IUnFSU – posted 09 October 2002 20:02
I live in SouthBend Indiana and I have 2 40+ foot pine trees in the middle of my back yard. We had to cut them from the bottom up around 8 foot high because our septic line ran under one of them and it needed to be replaced. For the last 2 years we have had these ugly empty, bare spots under them. I have tried everything and we just can’t get the grass to stay after it grows. I am fed up! Please, if you have any suggestions please let me know. I think they pine trees are some type of blue sprue maybe….Thanks in advance, The Irelands
Will-PCB – posted 09 October 2002 22:20
No super easy answer to that question.
Depends on alot of factors, some of which are:
-Grass type-Amount of shade-Soil PH-Water competition-Mowing height
I am sure there are others, but I am not as versed on the subject as some of the other forum regulars, but here is what I did.
I have successfully grown my St. Augustine under both Pine trees and Maple trees, but I had to adjust the PH, limb the trees from the bottom to increase sunlight, and in the case of the Pine tree, I took an axe and cut some of the roots surrounding the tree.
Here in NW Florida, most of our Pines have a deep tap root, so cutting around the tree did not seem to harm the tree, but yet helped the grass compete for water.
weekend gardner – posted 11 May 2004 12:19
I reseeded my lawn last fall and the grass grew every where except under my pine tree. I went online and everything said to use lime, so at the end of fall i went out and got a thirty pound bag and put at the base of the tree, about a month ago i reseeded the area under the pine tree, and low and behold, i got grass under my pine tree. It’s a little thin but it’s a start. I just went out and got another bag of lime and i’m getting ready to pile it on the tree tonight.(Boston Mass)
graves3344 – posted 21 December 2006 20:42
southern type pines drop needles all year long, and discharge high amounts of acid under the tree an surrounding area. so i usually put in planting beds in these areas and put in plants that do well in high acidic soil. such as azaleas, etc… you will work yourself to death to keep the needles picked up, and adding chemicals to keep the ph @ the right level. next time your in the woods notice what is growing under pine tree’s(nothing)but the needles make a pretty ground cover.
green in atlanta – posted 15 January 2007 08:57
give up, and make it a pine straw bed. Like someone else suggested, you could plant some azaleas in the area. With the grass, it will be a never-ending struggle.