Stump Grinding in Rock Hill, SC

Stump grinding turns a stump into wood chips using a machine with a spinning, toothed wheel. The wheel is swept back and forth across the stump, chewing it down several inches below the ground. It is faster and less destructive than digging a stump out, and it leaves a hole filled with chips and soil that can be leveled and planted. In Rock Hill most stumps we grind are pine, oak and sweetgum, often left behind from an old removal or a builder who cleared the lot.

Why grind a stump

• To mow, plant grass or lay sod over the area
• To plant a new tree nearby (not in the exact spot)
• To stop sprouts from sweetgums, Bradford pears and other trees that resprout from the roots
• To remove a tripping hazard or something to back into
• To get rid of a rotting stump that attracts termites and fungi

Pine stumps don't resprout, but they can take many years to rot, and they are a common home for termites in this part of the South.

How deep and what happens to the chips

Most stumps are ground to about 6 to 12 inches below the surface, which is deep enough for grass and most landscaping. Deeper grinding can be done if you plan to put in a patio, a garden bed or a fence post. Grinding a large stump creates a pile of chips and soil that is much bigger than the stump looked. You can keep the chips as mulch, use them to fill the hole, or have them hauled away. On red clay, adding topsoil after the chips are removed makes it easier for grass to take hold.

Surface roots

Sweetgums, water oaks and willow oaks often have surface roots that run well out from the trunk. The stump grinder can follow the main surface roots a few feet out, but grinding every root in a yard isn't practical or necessary. Roots underground slowly rot after the stump is gone.

Before we grind

The grinder only reaches a few inches below the surface where the stump was, but utilities can be shallow. We ask that underground lines be marked before grinding. In South Carolina, homeowners can contact SC811 to have public utility lines marked. Private lines like irrigation, invisible dog fences and landscape lighting aren't marked by 811, so please let us know where they are.