[IHcubguy]

I had many of my trees cut down earlier this year. I had the stumps ground down about a foot below. I back filled the holes with top soil and planted grass seed with fertilizer. Two of the areas where I planted grass seed never took....what could cause this? I was told that the ground could be too acidic due to the trees? If you can see the "after" pictures, there are areas where nothing grow.

 

[steddy]

I might suggest just overseeing/rake in where you aren’t happy with the growth. Depending on the cost, maybe have a soil sample analyzed for PH and nutrients. Maybe did the birds or other critters get to the seed first? Too wet, dry, hot, or cold? I’ve seen seed rot if it takes too long to sprout.

What kind of seed? I know from experience pure bluegrass is tough to get growing on bare ground...

 

[Bill Kapaun]

Walnut trees?

"Although the black walnut has many uses and benefits, the tree does come with a caveat: The black walnut’s roots, which may extend 50 feet or more from the trunk, exude a natural herbicide known as juglone that inhibits many plants’ growth. "

 

[IHcubguy]

Im not sure of all of the tree types that were cut, but I know a few were cedar and very mature mulberry. In one pic you may be able to see the cedar in the mulch pile

 

[walterjay]

Cedar can cause an acidic condition. Check the pH

 

[Volfandt]

I can vouch for the Black Walnut trees. I had to remove their leaves from my composting. They didn't effect tomatoes or sweet corn but inhibited cucumber, pumpkin, squash and water melon growth. The plants would grow but wouldn't make any fruits.

I've planted a few BW trees where I wanted to head off some erosion and so far they haven't effected the well established grass but these trees are less than 10 yrs old.

 

[forkz]

i have cedar that was planted in the 60 s it had limbs were all the way to the ground trimmed it a couple years ago the soil underneath was a dry powder soak water right up after much rain the grass is coming in mite take it awhile

 

[Ingersoll444]

Im guessing its a combo going on... you got part of a stump under the top soil thats rotting away slowly, you have all the gound up bits that got mixed into the soil, you also have soil thats been pretty much undercover for many years... Im thinking a soil test would be a good first try, but Im guessing just letting it sit for a year will will make it mellow out and allow grass to grow.

 

[Forest Gump]

Give it about a year and grass will grow.

 

[Obscured_by_Clouds]

What kind of seed? I know from experience pure bluegrass is tough to get growing on bare ground...

Contractor's Mix will grow pretty much anywhere. It's intended to sprout quickly (usually 7-10 days) and provide a quick cover for bare ground. Then you can overseed with other varieties.

 

[munderhill]

Put down lime, then more lime. When you think you have enough put more.


MU

 

[Larry LGT 165]

I had about 10 trees taken out in the spring, stripped the soil mounds away from the stumps then used a grinder to remove the stumps and chase the root runners. I hauled 95% of the chips away then refilled the the holes with the soil I had initially removed.

About 2 or 3" of topsoil was spread on top and typical garden center grass seed planted. We kept it watered for weeks but the growth was poor to none. The trees had been recently wind damaged willow and very dead ash that had been killed by the ash bore beetles 3 or 4 years earlier.

The weed growth was excellent but not the grass. (two different batches / bags)

At that same time we eliminated about 10 old whisky barrel planters that had been there for 15 yrs. Those circles simply would not grow grass in spite of repeat planting and watering.

Maybe by next summer the soil will be more accepting.

 

[[email protected]]

I had many of my trees cut down earlier this year. I had the stumps ground down about a foot below. I back filled the holes with top soil and planted grass seed with fertilizer. Two of the areas where I planted grass seed never took....what could cause this? I was told that the ground could be too acidic due to the trees? If you can see the "after" pictures, there are areas where nothing grow.

Question is whether or not grass sprouted. IF it did, then turned yellow and or died, there are at least a couple of things going on, but the first thing that can happen is the wood, rotting or fresh, ties the microbes up in decomposition of the wood, and robs the soil of nitrogen. That's why wood chips work, although weeds are well known to grow where hardly anything will -so you'll get weeds to grow because their needs are few, but the good grass needs the nitrogen to grow.

If it didn't sprout or just barely, then there must be some limiting condition in the tree stump zone that is chemically altering the seed (like corn gluten meal as sprout inhibitor). This is assuming it received all the same attention and care that the rest of the lawn did.

I don't plant lots of grass, but I do vegetables. A neighbor dumped his wood chips into the veg garden and then wondered why nothing would grow there for 2 years. Finally, the weeds did! Good luck!

 

[dave_r]

A couple years ago, one of my customers wanted a large pine tree close to her house taken down, maybe 50 years old, with buckets of pine needles on the ground underneath and around it. Took the tree down, used a stump grinder on the main stump and most of the roots that were close to/visible along the surface, hauled the top couple of inches away (maybe 2 yards of material), hauled in and spread out 2 yards of topsoil, some grass seed and water, and it turned out very well. Grass came in nicely, and now you can't tell there was a tree there before.

 

[IHcubguy]

A couple years ago, one of my customers wanted a large pine tree close to her house taken down, maybe 50 years old, with buckets of pine needles on the ground underneath and around it. Took the tree down, used a stump grinder on the main stump and most of the roots that were close to/visible along the surface, hauled the top couple of inches away (maybe 2 yards of material), hauled in and spread out 2 yards of topsoil, some grass seed and water, and it turned out very well. Grass came in nicely, and now you can't tell there was a tree there before.

I wish that were the case. I planted grass seed that was a "grass repair" with fertilizer and it never came up at all.

 

[IHcubguy]

I ended up putting a big sand box in one area where the grass wasnt growing that was a big eye sore. I'll be doing more research

 

[IHcubguy]

Put down lime, then more lime. When you think you have enough put more.


MU

I will look into this. Thank you

 

[MARK (LI)]

Could have been just a bad or old batch of seed....I hate to pay the money for it, but I buy Scotts...only had one time it would not grow....they refund your money in full ...minus sales tax