Native Plants

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Wednesday - December 10, 2008

From: Iowa City, IA
Region: Midwest
Topic: General Botany, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: What to do about grass dying under pin oaks in Iowa
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

We have 2 pin oaks about 15 years old in our front yard. The grass has started dying out under and around them. What can we do?

ANSWER:

In general, plants need light (for photosynthesis), water (for photosynthesis and other processes), and minerals (which also help in photosynthesis). The grass growing under your pin oaks could be suffering from lack of sunshine, and it is certainly competing with the oaks for water and nutrients. The shade problem isn't easy to solve, but you can increase the amount of water and nutrients that the grass is receiving. Is the die back new, or has it been going on for some time? If it is new, you might try to determine what conditions have changed?