---
title: "What Is Stump grindings? Stump Grinding Glossary"
description: "Stump grindings are the mix of wood chips and soil left in the hole after a stump is ground, also called shavings, and they affect what grows there."
url: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/stump-grindings
publisher: Cincinnati Stump Grinding
phone: +1-513-587-6772
quote: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/contact
---

Soil

# Stump grindings

Stump grindings are the mix of wood chips and soil left in the hole after a stump is ground, also called shavings, and they affect what grows there.

Stump grindings are what the grinder leaves in the hole. Illinois Extension says the grindings from a stump typically get mixed in with the surrounding soil as the blade chews up the stump. The result is a blend of [wood chips](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/wood-chips) and dirt.

This mix is not like good garden soil. Iowa State Extension says the shavings change the structure, moisture-holding capacity and nutrient balance of the soil. Wood that breaks down also uses up nitrogen, a problem called [nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up).

For a new lawn, Illinois Extension recommends hauling off the chipped debris and filling the hole with quality [topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/topsoil). Ask your estimate about removal, since many crews leave the grindings. See [after stump grinding](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/guides/after-stump-grinding).

[From Cincinnati Stump GrindingChip haul-away and topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/services/chip-haul-away-topsoil)

## Related terms

-   [Wood chips](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/wood-chips)
-   [Topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/topsoil)
-   [Nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up)
-   [Backfill](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/backfill)
-   [Soil settling](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/soil-settling)

## Sources

1.  [Illinois Extension, Good Growing: What to do with that tree stump?](https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2025-07-18-what-do-tree-stump-guide-tree-stump-removal)
2.  [Illinois Extension, Good Growing: What to do with that tree stump?](https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2025-07-18-what-do-tree-stump-guide-tree-stump-removal)
3.  [Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden: How to Remove Tree Stumps](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/how-remove-tree-stumps)