Author Topic: Cherry Tree is killing my yard (Read 10784 times)

mtnbkr · « **on:** March 16, 2009, 10:54:51 AM »

My front yard is roughly 10x30ft and has a large cherry tree in the center. The tree is roughly 10-12" in diameter at the base and the canopy comes close to covering the entire yard.

The problem I'm having is the tree sucks up so much water during the dry part of the summer (late June through Sept), I'm having a hard time maintaining any grass in the middle third of the yard. Short of removing the tree, is there anything I can do to reduce it's water usage? Would pruning it back significantly help?

I'd prefer not to remove it as it is very pretty when in bloom and provides needed shade during the summer (front yard gets the full brunt of the summer sun).

We've considered landscaping the affected area so the dead grass isn't an issue, but I'm not sure the HOA would be keen on such a large landscaping feature in the front yard.

Any ideas?

Chris

Balog · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2009, 10:58:29 AM »

Run a hose over to it and water the crap out of the area?

HankB · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:04:13 AM »

Maybe there just isn't enough sunlight getting through to the grass . . .

mtnbkr · « **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:08:28 AM »

Quote from: Balog on March 16, 2009, 10:58:29 AM

Run a hose over to it and water the crap out of the area?

I do that now, but it's expensive and with our dry summers, I'm watering every day from July to Sept.

Quote from: HankB on March 16, 2009, 11:04:13 AM

Maybe there just isn't enough sunlight getting through to the grass . . .

I've seeded the area multiple times with shade tolerant grass and it only becomes an issue during the dry months. April through July, the grass grows like crazy (tree is fully leafed out by April-May). While the tree is big, it's not a deeply shaded area.

Chris

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:12:53 AM »

I would stop trying to forcibly recreate an english lawn and think logically about the landscape

you might want to plan some shade tolerant flower beds and establish a better base for growing a shaded lawn

The contractor grade hydroseeded lawn has prolly out lived the installed poor soil base

I have also had great success with low flow drip/spray irrigation systems on timers

The soil stays moist and the green growth is really impressive

Balog · « **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:14:30 AM »

/shrug I grew up in AZ so heavy year round water usage seems normal to me. Maybe run your grey water out to that area? We have hippies here who only water their lawn that way, seems to work for them.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:25:49 AM »

Quote from: Harold Tuttle on March 16, 2009, 11:12:53 AM

I would stop trying to forcibly recreate an english lawn and think logically about the landscape

Huh? I don't quite understand the reference.

Quote

you might want to plan some shade tolerant flower beds

That's what I had in mind. The amount of flower bed I'd have to install is a significant portion of the yard (roughly the middle third lengthwise and entire width of that section).

Quote

and establish a better base for growing a shaded lawn

How?

Quote

The contractor grade hydroseeded lawn has prolly out lived the installed poor soil base

I put down seed and fertilizer just about every spring. I end up with a beautiful lawn until the dry season hits, then it's a struggle to keep up via sprinklers and such.

It wasn't that bad when we first moved in, but 8 years later, the tree has grown enough to use a significant portion of the available water.

Chris

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:30:14 AM »

have you had the soil tested? county agricultural extension agent can do it. if pwc doesn't have one bring it to stafford we can say sample is from my yard

mtnbkr · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:39:27 AM »

What would they be testing for? The backyard grows grass like nothing I've seen before and the front and rear third of my front yard grows very well. It's just the section of yard right over the main part of the tree's roots that is suffering. By August, I can get away just mowing the front and rear of my front yard, not touching the middle portion at all.

It seems pretty clear it's a water issue because if I water daily, the problem goes away, but it's expensive watering enough to keep the grass happy.

Chris

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:49:09 AM »

well, the typical american in england asks about how they get such lovely lawns,
the english response is that they roll them, for 1000 years

the clipped verdant lawn is kind of copypasta of somewhere else's landscape,
getting it to flourish in your front yard make take some demo and rebuild of the underpinnings

Do your neighbors like the smell of horsemanure in the morning?

We had a silver Maple in our MD frontyard
It grew from a 1.5 inch sapling to a 10 inch tree in 15 years
Its shallow roots were buckling the driveway and a tripping hazard.

Mr chainsaw dropped it one winter.

Some trees are just not the proper species for a small yard.
For example the Sycamores that the builder installed in the old neighborhood.
They are more appropriate marking a spring at the edge of a huge pasture.

