Stump grinding in South Birmingham

A lot of the stumps in South Birmingham are the leftovers of earlier jobs: a conifer row cut down in Hall Green or Northfield, a sycamore felled at the end of a Kings Heath garden, a cherry that died in a Bournville front garden. Most are easy to grind. The questions are how the machine gets to them, what happens to the chippings, and in Bournville, where the replacement tree goes.

Branch and Bramble doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local tree surgeon who covers B13, B14, B28, B29, B30, B31 and B38, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.

What stump grinding costs in South Birmingham

Prices are by the width of the stump measured across the cut surface.

A single small stump usually comes to £150–£180, because of the minimum charge. The real savings here come from doing several at once. An old leylandii boundary in a Northfield or Kings Norton semi can leave six or more stumps in a line, and four or more stumps cost about 2.5 times the single price, not six times. The stump grinding cost guide has worked examples, including a Harborne stump with a side gate.

What pushes the price up here

• No side access. Kings Heath, Stirchley and Cotteridge terraces often have long, narrow gardens and no gate to the back. If the grinder has to go through the house, or the stump is more than 20 metres from where the van parks, expect around 15% more.
• Steps and slopes. Moseley sits on the valley side of the River Rea, and the council's appraisal describes fairly steep slopes there. Steps without a ramp slow the machine down, so mention them.
• Stony ground. The upper slopes of Moseley are covered in glacial sands and gravels with a pebbly soil. Stones wear the grinder's teeth and slow the job.
• Wide hardwood stumps. An old oak or beech stump with big surface roots takes far longer than a conifer of the same age.
• Several stumps. Two or three cost about 1.8 times one stump; four or more about 2.5 times.
• Keeping the chip. Leaving the grindings to backfill the hole or mulch a border takes about £75 off.

Getting the machine in, and the grindings out

Compact grinders are built to fit through a standard side gate. Measure the narrowest point on the route, including any shared entry between terraced houses, and put it in your enquiry with a photo.

Ask what happens to the grindings, because there are few easy ways to get rid of them yourself. Birmingham's garden waste collection is suspended. The local tip at Kings Norton, on Lifford Lane, takes wood and green waste, but it's being redeveloped and its operator says vans and trailers aren't allowed during the works. Every visit to a Birmingham tip needs a booking and proof of a Birmingham address, and commercial vehicles aren't allowed in, so a specialist taking the chip away uses a licensed site instead. Many people simply keep it as mulch.

Before the day, tell the specialist about drains, water pipes and cables near the stump. Older houses, like many in Moseley and Selly Park, sometimes have services in unexpected places. Our guide on stump grinding and pipes explains what they check.

Replanting after the stump comes out

In Bournville, if your home is inside the Bournville Village Trust's Scheme of Management, the Trust's 2024 estate design guide says a felled tree must be replaced with a new one. If the stump you want ground is from a recent removal, check with the Trust where the replacement should go before you grind that spot and turf over it. The same guide says new fast-growing hedges such as leylandii and conifers aren't permitted. Grinding out an old conifer hedge and replanting with privet, beech, holly or yew fits what the Trust wants to see.

Where a protected tree was removed with consent, the council may have made a replacement tree a condition. Check the decision notice before the stump is ground.

Stumps on the verge outside are a different matter. The council is responsible for trees on its land, and its 2016 guide to protected trees says trees on road verges are maintained on its behalf. A stump left in the pavement or verge is for the council to deal with. Report it on the council's online tree form rather than paying to have it ground.

What the job involves

1. Route and services. The specialist checks the access width, the steps, and where any pipes or cables run.
2. Cutting low. A tall stump is chainsawed close to the ground first.
3. Grinding. The wheel is swept across the stump, working 15–30cm below the surface and out along the main surface roots, with screens up to protect windows and the neighbours' fences.
4. Backfilling. The hole is filled with the chip and soil mix and raked level. Any extra chip is bagged and taken away, or left for you.

If the tree is still standing, it's cheaper to grind the stump at the same visit as the tree removal. If you're building over the spot, full stump removal may suit better.