Stump grinding in Stockholm

Why should the stump be removed?

A stump left in the ground is in the way, becomes a seedbed for decay and in many cases sends up new shoots. Aspen, maple, cherry, alder and willow answer the felling with root suckers that come up several metres from the stump and keep coming for years if they are only cut off. Spruce and pine send up no shoots but stay put for twenty years or more, and conifer stumps are hard and tough even when they look rotten.

The stump also blocks whatever you want to do with the area: the mower hits it, paving and deck footings cannot go where the roots are, and a flower bed or newly sown lawn ends up uneven. Honey fungus and root rot thrive in old stumps and can spread to healthy trees nearby.

How does stump grinding work?

A stump grinder has a rotating wheel with carbide teeth that mills the stump and the thick roots into chips, layer by layer, instead of pulling them out. Our stump specialist Stubben moves the grinder back and forth across the stump, lowering it a few centimetres at a time, working from the outside in. The method leaves no large hole and no torn roots under the lawn, which makes it far gentler than digging or wrenching the stump out with a machine.

Before grinding we search the area for stones, metal and old nails that would otherwise damage the teeth, and check where electricity, fibre, water and any ground source heat loop run. We cordon off around the stump and screen facades, windows and cars, because chips and grit are thrown some distance. Stone in and around the stump is the most common reason a job takes longer than expected.

How deep is the stump ground?

Normally about 10 centimetres below ground level, which is enough to put soil on top and sow grass or plant perennials. If the area is to be used for something that needs a stable base, we grind deeper and take out more of the root system.

Diameter often matters more than depth. The grinder has to work away the full width of the stump plus the root flares, so a stump a metre across takes considerably longer than four stumps of a quarter of a metre.

• Lawn and simple planting: about 10 cm below ground level
• Flower bed where you want to dig and plant shrubs: 15–20 cm
• Paving, deck footings and gravel paths: as deep as the construction requires, often 25–30 cm
• A new tree in the same spot: the stump and the thick root flares are ground out and the soil is replaced

What happens to the chips and the hole afterwards?

Grinding leaves a pile of chips mixed with soil, roughly twice the volume the stump appeared to be. The chips can stay where they are and fill the hole, or be used as a mulch in a flower bed or on a path. They break down over a couple of years and lock up nitrogen while doing so, so do not mix them into soil where something is to be planted.

If you want the area finished straight away we take the chips away, fill with topsoil, compact it and sow grass seed or lay turf. Expect the fill to settle a few centimetres during the first season and to need topping up with more soil. Removal of the chips is an option and is not covered by the RUT deduction.

What affects the price of stump grinding?

The diameter of the stump and how accessible it is matter most.

Stump grinding on the plot of your home qualifies for RUT deduction of up to 50% of the labour cost for private individuals, and we handle the application with the Swedish Tax Agency. Removal of the chips is not covered. Housing cooperatives, property companies and businesses are invoiced without RUT. You get a free quote within 24 hours.

• The diameter of the stump at ground level and how high it was cut – a low-cut stump is quicker
• Species: oak, beech and spruce are harder to grind than birch and willow
• How deep the area is to be ground and whether the root flares have to go
• Access: the grinder has to pass a gate, steps or a narrow path, otherwise a smaller machine is used
• Stone, gravel and old building material in and around the stump
• Whether the chips stay, are taken away, or are replaced with topsoil and grass seed
• The number of stumps – several stumps on the same plot cost less each

How to book stump grinding

Measure the diameter of the stump at ground level, photograph it together with its surroundings and send the details in through the form. That is usually enough for a free quote, which you receive within 24 hours. If you have several stumps, list them with measurements one by one – it is both cheaper and easier to deal with them all in the same visit.

Grinding can be done all year round as long as the ground is not deeply frozen or waterlogged, and late winter and early spring are popular because the lawn has time to heal before summer. If the stump grinding is booked together with a tree felling by Service Plus, the stump is dealt with in the same visit, and it is then cut extra low to make the grinding easier.