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Lars Lund

08 Sep 2020 14:34

Away with the grass – it affects the growth of trees

Grass that grows close to trees hinders the growth from root to top. If you don’t remove grass or similar vegetation it means that the growth might decrease up to 1.7 inches per year. Also, the top and roots reduce.

Grass uses in average 2 – 2.5 litres of water per 10 square feet per day for evaporation in the growing season from May to August. If such a large amount of water should get absorbed the root system has to be big, which it is on the grass. Grass has roots that are 50-100 times bigger per volume of soil than trees.

The measure of a trees’ stem says a lot about the roots and top volume. The thinner the stem, the smaller a top and root system.

Grass dominates, and even though the grass around the trees is fertilized it can’t be seen on the growth. You should remove the grass around your trees in autumn, hence the trees will grow bigger next season. An alternative to removing grass is to cover the soil around the tree with wood chips or similar. The area that should be covered should be at least 24 inches, preferably more.

Om Lars Lund

Lars Lund
Danish horticulturist and journalist
Lars Lund has for many years engaged in the garden and greenhouse. Lars has published many books about greenhouses, and he has participated in many Danish horticultural TV shows. He is a walking garden encyclopaedia, and he has answers for most basic cultivation questions – also the more ambitious ones.  

Get to know Lars Lund