Hi We have 3 cedars approx. 40 feet tall grouped very closely together in the backyard. We neglected to clean up the brown dead cedar bits and little cones one year and it killed the lawn and it has never grown back. There are also large roots poking through the ground now. If we cut the branches up to let more light in and put down several inches of dirt and new turf will the lawn recover and thrive?...and of course we will be more proactive about raking the lawn in the future. Thanks Christie
These trees will create a fairly acidic environment underneath them. If you create light, add soil, turf the area and lime it 3-4 times a year you may get your grass to grow, likely a bit thinner then the rest of your lawns. Every situation is a bit different, can't hurt to try if this is what you want.
He means get someone to do a soil test, to see if liming is a good idea, or not. It was in response to Jimweed's suggestion of adding lime.
West Coast, rain forest climate, long wet fall, long wet winter, long wet spring, underneath Cedar trees, I would assume your wasting your time and money wondering if it is acidic. Lime will help in aiding a neutral Ph regardless of what it currently is, which is optimum growing conditions for turf. Liming lawns is always a good thing here in our climate. At $4. per 1000sq' get a few extra bags. Besides Ph tests in outdoor landscapes are usually all over the place, so often you get readings from 6-8, from one side of a tree to the other, depending on low shady, damp areas to higher dry sunny sides of the tree. Liming lawns and over spreading onto parts of the beds under trees, theres so much room for in accurate Ph reading in the outdoor landscapes, I gave up on that years ago. Save the Ph testing for container grown plants and greenhouses. Now thats just my opinion, Jim.
