Tree Removal
Full removals of dead, storm-damaged or badly placed trees, including tight residential blocks.
Learn more →What grinding does and does not do
A stump grinder is a wheel with carbide teeth that chews the stump down below ground level, turning it into a pile of chip mixed with soil. It is the cheaper and faster of the two stump options, and for most people it is the right one.
What it does not do is remove the root system. The roots stay in the ground and rot down over several years. For turf, garden beds, paving or just getting rid of a trip hazard, that does not matter. For a slab, a footing, a retaining wall or a trench, it does — that is full stump removal, and it is a different machine and a different price.
Why people get it done
- Trip hazards. A stump cut at ankle height in a lawn is invisible to anyone mowing it and to kids running across it.
- Termites. A decaying stump in the ground is a food source. In the South West, where termite activity is a given, leaving a large jarrah or marri stump sitting near a house is not a great idea.
- Space. A metre-wide stump in a small Eaton or Dalyellup back yard is a metre of yard you are not using.
- Regrowth. Some species, peppermint and a number of planted exotics among them, will keep sending up shoots from a live stump until the stump is dealt with.
Soil and access in the South West
Coastal sand through Dunsborough, Vasse, Broadwater and the Geographe strip grinds quickly and cleanly. Limestone close to the surface does not — a tooth hitting limestone or buried rubble slows the job and wears the machine, and if the block is that sort of ground the quote should say so upfront.
Inland gravel around Capel, Donnybrook and the Margaret River hinterland sits somewhere in between: the soil holds a machine well but is abrasive, and a large jarrah stump in gravel is genuinely slow work. Old Bunbury and central Busselton blocks add the access problem — narrow side gates, brick paving that will not take a tracked machine, and retaining walls to work around.
The chip is worth keeping
The grindings are a usable mulch for pathways and under established shrubs. They are not a soil improver straight off the grinder, because the breakdown draws nitrogen out of the soil, and they are not suitable for vegetable beds. Left in the hole, they will settle over a season and leave a dish, so if you are turfing over it, take the chip out and backfill with soil. We can cart the chip away if you would rather not deal with it.
Getting it quoted
Measure across the stump at ground level and count how many there are — those two numbers plus the suburb will get you close to a price on the phone. The cost guide covers the rest. If the tree is still standing, get the removal and the grind quoted on the same visit; one mobilisation instead of two is real money.
Ring (08) 9785 0207 or send the details.
More services
Explore our other services
Tree Lopping
Weight reduction and selective branch removal on overgrown marri, gum and peppermint.
Learn more →Tree Pruning
Crown lifting, deadwooding and clearance pruning done to keep the tree, not just cut it back.
Learn more →Stump Removal
Stump and root plate dug out entirely where footings, pipes or a new build need the ground clear.
Learn more →Land Clearing
Clearing house pads, paddock regrowth and overgrown lifestyle blocks, within the clearing rules.
Learn more →Firebreaks & Hazard Reduction
Firebreaks, fuel-load reduction and overhanging limb work to meet your shire's annual notice.
Learn more →Emergency Storm Work
Fallen limbs, split trunks and trees on roofs after a South West front comes through.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How deep does stump grinding go?
Typically 200 to 300mm below the surface, which is enough for turf, garden bed or paving. Deeper grinds are possible and cost more. If a slab, footing or trenched service is going over the top you need the root plate out entirely, which is excavation rather than grinding.
Can I plant a new tree in the same spot?
Not straight into the grindings. The hole fills with wood chip that ties up nitrogen as it breaks down and leaves the soil too loose. Dig the chip out, backfill with soil, and either wait a season or plant a metre away. For turf, the same applies — remove the chip and top with soil before laying.
What changes the price of grinding a stump?
Diameter and height above ground, how many stumps there are, and access. A grinder that walks through a 900mm gate is a different machine from one that needs a trailer and a wide side gate. Hard, dense jarrah and gravel-laden soil are slower than sandy coastal ground, and buried rock or rubble slows everything.
Do you locate services before grinding?
Grinding near reticulation, irrigation, gas, power or sewer needs the services identified first. Mark what you know — retic lines especially — and order a Dial Before You Dig plan for anything underground you are not sure about. A grinder does not know the difference between a root and a poly pipe.
Free, no-obligation