Stump Grinding & Removal
A stump is a trip hazard, a mower killer, a termite hotel and a sprout factory. We grind it out, chase the surface roots, and hand you back flat ground.
Grinding vs. full removal
Grinding uses a carbide wheel to chew the stump into mulch, typically 6–12 inches below grade. The deep roots stay in the ground and rot away over the next several years. It's fast, it's clean, it doesn't tear up the yard, and it's what 95% of people actually want.
Full extraction — pulling the root plate out with an excavator — leaves a crater and is only worth it when something is going in that spot that can't tolerate buried wood: a foundation, a pool, a retaining wall, a driveway.
If you're replanting a tree in the same hole, tell us. We'll grind deeper and wider and pull the chips so you can bring in clean soil, because a new tree planted into a bed of decomposing chips will sit there and sulk.
How stump grinding is priced
Most companies in this market price by stump diameter measured at ground level, at its widest — and that measurement includes the root flare, which is why a "12-inch tree" is often a 28-inch stump. Multipliers that move the number:
- Access. A gate that fits the machine versus one that doesn't is the single biggest swing.
- Rocks, gravel and old fencing. Grinder teeth are expensive; hidden metal is worse.
- Depth. Standard removal versus grind-for-replant.
- Chip disposal. A ground stump produces a surprising volume of chips — often more than fills the hole. Leaving them is free; hauling them costs.
- Slope and how close it sits to a structure, utility or sprinkler head.
Multiple stumps in one visit almost always drop the per-stump price. If you've got a fence line full of hackberry stumps, get them all done at once.
Before we grind
We call in a utility locate on every job. Gas, electric, cable, water — and on top of that, we'll ask you about the things the locate service won't mark: irrigation lines, invisible dog fence, low-voltage lighting, septic laterals. Those are private lines and they're invisible to a locate ticket. Two minutes of conversation saves an expensive afternoon.
What’s included
- Ground 6–12″ below grade — deeper on request for replanting
- Surface roots chased out, not just the visible stump
- Chips backfilled and tamped, or hauled off entirely — your call
- Narrow-access machines that fit through a 36″ gate
- Utility locate called before we grind, every time
- Old stumps and multi-stump lots welcome
Tree down? Limb on the house? We roll 24/7 across the Mid-South.
Call (901) 461-6075 NowStump Grinding & Removal — common questions
How deep do you grind?
Standard is 6–12 inches below grade, which is under the sod line and well below anything a mower will ever find. For replanting we go deeper and wider and pull the chips.
How long does it take?
Most residential stumps are a 30-minute to 2-hour job including cleanup. A large multi-stem oak or a lot full of stumps takes longer.
Will the tree grow back?
Not from a properly ground stump. Some species — hackberry, sweetgum, elm, Bradford pear — will push root sprouts in the surrounding lawn for a season or two. Mow them and they give up.
Do you fill the hole?
We backfill with the grindings and tamp them, which settles over a few months. If you want a finished grade right away, we can haul the chips and bring in topsoil — just ask when you get your quote.
Need stump grinding and removal? Let us get you a number.
Most quotes go out the same day you call. Storm and hazard work gets priority dispatch. Straight pricing, written estimate, and a yard that looks like we were never there.
(901) 461-6075