Question
Hi Kenneth,

I live in a small subburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and have a very small lawn
with a  large maple tree in the middle of it.  I cannot get grass to grow under or
around the tree and was wondering if you could recommend a seed type that
might take.  The roots are, in some cases close to the surface and becauses the
lawn slops off to one side, drainage is also a problem.  Any insight you could
provide would be helpful and appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
It is almost impossible to grow grass under or near large mature maples. The lack of rain (under the dense canopy) together with excess shade and compact soil makes this for a very challenging spot.

Most people will make a 4-6 foot mulch ring around the trunk where you put down shredded leaves, hardwood shavings, etc instead of grass. Just keep the mulch about 1" away from the trunk.

Your only choice to grow grass would be to add more soil over the roots, water regularily under the canopy of the tree using a sprinkler (because rain has difficulty finding their way in) and then remove low hanging branches to allow light in. Even so, it will be a fight.

Note: if you put too much soil over the roots of a maple, you may kill it and it could fall on your house, car, family, etc. E.g. I do not recommend this.

Even if you are successful, this only last a short period of time because maple roots will grow into the new soil and you are in a few years no better off than today.

Sorry, I know this was not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes growing grass is just not worth the fight.