A tree surrounded by green lawn is a pretty picture for many people, but it’s hard to achieve — and tough on the tree.
“Turf grass and trees don’t go together well,” said Stephanie Adams, a plant pathologist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It’s not a good situation for either of them.”In the shade of a tree, where it doesn’t get enough sunlight, grass will usually struggle, becoming patchy and bare. “Grasses are full-sun plants,” Adams said. They are native to open grasslands, such as the steppes of Central Asia, where they evolved to grow in full sunlight with no shade.
Research has shown tree roots grow much better under a wide, even layer of mulch than beneath grass. The mulch imitates the layer of leaf litter that naturally falls onto the soil around the tree and covers the soil containing its roots. Unlike turf, it allows water and air to seep through easily. The best choices, according to Adams and Janoski, are shade-tolerant perennials or small shrubs. “Woody shrubs grow similarly to trees, with the same kind of roots,” Adams said. “They won’t compete with a tree’s roots nearly as much as grass roots do.”
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