Is It Easier to Grind a Stump or Dig Up a Stump?

Grinding Process

• Typically rented from home improvement stores, grinders use a vertical cutting wheel to chop your stump into small pieces. While wearing protective hearing and eye wear, you move the grinder's wheel onto the stump's edge. The sharp teeth cut into the wood as you move the wheel left and right. As you slowly move the grinder forward, the wheel continues to cut the entire stump into a pile of wood pieces. Depending on the stump's depth, you can cut 12 inches into the ground if desired.

Small Trees

• If you only have one small tree stump to remove, you may want to consider digging it up -- grinder rentals can be expensive if you only have a small removal project. If you have a tree with a shallow root system, remove the surrounding soil using a shovel. When you encounter the roots, cut them with an axe or root saw -- your small tree should have relatively thin roots. After you remove the stump, continue to till the ground with a garden hoe to unearth any remaining roots. Some tree species easily grow new seedlings from partial root pieces left in the soil.

Large Trees

• Large tree stumps, especially in groups, take a lot of effort to remove through digging. Larger tree species often rely on deep taproots for anchorage -- you could end up digging for hours and still not reach the stump's base. Using a grinder on large stumps allows you to quickly remove the tree debris without wasting energy or time. After removing the ground wood pieces, you are free to amend the open area with topsoil, compost and fertilizer. Adding new sod or creating a new garden bed are both viable options for the old stump location -- level the area with new soil to avoid a low-lying yard area that may hold puddling water.

Grinding Aftermath

• Your ground stump debris is not fodder for the landfills, but is perfectly good mulch for nearby gardens. If you have concerns about fresh wood chips leaching nutrients from the soil, lay the stump wood on a tarp nearby. The wood slowly decays away from soil contact. After it dries, use it as mulch without any threat of nutrient loss issues. Alternatively, place the stump wood in a compost pile to complement your kitchen scraps.