On Apr 3, 5:59*am, "brooklyn1" wrote:
"Freckles" wrote:
I have three oak trees and I cannot get grass to grow under them. I know
St
Augustine will grow in the shade, but can anyone recommend a grass that
will
grow from seeds in a shaded area?

You have more than a shade issue. *Oak trees turn the soil beneath extremely
acetic, making it very difficult if not impossible to grow lawn grass
successfully. *Sometimes liming with shallow tilling can help but usually
not, and can more likely damage your trees. *I don't know where you're
located so I can't give you detailed recommendations, perhaps you can get
more help by accessing:http://www.scotts.com/smg/

I agree it's more than just a shade issue, but it's got nothing to do
with soil acidity. Plants do not make soil acidic - acid soils occur
as a result of the mineral content and amount of rainfall. As Victoria
notes, much of Texas has chalky, limestone based soils and relatively
low rainfall, ergo many Texas soils are more alkaline than acidic.

Large trees like oaks do not encourage much in the way of undergrowth
and certainly not lawns. This is because they have large, expansive
root systems that outcompete smaller plants for both moisture and
nutrients. And you don't EVER want to till in the root zone of an
established tree - that is a recipe for disaster! Look for a dry
shade tolerant groundcover for this area. Anything will need some help
getting established by means of regular watering intitially and
possibly some supplemental fertilization. But you will fight a losing
battle trying to get any kind of lawn to thrive in this area.