lawn problem around a tree
 

I just replanted sod around the mulberry tree in front of my house. The
grass around the tree has been struggling, competing nutrient with the
tree. I have bermuda grass and the shade of the tree makes the
situation worse. I am wondering what I can do to keep both the tree and
lawn happy. I believe I have watered and fertilized the lawn
sufficiently. Thanks for suggestions.

Jay

wrote in message
oups.com...
I just replanted sod around the mulberry tree in front of my house. The
grass around the tree has been struggling, competing nutrient with the
tree. I have bermuda grass and the shade of the tree makes the
situation worse. I am wondering what I can do to keep both the tree and
lawn happy. I believe I have watered and fertilized the lawn
sufficiently. Thanks for suggestions.



I have tree rings filled with mulch around *all* my trees.
Maybe some flowers, too?


--
Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

In article .com,
wrote:

I just replanted sod around the mulberry tree in front of my house. The
grass around the tree has been struggling, competing nutrient with the
tree. I have bermuda grass and the shade of the tree makes the
situation worse. I am wondering what I can do to keep both the tree and
lawn happy. I believe I have watered and fertilized the lawn
sufficiently. Thanks for suggestions.

Jay

It's not that its competing for nutrients; regular turf needs full sun.
Shade-tolerant groundcovers are the best option for under trees, but if
you must have grass: 1) Select a fescue seed mix that states that it is
shade tolerant; 2) don't expect even the alleged shade-tolerant mixes to
ever be thick dense turf in the manner of bluegrass in full sun, but a
thinly green surface can be achieved; 3) never cut the shaded grass very
short as it needs more length to keep itself healthy in imperfect
conditions; 4) prune nearby shrubs & if possible thin the tree to let SOME
light in. If this fails, plant something like Vinca minora, dwarf English
ivy, creeping partridge berry, or if its moist enough, Soleirolia baby
tears which can give the general impression of a mowed lawn if you're not
too close.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden
people maintaining a free civil government." -Thomas Jefferson

About one fifth of the lawn is affected by the tree and it is a too big
area to be covered by mulch. I will look ugly.

If I spead fescue seed over existing bermuda grass, will fescue and
bermuda together look good?

Jay

you could remove some of the lower limbs to get more sunlight and try
st augustine as it's more shade tolerant than is bermuda. if you're up
north, forget the st. augustine.

On 1 Apr 2005 14:18:45 -0800, wrote:

About one fifth of the lawn is affected by the tree and it is a too big
area to be covered by mulch. I will look ugly.

If I spead fescue seed over existing bermuda grass, will fescue and
bermuda together look good?

Jay

On 4/1/05 1:36 PM, in article 9hi3e.2899$pU5.2520@trnddc06, "Travis"
wrote:

wrote:
I just replanted sod around the mulberry tree in front of my house.
The grass around the tree has been struggling, competing nutrient
with the tree. I have bermuda grass and the shade of the tree makes
the situation worse. I am wondering what I can do to keep both the
tree and lawn happy. I believe I have watered and fertilized the
lawn sufficiently. Thanks for suggestions.

Jay

The grass can't grow in shade.
I agree that grass needs the sun to survive and do well. It is very simple,
no sun=no grass in spite of fertilizing and watering. I know as I tried to
grow grass in a very shaded area. I would bring in grass sod from other
areas of my yard, plant it and it would look good for a very short time then
turn brown. I tried this over several years with no long term success.
Gary

First off, decreased sunlight under the tree canopy is usually a problem.
In addition, there is usually less rainfall that gets to the area beneath
the canopy. You can try a shady grass mix and supplement water for the area
under the tree canopy. But as a lazy, don't-care-about-grass person, I'd
say you're best bet is to use a couple inches of shredded mulch in the area
and be done with it. Also, when growing grass beneath trees, the grass gets
first dibs at the water and nutrients, which means a less vigorous root
system for the tree.




wrote in message
oups.com...
I just replanted sod around the mulberry tree in front of my house. The
grass around the tree has been struggling, competing nutrient with the
tree. I have bermuda grass and the shade of the tree makes the
situation worse. I am wondering what I can do to keep both the tree and
lawn happy. I believe I have watered and fertilized the lawn
sufficiently. Thanks for suggestions.

Jay