Grass has gone- only tree roots now

15 years ago

Part of my front lawn is now only dirt with tree roots extending out. It has made mowing soewhat of an obstacle course. What can I do? Throw mulch down to cover the dirt/roots?

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Comments (3)

yarddoctor
15 years ago
Dear Cindy Abs,

Thank you very much for your inquiry. You can add a small amount of mulch back to the area, but be very careful how much. Growing grass in the shade is very very hard. Is this area suitable to just be a ground cover area? It sounds like the tree has matured to a point where the shade dominates the area. If the ground cover is not an option or not desired, I would like to know more about your current lawn care practices before I make further suggestions. I am assuming you live in Savannah, GA and have St. Augustinegrass. Let me know.

Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more.

Respectfully

Trey Rogers, The Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor, YardDoctor.com
cindyabs
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for your response Trey, and yes, I do live in the Savannah, GA. area.
There is now an almost perfect rectangle around the trees, the grass having disappeared from both sides of the long sides of the rectangle-out about 8 feet from the trees. My lawn care "program" has been nil for the last 10 years due to time and money constraints. The grass is whatever the builders put in here 20 years ago, the land was a forest leading up to a marsh/river. So, I would happily put ground cover in, whatever would be would be good for an area that primarily gets morning sun. I am just tired of the dust bowl effect when I mow.
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Ok, as for soil, you want a soil mix that is more porous, something that when you water, will dry out in 2 days, 3 max, otherwise, your roots will rot. Whitish yellow roots are healthy, but dark yellow is a sign of rot. I would be willing to bet that your root ball there smelled like rot. Watering should only be done when the soil is almost totally dry. My best lesson when it comes to citrus, actually came from an orchid grower that I met at our local botanical garden's Orchid sale. He taught me years ago, to take a bamboo stake and to push it in until it hits the bottom of the pot. He told me to then pull it out, and press it to my cheek. If I felt any moisture, he said DO NOT WATER! He then said if the stake was almost dry(having very little to no moisture, I should water. The exact same rule applies to citrus. What I would do first if I were you, is to replace that soil! You may want to try Al's gritty mix, but if that is too complicates for you to make on your own(I had a real hard time finding all the components to make it.), I would go to a garden center or a greenhouse, and ask them what soil mixes do the sell that are god to grow cactus in, and buy that along with perlite. I would mix perlite with the soil mix at about a 50/50 ratio, and that should be much better for you. Also, make sure the pot your using has good drainage in it, and also make sure it doesn't have one of those saucers on it to collect the water that does come out. Now some will have removable saucers, and that is fine, just take it off. I hope this has helped you and good luck! Andrew
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yarddoctor
15 years ago
Dear Cindyabs,

Thank you very much for your inquiry. Since a ground cover will work for you at this point, I would suggest you go to a local Garden store and pose this same question. They will give you plantings that are much more suited for your area as I would yield to someone more familiar in this area.

Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more.

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Grass has gone- only tree roots now

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cindyabs
Original Author

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Grass has gone- only tree roots now

Comments (3)

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cindyabsOriginal Author

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cindyabs
Original Author