Mulch From Grinding a Stump

A stump grinder is a large machine with a tooth-edged wheel that grinds down tree stumps to well below the surface of the soil. While some tree removal services include the price of grinding the stumps in the cost of removing the tree, not all do so. You can rent a stump grinder yourself, remove the stump and use the resulting wood chips as mulch for your garden.

• 1

  Remove any rocks or debris from around the base of the stump with a shovel.

• 2

  Use a chainsaw to saw the stump as close to the ground as you can get it. This will make the stump-grinding process faster.

• 3

  Put on protective goggles and ear plugs. The stump grinder is a loud machine that sends wood chips flying in all directions, so it is important to protect both your sight and hearing.

• 4

  Drive the stump grinder forward so the toothed wheel sits on the edge of the stump closest to you. Turn the grinder on and let it grind the stump down 3 inches. Use the lever controls to swing the wheel slowly back and forth to clear out the wood chips, and grind the stump down 7 more inches. This process grinds the front half of the stump down to 10 inches below the surface of the soil.

• 5

  Back up the stump grinder so the toothed wheel sits on the new front edge of the stump. Turn the wheel back on and grind the stump down 3 inches. Begin moving the wheel back and forth as you grind the stump down another 7 inches. Turn the grinder off and drive it forward, away from the hole.

• 6

  Use a shovel to shovel any wood chips out of the hole and then rake them all into a pile. Shovel the chips into a plastic garbage bag. Spread the wood chips in a 1-inch to 2-inch layer around the base of your garden plants or other trees. The mulch will keep out weeds and retain moisture.