Get matched with top brush chipping pros in Greentop, MO

Wood is a very versatile material, so you can either compost it, use it for firewood, turn it into wood chips, or save it for future projects. If you don’t want excess wood cluttering your garage or workspace, you can call local community centers or schools to see if they have a need for it.

This depends on how many leaves there are. Mowing over dry and crisp leaves with a bagging attachment saves most homeowners a lot of time. If you have a smaller lawn and few leaves to mulch, you can put the leaves into a stand-alone mulcher resembling a wood chipper and collect the mulch from a hopper. This prevents having to do multiple passes with a mower.

In general, you can prune up to one third of the height of most shrubs without damaging them. There are a few exceptions to this rule: Pine shrubs, for example, can’t be trimmed below the point of new growth without damaging them.

The most common alternative is burning the stump first, then dealing with the cinders and ashes. As you can imagine, this option creates fire hazards, especially since roots can burn underground, hidden, for long afterward. That’s why many states and cities have outlawed the use of stump burning entirely. We do not recommend this option as a viable alternative unless you get a permit from the local fire department and practice all safe burning procedures.

Others prefer a more long-term DIY approach of degrading the stump with home mixtures like Epsom salt and vinegar injected directly into it. This may help the stump decay faster, allowing homeowners to dig it out themselves, but it’s still a lengthy process. It usually takes months for a stump to start falling apart with such treatments, and in the meantime, it can be vulnerable to rot, insects, and other problems.