I’ve been doing tree work for a long time and customers often tell me their lawn looks bad, even though they mow and water it.
My name is Inmer Blanco and I’m the owner of Green Tree Services in Warrenton, VA. I am also an ISA-certified arborist with countless years of experience in professional tree care.
In my experience – and what I see on jobs every week – is that trees are often part of the reason that some lawns are “struggling”.
Trees and grass are not only sharing the same space and soil, but also sunlight, water and nutrients.
One of the biggest issues is often shade. When trees are growing, their canopies are getting wider and block more sunlight.
Most grass needs several hours of (ideally direct) sunlight each day. And when it’s not getting that light, it often starts thinning out or stops growing altogether.
In addition to that, tree roots are often spreading far and staying close to the surface.
Those roots are pulling water and nutrients before grass can use them. That’s why some areas are never improving, no matter how much mowing is happening.
The soil under mature trees is often becoming compacted. When the ground is staying hard, grass roots aren’t growing well.
Leaves are adding stress too when they are sitting too long. They are blocking light and trapping moisture on the lawn.
This doesn’t mean trees are a problem.
It just means they need to be managed the right way.
That means:
- Selective tree pruning to let more light through
- Thinning out the canopy instead of removing a tree
- Improving drainage or loosening compacted soil around trees (helps grass grow stronger)
- Selecting grass types that can tolerate shade better (especially in heavily shaded areas)
And, to a certain extent, it’s sometimes also a decision of what you enjoy more – having a beautiful tree and shade – or a thriving lawn and space.
You might also just come to the conclusion that adjusting your expectations is the easiest route – and just focus grass growth on areas in your garden where the conditions are better.
If you want to learn more about how trees and turf are interacting, below are some further resources:
- Penn State Extension on growing turf in shade
https://extension.psu.edu/growing-turf-under-shaded-conditions - Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) on lawns in shade
https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/lawns-in-shade - Mississippi State Extension on selecting and managing turfgrass for shade
https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/selecting-and-managing-turfgrass-for-shade
