Stump Grinding in Mobile, AL

Stump grinding turns a stump into a pile of wood chips. A grinder with a toothed wheel cuts across the stump, back and forth, until it is several inches below the soil line. It does not dig out the whole root system, and it does not need to: the remaining roots rot away in the ground. In Mobile's warm, wet climate that happens faster than it would up north, though big oak roots still take years.

Why bother grinding

A stump in the lawn is a mower hazard and a tripping hazard, and it sends up sprouts from some species. Pine stumps have another reason to go: Alabama Extension recommends removing pines killed by Ips engraver beetles or southern pine beetle and grinding the stump. A stump left near the house can also feed termites; Formosan and native subterranean termites both feed on dead wood in contact with soil. If you plan to replant, pave or put up a fence or shed, the stump has to go before the work can start.

Depth, roots and replanting

Standard grinding takes the stump down a few inches below grade, which is enough for sod or seed. If you want to plant a new tree in the same spot, it is better to grind deeper and wider, or to plant a few feet away, because chips and old roots fill the hole. Surface roots running across the lawn can be ground out along their length for an added charge. Before grinding, we ask about irrigation lines, buried cable and septic lines, and call 811 so marked utilities are known.

The chips

Grinding a large stump makes a surprising amount of material, much of it soil mixed with wood. You can keep it as mulch in beds, use it to fill the hole, or have it hauled and the hole filled with topsoil. Fresh chips settle as they decay, so a filled hole may need topping up after a few months of Mobile rain.

Palm stumps and storm stumps

Palm trunks are fibrous rather than woody and grind differently, but the result is the same. After hurricanes, many stumps are left jagged and high from emergency cutting; we cut them low first, then grind.