Professional stump grinding in San Antonio

That stump you keep mowing around

If you’re still mowing around a stump, tripping on its roots or pulling sprouts every spring, stump grinding in San Antonio takes care of all three. A stump grinder chews the wood into chips until it’s below grade. That puts it under the grass line, so you can level the spot and mow right over it.

Some trees don’t quit when they’re cut. A sprouting hackberry is a familiar sight here, pushing up sucker growth from the stump and roots season after season while the root collar stays put. Grinding takes out that collar, and the thick surface roots near it can be ground too, so the mower stops catching them.

Grinding isn’t the right call for every spot. If a slab, a pool or a patio is going in right there, the root ball has to come out. That’s a different job called stump removal, and it’s a bigger dig than grinding. We’ll say which one fits on the estimate, so you get the job your plans need.

Snap one photo of the stump with a shoe or a tape measure beside it for scale, and send it through the form below. You’ll get a free estimate, and we respond fast. If a whole tree’s still standing, our tree removal service can take it down first, and the grinder can follow right after.

How deep we grind and what’s left behind

There’s no single depth for every stump, because roots, rock and what goes there next all change the answer. The goal is a spot you can cover with soil and grass, and a visit goes like this.

1. 1

   Mark lines and sprinklers

   A careful crew has buried lines marked through 811 before the grinder touches dirt. Tell us where your sprinkler lines and heads run too, since a grinder can’t tell a pipe from a root.

2. 2

   Get the grinder to the stump

   Grinders come in different sizes, and a narrow machine can fit through a lot of backyard gates. Mats go down where it crosses soft lawn, so the path in doesn’t turn into ruts.

3. 3

   Grind it below grade

   The cutting wheel sweeps back and forth across the stump, chewing it down into the root collar. If limestone sits right under it, as it often does on lots around here, we grind down to the rock and stop.

4. 4

   Chase the surface roots

   Thick roots running out near the surface get ground along their length, as far out as you’d like them gone. Once they’re below the grass, the mower stops catching them and the lawn can lie flat.

5. 5

   Backfill and clean up

   The grindings get raked back in to backfill the hole, or they’re hauled off in our dump trailers if you’d rather have a clean spot. Either way, chips get blown off the drive and walkways before we leave.