We've got two huge, old oak trees in our back yard. They're reeeeally tall and shade almost the entire half acre of our fenced in back yard. Both have a lot of thick exposed roots near the bases that disappear about 6-8 feet out. Around this entire circumference is all dirt with a little bit of grass and some moss. One tree is at the top of a hill, the other is about 20 yards away, maybe 2 feet lower than the other one. Both obviously shed tons of leaves and acorns.

Just cleaned around both of them this morning to get rid of all the leaves and acorns. I'd really love to see some grass growing around the trees, but I know I'd STILL have to clean all the leaves, acorns, and sticks out from the roots every year.

My question is.... is it worth it to try and get grass there? If so, what grass would be best for that shady area? I live in South Carolina, so it gets hot in the summer and less hot in the winter. We're also on voluntary water restrictions.... possibly mandatory come summer time, so the grass wouldn't get much water.

My wife is tired of looking at dirt. Any thoughts?

1st...You should leave the leaves to decompose and provide some topsoil that will eventually cover the roots and give the grass something to grow in.

Oak trees have a shallow root systen that grows more horizontally, unlike the deep tap roots of pine trees. Those roots and the truck are what the tree uses to 'Breathe', so you do NOT want to cover the base of the trunk.

St. Augustine, will be your best bet for "shade" grass.

truck=trunk

We don't care so much about the leaves as we do the acorns. Our son (and eventually our daughter) loves to play out there but he's always slipping on the acorns. We just clean everything out of there. We thought about buying a bunch of dirt and filling in the gaps, but we don't want to spend a whole lot of money on it.

So should I just aerate the ground, spread the grass seed and cover with hay? Remember, first time home owner, never spread grass before.

Thanks, Ray!

That would work OK but the roots would still be exposed. Check out the differences between the seed-hay combo and sod. See which is cheaper. Sod is a little thicker and would help build up the ground around the roots.

Also consider a compost pile with all your leaves/sticks/grass trimmings. This makes a very rich (and free) topsoil loaded with minerals. Pouring coffee grinds, tea leaves, and flat soft drinks on the pile will help decompose is quicker.

Ping Slimboli.

He has an MA in this stuff.

Hay is for horses, straw is for grass.

FGm eats hay as well but who's keeping track.

ney....whinnie

Don't mess around with dirt or sod in the root zone of healthy, mature trees without decent, unbiased professional advice.

Forget the St. Augustine suggestion. It is wrong. If grass could grow there it already would be there. Besides, there isn't a single variety of St. Augustine that is supposed to be for shade that really does well in the shade.

If you don't want to leave it natural, but still want to be able to walk in that area, mulch is your answer.

If you are concerned about acorns sprouting, just control them with a non-toxic pre-emergent herbicide or a post emergent herbicide that won't harm your oak tree, possibly Round-up.

Above all, get good local advice from your local agricultural extension.

Au Contraire....I personally have 28 trees in my back yard...The St. Augustine flourishes!

I have tried Centipede, Bermuda, and zoisia....Nothing grows BUT the St. Augusting.

P.S. I used to have a landscaping business...

#9.... A lot of the people I ask are giving me ****e about it. "Why do you wanna make grass grow??? Then you'll bitch about having to mow it!" It's a good point, but it would make the yard look better. Plus it would make a nice, cool place for the runts to play. Probably gonna add a tire swing over one of the large limbs, too, so the grass would be a soft(er) place to land. We also thought about mulch, but don't have a lot of money.... it would take a LOT of mulch. Neighbor just had two cedar trees cut down about a month ago, and if I had been thinking straight, I woulda asked them to dump all the cedar around my two trees. Oh well.

And as far as sod goes.... same as the mulch... don't have a bunch of money to spend. I think I might get some seed, spread it, and dump some STRAW(!!!!!) on top of it and see what happens.

We've thought about the compost pile.... a lot of thinkin', not a lot of doin'. I had one growing up and it amazed me when I was little that egg shells, coffee grounds and tea bags could make rich, black dirt. We used ours for planting veggies in the spring, but we also got a lot of worms out of there for fishing. My concern is that the only place I really want the compost pile is in the lowest corner of our yard.... all the rainwater and leaves end up washing down that way. I guess that's not a bad thing, is it?

Thanks for all the help!

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Dig a small shallow trench or build up a burm to divert the water around it.

Rule of thumb for grass growth.

50 percent shade = 50 percent grass

40 percent shade = sixty percent grass

and so on

Turf is a sun lover. All of em. You can get that great deep south horse farm look but you will not like the work.

Thin the oaks by climbing and cutting and shaping till you have removed thirty percent of the canopy. Leave the leaves out towards the end of the branch. (Best for live oak) This will cause suckers and new growth. Remove this growth yearly, then count on forty percent grass underneath.

Old south recipe for this issue was to prune low limbs, plant cast iron plant around the trunk for about four feet then grass from there.

Cast Iron looks great is shade tolerant and automatic once established. It can be established by planting into those exposed roots and just dressing with a top of peat.

Some good gardening tips from Jeremy Clarkson:

Be mindful of the exposed roots when mowing the grass, if you elect to plant grass (sod or seed).

Otherwise, what rfenst said, at least in FL. But you are in SC, so perhaps the St. A. does a little better in that climate, even in shade.

I'd do the mulch. We get bales of pine needles for that; check out your local nurseries. It makes a nice cushion mat, if you do the swing. Pile it, and any mulch pretty thick, it lays down in a month or two.

We've got someone who has a chipper for his tree trimming business, and will give us a load of mulch for free, so he doesn't have to pay to dump it. The only downside is we can't be picky about what has been trimmed and chipped. But we've never had a bad load of mulch from him. Check some local trimmers, if they have to take their loads and pay to have them dumped, you'll take it off their hands. Then get ready with your wheelbarrow and shovel!

16. Author: neopuritan Date: 02/08/2009 03:31 PM Reply

Be mindful of the exposed roots when mowing the grass, if you elect to plant grass (sod or seed).

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To elaborate slightly on Neo's point: Very, Very difficult to trim/mow around exposed roots without damaging them.

Contact an arborist locally for advice, or do as TG suggested and pick Slim's mind. Those trees are aa aesthetic as will as financial asset to your home's value. Proceed with knowledge.

'..Need landscaping help..'

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Use a small scissors.

Careful not to cut your scrote.

Shorten the hair above Mr. Happy (it makes him look bigger).

local county agent is best source as an extension of the university system-even in south carolina