Had tree stump ground down, how to fill in hole?

[Bill]

I have a big hole where my tree stump used to be.

Is it as easy as adding topsoil, then some grass seed?

Or there there some tips?

[pipedown]

If you leave any wood, roots or grindings in the hole as fill, the hole will sag when it decomposes and you will get some really nice mushrooms in that spot. It could take 1-3 years for this to become evident.

Clean the hole out, fill with a little soil, pack, fill a little more, pack some more until it is level. Water it in and add more soil if necessary. If it was a big tree, there will still be roots deeper down and you still may get sag later. Just don't build a spa or something that needs to be stable without improving the spot.

[Robert Allison]

Add some dirt to the hole, tamp it down. Add some more dirt, tamp it down, repeat until you have a mound over the stump about a foot higher than the surrounding soil. It will be flat after six months.

[Toller]

I like to plant trees there.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You can have some rock and stones in the lower levels too. You only need topsoil on the top. It can be clay on the bottom.

[Phisherman]

That's about right. There is a best time to plant grass seed for your particular location so you may need to overseed at that time. Use a starter fertilizer, protect with straw, keep moist.

[Hair Pie]

A BIG bandaid

[Jim Redelfs]

The lot upon which my home was built (1991) had many mature trees removed and their stumps ground down to below surface level.

Yes.

However, you should be prepared for a "lifetime" of sinking ground and topping-off with soil and re-seeding as the remnants of the tree rot away below grade. My back yard is pocked with holes that can "never" be permanently filled. It's an ongoing process. Good luck!

[Treelady]

What happened to the tree- In the sense of was the tree dead, if so did it die naturally of old age, or was it diseased?

[Red]

Huh?? What happened to the material that came out of the hole? Mix the soil with the tree chips and refill the hole - it'll make good compost.

Red

[dpb]

Not necessarily -- walnut, for example, is quite nasty chemically for growing much of anything else. Many other species have their own characteristics that are less than desirable as compost material--the high tannic acid content of oak, for another example.

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[Norminn]

Not a good idea. If someone wants to use wood chips for building soil,it's better in a compost heap or as mulch. When it decays, if left in the hole, then there will be voids or a depression. I would get a load of fill soil, depending on how large the hole, finish off with about 6" topsoil, plant grass seed or sod.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

And once it decays, you can fill it again, correctly this time. That wood will continue to rot for a long time.

Be sure, also, that the stump is gone for a good distance down. About 12 or more years ago I had to take down a tree that was dying. It had about a 12" diameter trunk. We cut it down OK, then took the stump down about 8 inches and filled the hole. The stump eventually rotted out the rest of the way. What I did not realize at the time was that the builder had filled the land a bit around the tree at least a foot or two. My wife happened to step on the slight depression and almost her entire let went into the hole. Fortunately, my SIL and grandson were there to help her out. It took many years for it to do that, but it left a void. I've since filled it in with some stone, clay, then topsoil and it has been ok, just a minor 2" depression about a year later from the final settling.