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Stump grinding beside a golf cart path at dusk

Stump grindingManage

Stump grinding to the depth the next use needs.

Turf, a planting bed, or a new palm in the same spot. Each needs a different depth. We place the Sunshine 811 ticket ourselves before the grinder starts.

Request stump grindingAdd it to a Master Plan
Storm or emergency: (239) 467-0142
Standard grind
6 to 8 in below grade
Deep grind
About 18 in
Utilities
811 ticket placed by us
Same-spot replant
Excavation recommended
Request stump grinding

What we see in the field

A stump at grade trips mowers. A shallow grind fails the replant.

Every removal ends at a flush cut, 1 to 2 in above grade. What happens below that depends on what comes next.

Ground roots left under a new planting compete with it and tie up nitrogen as they break down. Chips used as backfill leave air pockets. A palm stump from a Ganoderma removal needs every grinding hauled out. So we ask one question first: what goes in this spot?

A cut pine stump left at grade in turf and sand beside a fence
In the fieldA pine stump left at grade after an earlier removal. Turf, a bed or a new palm: the depth we grind depends on what goes here next.

How we do it

Locate, grind, restore.

  1. Choose by next use

    Nothing, turf, a bed, or a replant in the exact spot. The option follows the answer.

  2. Place the 811 ticket

    We are the excavator, so we place the Sunshine 811 ticket at least two full business days before we grind. You never have to call.

  3. Mark private lines

    811 marks public lines only. Irrigation, landscape lighting and private electric runs are the owner's to mark or have located.

  4. Grind or dig to depth

    Chips and loose roots pulled out on a deep grind, never used as backfill.

  5. Restore the site

    Mulch, or grindings out and clean topsoil in. Sod by request.

What is included

Four options, chosen per stump.

  • A. Flush cut

    1 to 2 in above grade. Included with every removal.

  • B. Standard grind

    6 to 8 in below grade. The hole is backfilled with mulch. Hauling the remaining chips is a line you choose.

  • C. Deep grind

    About 18 in, taking most of the stump and flare. 16 to 24 in for planting right away; 10 to 12 in at minimum if planting waits 3 to 6 months. Chips out, topsoil in.

  • D. Excavation

    The stump and root ball dug out. Our recommendation for a replant in the exact spot.

  • Radius add-on

    Surface roots within 3 ft of the stump ground and backfilled to grade, with a standard or deep grind.

  • Palm stumps

    Haul-away and clean topsoil recommended on every palm grind, and required on disease removals.

Priced on its own lineThe removal itself, private utility locating, and sod unless added.

Next stepRequest stump grindingorbuild it into a 10-year Master Plan

Standards we work to

Utility law and restoration rules we follow.

Our lines

  • No 811 ticket, or two business days not yet passed: no grinding.
  • We never tell you to call 811. The company that digs places the ticket.
  • Ganoderma: we never call the result decontamination or claim all material was removed. Its extent in the soil cannot be defined.
  • Exact-spot replant with a grind requested: we recommend excavation first.
  • Palms are set with the root-initiation zone at grade to about 1 in below. Grind depth does not set survival.
Florida Statutes Chapter 556 (Sunshine 811)

The excavator gives notice at least 2 full business days before digging. Grinding is excavation, so that is us.

ANSI Z133

The safety standard for the grinder, the crew and the people around the work.

Our Ganoderma restoration rule

Remove the stump and root ball, or all grindings and the shaving and soil mix. Clean topsoil in.

Sources: Ptolemy Stump Grinding and Removals specs; our position that the company that digs places the 811 ticket; Florida Statutes 556.102 and 556.105.

On the job

Stump grinding, in the field.

A decaying pine stump in sand and pine needles
A pine stump left to rot in place. Until it is ground out, it stays a trip hazard and a mower hazard.
A fresh flush cut after a removal, ready for the option chosen.
A fresh flush cut after a removal, ready for the option chosen.
A stump partly ground down, with the grinding still in progress.
A stump partly ground down, with the grinding still in progress.

Who it is for

Written for the people who answer for the trees.

Inside a plan

Stump grinding rides with Removals.

MonitorManageProtect

On a Palm and Tree Master Plan, removals and stump grinding are a service, planned in the budget. Each stump is priced by size and option, so the budget carries the restoration as well as the cut.

The Palm and Tree Master PlanThe Health Program

Questions

Questions managers and boards ask.

Still have a question? Call (239) 467-0142 or send a request.

Do we need to call 811 before you grind?
No. Grinding is excavation under Florida law, and the company that digs places the ticket. We place it at least two full business days before we grind. 811 marks public lines only, so private lines such as irrigation and landscape lighting are the owner's to mark.
How deep will you grind?
A standard grind goes 6 to 8 in below grade. A deep grind goes about 18 in and takes most of the stump and flare. For planting right away we go 16 to 24 in; if planting waits 3 to 6 months, 10 to 12 in at minimum.
Can we plant a new palm in the same spot?
We recommend digging the stump and root ball out for an exact-spot replant. Ground roots compete with the new planting and tie up nitrogen, and chips leave air pockets. At a Ganoderma site, a palm in the same spot carries risk, and you decide with that risk on record.
What happens to the grindings?
On a standard grind the hole is backfilled with mulch, and hauling the remaining chips is a line you choose. On a deep grind, and on every disease removal, the grindings come out and clean topsoil goes in.
Is grinding a Ganoderma stump enough?
We remove the stump and root ball, or all grindings and the shaving and soil mix, and bring in clean topsoil. We do not dig out soil to chase the fungus, because its extent cannot be defined, and we never call it decontamination.

Next step

Clear the stumps and plan the replant.

Tell us what goes in each spot next. We will match the option and place the 811 ticket.

Request stump grindingAdd it to a Master Plan
Or start with a property assessmentCall (239) 467-0142