# Best way to deal with stump grindings?



## jimmynz (Jun 1, 2010)

Gday I'm after advice on what the best use of the stump grindings is,if there is any,advice for clients on what to use it for.
Chur


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## ropensaddle (Jun 1, 2010)

compost


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## ropensaddle (Jun 1, 2010)

TreeCo said:


> Tell the client it's a great mulch but only spread it one half inch to one inch deep because it can mat and hinder air exchange. Spread it around....it's a great resource. Of course composting it like Rope suggested is a good idea too but it needs mixing with other materials and the pile turned on occasion.



Or just plain ole time:monkey: My yard is wood chips keeps mowing to a minimum and no I am not kidding!


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## TreeClimber57 (Jun 1, 2010)

ropensaddle said:


> Or just plain ole time:monkey: My yard is wood chips keeps mowing to a minimum and no I am not kidding!



Your yard is wood chips? Would eliminate mowing I would think.. Course I have a lot of wood piled on one side of my lot right now. But will go soon.. chipping a couple of piles and taking away.. soon be gone.:greenchainsaw:


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## ropensaddle (Jun 1, 2010)

TreeClimber57 said:


> Your yard is wood chips? Would eliminate mowing I would think.. Course I have a lot of wood piled on one side of my lot right now. But will go soon.. chipping a couple of piles and taking away.. soon be gone.:greenchainsaw:



I have a pretty big yard lol 8 or so acres that weeds grow so some mowing is necessary also brush hogging some in the 32 acres of woods lol


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## jimmynz (Jun 2, 2010)

cheers for the tips fullas
I asked about it because I asked my boss about it,and he told me that they are no good because of tanins/and or chemicals in the root system that are no good in a compost.
That didn't fly completely with me hence I asked around. Has anyone got something to add to the tanins debate?


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## derwoodii (Jun 2, 2010)

jimmynz said:


> cheers for the tips fullas
> I asked about it because I asked my boss about it,and he told me that they are no good because of tanins/and or chemicals in the root system that are no good in a compost.
> That didn't fly completely with me hence I asked around. Has anyone got something to add to the tanins debate?



Yes somewhat depends on species they can have allelopathic affects upon other plants or carry any bad pathogens that may have killed the host tree or as you say tanins that may restrict other plant growth or. They may just be a crap mulch to much root n wood with poor structure not ideal for gardens.
Bests used as land fill or a poor compost base or just leave it to your client job done fair price get ya money and go he will sort it in time.


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## treeseer (Jun 2, 2010)

Compounds in stump and roots like tannins take longer to break down but it is all good compost, in time.

It's good as mulch--expand natural areas!


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## PFirebird (Jun 2, 2010)

Another idea is to sell the service of removing the mulch, backfilling with soil and grass seed on top. If the stumps in the lawn of course. We do it quite a lot and it works out well. Typically we do this on larger removals and already have a bobcat and other tools there to make this easy. We usually double the price (at least) of stump grinding, and it takes about the same time.


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## treemandan (Jun 2, 2010)

Dump them somewhere where you will never have to think about them and move on with your life.


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## ropensaddle (Jun 2, 2010)

treemandan said:


> Dump them somewhere where you will never have to think about them and move on with your life.



I like to light them lol let em burn baby burn!


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## treemandan (Jun 3, 2010)

ropensaddle said:


> I like to light them lol let em burn baby burn!



I just spent from 9 hours loading and hauling grindings. That's all I did. What a freaking mess it was. 
We used both a big a little grinder. There was so much. I am glad its done now and so am I. Whew!


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## Blakesmaster (Jun 3, 2010)

treemandan said:


> I just spent from 9 hours loading and hauling grindings. That's all I did. What a freaking mess it was.
> We used both a big a little grinder. There was so much. I am glad its done now and so am I. Whew!



You break out the pitchfork, Dano, or walk around w/ a Dingo all day?


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## treemandan (Jun 3, 2010)

Blakesmaster said:


> You break out the pitchfork, Dano, or walk around w/ a Dingo all day?



I am sorry, I don't understand; What is this thing that you are calling a pitchfork?

The first area consisted of 6, 3 foot dia pine stumps with a couple of smaller one in there. I rake the area down with the York rake to bare soil and took the needles away too. I would say about 300 square feet of area.
Next door we had TD'd the biggest weeping cherry I remember ever seeing. Last year they layed weed barrier over the lateral roots and dumped about 6 inches of the finest triple ground mulch money can buy over them. This year is was stone dead.
We ground the pines with a big Carlton after I loaded up the needles. We ground out the heart of the cherry with the big Carlton then brought in its little brother fot the laterals. There was no end . This are was about 200 square feet of stump ( 3 foot dia) and tons of laterals.
The battery was bad on the little grinder, it would start but not move so we went to get another battery after screwing with that for awhile. We jumped it with the Dingo to get it started but the voltage was low so there wasn't juice to power the controls. The new battery fixed that, it has brain box for the remote controls which takes a decent battery to run. 
I have blister from the controls of the Dingo.


