Stump Grinding in Wilmington, NC

Stump grinding uses a machine with a spinning cutting wheel to chew a stump into chips, down below the soil line, so you can mow over the spot, plant something new, or lay sod. It's the usual way to deal with a stump in Wilmington, partly because city yard-waste crews don't collect stumps or root balls, and partly because digging out a whole stump with a backhoe leaves a large hole and tears up the yard. A pine stump left in the ground will rot slowly; an oak stump can sit for years, sprout, trip mowers and attract termites and fungi as it breaks down.

How deep and how wide

Standard grinding goes four to six inches below the surface, which is plenty for lawn. If you're planting a new tree in the same spot, laying pavers or building over it, deeper grinding costs more and takes longer. Surface roots that run out from the stump can be ground along their length too. What's left underground rots away over time. On sandy Wilmington soil, the hole left after the chips are cleared settles as the remaining wood breaks down, so topping off with soil a few weeks later is common.

Before the grinder starts

Underground lines are the main risk. Irrigation lines, cable, gas service and electric lines are often buried close to old trees. Grinding is digging, so we have public utilities marked through NC 811 before we start, and we ask you to show us private lines like irrigation, lighting or a pool or septic line. In neighborhoods with septic systems, it matters where the drain field runs. Grinders also throw chips, so we set up guards around windows, cars and pool enclosures.

The chips

Grinding a large stump makes a surprisingly big pile of mixed wood chips and soil. You can keep them as mulch in beds, use them to fill the hole, or have them hauled off and the hole backfilled with soil. Fresh chips from a pine stump are fine as mulch on paths and beds; just don't heap them against the stems of plants you care about.