Stump Grinding and Stump Removal in Athens, GA
We grind stumps across Athens-Clarke County and the towns around it. Stumps from trees we took down, and stumps somebody else left in your yard years ago and never came back for.
Grinding or full removal?
These are two different jobs, and grinding is the one nearly everybody wants.
Grinding uses a cutting wheel to chew the stump down below ground level, leaving a hole full of chips that you backfill. It is quicker, cheaper, and far less destructive to the surrounding yard.
Full extraction pulls the stump and the main root plate out of the ground. It leaves a large crater, it usually needs a machine heavy enough to tear up the lawn getting to it, and it costs more. It is worth doing when something is going to be built on that exact spot and the roots would be in the way.
For a lawn, a bed, a fence line, or a new tree, grinding is the answer. If you are pouring a slab or setting footings, say so up front, because that changes the recommendation.
How deep, and why you should care
Grinding depth is not one number, it depends on what happens next on that spot:
- Grass over the top: a few inches below grade is enough for topsoil and seed or sod to take.
- A new bed, or planting shrubs: deeper, so the roots of the new plants are not fighting a wall of old wood.
- Replanting a tree in the same place: deeper still, and be aware that the ground will settle. Most of the time it is better to plant the new tree a few feet to one side.
- Building or hardscaping: deepest, and this is the case where full extraction sometimes wins.
Tell us the plan for the spot and we will tell you the depth the job needs. A stump ground to the wrong depth for the purpose is a job done twice.
What happens to the chips
Grinding produces a surprising volume of chips, more than the stump looks like it should contain. Your options:
- Leave them in the hole. Free, and it is the default. They settle over the following months, so expect to top the spot up with soil once or twice.
- Leave them on site as mulch. Fine for paths and around established beds. Fresh wood chips are best kept off the root zone of things you have just planted.
- Haul them away. Costs more, because hauling is time and disposal.
Say which you want before the estimate rather than after the grinder is running.
Tell us how many stumps and what you want to do with the spot.
Request a free written estimateWhy a stump is worth dealing with
Beyond the fact that it is in the way:
- It is a mowing hazard. Stumps and surface roots ruin blades and, on a riding mower, do worse than that.
- It is a tripping hazard, especially the low ones that disappear into the grass by midsummer.
- It sprouts. Many hardwoods send up shoots from the stump and the roots for years. Cutting them off repeatedly does not solve it.
- It attracts insects. Decaying wood in contact with soil is exactly what wood-boring insects and ants are looking for, and you would rather that habitat was not against your house.
- It blocks what you actually want there. Fence posts, beds, a patio, a new tree.
Before we arrive
Nothing complicated:
- Move furniture, planters, hoses, and anything else within a few feet of the stump.
- Keep pets and children indoors while the grinder is running, because it throws debris.
- Make sure there is a clear route in. Grinders vary in size and the machine that fits through a standard gate is not the machine we would use on an open front lawn.
- Tell us about anything buried near the stump: irrigation lines, low-voltage lighting cable, a septic field, invisible fencing. We cannot see any of it, and hitting it is an expensive way to find out.
If there is any doubt about buried utilities on the property, that gets sorted before we cut.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to grind a stump or remove it?
Grinding is cheaper, in almost every case. Full extraction costs more because it takes heavier equipment and it damages more of the surrounding yard.
Will the tree grow back after grinding?
The stump itself will not regrow once the grinding is done properly. Some species do send up suckers from roots left in the ground; those weaken and stop on their own, and they can be mown off in the meantime.
How long does a stump take?
Most single residential stumps are a same-visit job measured in under an hour of grinding, plus setup, cleanup, and getting the machine in and out. A row of them, or one very large one with a wide root flare, takes longer.
Can you grind a stump right against my fence or house?
Often, but clearance decides the machine and the approach, and there are positions where the grinder physically cannot reach. Send a photo showing the surroundings and we will tell you honestly before we come out.
Can I plant a new tree in the same hole?
You can, and it is usually better not to. The ground settles, the remaining chips tie up nitrogen as they break down, and old roots are still in there. A few feet to one side gives the new tree a much better start.
Do you grind stumps you did not create?
Yes. Old stumps left by other companies are a large share of this work, and there is no awkwardness about it.
What is the best time of year for stump grinding?
Any of it. Grinding does not depend on the season the way pruning does. Firmer winter ground means less lawn disturbance getting the machine in, so if the stump has waited two years it can wait for a dry week.
Get it ground out
Tell us how many stumps, roughly how big, and what you want to do with the spot afterwards.
Request a free written estimate or call (571) 412-0006.