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## ropensaddle (Jun 3, 2010)

treemandan said:


> I am sorry, I don't understand; What is this thing that you are calling a pitchfork?
> 
> The first area consisted of 6, 3 foot dia pine stumps with a couple of smaller one in there. I rake the area down with the York rake to bare soil and took the needles away too. I would say about 300 square feet of area.
> Next door we had TD'd the biggest weeping cherry I remember ever seeing. Last year they layed weed barrier over the lateral roots and dumped about 6 inches of the finest triple ground mulch money can buy over them. This year is was stone dead.
> ...



Lol a blister would not happen if you had the callus built up like rope lmfao


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## treemandan (Jun 3, 2010)

ropensaddle said:


> Lol a blister would not happen if you had the callus built up like rope lmfao



If I had a callus then I would not be able to feel the smoothness of my wife's behind and that is pretty much the more important thing whether anyone wants to admit it or not.


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## Ax-man (Jun 3, 2010)

treemandan said:


> Dump them somewhere where you will never have to think about them and move on with your life.



Good answer, I love it . I hate carting off grindings. They do make good compost but it takes forever for it to breakdown. 

If you have a place to compost them you could haul off the fresh grindings and make money by using the composted grindings as a topdressing instead of using soil.


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## Marquis (Jun 6, 2010)

Hey Patolmbrjck, does the grass grow well over the stump, after it's all cleaned up, replaced with good top soil?? I find that it has a hard time, so I put some lime in there too along with good seed. Just seems to have a hard time.


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## John Paul Sanborn (Jun 6, 2010)

With big stumps that people do not want to pay for regrading on I recomend that they do a container bed in the area for a few years.. As they fertilize the potted plants they will assist the breakdown of stump wood, afer a few years they can use it as soil.

If the operator taqkes a few minutes to make sure soil gerts mixed with the wood there is a much faster compost time.


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## PFirebird (Jun 7, 2010)

Marquis said:


> Hey Patolmbrjck, does the grass grow well over the stump, after it's all cleaned up, replaced with good top soil?? I find that it has a hard time, so I put some lime in there too along with good seed. Just seems to have a hard time.



the grass seems to grow fine here. We don't use lime or fert, just good soil and seed. Sometimes, (if were working for the city) we do stumps their way which is to leave some of the stump mulch in the whole, mound up the dirt then seed. They both work fine.


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## a_lopa (Jun 7, 2010)

I tell them its potting mix consistancy,whatever that means...


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## TripCCCTrees (Jan 11, 2017)

Hi, I am new around here. I started up my business in April of last year. I am running into the problem of not wanting to do stumps because of the clean up and haul away. The main problem is that I have no where to dump and the place that I did find that takes grindings says that they have to be "clean" grindings (no dirt or anything just shavings). Has anyone heard this and how would you go about keeping the grindings clean?
Thanks in advance,
-Curt


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## Oldmaple (Jan 11, 2017)

Can't keep or get stump grindings clean. I have the same problem with dumping. Where I dump they only take wood or wood chips, no stump grindings. I have developed a couple of other spots that I can dump stump grindings (a customers "back 40" and a nursery that uses them to "heel in" the plants that they dig in the spring). The nursery doesn't care if they are a little dirty. Check with the lawn mowing services and see where they dump the yard debris that they collect.


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## Jason Douglas (Jan 12, 2017)

Compost and offering mulching/bed creation.


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## AGoodSteward (Jan 12, 2017)

I sell them to hobby horse folks near me. They use it as bedding/corral cushion. Consider in town chicken coops? (Trade for eggs) When I get a truckload I try to take it straight there to avoid double loading. When I do a little stump I put it in my compost.
I've mulched my flowerbeds with it for years with no issues.


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## derwoodii (Jan 12, 2017)

TripCCCTrees said:


> Hi, I am new around here. I started up my business in April of last year. I am running into the problem of not wanting to do stumps because of the clean up and haul away. The main problem is that I have no where to dump and the place that I did find that takes grindings says that they have to be "clean" grindings (no dirt or anything just shavings). Has anyone heard this and how would you go about keeping the grindings clean?
> Thanks in advance,
> -Curt




find a golf course, horse track, airport large open sites or similar see if they can use what you bring. i spread meters as a thick track surface layer to firm a earthy surface allow all weather access, much depends on the grind quality some woods look neat other chunky pulp & rough


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## ropensaddle (Jan 24, 2017)

I just convince them its gold as light mulch lol no pitchfork needed by me but I do explain they will need one if they intend to move it. I also explain I can move it double the stump charge not many takers


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