Lawns and Trees can Coexist

Lawns & Trees Can Coexist!
by Larry Ryan, President, Ryan Lawn & Tree

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~	Gardening in the Shade
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~	Changing the pH of Your Soil
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In older neighborhoods, residents complain about not being able to grow grass because of the shade caused by their large trees. As much as we love shade for the summer cooling, occasionally gardeners anguish over the fact that shade can make it difficult to have a lawn. How can we get grass to grow in the shade? Let’s look at some facts about grass. Did you know:

Grass prefers full sun. At the best, we can say grass tolerates shade to different degrees depending on the type of grass. Fescue tolerates shade the most, followed by bluegrass,
zoysia, then Bermuda grass. (There are some exceptions to these tolerance guidelines).
Grass will out compete tree roots for nutrients in the soil.
Grass is so competitive, it can slow the growth of new trees.
Only when trees get big enough to cast dense shade, do they win the battle with turf.
Grass and trees both do better when separated.

A problem in designing landscapes is most of us look at the landscape as a still picture. We fail to visualize trees getting bigger each year. I regularly have people tell me, “I don’t know what is wrong with my lawn. It has never been a problem before”. Given enough time, slow gradual changes become very significant.

To deal with the problem of shade, learn to work with it. Think about these suggestions:

Do not grow grass up to the trunk of trees. Mulch around the trunk. Increase the size of
the mulched bed as the tree grows.
Plant ground cover such as English ivy in the mulch. Many ground covers both tolerate
and actually enjoy shade.
Think of your lawn as a meadow. Plant trees and shrubs around, not across the meadow. Meadows are usually surrounded by trees in nature. Imitate this design concept.
Raise lower limbs on trees to allow morning and evening light to get below.
You can thin certain types of trees to allow more light to get through the branches.
Use shade tolerant plants under trees where the light levels are too low for grass.
In the shade, grass needs less, not more fertilizer.

Final Tip: when you plant a new tree, keep a three foot circle around the base of the tree either bare or mulched. Do not allow grass to grow up to the trunk of this tree. The tree will grow about 50% more each year if you keep grass away from the trunk, than if you allow grass to grow up to the trunk. This rule of thumb is true for about the first five years after a new tree is planted. This also tells us how competitive grass is.