What to Do with Stump Grindings
Trees are an essential part of the ecosystem and have a variety of applications. We cut trees for timber, firewood, and lots of other applications. After cutting a tree, you’re left with a stump that could affect the garden’s usefulness. Clearing the stump with a stump grinder leaves grindings. Want to know what to do with stump grindings? Read on to learn more.
What to Do with Stump Grindings
#1 Use as mulch
One easy and safe way to use grindings without having to pay dearly for the end result is mulching. Leftover grindings make for quality mulch. The mulching from grindings adds an excellent layer of insulation to the soil. It enables the soil to retain moisture longer while easing the removal of weeds.
When creating mulching with grindings, you’ve to check the grindings to be sure they contain no grass or aren’t infected. Remove any grass in the grindings and carefully check if grindings are infected.
When creating the mulching, collect the grindings and assemble them evenly around the target plants. Ensure you evenly spread them, creating a thick insulation layer, ranging in thickness from three to six inches. The mulch thickness should be more for larger trees and less for smaller plants.
Keep on topping up the mulch as the grindings decompose and lose their density. Here are steps to create the perfect mulching:
- Pile up the stump chippings. Use a leaf rake with close-spaced teeth for an easy collection of small and large wood chippings.
- Use your flat shovel to fill the grindings into a wheelbarrow or garden cart.
- Remove any grass or debris that has mixed with the grindings. You can leave evergreen needles and leaves.
- When applying the wood chips in a garden with infertile soil, spread a layer inch-thick of highly nutritious compost.
- Now, spread the grindings evenly around the plant base. Applying the mulching directly against plants could trigger infestation or decay of the target plant. The distance between the tree base and mulch should be roughly six inches.
- You can add high-nitrogen fertilizer to the mulching to enhance plant growth since grindings are low in nitrogen.
#2 Making compost
If you’re not comfortable with the extensive job of spreading grindings around tens of plants to create mulching, you can use the grindings to create natural fertilizer. You can quickly create the fertilizer with the grindings by composting them into a container or plastic drum.
Enrich the natural fertilizer compost with organic waste collected from your kitchen or garden, including fruit peels and vegetables. Stir the compost file often, ensuring the grindings get to decompose quickly and efficiently. Once you’re sure the grindings are fully decomposed, add it to your garden or flowerbeds to enrich the soil. It takes time for grindings to decompose, mostly ranging from three to four months.
#3 Safe playground for kids
Kids’ playgrounds could be risky, especially if the surface is too smooth. Growing enough grass to make the play surface area safe and comfortable for kids to play in takes time. An alternative way to make the kid’s play surface area safe is by spreading grindings.
If you’ve cut multiple trees and have ground large amounts of grindings, you can apply them on your kid’s garden play surface area to make the surface slip-resistance and cushion kids against falls. You’ve to spread the woodchips evenly at the slides’ base or surface of the restrained surface where kids run through.
#4 Creating walkways
If you’re a bit revolutionary, you can turn the grindings to a walkway across your garden. Using woodchips as a walkway substrate usually evens out the target surface, offering excellent weed suppression in lawns and gardens.
An excellent way to create a well-graded pathway across gardens is by installing paver bricks and filling the created spaces with grindings. Doing so evades the room for weed to grow in the pavers. You can as well dredge up the path outline and apply tarpaulin over the soil. Once you’re done, apply grindings.
Stump grindings offer excellent drainage, which ensures walking around the garden after heavy rains won’t be a problem.
#5 Source of fuel
One obvious way to use grindings is for fueling fires and heating systems. Yes, just like other wood products, grindings serve an inevitable role of providing fuel for cooking and household heating.
Stump grindings can be used in a variety of everyday fuel applications. They can be used in compact, controlled fires. We can as well use them in fire starters and biomass reactors. Biomass reactors are widely used in the powering of engines and the provision of heat.
Look for heating systems and wood burners rated for use with woodchips. That way, you won’t face challenges getting the fire started or maintaining it burning.
#6 Controlling erosion
Woodchips can also offer a temporary fix to garden erosions. If a certain part of your garden or yard has suffered erosion, you can use the grindings to stop the erosion as you formulate a lasting plan.
Stump grindings bar water from washing off soil from the garden surface to render it futile. As an excellent short-term erosion control method, it protects your soil and gives it health. That gives you ample time to settle for a more efficient draining system. Always speak with your landscaper to know the best way to set up the stump grinding for a more efficient solution.
Conclusion: What to Do with Stump Grindings
If you’ve always wanted to know what to do with stump grindings but had no definite answer, the article above has given a clear outline of the most recommended uses. Use the grindings in any of these ways, but always consult with your landscaper to know which solutions would be a sure bet for you.
There are many more ways grindings can benefit gardeners and homeowners. You can use the grindings as fuel for household heating. If you rather use the grindings for enhancing soil quality and richness, you would be better off decomposing the grindings or applying them directly to the target plants.
You can visit or contact a local tree service in Danbury to find out more.