How can I grow grass under my Maple tree? Lawn Snob.?
Question:I have a nice lawn other than 8 or so 1 sqsft bare spots under my maple in my front yard. I have heard that a maple will suck all the juice out of the yard with the root system. I have tried aerating and overseeding with a sun/shade mix but nothing wants to grow.
Answers:
Maples are shallow rooted and as you say, suck up a lot of surface water. Some drip sap that also inhibits grass. Adding a few inches of soil is a temporary fix until the roots grow into it again. The only good option would be to use a vining ground cover that can be planted outside the drip line and encouraged to grow toward the trunk. RScott
I have a similar area under my sycamore tree. I enriched the soil with manure and am adding hosta, vinca, monkey grass and landscaping boulders. I have found that grass, even if it's supposed to be shade grass, just doesn't grow under trees. Good luck!
You might as well plan on doing some landscaping with shade plants because those 8 spots are going to become 1 big spot. There is just not enough sun for grass most likely.
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