What to Do After Stump Grinding

What should you do with the wood chips?

You have three good options:

• Keep them for mulch. Spread them in flower beds or around trees. Keep them off the siding and pulled back from the foundation.
• Rake them into the hole. Fine if you don't plan to grow grass there soon. The spot will sink as the chips break down.
• Haul them off. Best if you want grass to grow there.

Don't leave a deep layer of fresh chips on top of the lawn around the hole. It smothers the grass under it.

Why won't grass grow in the chips?

Grass needs soil. Fresh wood chips mixed into dirt pull nitrogen out of the soil as they start to break down, and that leaves less for the grass. Chips also dry out fast and keep settling as they rot. A spot filled with chips ends up low, dry, and patchy.

So for grass, get most of the chips out of the hole first.

How do you fill a stump grinding hole?

1. Pull the chips out of the hole down to dirt. A shovel and a rake are all you need.
2. Fill the hole with good topsoil. Don't use only chips or only clay from somewhere else in the yard.
3. Fill it a little higher than the lawn around it. New dirt settles, especially after the first few rains.
4. Pack it lightly with your foot or the back of a rake. You want it firm, not hard.
5. Water it once to help it settle, then add a little more dirt if it dips.

A small stump might only need a few bags of topsoil. A big stump can need a lot more. If you don't want to haul dirt, we can do it with cleanup, topsoil and grass seed.

When should you seed after stump grinding in Middle Tennessee?

Seed to match your lawn. Most lawns in Middle Tennessee are tall fescue, a cool-season grass. The UT Extension agent for Rutherford County puts the fall planting window for tall fescue at mid-September to mid-October. UT Extension also notes cool-season grasses like tall fescue grow best between 60 and 75 degrees, which is why fall is the best time.

If your lawn is bermuda or zoysia, those are warm-season grasses. They grow in the heat, so they fill in from late spring through summer.

If your stump was ground at the wrong time of year to seed, fill the hole with topsoil now and seed when the window comes around.

How do you get grass to take over the spot?

• Spread seed evenly and rake it in lightly so it touches the soil.
• Cover with a thin layer of straw to hold moisture and keep birds off.
• Keep the top of the soil damp until the seed comes up. Light water often beats heavy water once.
• Don't mow the patch until the new grass is tall enough to cut.
• Top off with a little dirt and seed if the spot sinks later.

What if sprouts or mushrooms show up?

Sprouts can pop up from roots left in the ground, especially from Bradford pear and some other trees. Mow or clip them. They give out once the roots run out of stored energy.

Mushrooms are common too. They grow on the buried roots as they rot. They're a sign the wood is breaking down, which is what you want. Knock them over or mow them if you don't like the look.

If you want the surface roots out so they don't sprout or bump the mower, see root grinding.

Can you plant a new tree where the old stump was?

You can, but it's better to plant a few feet away. The old roots take up space and break down slowly underground. A new tree will do better in clean soil next to the old spot. If you want to plant right on top of it, tell us before we grind so we can go deeper and pull more chips.