It is also environmentally friendly as no chemicals are used and the remains of the stump can be used for mulch. The disadvantage is that since the stump is not removed entirely, there is the possibility of the tree sprouting again or of root decay affecting the soil. Stump grinding is not something you should try yourself, it is far better and safer to get a professional tree service company to grind your stumps.
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Removing stumps from your property is an inevitable part of gardening and there will come a time when you will have to decide between stump grinding or stump removal and while you may think that you can tackle garden stumps on your own, the best solution is to contact a tree removal company like Martin’s Tree Service. They have the training and equipment to help you deal with any stumps, no matter how big or small.