Stump Grinding in Des Moines, IA

Stump grinding in Des Moines turns a leftover stump into a pile of wood chips and soil without digging up the yard. A grinder with a toothed cutting wheel sweeps back and forth across the stump, chewing it down several inches below ground so grass, a planting bed or sod can go back over the spot. It is far less disruptive than pulling a stump with an excavator, and it works on fresh stumps and on ones that have been sitting since a removal years ago.

Why bother grinding?

A stump is a mowing obstacle and a tripping hazard, and some species keep sending up shoots from the stump and roots for years. Silver maple, cottonwood, boxelder and Siberian elm, all common in Des Moines yards, are known for it. Decaying stumps also draw ants and fungi. And if you want to replant near the same spot, a stump in the way makes that harder.

Utilities come first

Before grinding, underground lines need to be located. Iowa has a free one-call locating service, reached by dialing 811, that marks buried gas, electric, phone and cable lines before digging. Grinding goes below the surface, so we treat it like digging and confirm marks are in place. Private lines the utilities don't mark, such as irrigation, invisible dog fence or a wire to a garage or yard light, should be pointed out to us.

Getting the grinder in

Many backyards in the city are reached through a gate or a side yard between houses. Compact grinders fit through openings of around three feet, while larger machines are faster on big stumps but need more room. Let us know the gate width when you call. On wet Iowa clay in spring, we put down mats to keep the machine from rutting the lawn.

What's left afterward

Grinding a large stump produces a surprising volume of chips mixed with soil. You can keep them to fill the hole and let them settle, or have them hauled away and the hole filled with topsoil, ready to seed. Chips from a fresh stump take nitrogen as they break down, so new grass does better if most of them are removed first.