Stump Grinding Tips: How to Protect Your Plants
Stump grinding is a fast way to remove an old tree stump after the rest of the tree has come down. Stump grinders cut into the stump and break it into chips.
While this makes short work of the stump, it isn't a contained process. The grinder is a monster machine that chews up and spits out wood. The debris that the machine creates can fly all over your garden.
If you have a small garden or if your stump is close to your plants, then this debris can cause some damage. Flying chips come out with some velocity. If the chips hit small plants, the plants may not survive the onslaught.
How can you protect your plants during the stump grinding process?
Cover Favourite Plants
If you've spent a lot of time growing plants, then you don't want to lose them or see them damaged. The easiest way to protect them is to cover them so the chips can't hit them.
For example, if you have some small fragile plants, then you could cover each one with a plant pot. Make sure that the pot is big enough to go over the plant without squashing it. Push the pot gently into the ground so that it won't just fall over if it is hit by chips.
If you have larger plants or have a lot of small plants to deal with, then you can also screen them off. If you have some spare mesh sheets, then you could prop these over the plants. If you're using mesh, make sure it is tightly woven and doesn't have holes big enough to let debris through.
Or, you can set up a tarp as a screen in front of the plants. The tarp should deflect some of the power of the chips, keeping the plants protected.
Remove Favourite Plants
If you don't have anything to cover your plants or worry that a cover won't be enough to keep them safe, then you can transplant them temporarily. It only takes an hour or so to grind out most stumps, so they won't be out of the ground for long.
So, carefully dig up your plants, keeping the roots intact. You can either put them in a planter or lay them in a cool place on a tray with a little water in it until you can replant them.
For more tips, talk to your stump removal contractor. They may have other ways to protect your plants.
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