The flowering cherry is a nice tree, our old streets were lined with them.
Spring was over when the pink snow fell from the blossoming trees.
They are great climbers too, but in the old hood,
they are now getting overly large for the spaces they were planted into.

These are the low flow watering systems that i run:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=191775-1029-MLK-PWK&lpage=none

the timer is a nice add on:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=62056-1029-MLWT-ELEC&lpage=none

Mine ran 4 times a day for 5-10 minutes

My water bill dropped and my dahlias were marvelous

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #10 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:53:50 AM »

The Maple used to be where the terra-cotta light is resident

The raised rock beds where the envy of the hood
We had them staged for continuous blooms.

I prolly moved 10,000 pounds of stone into that yard

mtnbkr · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:57:27 AM »

I don't need a yard like a putting green, I just want the grass to grow well enough to cover the dirt. :)

I have a feeling the cherry is too big for the yard, which is why I was hoping there was some way to retard it's growth.

The watering system looks good, but I'd have to tunnel it under my sidewalk to avoid having hosing run over it.

Chris

AJ Dual · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2009, 11:58:35 AM »

Quote from: mtnbkr on March 16, 2009, 11:39:27 AM

What would they be testing for? The backyard grows grass like nothing I've seen before and the front and rear third of my front yard grows very well. It's just the section of yard right over the main part of the tree's roots that is suffering. By August, I can get away just mowing the front and rear of my front yard, not touching the middle portion at all.

It seems pretty clear it's a water issue because if I water daily, the problem goes away, but it's expensive watering enough to keep the grass happy.

Chris

Cherry & leaf detritus may be changing the soil to kill off the grass. Not even remotely the same zone, but my family's apple tree, crab-apple tree, and a pear tree all grow grass under them poorly. The grass is weaker under all the fruit trees.

Watering may be washing away or changing pH or something etc. There could also be grubs, or fungus that likes the area under the tree that's not present elsewhere.

Have you actually tested with a simple moisture meter?

The tree's presence may be changing the drainage of the soil in the area, but I can't imagine the tree's drinking it all "first". Since the grass gets all the precipitation first as it falls.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:06:20 PM »

i'm no tree guy but my oaks change the ph of the soil the grass sprouts up in spring doesn't grow tall then fades

mtnbkr · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:10:13 PM »

Good points. I'll check the soil and see what we have.

Chris

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:15:28 PM »

if you need to tunnel under driveway or walk a power washer works

K Frame · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:16:41 PM »

In this region isn't almost impossible to keep a yard from going dormant starting around July.

If there's too much stress on it prior to that, it won't just go dormant, it will go dead.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:24:22 PM »

IIRC cherry trees have a very shallow root system. Fruit trees in general are water intensive.

You really only have two choices.

A) Deep-soak the heck out of the yard on a regular basis.

or...

B) Pretend you are George Washington.

Brad

mtnbkr · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2009, 12:26:26 PM »

This isn't a fruiting cherry tree, but an ornamental (like the ones around the DC Tidal Basin, the ones that draw tourists each Spring). Dunno if it makes a difference when comparing to fruit trees or not...

Chris

K Frame · « **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2009, 01:17:50 PM »

Not really. They're still in the family of fruiting trees.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #20 on:** March 16, 2009, 01:22:30 PM »

What caliber for cherry tree?

Matthew Carberry · « **Reply #21 on:** March 16, 2009, 03:18:51 PM »

Quote from: Mike Irwin on March 16, 2009, 12:16:41 PM

In this region isn't almost impossible to keep a yard from going dormant starting around July.

If there's too much stress on it prior to that, it won't just go dormant, it will go dead.

Ee's not dead, ee's merely dormant.

jamz · « **Reply #22 on:** March 16, 2009, 03:22:46 PM »

When I die, Bury Me
Hang my ****s from a cherry tree
Let 'em get ripe, and take a bite,
And if they don't taste right,
Then don't blame me!

MechAg94 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:29:05 PM »

Buy a bunch of paving stone bricks and turn the area into a shaded patio sitting area. :)

Declaration Day · « **Reply #24 on:** March 16, 2009, 08:17:48 PM »

Landscaper here, sorry I'm late to the thread. Trees are water and nutrient hogs, you need to get your grass up away from those shallow roots.

Build up the soil around the affected area 3-4". Plant a grass seed that thrives in the shade.

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Author Topic: Cherry Tree is killing my yard (Read 10784 times)