Serious question, stump grinding versus full removal on a tight property line

Had a big silver maple come down in a client's yard in Springfield, right up against the fence. The choice was grinding the stump flush or digging out the whole root ball, which meant tearing up more of the neighbor's lawn. We went with grinding to 12 inches deep to avoid that conflict. It worked, but now I'm second-guessing if we left enough room for future planting. Anyone dealt with a similar property line call?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles7073d ago

Man, that story from @joseph_lewis92 about the hydrangea is exactly the kind of headache I'd want to avoid. It's a real gamble grinding that shallow near a fence. Sure, you save the neighbor's grass now, but you're basically passing the problem on to whoever owns the place next. Those leftover roots won't just rot away clean, they'll be a tangled mess for years. Feels like a short term fix that makes the long term way harder.

the_river21d ago

Wait, you only ground it down a foot? That's barely below the frost line around here. The roots left behind are going to be a nightmare if they ever want to put in a new tree or even a decent shrub. Did the client know it would basically leave a buried wood mine?

joseph_lewis9221d ago

My buddy in Dayton had a stump ground to 10 inches for a clean fence line. Two years later, trying to plant a new hydrangea was impossible, hit solid root mass six inches down. They ended up having to excavate the whole area anyway.

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