Stump grinding vs stump removal, and how to remove a stump yourself

Published 24 September 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

What's the difference?

Stump grinding

A stump grinder is a spinning wheel with hardened teeth. It works across the stump a few centimetres at a time until the stump is below ground level, leaving a mound of chips and soil. Milone's Tree Solutions, a Melbourne and regional Victorian tree service, says the grinder takes the stump down to "approximately 15 to 30 cm below the surface" and the roots are left to decompose. Compact machines fit through many side gates, which matters on older Bendigo blocks with one narrow path to the back.

Full stump removal

Removal means digging out or pulling the stump and its main roots, usually with an excavator. It leaves a much bigger hole and a lot of soil disturbance, and it needs machine access. The same Victorian guide says it "typically costs 40 to 70% more than grinding".

Which one do you need?

It comes down to what goes in that spot next:

• Lawn. Grinding. Ask for the hole to be topped up with soil, because the grindings settle as they rot.
• A garden bed. Grinding, deeper, with the main surface roots chased out so you can dig.
• A new tree. Grinding, and plant a little to one side of the old stump rather than in the middle of the chips.
• A slab, shed, driveway or extension. Talk about full removal. Roots rotting under a slab can leave hollows, so your builder or engineer may want them out.

If a gum keeps shooting from the stump or roots after it's cut down, grinding below ground level usually deals with it; keep cutting off any shoots that do appear.

What it costs

We couldn't find a Bendigo tree business that publishes stump grinding prices. The nearest published figures come from a Victorian tree service's cost guide:

Published stump grinding prices, Victoria

Average costs published by Milone's Tree Solutions in its cost guide (updated 20 July 2026), checked 27 September 2026 and again on 12 October 2026. It doesn't say whether GST is included. The same guide gives no dollar price for full removal, only that it "typically costs 40 to 70% more than grinding".

Size is the big one, then access, rocky ground, how deep you want it and whether the grindings go. The stump grinding cost guide covers each, and the stump cost calculator works out the published band for your stumps. If a tree is coming down anyway, ask for grinding as a separate line on the tree removal quote: Bendigo's one published removal price list stops at a low stump.

How to remove a tree stump yourself

For a small stump with good access, DIY is realistic. For a big gum stump, it's a lot of work for little saving. The options:

Dig it out

Dig a trench around the stump, cut the roots with a pruning saw or axe as you expose them, then lever the stump out. Fine for a shrub or a small ornamental; hard going on a large stump in Bendigo's clay and stony ground. Check for pipes and cables first (see below).

Hire a grinder

Hire shops rent walk-behind stump grinders. Milone's lists hire at "around $150 to $300 per day" and warns that "without proper training, the risk of injury is real". The machines throw chips and stones hard, so you need eye, ear and leg protection and a clear area. For one or two stumps, compare that day's hire, plus your time and the trailer, with a grinding quote.

Rot it down

Stump-rotting products speed up decay, but slowly. Milone's says products containing potassium nitrate take "four to six weeks", still leave the stump to be dug out, and "can also leach into the surrounding soil and damage nearby plants". Follow the product label exactly.

Don't burn it

Burning a stump out is slow and smoulders underground along the roots. In Greater Bendigo it's also off the table on a suburban block: council says burning household or garden waste is "banned, year round", with a $200 on-the-spot fine, and any burn-off to reduce fuel needs a council permit outside the Fire Danger Period on properties under one hectare, or a Fire Services Victoria permit during it.

Taking it to the tip isn't simple either. Council's free domestic green waste at the Eaglehawk Landfill must be clean, and a load with tree stumps or "branches > 200mm thick" is charged as waste.

Before anyone grinds or digs

• Mark pipes, irrigation and cables you know about, and check underground services with Before You Dig Australia
• Measure the stump across its widest point and the narrowest gate or path on the way in
• Decide what's going there next: lawn, garden, a tree or a slab
• Say whether the grindings should be raked back, spread on the garden or taken away

Questions about stump grinding vs removal