Nature is always a part of our day, especially when you have a huge backyard! Trees, shrubs, and colorful plants, you can plant them anywhere if you’re a green thumb. With that, people often grow plants as a hobby or as their passion. Either way, keeping a healthy and green space in your home to breathe that fresh air is always necessary!
Maintaining these green spaces always uses full hands. Sometimes, some calamities destroy huge trees, though most of the time, you just need to cut them down. Moreover, both situations do not usually leave a clean cut. Taking down trees leaves a mess in your area or stumps that are hard to remove.
Stumps are the bottom parts of the tree left whenever the trunk is removed by man or falls due to calamities and disasters. When not removed, people commonly use these stumps as an outside furniture piece or innovated as a table, chair, etc. However, some people want to remove these stumps throughout with a stump grinder, which could undoubtedly leave a mess.
What is Stump Grinding?
Since people find it hard to remove stumps, innovators invented the machine to conveniently eradicate this from the land’s surface. A stump grinder is a piece of machinery with rotating cutting disks that break the tree stump into small fragments. These machines vary in size because they can be as portable as a lawnmower or as huge as a mini truck!
People grind stumps for many purposes. Some people remove these stumps because they want to renovate their backyards to set up a play area or the like. Also, some people only want to remove these in order to reduce accidents as they could trip over these stumps. Lastly, some people just want to remove stumps because they see them as an eye sore.
When you grind stumps with these machines, they often leave powder-like debris that could be very dangerous. Moreover, removing these should always come with safety precautions because they could be hazardous. It is best to use the proper steps and materials to quickly clean the stump grindings after your work has been done!
Why are Stump Grindings Dangerous?
When you ground stumps, you may notice scattered tiny debris of wood which are called woodchips. Although they can be advantageous if appropriately used, woodchips can be hazardous for you and your family when left unattended. The following are some reasons why you should clean up woodchips after a good stump grinding:
1. Toxic Chemicals
When chemicals you used to grow the tree or used for grinding the stump, there might still be remanences of them after the tree stump is cut. Leaving them on your ground could contaminate your area’s healthy soil, which we do not want.
2. Termite-magnet
If wood chips come near your house, expect termites to infest them. Termites are very dangerous pests that can severely damage house structures. Moreover, these pests are tough to eliminate, so you should take measures to prevent them while you can.
3. Not pet-friendly
If you let your pets walk in the backyard, do not let these woodchips scatter around your area. This debris harm pets in numerous ways. First, if they eat the woodchips, your pets can acquire oral splinters that are very wounding. These could cause problems like gum injuries that could lead to severe infections. Moreover, toxic woodchips are too sharp and cause indigestion that harms the digestive tract.
4. Fire-hazard
Any type of wood is fire-prone – may it be wood shavings or tree trunks. When you leave wood shavings unattended, you could risk your area if a fire comes along. The woodchip’s combustion rate could vary depending on its type (e.g., coarse, fine, rubber, etc.)
Easiest Way to Clean up Stump Grindings: Detailed steps to a hazard-free space!
Now that you have eliminated the tree and the stump, it is time to clean up the stump grindings. It would be best to clean up the mess and particles left by your woodchip grindings for whatever purpose you need the space for.
Step 1: Prepare the needed materials.
As stated above, woodchips can contain hazardous content that could harm you and your surroundings. It is always better to use the appropriate materials to be safe and away from danger. If you do not use these materials, you can be prone to wounds, splinters, and even allergies that we can avoid.
To start, you need your personal protective equipment to wear before doing the method. Use a pair of gloves, boots, and goggles to avoid specks going to your eyes. For the cleaning proper, you will use a shovel and rake and a wheelbarrow or garbage trolley. For filling up the hole, you should prepare the soil, or dirt and seeds.
Step 2: Clean up the area
Stump grindings are a great way to invite creepy crawlies such as centipedes. That’s why you need to clean every stump grindings you can see from the tree stump to prevent these small creatures out of your bed. Before any cleaning is done, you should wear the appropriate gear to avoid injuries and accidents. Now, as you are ready to face the grindings, use the rake to pile up the stump grindings in one place. Use the shovel to transfer them to your wheelbarrow or garbage trolley while they are in one place and easier to collect. Then, repeat the steps until the last wood chip is cleaned up.
Step 3: Refill the hole
Stump grinding leaves a hole where the stump was once placed. Although it may not be as deep, you should refill it to flatten the surface of your area. To do that, you must prepare your topsoil or dirt, which you can use to fill up the hole. Generously fill and compact the soil onto the spot to make it sturdy, especially for stepping.
Step 4: Make it green!
Now that you have a flat surface, you might want to make that brown surface green again. Place some grass seeds on top of the area to grow and match the surrounding grass. Then, water it thoroughly, and you are done! If you wish to put something on top and not grow grass, you can skip this step.
Conclusion
Some people hire professionals to remove stumps and clean their wood stumpings, but a fantastic person like you can do it yourself! Rake, shovel, fill in, and grow – four simple steps can help you make your backyard as good as new. You can plant another tree in another space or furnish your area with some tables and chairs.
No matter how you do it, the most crucial step is to do it safely. Use the proper materials and equipment to remove stump grindings. In this way, you can be a pro while doing it carefully. Moreover, stump grinding is a mess to deal with, but there is always a quick and easy solution to that. Now, you can go get your materials and start cleaning the chips.
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FAQ
Will stumps grow back after grinding them with a stump grinder?
While a stump can grow back because its roots are still intact, a ground stump does not. When you grind the stumps, you also grind the roots so that they will not grow over time.
Will it be easier if I burn the stump grindings?
It is essentially safe to burn stump grindings if done correctly and safely! But first, remember to ask permission from your local authorities before you create a fire.
Do wood chips decompose in soil?
Wood chips that are non-toxic are safe for soil. Decomposition time varies, but it is approximately three to six months.
