What to Do With the Hole After Stump Grinding

Once the grinder leaves, you’re looking at a patch of loose wood chips and soil where the stump used to be. What you do next depends on what you want growing there.

Step 1: Decide what to do with the grindings

A single stump can leave a surprising pile of chips. You have three options:

• Leave them in the hole. Easiest and cheapest. They’ll break down and settle over the next months.
• Use them as mulch. Spread them around trees and beds. They work well as mulch on top of soil.
• Have them hauled off. The best choice if you want grass or sod on the spot soon.

Step 2: Fill the spot

Wood chips mixed into soil tie up nitrogen while they break down, which is why grass seeded straight into fresh grindings often comes in thin and yellow. For a lawn:

1. Rake out most of the chips, down to the soil.
2. Fill the hole with good topsoil, a little above the surrounding grade.
3. Water it and tamp it lightly — it will settle, so plan to top it off again in a few weeks.

Need topsoil? We deliver topsoil, mulch and gravel by dump trailer around Lynchburg.

Step 3: Seed, sod or plant

Grass seed or sod

Once the topsoil is in and settled, seed or sod like any other bare patch and keep it watered while it takes. In Central Virginia, early fall is generally the best time to seed cool-season lawns like tall fescue.

A new tree

Plant a few feet away from the old stump rather than right on top of it. The old root system is still breaking down underground and can leave soft, uneven soil for a while.

A garden bed

Beds are the most forgiving option. Leave the grindings, top them with a few inches of soil or compost, and add a little extra nitrogen fertilizer the first season.

Common questions

Will the spot sink?

Some, yes. As the remaining roots and chips decompose, the ground settles. Topping it off once or twice over the first year fixes it.

What if sprouts come up?

Some trees send up shoots from leftover roots. Keep mowing or clipping them, and they’ll usually stop once the roots run out of stored energy.

Are mushrooms normal?

Yes. Fungi are part of how the buried wood breaks down. They’ll fade as it does.

Still have a stump to deal with? See our stump grinding service or book a free estimate.