Peninsula to the lakes
Stump grinding on the Central Coast
A stump left in the lawn trips people up and wrecks mower blades. Ground out below the surface, the spot can be turfed or planted again.
Stump grinding
What a stump job depends on
Rock and old rubble
A grinder that hits rock or buried concrete slows right down and wears its teeth, so what is under the stump is looked at on the visit.
Getting a machine to it
Steps, narrow side paths and steep yards decide which grinder can reach the stump, and sometimes whether it has to be carried in.
Stumps and the bushfire rule
Even where the RFS 10/50 rule lets trees near a house come out, it says vegetation must not be removed below the soil surface, so grinding out the stump is never part of it.
The grindings
A ground stump leaves a mound of chips and soil. It can go back in the hole, be spread as mulch or be taken away.
How it works
From the first message to a written quote
The council question is settled before any price, and nothing is booked until you have said yes to a quote in writing.
- 1
Tell us what the tree is doing
Where it stands, what it is close to and what you would like done about it.
- 2
A contractor comes to see it
A tree contractor who covers your suburb looks at the tree, the access and what is underneath it.
- 3
The council question is answered
Height, trunk size, distance from the house and the species decide whether a permit or an exemption applies.
- 4
You get it in writing
Scope, timber, stump and date on one page, and nothing is booked until you have said yes.
Stump questions
Depth and roots
How deep does it go?
Far enough below the surface to lay turf or plant over it. Deeper than that adds cost that is rarely worth it.
Can the surface roots go too?
They can be ground out with the stump, or left. The quote spells out which, along with what happens to the grindings.
Where do whole stumps and big rounds go?
To Buttonderry at Jilliby and Woy Woy, the council facilities that take garden organics for a fee, unless they are ground out on site.
