Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Plant Grass Under Pine Trees
How to Plant Grass Under Pine Trees. If you have pine trees, it is often difficult to plant grass underneath that pine tree. This is a tough area to grow grass, but it is not impossible. Grass doesn’t like to grow under pine trees because the soil is too acidic from all the pine needles that fall onto the ground. You need to neutralize the...
If you have pine trees, it is often difficult to plant grass underneath that pine tree. This is a tough area to grow grass, but it is not impossible. Grass doesn’t like to grow under pine trees because the soil is too acidic from all the pine needles that fall onto the ground. You need to neutralize the acid in the soil before the grass is planted. You also need to keep the pine needles removed so the grass will grow.
Things You'll Need
Rake
Tiller or garden fork
Lime
Fertilizer spreader
Grass seed
Starter fertilizer
Potting Soil
Shade-tolerant grass seed
Water
Remove as much of the pine tree debris as possible. A rake will remove quite a few of them.
Till the soil under the pine tree, or you can use a garden fork to dig up the ground by hand. If you hit some smaller pine tree roots, you can cut them and remove the pieces by hand. Do not remove or damage the larger tree roots. This may kill or damage your pine tree.
Scatter lime over the area you just tilled with a fertilizer spreader. Use 25 pounds of lime for every 1,000 square feet of soil, or to cover a 10-foot diameter circle. Lime helps neutralize the area.
Scatter three pounds of grass seed over the tilled area. This will cover a 10-foot diameter circle. Choose a grass that is recommended for shady areas.
Cover the area with 10 pounds of starter fertilizer for a 10-foot-diameter circle.
Spread 100 pounds of potting soil over the seeds for an area that is a 10-foot-diameter circle. This will help keep your grass seeds safe from the birds.
Water the newly sown grass seed thoroughly. Water the grass seed early in the morning or early in the evening to keep the top inch of the soil moist for one to 10 days. Depending on the weather, if you have a lot of wind or extremely hot weather, water the new grass two to three times per day.
Tips & Warnings
Wear a respirator when working with lime so you don‘t breath in any lime dust.
Wear gloves when working with lime.
Keep the pine needles raked up so the grass doesn’t die.
Spread lime over the area once a year in the spring or summer.
