How to Plant Grass Where a Tree Stump Was

Rake up and remove any wood chips or debris where the tree stump was located. Turn the top few inches of soil with a shovel and pick out any exposed wood. Add new topsoil to the location if the stump's deterioration has left a slight hole in the ground.

Till the area where the tree stump was located. Do not till if the stump is still a solid mass a few inches below the surface of the soil--just turn the available soil with a shovel.

Apply a slow-release grass fertilizer to the soil's surface. Smooth out the soil and fertilizer with a rake.

Sprinkle grass seed over the bare soil.

Rake the area to cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of soil. Smooth the area out with a lawn roller, then moisten the soil. Continue to moisten the soil once in the morning and once in the afternoon until the seeds sprout.

Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer after 60 days, when the grass is getting a little thicker. Add more high-nitrogen fertilizer monthly to speed up the wood decomposition process in the ground and maintain suitable nitrogen levels in the grass. Deeply water the grass one to two times per week or whenever the plants begin to look wilted. Use more fertilizer if the grass starts to look yellow, and water more frequently if the grass begins to look brown and dried.