Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I live in a small city northwest of Philadelphia, PA.  My back yard is only about
30' wide by 40' deep.  The yard has two ornamental cherry trees (the largest
about 20' high) and a Norway Maple (I think) 30' high.  The lawn that exists in
the yard is a disgrace.  Last summer it was mostly green and I had to cut it
about once/week.  This summer, while just a bit drier than last, I barely have
had to cut it.  The majority of the lawn that is in the center of the triangle the
trees create is scrubby, yellow, and easily pulls out of the ground.  The maple
has roots that extend all over, often poking up in the yard.  As far as I can
tell, the dirt in the back yard is very poor.

So...can I save this "lawn".  If so...how.  If not, any suggestions on what I
should do?  Get a load of topsoil and just start over?  Or are the trees killing
the lawn?

Please help.

Thank you,

Gary Heidt


ANSWER: From what you're telling me, it sounds like you can grow Grass in certain parts and groundcovers under the Trees.  Please tell me your location (state or zip) and I can narrow down your options.  I'd also like to know how much light you have back there.  How much DIRECT SUN hits the ground and where?  How much of the ground gets 6-9 hours of DIRECT SUN?  How much would you say is dappled shade?

The first part of the answer may be to get a soil test, but it depends on how much light you have.  rsvp

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for getting back to me so quickly.  

I live in Lansdale, PA.  It's about 25 miles NW of Philadelphia.  The house
faces east, and the sun has to clear the house in order to hit the backyard.  So
I guess the yard starts getting light around 12 noon in the summer.  However,
most of that is dappled shade, as the maple casts a large shadow over the
yard (it's not a big yard remember).    So I guess that's a problem, right?  I'd
like to do a shade garden directly under the tree if that's possible, by using
some landscaping stone and filling in with soil and compost.  But the grass
that is in the middle of the triangle, as I mentioned, gets a bit of sun, but it's
dappled, as you said.  Still, there are some areas, outside of the triangle made
by the trees, that get more light, and they're not holding a lot of grass either.

Thanks,

Gary Heidt


Answer
Sounds like you have a lovely little yard back there, sir.  The kind of yard that city folk dream of having one day.

Pachysandra, Hostas and English Ivy all thrive under shade and compete successfully with the roots of Trees they grow under.  And there's nothing like a tall Birdbath surrounded at the base with Hostas and Blue Slate to make the Birds happy.  Besides, with all your Trees, Birds will really appreciate a water feature nearby.

In the areas that get some Sun, improve your soil -- pH and tilth and organic matter -- and sow a quality Shade tolerant Grass.  I can give you several types if you would like to know more.  There are a gazillion retailers who claim to sell shade-tolerant turfgrass Seed.  Avoid them and get a Grass that has a name.  Remember, with all the research and development going on now, there are some pretty fancy, talented new Grasses out there, and some will thrive in your backyard.

The 'large shadow' over the yard, cast by your Maple, is as you know a big part of your Grass problem.  MOST Cool Season Grass just CAN'T grow in a 'large shadow'.  You need just the right Grass for this problem.  You need state-of-the-art Grass that is highly efficient when it comes to Solar Power.  Which brings us to my favorite new hybrid Grass, the new Bluegrass called 'Supernova'.

Seedland.com describes 'Supranova Supina' Bluegrass as 'the most shade tolerant, wear resistant, cool season turfgrass on the market in the US and Canada.'

Supernova is not sold everywhere.  Since it is very new, it is hard to find, and there is limited availability.  Avoid any 'mix' with a Supernova ingredient -- get it solo instead, not 'mixed'.  I don't know who in Massachusetts sells Supernova today, but if it's not at a store near you, order it from Seedland.com:

http://www.seedland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=BG-SUPINA

Be prepared for Supernova stickershock - the prices are insane.  This is Beverly Hills priced Grass.  Thankfully, your yard is small and your Seed won't cost the same as a new car.

Bluegrass as a genus loves a diet high in Nitrogen.  So a bag of all-American White Clover mixed in with your Supernova seed will incorporate Nitrogen au natural -- less work for you, long term Nitrogen treats for your Supernova.

This is the cost of your Shady Situation, unfortunately.  If you can't bear to spend as much on Grass Seed as a new Prada bag, there's another choice, albeit less glamorous, less fancy, but it's green.  Look at Cornell University's Lawn Care website:

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/lawn/lawncare/index.html

Cornell addresses your situation in its 'Coping With Shade' page:  'Lawn grasses need at least 4 hours of direct sun a day.  If they receive much traffic or wear and tear, they need a minimum of 6 hours.'

Let's read that again: 'Lawn grasses need AT LEAST 4 HOURS of direct sun a day.'  More for kids and pets.

To address this, you can (a) thin out your tree canopy, and (b) plant Fine Fescue under those trees.  You can read all about it in the Cornell Coop Extension's Fine Fescue fact sheet:

http://www.ccenassau.org/hort/fact_sheets/c109_fine_fescues_dec01.pdf

At last year's tests, top Fine Fescue at the Rutgers University Grass trials in New Brunswick, N.J., was a variety entered as 'Pick CRF 1-03'.  The Oregon grass farm that bred Pick CRF 1-03, Pickseed West, has named their elite Grass 'Garnet'.   If you want to get your greenup quicker, you can mix in 20% of an improved perennial Ryegrass -- like Pickseed's 'Fiesta 4', which is recommended for Long Island; it will get the green going while the much slower Fescue or your Supernova rev up their engines.

Finally, would you please do me a favor and rate me at the end of this answer?  I am shooting to be listed on the 'Top Allexperts' at the end of the year, and I need LOTS of NOMINATION's for that.  Every little bit counts.  I would appreciate it.  Thanks.  Hope you liked my answer!