Do not backfill with the chips. That is the whole lesson
Grinding leaves a mound of chips and a void underneath. What to backfill with, why not to use the chips, and how to get grass growing over it.
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A ground stump produces a surprising volume of material, usually noticeably more than the hole it came out of, because ground wood takes up more space than solid wood. So you are left with a mound of chips sitting over a void.
The instinct is to rake the chips into the hole and be done. It is the wrong move, and it is the single most common reason people end up with a dead patch where a tree used to be.
Decomposing wood consumes nitrogen from the surrounding soil as it breaks down. Fill the hole with chips and seed grass over the top, and the grass and the rotting wood compete for the same nitrogen for the next two or three years. The wood wins. You get a sunken, yellowish patch that never quite establishes, and it takes years to resolve itself.
What to do instead. Rake the chips off the hole entirely. Backfill with topsoil, slightly proud of the surrounding level, because it will settle. Then seed or turf as normal. If you want to be thorough, mix a little of the existing soil in so the fill is not a visibly different material.
The chips themselves are useful. Spread as mulch around shrubs or beds they are perfectly good, free, and exactly what you would otherwise buy by the bag. The nitrogen point applies to soil, not to mulch sitting on the surface. Keep them a few inches clear of the trunks of anything living.
If you do not want them, most crews will haul them off for an extra charge. It is worth asking about before the job rather than looking at the pile afterwards and negotiating then.
Expect to top it up. Even backfilled correctly, the ground over a removed stump settles for a year or two as the remaining roots decay underneath. Adding a bit more topsoil the following spring is normal and not a sign anything went wrong.
And the thing people ask most: no, do not plant a new tree in the same hole. The old root mass is still there and still decaying. Either plant a few feet to one side, or have the stump fully extracted rather than ground in the first place.
When you would rather have the stump gone than keep managing it, our stump grinding in Woodstock, GA page covers how a job is quoted and what happens on the day.
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Common questions
Can I use the chips as mulch?
On paths and in established beds, yes. Not as backfill in the hole, and not spread where you are about to seed grass, because decomposing wood pulls nitrogen out of the soil exactly where the new roots need it. Fill the hole with topsoil instead.
Do I need a permit to grind a stump in Woodstock?
Grinding an existing stump on your own property does not require a permit. Removing a living tree can, depending on size, location and whether it is in a protected buffer, so check with the City of Woodstock before taking down a standing tree.
Can I plant grass or a new tree where the stump was?
Grass, yes. Fill the void with topsoil rather than the chips, since decomposing wood robs nitrogen from new grass. Planting a new tree in the same hole needs full removal rather than grinding, because the old root mass is still in the way.
How long does it take?
A single accessible stump is usually thirty to sixty minutes on site. The scheduling window is longer than the job, which is why crews prefer to do several stumps in one trip.
Free quotes, usually the same day. Tell us what you are looking at and we pass it straight to a local crew.