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Guest Article

Tree Care and Your Lawn - How to Make Your Trees and Lawn Coexist



If you have ever tried to establish turf on a lawn occupied by mature trees, then you already know that this is a challenge.

Turf and trees are like dogs and cats. They do not peacefully coexist in the same place naturally. The reasons for this are much the same in both cases. In the case of canines versus felines, both are at or near the top of the food chain. They sustain themselves by feeding on smaller animals. Put simply, they are competitors and have no use for each other. So they tend to stay away from one another in nature. But they both make such good pets! Some of us prefer one over the other, and so there are households with cats and households with dogs. But haven't you seen a household with both a cat and a dog? Of course you have. Some of them are chaotic.

The dog chases the cat, knocking over furniture, small appliances, and house guests in the process. The cat resorts to guerrilla tactics that would make Al Qaeda proud. But peace is scarce. In other homes there is harmony. Although they may not love each other, the dog and cat respect each other's place in the family and thus a balance is achieved. Since this is not a discussion on family pets, let us simply assume that something is done by the harmonized dog and cat homeowner that is not done by the chaotic dog and cat homeowner. In other words, if you want to have them both, then you have to do something to facilitate them living together.

Trees and turf are much the same. In nature they both require the same materials and conditions for sustenance. Because of this we do not often find grasses growing under trees. Instead we find meadows where grasses flourish and forests where trees do. Domestically, we see homes that predominantly support trees, mimicking the forest floor with a bed of mulch, and a full canopy overhead providing shade. Or there are homes that prefer turf, keeping full sun exposure on a perfectly manicured carpet of emerald beauty. Of course there are the homes that have both. Some - or unfortunately most - are a mess.

The homeowner tries in vain to grow grass in spite of the fact that trees are spreading surface roots all over the lawn and stealing sunlight. At some point comes the surrender to a landscape that has that balding, varicose veined look that inspires only ridicule when gazed upon. But there are homes that seem to have found some secret to keeping both in harmony. The turf lies beautifully and peacefully under the canopies of mature trees, giving the property the look of a PGA golf course and inspiring praise and envy from all who see it. As in the case of the peaceful pets, this is not simply coincidence. The space that these competitors occupy has to made livable for both of them in order for them both to thrive.

The secret to achieving this harmony lies primarily underground. The root system of the turf must be optimized so that it gets all that it needs to support a constantly growing turf cover. This means that the tree roots must be encouraged to grow at a depth that is below the grass roots. The good news is that trees are happy to behave this way. They only put their roots at shallow depths when they cannot put them deeper. Here is where the caretaker intervenes. With techniques such as vertical mulching and rootwell installations (ask your certified arborist for details), trees can be encouraged to grow deep root systems that do not compete with the turf. In addition, pruning can be employed in the canopy to give the right amount of light for the grass to grow. It takes work, but you can have both trees and turf in your lawn. Call an arborist and make it happen.

Ferris Crilly is the owner of Pro Arbor, a premier tree service company in Northern Virginia. Ferris leads a team of certified ISA Arborists to deliver expert service to Pro Arbor customers. Pro Arbor offers tree care, tree trimming, tree pruning, and more. For Fairfax tree removal or any other information, visit his Virginia Tree Removal Company.

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