At Tree Service DFW, and we perform stump grinding services for our clients. Whether your tree fell during a storm, you had it removed years ago or another company left the stump behind, we can help you get rid of it and reclaim your yard. Here are the facts you should know about stump grinding and what to expect during the service.
Some people live with a stump in their yard for a very long time before they decide to take any action. The reasons are numerous. The main one is that a stump is not always harmful or annoying. Here are the reasons why having a stump removed is important:
Hackberries, cedar elms and Bradford pears are known to sprout and produce lots of suckers from a stump. This means you will spend a lot of time trimming them every few weeks.
Decaying wood becomes a great attraction to termites, carpenter ants and beetle. Subterranean termites are common in North Texas and you would not want a decayed stump next to your house’s foundation.
Stump gets in the way of lawn mowing and may even cause injuries to children or your guests. Besides, it is simply not a pleasant thing to see and occupy a part of your yard, that you could use for gardening.
Dense hardwood stump such as oak or pecan may take many years to completely decay.
The grinding machine consists of a spinning wheel with carbide teeth. The stump grinder will grind out a stump by moving the wheel back and forth and slowly eating the wood. It will continue until the stump is fully removed from the ground.
Usually I will grind 6 to 12 inches below the ground level which is enough for putting sod or planting flowers. If you plan to plant a new tree or pour a concrete slab, let me know and I will grind deeper and chase more surface roots.
Stump grinding is different from stump removal which involves digging out of the entire root ball. The latter is labor intensive and may damage your yard a lot. Roots left underground by stump grinding will decay over time naturally.
The most frequent question I hear from customers is how long stump grinding takes. Every stump is different but here are approximate times for grinding:
Diameter of the stump | Approximate grinding time
Less than 12 inches | 15 – 30 minutes
| 12 – 24 inches | 30 minutes – 1 hour
| 24 – 36 inches | 1 – 2 hours
More than 36 inches | 2 – 4 hours or more
Please note that time estimates don’t include setup and cleanup, which adds some additional time. On average I will take an hour or two to grind an average stump. With several stumps, the job usually doesn’t last longer than half a day, and multiple-stump jobs take usually a full day.
There are several factors that can increase the time needed to complete the job:
Live oaks, post oaks and pecans are dense and will take more time to grind than other types of wood.
Some trees such as live oaks and cedar elms have dense surface roots that also need to be ground.
DFW clay soil becomes extremely hard in dry weather and DFW metro area is known for its limestone that appears not very deep from the surface. Hard soil makes grinding slower because it dulls the teeth of the grinder.
Accessing a stump is easier in open areas such as front yard. Grinding stump that is located close to fence or foundation will take more time.
People are often surprised with the amount of wood chips produced by the grinder. Grinding creates much more volume than it seems visually because wood chips take up much more space when they are not compacted.
Here are your options: you may use the chips as mulch for your trees and beds. I can also put the chips back into the hole, haul them away or put some topsoil and have the hole ready for sod. Let me know what you prefer while setting up the job.
Here is what I recommend if you need to have sod on the place where the stump was:
1. Remove most of the wood chips from the hole because fresh wood chips mixed with the soil can inhibit new growth.
2. Fill it with good quality topsoil, slightly raising the level of the soil above the ground.
3. Water the area and wait for a week or two to settle and add some more soil.
4. Put some sod or seeds. Bermuda or St. Augustine grass will grow nicely in DFW area.
Your yard will settle a little over the next few months due to decaying of the remaining roots. Additional layer of the soil can help.
Before I grind the stump, I will locate any underground utilities because gas, water, electricity and irrigation lines are often very close to the trees. Also I will check for sprinkler heads, landscape edging and rocks because grinder chips may be thrown at them with significant force.
We will provide you with a written estimate before the work begins. It will specify the depth of grinding and what we will do with the wood chips. You will know what you pay and how long it will take us.
We have a wide experience with various tree species and all kinds of soils. We know what stump is difficult to grind, what roots are special and how to handle DFW clay and rocks.
We will treat your property the way we would like to have my treated. We will take care of nearby objects and leave the area clean and ready for anything you may do with it.
We perform stump grinding service for both homeowners (single stumps) and for businesses (many stumps). We will do anything from one stump to twenty.
If you need to cut and remove the tree, we can grind the stump during the same visit, so you won’t have to coordinate two companies.
If you have a stump in your yard that is bothering you in some way, contact us now and we will give you a price estimate and an estimate of the time needed. We serve homeowners and businesses in the whole Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
