For some people, a tree stump can be an eye sore and will scratch their head, wondering what’s the best way to remove it from the garden.
Should I use a chainsaw to remove it? Pulling it out with my vehicle shouldn’t be too bad?
These are the questions we have had before from clients thinking about removing a stump. We don’t recommend doing so because it can be hazardous to try DIY stump removal like those.
Removing a Tree Stump With a Stump Grinder
A stump grinder is the most effective way to remove a tree stump. It will remove stumps using a rotating cutting disk that grinds the wood into small chips.
After removing a tree, the arborists will generally leave the remaining stump between 10-15 cm above the ground for the stump grinder operator to grind afterwards.
At Marc Doyle Treework, we have two stump grinders to remove large and small stumps quickly and efficiently.
1. Stihl Hand Grinder
Our hand grinder is perfect to use when bigger machines have difficulty accessing small stumps.
A hand grinder is more labour-intensive since you use your arms to manipulate the machine. It is an excellent tool for when stumps hide away in little corners of your property.
We will only use it in cases like the tree stumps below.
2. Toro Stump Grinder
The Toro stump grinder fits through small gateways and narrow places because it measures about 890mm wide. It is on tracks so that it won’t damage the lawn.
It has the power and speed to grind any tree stumps and tree roots into small chips, which is excellent for the soil once the stump is ground.
How Does A Stump Grinder Work?
Before removing the stump, we ensure that no stones, weed mats or other materials are nearby to avoid injury or damage to the property.
The stump is ground to approximately 250mm below ground level. Grinding that deep allows us to remove the stump and all tree roots that grow around it. Therefore, all parts of the tree are removed and will ensure no new sprouts will grow back.
We also ground to that level to avoid underground services, like fibre, phones or water. If you need help determining where your underground services are located, we will refer you to the right person to contact before we start the stump grinding process.
If you remove a stump on a lawn, we recommend you reinstate that section. Once ground, woodchips are cleared and replaced with topsoil and grass seeds. The results will amaze you since it will look like no stump has ever been there before!
Why Poison A Tree Stump?
Some tree species are more challenging to eliminate than others, like the elm tree, Gleditsia, cabbage tree, yucca, toon and bay tree.
Often, we will need to poison tree stumps to kill all the roots before grinding the stump. To do this, you must wait about one month between the poisoning and grinding to allow enough time for the poison to have an effect.
It is time-consuming, but from our experience, it is the best way to remove some tree stumps.
If you are looking only to poison a stump and not grind it, that is another possibility. Although, that means you won’t be able to use that area where the stump once was. For example, you won’t plant a new tree or new plants.
While some websites will give you the top 10 ways to remove a stump, we highly recommend hiring a professional and getting them to remove it safely with a stump grinder.
It is the best cost-effective way to remove a stump and will keep your garden and family safe.
Contact us if you need your stump ground today!
