A leftover stump is more than an eyesore. It's a trip hazard in the yard, a magnet for termites and carpenter ants near the house, a spot where suckers and sprouts keep coming back, and an obstacle every time you mow. Stump grinding chews the stump and its major surface roots down below ground level so you can reclaim the space — replant, lay sod, or just enjoy a clean, level yard.
Grinding is faster, cleaner, and far less destructive to your lawn than trying to dig or pull a stump out. Our machines turn even a big post oak or pecan stump into a pile of mulch in the ground, and we grind deep enough that you can put grass or a new plant right over the spot. We'll grind the stumps from a tree we removed or take care of old ones left behind by someone else.
What's included
- Stumps ground four to twelve inches below grade
- Deeper grinding when you plan to replant
- Surface roots ground down too
- Grindings raked level or hauled away
- Hole backfilled flush with your yard
- Minimal disturbance to surrounding lawn
- Old and previous-owner stumps welcome
- Single stumps or whole-yard clearing
How stump grinding works
A stump grinder uses a spinning wheel of carbide teeth to shave the stump and its flare roots down into chips. We typically grind four to twelve inches below grade for a lawn, and deeper when you plan to plant a new tree or install something over the spot. The grindings drop into the hole as mulch; we rake them level or haul them off, whichever you prefer, and backfill so the area sits flush with your yard.
Because grinding works from the top down rather than ripping the root ball out of the ground, it leaves the surrounding lawn, sprinkler lines, and hardscape intact — a big advantage over excavating a stump on McKinney's dense clay soil.
Why grinding beats leaving it or digging it out
Left in place, many stumps sprout stubborn suckers that you'll fight for years, and the decaying wood draws termites and ants uncomfortably close to your foundation. Digging a stump out by hand or machine, on the other hand, tears up the yard, can damage buried irrigation and utilities, and leaves a crater to fill.
Grinding threads the needle: the stump is gone, the roots stop sprouting, and your lawn stays largely undisturbed. It's the cleanest way to truly be done with a tree.
Replanting where a tree used to be
If you want to plant a new tree in the same spot, let us know — we grind deeper and remove more of the grindings so you have real soil to work with, since a pile of wood chips isn't a good bed for new roots. For sod or grass, a standard grind and level is usually all you need before you seed or lay turf.
We can knock out a single stump or clear a whole yard of them, including old stumps left by a previous owner or a storm-toppled tree from years past.