Chartham sits three miles southwest of Canterbury in the Great Stour valley, a green ribbon of orchards, period cottages, and riverside paddocks running up to the woodland edge at Chartham Hatch. Many of the gardens here back onto former commercial orchards, so the stumps we grind most often are old apple, cherry, pear, and plum — the legacy of decades of Kent fruit-growing. Add in the willows along the Stour and the oak and ash on the higher ground around the Hatch, and Chartham gives us a wider species mix than the typical suburban garden. We cover the village centre, the Shalmsford Street side, and the lanes out towards Mystole and Chilham.
How much does stump grinding cost in Chartham?
Stump grinding in Chartham typically costs between £100 and £300 per stump, with most single residential jobs landing around £150. Pricing works out at roughly £2 to £3 per inch of stump diameter measured at ground level, with a minimum call-out of £80 to £150.
Fruit tree stumps tend to fall at the lower end. An old apple or cherry stump 12 to 18 inches across is usually £100 to £140. Where you have several stumps from an orchard clearance, the second and subsequent stumps are typically 35% cheaper because the machine is already on site. Free, no-obligation quotes — the figure we give is the figure you pay.
What does the stump grinding process involve?
Stump grinding uses a machine with a rotating cutting disc and carbide-tipped teeth that chip wood into small pieces. We grind 150 to 300mm below ground level, removing the stump and the top of the root crown. The remaining roots decay naturally underground over 5 to 10 years.
On a typical Chartham job we assess the stump and surroundings, set up ground protection across lawn or gravel, grind the stump down, then either backfill with the chips or bag them up. The whole sequence on a single fruit tree stump usually takes under 30 minutes from arrival to a swept-clean finish.
How long does stump grinding take?
Most residential stumps are ground in 15 to 60 minutes per stump. Hardwood like oak takes up to 2 hours; soft wood like apple, cherry, or willow is faster. A typical Chartham garden job with one fruit tree stump takes under 30 minutes including setup and cleanup.
For an old orchard clearance with six to ten apple stumps, plan on roughly half a day on site. Riverside willow stumps near the Stour can be deceptively quick to grind but the wet ground sometimes needs board protection, which we factor into the quote.
Why shouldn't you leave a tree stump in the ground?
Three main reasons: tree stumps are trip hazards in lawns and near paths, they attract pests and fungi like honey fungus and wood-boring beetles, and species such as willow and sycamore regrow vigorously from a cut stump. Old fruit tree stumps in Chartham gardens are a known host for honey fungus, which spreads through soil to nearby ornamentals. Read the full answer on why remove a tree stump.
Which trees are most common in Chartham gardens?
The five most common species we grind in Chartham are apple, cherry, oak, willow, and ash. Apple and cherry dominate, reflecting the village's orchard heritage along the Great Stour. Willow lines the river corridor, while oak and ash sit on the higher ground around Chartham Hatch and the lanes towards Chilham.
Each species behaves differently under the grinder. Apple and cherry are soft and quick, often finished in 20 to 30 minutes. Willow grinds fast but the roots run wide and shallow — worth knowing if you plan to relay turf afterwards. Oak is the slowest and most expensive species we handle in the area.
What happens to the wood chips after grinding?
You have two options: backfill the hole with the resulting chips as a slow-release mulch, or have us bag and remove them. A typical 18-inch stump produces roughly 60 to 100 litres of chips, and a larger 30-inch oak can produce 250 litres or more.
Most Chartham customers ask us to backfill. The chips settle within a few weeks and break down within 12 to 18 months, leaving usable soil for turf, planting, or a new patio base. If you would rather start with clean topsoil, we bag the chips and take them away as part of the price — no extra charge.
