Stump Grinding in Boise, ID

Stump grinding turns a leftover stump into a pile of wood chips. A grinder with a toothed cutting wheel chews down through the stump and its top roots, normally to 4 to 6 inches below the soil surface, which is deep enough to lay sod, replant a bed, or set pavers over the spot. It is far quicker and less destructive than digging a stump out, and it leaves the deeper roots to break down in the ground on their own.

When a stump is worth grinding

Stumps are trip hazards in a lawn, they get in the way of mowing and they keep a spot from being replanted. Some species also send up sprouts from the stump and roots for years after removal. And a stump in the middle of a yard you want to re-landscape, perhaps for a water-wise design, is the one thing a landscaper cannot work around. If a stump is out of the way and you do not mind it, leaving it is a reasonable choice.

Sprinkler lines and buried utilities

Nearly every Boise yard with lawn has irrigation, and sprinkler lines often run right past where a tree used to stand. Before we grind, we ask where the lines and heads are and flag them, and buried electric, gas or communication lines should be located through the 811 one-call service. Grinding a stump next to a line is possible; it just needs to be known ahead of time so the wheel stays clear of it.

Chips, depth and backfill

A stump turns into more chips than people expect, mixed with soil. You can keep them to mulch beds, or we can haul them and leave the hole for you to backfill. If you plan to plant a new tree, it is better to plant a few feet away from the old stump than in its center, where decaying wood and chips remain. Deeper grinding for paving or a structure costs more and is quoted separately.

Surface roots

Large shade trees often leave surface roots across a lawn. We can grind the visible roots back along with the stump. HomeGuide notes that removing roots beyond the stump itself is normally billed separately from standard stump grinding, so we list it on its own line.