Dead grass redux - Page 2

 

On Feb 14, 3:53 pm, test...@deadiguana.net wrote:

Very nice post it was very helpful!

 

testing@deadiguana.net wrote:
 

I'm in the same zone as you, probably 100 or 150 miles to your east.


Put down a layer of good black soil under the tree.  Not the shit they
call compost or peat moss.  1 or 2 inches is all you need.  Mix in some
24-24-24 lawn-starter fertilizer.

If you want instant grass - buy some sod and lay it down.  If you seed,
you want a deep-shade grass seed (Supranova Poa Supina / Supranova
Supina Bluegrass).

Soil and roots WILL NOT BE your problem (unless you have clay soil).  It
will be the shade.  What is the diameter of the tree trunk?  Can you
walk under the tree when it's fully leafed-out in the summer without
hitting your head on leaves or branches?

 


Bingo.  Exactly the problem I described in the other post.   Some
species of trees, some maples in particular, have these thin, dense
roots that stay close to the surface.  The Norway maple is well know
for this problem and is a big planting mistake for areas where you
want to grow grass.   The roots are dense enough that a slit seeder
will not cut them, only bounce around and run over the top of them and
NOT penetrate the soil.  I have a maple here in my yard and have been
through this experience.  I don't know of any grass solution that will
work, because you have a dense root system at the surface that crowds
out any grass and sucks up the water and nutrients.




Go ahead and try that approach.  Been there, done that.   Bluegrass
may be an even worse choice because it has higher nitrogen
requirements than other grasses.   So, to try to make it grow, you'll
be applying fertilizer.   Guess what else wants that fertilizer and
other nutrients?   Those pesky thin, dense, tree roots from your
Maple.   So, they will start extending up into that nice new topsoil
too.  And in a year or two, you'll be back where you started.

 

trader4@optonline.net wrote:


He's already trying to grow grass under a tree.  Don't you think the
tree will already be depleting the soil anyways?

Anyone who wants a thick, healthly lawn will already be applying
fertilizer.  Your argument is a red herring.  His problem will a
reduction in sunlight starting in mid-june until fall.  You put any
other type of grass there and it will thin out quickly.


So what's wrong with fertilizing your trees?


Unlikely.  I've got several large maples (silver and sugar) and the only
surface roots I see are large and woody and would easily be burried for
years if I covered them with an inch or two of topsoil.  It's the
cotton-woods and locusts that grow agressive surface roots much faster
that are more troublesome.

 

Lawn Guy said:


Do you think that trees have the same fertilizer requirements as turfgrass?


And you'd shorten the trees lifespan, in the process. Those roots are there, at
that depth, for a reason. That's where the water, nutrients, and more
importantly, oxygen is located. If you bury the roots deeper, you'll deprive the
tree for many years of one or more of those things. Please don't profess to know
about trees, their growth habits, and their nutrient requirements. You obviously
have little to no training in the subject.

<rest of drivel snipped>

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Eggs

Can I yell MOVIE in a crowded firehouse?