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Understanding the Differences Between Stump Grinding and Stump Removal

02 July 2019

While we all love having towering trees on our property, sometimes they can become a nuisance. After you’ve had a tree cut down, you are left with a giant stump. This giant stump could be an eyesore or a danger to people operating in your yard. Whatever your reason, you need to get that stump removed. At this time, you have to know whether to have the stump completely excavated or simply ground down. Today, we are going to talk about the differences between stump grinding and stump removal.

Stump Grinding or Stump Removal: Differences and Benefits

Whether you’ve cut down a tree or moved into a property with a stump already there, you have to do something about the issue at hand. Unfortunately, stumps are pretty solidly in the ground thanks to their network of roots. At this point, you have to weigh having the stump removed or ground to its core. There are major differences between the two processes and your approach will change accordingly. Let’s go ahead and outline the core differences, below.

1) Stump Grinding –
This process involves the excavation of your tree stump without actively removing the network of roots in the ground. You’ll typically use a Mini Digger, or other powered machines, in order to mechanically grind into the stump for removal. You’ll leave behind sawdust as a result. While this method is easier to employ than a full excavation, there is the potential that your tree could sprout again. After all, you’ve left the root system in the ground!

Benefits – Stump grinding is relatively simple as far as the process goes. Stump grinding is also more affordable than a full-scale stump excavation.

2) Stump Removal –
When you completely remove a stump, you have to dig deep. A full stump removal is all about getting the roots to go with the rest of the tree. The root ball can be tough to dig out of the ground, so this process will take some time and effort. Typically, root balls can grow up to ten times the length of the actual tree. You can understand why this might be a large process, right? Still, this exhaustive process is effective at completely eliminating the problem that your stump has created.

Benefits –
Complete removal of the root system means that you won’t have problematic sprouts coming up in your yard.

No matter what you decide to do, our team at Melbourne Mini Diggers can help you to get the job done. Our Mini Digger excavators are ideal for dealing with troublesome stumps. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help!