Maple trees are beautiful and provide shade in the summer, but they can also pose a potential threat to grass. Therefore it is crucial to know how the trees in your garden might affect the lawn.
Maple trees (Acer sp.) might kill grass growing under their canopies by preventing it from accessing adequate sunlight, water, and nutrients. However, this effect is common for most shade trees and is not due to inherently harmful or allelopathic qualities of maple trees.
Would you like to grow grass near a maple but are worried that the tree may harm the lawn? You can ease your worries by consulting the knowledge below for your edification and practical benefit.
By understanding the effects of maple trees on grass, you can make informed decisions regarding lawn care and gardening. So let’s get started.
Do Maple Trees Pose A Mortal Danger To Grass?
You might want to exercise caution before planting grass near a maple tree because there is a possibility you will be unsatisfied with the results. Maple trees can stifle or even kill a patch of grass.
The health, vigor, and appearance of grass growing under maple tree canopies generally suffer, and the lawn might die eventually.
Maple trees are not inherently harmful to turf grasses and do not have allelopathic effects on lawns. A maple’s potentially negative impact on grass is a common phenomenon among shade trees, rather than the particular physical or biochemical properties of Acer species.
The dense deciduous canopies of maple trees cast heavy shade that prevents grass from accessing sufficient sunlight during the summer growing season. Without enough sunlight, the grass can not perform adequate photosynthesis for healthy growth.
Maple tree canopies also create rain shadows that reduce the amount of rainwater reaching the grass below.
Maple trees also inhibit lawn growth because their roots compete for water and nutrients in the soil. Grass tends to become dry and malnourished when attempting to grow under maples because of this competition with the trees’ root systems.
So, maple trees don’t kill grass directly, but they make it difficult for the grass underneath their canopies by using the majority of available resources around them.
Maple trees can significantly reduce the amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients available on the lawn, creating a complex environment for turf grasses to thrive.
Without appropriate intervention from the gardener, the grass around the trees will be sparse and discolored and might eventually start to die.
How To Reduce Chances Of Grass Dying Under Maple Trees
While maples undermine the health and beauty of grass growing near them, below are some strategies and methods that might increase the lawn’s chances of survival.
Choose Less Competitive Maple Species
Some maple tree species are more advantageous for growing near grass than others because they require less water and nutrients. Choosing one of the less competitive maple species will increase your chances of establishing and maintaining a healthy and attractive lawn around the tree.
It is advisable to avoid having grass around the more water and nutrient-demanding maples such as red maple (A. rubrum) and silver maple (A. saccharinum).
These fast-growing species will compete more intensely with the grass for soil moisture and fertility to sustain their rapid growth rates.
Grasses might perform more successfully around smaller maple species like Japanese maple (A. palmatum), which matures to a height of 8 feet to 15 feet (depending on the variety).
Japanese maples have relatively diminutive root systems, so they compete less with lawns than 80-foot-tall sugar maples (A. saccharum)!
Select Hardy, Shade-Tolerant Grass Species
Perhaps the most effective way to improve the chances for a lawn to survive (and possibly thrive) under maple trees is by selecting hardy, shade-tolerant grass species.
Shade-tolerant, hardy grasses that require lower-than-average amounts of sunlight, water, and fertility have the highest chance of success under a maple tree.
Grass species that meet these criteria include those in the Agrostis genus.
A few grass varieties that are known for their shade tolerance include Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), fine fescue (Festuca spp.), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne).
These bent grasses tolerate shade and might cope well under shadows cast by maple tree canopies.
In addition, Agrostis can handle damp conditions with aplomb, unlike most lawn grasses.
It is also worth experimenting with lawn seed mixes containing Festuca (commonly called fescue grass). Fescue grass is renowned for its shade tolerance and ability to thrive in dry, nutrient-poor soils.
Give Grass Extra Care And Attention
When grown under maples and other shade trees, grass needs extra care and attention.
Even if you plant Festuca or Agrostis, the lawn will perform best when receiving regular water, especially in the hot and dry summer.
It is also advisable to compensate for the competition from the maple tree by giving the grass adequate quantities of fertilizers or soil amendments.
When adding fertilizers, apply at 50% of the usual application rate because the grass will grow slowly (due to competition from the maple tree).
If the grass is growing sufficiently, it might need mowing. However, avoid cutting the lawn too short.
By keeping the grass long (roughly 3 inches), you can minimize the damage to the grass and promote its rapid recovery. You will also prevent unnecessary soil erosion by keeping a cover of long grass.
Prune Trees To Give Grass More Sunlight
Pruning maples and surrounding trees with dense canopies is excellent for increasing the amount of sunlight the lawn receives.
Depending on the structure and orientation of the trees, you could prune the lowest branches to raise their canopies and receive early morning or late afternoon light.
Another option is to selectively remove some middle and upper branches to allow sunlight to penetrate through their canopies more readily.
Plant Grass Seeds In Autumn Or Early Winter
If you want to start turf grass seeds under a maple tree, it is beneficial to consider the season.
For the highest chance of success, sow grass seeds in autumn or early winter. At this time of year, maple trees have little or no foliage, which means the emerging seedlings have more exposure to sunlight.
Another benefit of planting grass in autumn or winter when maples have is that water reaches the soil under the trees more readily when it rains.
Final Word
Maple trees are not inherently harmful to grass. However, maple trees reduce the quantities of sunlight, water, and soil fertility available to grass growing under their canopies.
This competition for resources creates conditions that undermine the health and beauty of the grass and may eventually kill it unless the gardener implements the appropriate measures.
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- Can You Be Allergic To Maple Trees?
- Will Grass Grow Under Maple Trees?
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