Question
Help!!  I have a huge yard that was once green with grass now it is nothing but dirt, rocks, and pecans.  I have no clue why my grass won't grow we have fertilized it a couple of times this season.  Now the fertilizer we use does have ant killer in it.  We do seem to have a big problem with them.  Please help me find out why!!

Answer
Could 'Pecans' hold the secret to your trouble with Grass in this yard?

Pecan Trees growing there?

Please advise.

Because Pecans are a problem when you want to grow things besides Pecans.  Why?

Allelopathic Juglones.

'Allelopathic' is 'inhibition of growth in one species of plants by chemicals produced by another species' (American Heritage Dictionary).

'Juglones' are toxins that shut down respiration in groundcovers and other things that you would normally grow without too much trouble under a Tree.

I have a short list of plants that live long, healthy lives inside the dripline of any Tree that makes Juglones.  But most plant life ceases there; the roots of Pecan Trees ('Carya illinoensis' to botanists) and their relatives --
Black Walnut, Butternut and Hickory -- just OOZE with those Juglones that turn Soil jejune.

The jury is still out as to how grass will grow in Juglone-tainted soil.  Some wilt, some yellow, some grow in odd patterns.  Some plants are not affected at all and grow old there.  What Grass are YOU growing?  And what other conditions does it get there -- Sun, Water, Soil (besides the Juglones)?  ARE/WERE there Pecan Trees in this location?  rsvp!