Stump Grinding or Stump Removal – Which is the Better Choice?

At times, even if a tree has been removed, some part of it is still left behind.

 That part is called a tree stump. The reason it is left out is the fact that it is stuck to the roots of the tree below ground. The roots are very strong and are spread out around the stump under the earth. Therefore, when a tree is removed, most of the times, the stump is left behind.

There are two ways to remove a stump. You can either use stump grinding or stump removal. Let’s see which of these seems to be the better option.

Stump Grinding

The only tool used in stump grinding is known as a stump grinder. With a stump grinder, a tree is ground into sand and then covered with soil. This procedure does not involve any digging into the earth. The stump is simply ridden over with the grinder and is turned to sand slowly.

The process of stump grinding is quite easy. You have to first clear out the area around the stump, of any stones lying around. You can use a shovel to do that. The rocks need to be removed because they could damage the grinder. For better results, before you start grinding, you can cut the stump down to an inch above the ground. In this way, your grinding job will become easier. However, if you want to, you can skip this step.

The stump grinder is a dangerous machine to wield. You must exercise caution while using it and always remain at the rear end of it away from the grinding wheel. When you start, haul the machine on top of the stump and start the grinding wheel. As one part of the stump turns to dust, move the machine to another side and do the same. Keep moving the machine all over the stump until it completely turns to dust. When you are grinding go at least 4 inches below the ground.

Once, you have achieved the required depth fill up the newly created crater with soil so no one ends up falling into it. In place of the stump, you can sow the grass seeds and rake the soil so after a while grass can grow in its place.

Although, it seems easy, the fact remains that you should not do stump grinding yourself. The grinding machine poses a considerable threat and only for the purpose of removing a small stump you should not take the risk.

Stump Removal

The process of stump removal doesn’t involve all that many steps, but it is in no way easy either. It requires the removal of the stump along with all the roots it is attached to. It is something that you cannot even attempt yourself. The heavy duty machinery needed to pull the roots right out of the ground is unavailable for individual use so you have to call in professional help for this process. The crater created from the stump removal is much bigger and deeper than 4 inches.

If one of the two processes has to be picked, the stump grinding certainly seems to be a cost effective process as opposed to stump removal where very heavy machines are needed and which is much costly. However, both the processes need expert Tree Removal services for outstanding results.