Do you offer stump grinding in Hempstead, TX?
Yes. Sticks Tree Service grinds stumps in Hempstead yards, around farmhouses and barns, and in mowed fields and pasture edges. Trey Lamar’s crew brings a grinder up from Cypress, takes each stump down below the soil line and leaves the hole filled with the grindings. One stump or a field full of them, call 281-373-1472 to set a time.
Why Hempstead stumps pile up
Land around the Waller County seat has been farmed and ranched for a long time, and the Waller County Extension office describes fertile farms and wide ranches along the Brazos valley. Over the years, trees get cut for a new barn, a wider drive, a fence repair or after a storm, and the stumps stay put. Many owners do not think about them again until one breaks a mower deck, trips a horse, or sends up a thicket of sprouts every spring.
Grinding solves all three. The grinder’s toothed wheel cuts the stump into chips down below grade, so a mower passes over the spot and new growth from the stump top is gone.
Where Hempstead owners grind and where they leave them
- Grind: lawns, the yard around the house, mowed fields, along drives, inside horse pens, and anywhere a building, slab or fence will go
- Often left: stumps deep in unmowed pasture or in the woods along a creek, cut as low as possible
The walk-through is the time to point out which is which so the quote only covers the stumps you care about.
How a stump is ground
- Find the buried hazards. Before grinding, the owner points out water lines to troughs, wells, septic lines and buried wire. Calling 811 before digging work is the standard first step for buried utilities.
- Clear the stump. Rocks, fence wire and metal around the base are removed so they do not hit the wheel.
- Grind below grade. The wheel is swept back and forth across the stump and its top roots until the wood is below the soil.
- Fill the hole. Grindings are raked back into the hole and mounded a little, since they settle as they break down.
- Tidy the spot. Extra chips can be spread as mulch, left in a pile, or hauled.
Grinding on soft or clay ground
Texas Parks and Wildlife describes the post oak region west of the Piney Woods as having a dense clay pan a few feet down, with clay soils in bottomlands. Ground like that holds water. A grinder is a heavy machine, so after a long rain the crew may ask to wait a few days before crossing a field to reach a stump.
Are there rules on grinding stumps in Hempstead?
No Hempstead rule specific to stumps was found for this page, and no city tree ordinance was confirmed. For a stump near a street, sidewalk or utility easement, check with the city first. The buried-line check above matters more than anything else on a grinding job.
What goes into the quote?
The width of each stump at ground level, how many there are, how far apart they sit on the property, how far the grinder must travel from the trailer, roots above the ground, rocks or metal in the stump, and whether grindings stay or are hauled.
Around Hempstead
- Liendo Plantation, tied to Camp Groce and to sculptor Elisabet Ney.
- The Watermelon Festival, each July, honoring the crop Hempstead once shipped more of than anywhere else.
- The Highway 290 crossing of the Brazos River, west of town, where the road enters Washington County.
More from Sticks in Hempstead
See tree service in Hempstead, TX for everything Sticks does here. Taking a tree down first? Read tree removal in Hempstead. Keeping one? See tree trimming in Hempstead. The Cypress page is stump grinding in Cypress, TX. Sticks Tree Service Inc, 14120 Cypress North Houston Rd, Cypress, TX 77429.
Sources
- City of Hempstead: About
- Waller County Extension
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Post Oak Savannah
- AARoads: Highway 290 through Waller and Washington counties
- Texas 811
Frequently asked questions
How deep does the grinder go?
Below the soil line, deep enough for mowing and grass. For a building pad or fence post hole right on the spot, say so and the crew will go deeper.
Can old stumps in a hay field be ground?
Yes, as long as the grinder can reach them on firm ground. Mark them with flags or stakes so none are missed in tall grass.
Will grinding stop a stump from sprouting?
Grinding below grade removes the top of the stump where most sprouts start. A few root sprouts can still show up and are mowed off.
What is done with the grindings?
They fill the hole, and any extra can be left as mulch, piled for later use, or hauled away.
Do I need to mark my water lines to the troughs?
Yes. Private lines to troughs, barns and wells are not marked by 811, so show the crew where they run.
Can the stump be ground the same day the tree is removed?
Often, yes, when the grinder comes along on the removal day. Ask for it when setting up the job.