Growing grass under pine trees?
Question:We have a very small lawn with bordering pine trees. Each May/June I plant grass and it comes in fine but by August its alll dead or dying. I put down a lot of lime and also grub control and still all the grass dies by the fall.
Any suugestions to keep the grass from dying each and every year?
Answers:
try a shade mixture of grass seed with some good fertilizer. the combination of shade, sap and high acidity are the silent killers of your grass. Pine and all varieties of pine are naturally acid producers, for they all prosper in acidic soil. Hope this helps
Don't plant it. Thats the only way it will not die. Not sure if it is the shade or the dry conditions, but I have never seen grass prosper under a pine, or even real close to them.
Plant some moss or something that doesn't require sunlight.
I have never seen successful grass being grown under a pine tree. Even those which have had the branches taken off so you see the trunk of the tree tend to have gardens under the tree or nothing at all.
Grass doesn't grow near pine trees, well maybe rye grass. I had a line of them down my drive and my neighbor cut one. It looked horrible so I decide to cut the rest of them. I used a pick axe to get the roots out. I'm crazy like that, I call my Mantis tiller my husband! I don't think much will grow there until you remove all the parts of those nasty trees!
You can't. I have several areas like this (pine trees and other trees) and here's what I've done:
1. Perennial ground covers such as ajuga and vinca. They don't need sun, they don't mind pine needles, and they cover the area nicely.
2. "Monkey grass". Some types do very well in shade and poor soil.
2. A rock garden. You can add shade plants in pots to this garden.
Getting grass to grow in such an area may require more time and expense than it's worth (as you've found out). Whatever you choose (except the rock garden) the soil needs to be amended with manure or compost.
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