Stump Grinding in St. Louis, MO

Stump grinding turns a stump into a pile of wood chips. A grinder with a spinning toothed wheel works back and forth across the stump, chewing it down to several inches below the soil surface, along with the surface roots around it. It is faster and far less disruptive than digging a stump out, and the hole can be filled with topsoil and seeded, or the chips can be left to settle and break down. We grind stumps after our own removals and for homeowners who had a tree taken down years ago and are tired of mowing around it.

Why stumps are worth grinding here

Besides being a trip hazard, stumps in St. Louis yards resprout. The Missouri Department of Conservation notes that a cut Callery pear often sends up vigorous thorny sprouts from the stump, which can grow into new trees. Silver maples, sweetgums and other common yard trees sprout from roots as well. Old stumps also rot slowly and can attract carpenter ants and fungi.

Utilities before grinding

Missouri law requires notice to Missouri 811 before any excavation, including digging in your own yard, and the Public Service Commission advises calling 3 to 10 days ahead. Grinding goes below grade, and in older city yards gas, water, sewer laterals and buried cable can run right past a stump. We arrange locates before grinding and work around marked lines.

Getting the grinder in

Compact grinders fit through most backyard gates; larger stumps on open lots may need a bigger machine. On city lots with rear alleys, we often come in from the back. Brick walkways, retaining walls and stumps right against a foundation need slower, careful work, and grinding right next to a house may stop short of the wall.

What is left behind

Grinding leaves a mound of mixed chips and soil about the size of the stump. You can have us rake it into the hole, haul it away and backfill with topsoil, or leave it to use as mulch. Large roots beyond the grinding area stay in the ground and decay over time.