Tree Removal
Full removals of dead, storm-damaged or badly sited trees, including tight backyard access and crane jobs.
Learn more →Why bother grinding it out
A stump left in a Cairns yard does not quietly rot away. In this climate it becomes a nest site for termites and a growing medium for fungi within a season, it stays a mowing hazard and a tripping hazard indefinitely, and if it is a species that suckers you will be pulling shoots out of the lawn for years. Cocos palm and umbrella tree stumps in particular will keep trying.
The practical reasons are usually simpler. You want turf across the whole yard, a garden bed where the tree was, a shed pad, a pool, or a driveway widened — and none of that works around a stump and a plate of roots.
How grinding works
A stump grinder is a wheel of carbide teeth that sweeps sideways through the wood, cutting it into chip a few millimetres at a time. The machine is walked in, the area is cleared and checked for services, and the wheel works down through the stump and then out along the buttress roots.
Before anything spins, underground services get located. Cairns blocks — especially the older ones through Manunda, Earlville and Edge Hill — have irrigation, power to sheds, and occasionally water and sewer running closer to the surface than anyone expects. A dial-before-you-dig enquiry covers the network assets; anything the owner has run themselves needs to be pointed out.
Machine size is chosen for the access, not the stump. A big self-propelled grinder makes short work of a raintree stump on an open Edmonton block. A narrow-access machine is what gets through a side gate at Redlynch. Where neither fits, the job changes shape and the quote should say so.
Depth is a decision, not a default
Tell the contractor what is going over the top. Turf needs 150 to 200mm below grade. A garden bed needs 300mm or more of workable soil. A slab or a footing needs the structural roots out, not just the stump face, and that is excavation as much as grinding. A quote that does not ask this question is guessing.
The same goes for the spoil. Grindings are acidic, they lock up nitrogen as they break down, and they subside as they rot — so a hole backfilled with chip will sink over the following wet season. Fine under lawn edges, no good under a paver.
Where it fits with the rest of the job
Grinding is cheapest when it happens in the same visit as the tree removal, because the gear is already on site and the stump is freshly cut and easy to read. Booking a grinder back separately means a second mobilisation, which is a real cost on a job at Palm Cove or out at Gordonvale.
Palm stumps are a different animal — fibrous rather than woody, and they blunt teeth fast. That is covered on the palm removal page. For an idea of what changes the price, see the cost guide, and if the tree is still standing and you have not decided yet, the lopping and pruning page covers the alternative.
More services
Explore our other services
Tree Lopping & Pruning
Crown thinning, deadwooding and clearance pruning — sail area cut back before the cyclone season starts.
Learn more →Palm Tree Removal
Cocos, coconut and foxtail palms cleaned up, de-nutted or taken out entirely.
Learn more →Emergency & Storm Damage
Trees down on roofs, driveways and fences after a blow — made safe first, tidied up after.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How deep does a stump get ground?
For turf, around 150 to 200mm below the surrounding surface is enough — grass roots do not need more. For a garden bed, 300mm or deeper so new plants have soil. If a slab, shed or driveway is going over the spot, the stump and the major structural roots need to come out properly, which is a bigger job and worth saying up front.
Will the roots grow back after grinding?
Not for most species, because the stump has no leaves left to feed itself. Some do resprout from lateral roots — umbrella tree, African tulip and camphor laurel are the usual offenders, and cocos palms can throw suckers. Where that is likely we will tell you, and a follow-up treatment or a deeper grind is the answer.
What happens to the grindings?
Grinding produces a surprising volume of wood chip and soil, roughly two to three times the visible stump. The default is to backfill the hole with it and rake off the excess. Fresh grindings are not good planting medium, so if you are turfing or planting straight away it is better to cart the chip off and top up with clean soil.
Can a grinder get into a fenced backyard?
Usually. Narrow-access machines fit through a gate around 750 to 900mm wide, which covers most Cairns side gates. Where nothing fits — a courtyard behind a townhouse, a deck with no side access — the alternatives are removing a fence panel, hand excavation or chemical treatment over a longer period.
Free, no-obligation