Question
Greetings, oh Great One! I have been trying to get my question in for weeks and finally I am first in line! I hope you'll be able to help me with my lawn problems.  We have a large stand of Hemlocks that are badly damaged by an insect.  They are way beyond repair.  We want to remove the Hemlocks and install grass instead.  I am afraid that it will be more complicated than having the Hemlocks chopped down and putting down sod or seed.  Two questions:

1. Which do you recommend? Sod or Seed?

And 2. What advice do you have about this?  Chemicals to avoid (residual effects) of stump removers?  Fixing the soil (I assume it's acid for the evergreen?)  etc.

This is a big project and it's going to cost some money.  We're not rich and I want to make sure they do it right and I know what they're doing.  I don't want us to be one of those people who has to call the Better Business Bureau and find out I should have done this differently.  Please help.  We want to get underway.

And THANK YOU!

Elise.

Answer
Stump removal is a very big deal, Elise.  And even when money is no object, it is very hard to find someone who can actually pull this off right.

Sod, seed, it makes absolutely no difference.  That's up to you.  I like seed personally, because I can pick it out, and there is so much seed to choose from.  Sod people don't have the same selections.  I'm a bit of a control freak.  Also, the sod is heavily chemicalized which for me is a dealbreaker.  Otherwise, you may as well ask me what color to paint the house.  It's a personal choice and if you like sod, go ahead and sod.  But it won't be any different outcome if you don't get the Hemlock stumps out of the ground.

Here's what your problem is:

Removing Trees from your garden is not at all the same as pulling old Petunias out of the ground, or weeds, or parsley, or Tulips.

One is made of Lignin -- the trees.

The other is made of Cellulose -- the plants.

Cellulose gives plants their structure.  It's what keeps them from falling down.  It's hard and rigid, but not that hard and not that rigid.  Not like Lignin.

Cellulose is made of Carbohydrates, basically long chains of Glucose molecules.  It breaks down when Bacteria with special enzymes land on the dead plant and start the work of decaying it.  Specialized Bacteria have to do this, because Cellulose is very hard to digest.

It is not as hard to digest however as Lignin.

Lignin is NOT a Carbohydrate.  Lignin is a complex material composed of chains of alcohols.  Very few organisms have what it takes to break down Lignin.  And most of them are Fungi.

Unfortunately, Fungi are Aerobic.  They're not like Bacteria, which can be Aerobic, or Anaerobic, or a combination.  Fungi are Aerobic.  So woody, Lignin-based roots underground, with a limited supply of Oxygen, decompose very slowly.  It has to be done by Fungi, and it has to be done in the presence of air.  It can take a lifetime to break down an old tree stump underground.  Sometimes it can take longer.

And that, my friend, is why you really want to get all roots and stumps and Lignin out of the ground before you plant your grass.

Sod, seed, makes no difference here.  Your big problem is the Lignin.

Do you think the tree stump people know from Lignin?

I don't.

They'll want to grind it up, they'll want to cover it, they'll promise you the sun moon and stars.  And for a year, grass will grow.

Then it will turn brown.  And the tree stump people will ask you what took you so long to get back to them.

Get it done right, supervise carefully, and do not cut corners.  Every piece of Lignin that stays underground will be a small headache in the blades of grass that are trying to build a home above it.

Trust me, you have to get the Lignin out.  Get it done right.  And it would not hurt to call your BBB to find out who has a clean slate in your area.  Don't let them do any grinding.  You want that stuff gone.

Thanks for writing.  Let me know how it goes.