Once the tree is down you are left with a stump, and the estimate in your hand probably asks a question: grind it or remove it? The names make it sound like two prices for the same job. They are not. They leave different things in your yard, and the wrong pick tends to show up a year or two later, when you go to plant something.
Leaving it is not a neutral choice
Plenty of people skip the stump and plan to deal with it later. Davey Tree’s homeowner guide lists what that costs you: the stump becomes a trip hazard and a mowing obstacle, it blocks planting new trees nearby, and as it slowly decays it can attract termites and carpenter ants that may spread to other plants in the yard or into the house. Davey recommends taking the stump out if you can, one way or the other.
What stump grinding does
A grinder shreds the stump into wood chips, working down below the surface. You end up with a pile of chips you can use as mulch, and the roots stay in the ground. Davey notes that those roots can reach 4, 8 or even 12 feet beyond where the stump stood, and that they can take ten years or more to break down completely.
An ISA Certified Arborist interviewed by MarketScale describes grinding as clearing the visible trunk and the surface roots, so it looks like the tree was never there. His view is that grinding is enough for most situations, unless you need the soil stabilized for a larger construction project.
What full stump removal does
Removal means pulling the stump out and digging up the main roots. Davey describes it as the more intrusive route: more time, heavier tools, and a large hole to fill afterward. The upside is a clean slate. Nothing is left underground to compete with whatever you plant next.
Four questions that settle it
- What is going in that spot next? If it goes back to lawn or a planting bed, grinding usually does the job. If you want a new tree in the same place, tell the estimator up front, because the old stump and its roots are in the way of exactly that.
- What kind of tree was it? Some trees do not stop at the stump. A Phoenix-area tree expert told Rosie on the House that a Sissoo can send up new shoots from every root left in the soil, sometimes 100 feet from the stump. Grinding the stump does nothing about that. Sissoo stumps are treated right after the tree is cut, because the roots are what keep sending up shoots. Our write-up on how to remove Sissoo trees for good explains the sequence, and our Sissoo tree removal service handles the whole job.
- What is around it? Gates, block walls, irrigation lines, a pool, utility lines. Mention anything near the stump when you ask for an estimate.
- How soon do you want to plant? Ground roots break down slowly. If a new tree is going in within the next year or two, ask how much root the crew will take out and how far from the stump the new tree can go.
Three things to get in writing
University of Arizona Extension’s guide to hiring a tree expert includes a contract checklist. One item on it is whether tree removal includes grinding out the stump and surface roots to one foot below grade, filling the hole with topsoil, and planting other plants. Use that as a model for any stump quote:
- How deep, and how far out. Ask how far below grade the grinder goes and whether surface roots are included.
- What happens to the chips and the hole. Left on site as mulch, or hauled away? Is the hole filled with soil?
- Whether the stump is priced with the tree or separately. The total for the whole job should be one clear number. The same guide recommends asking for the total in writing so there is no confusion over what is included.
Our take
Heartwood Tree Care does both stump grinding and full stump removal across Gilbert, Mesa and Chandler. We look at the stump, the roots and what you want to do with the space, then tell you which route makes sense. If the tree is still standing, our tree removal service includes stump grinding and root removal. Estimates are free and done on site: request yours here or call (480) 269-5636.
Sources
- Davey Tree, Is Tree Stump Removal Necessary, Or Is It Better To Grind A Stump?
- MarketScale, Stump Removal vs Stump Grinding: A Comprehensive Comparison
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, How to Hire a Tree Expert (AZ1003)
- Rosie on the House, Plants: Out of Control
