[scarymary]

Hi everyone, I have a question for some of you seasoned landscapers. My boss at work had some hickory trees cut down and dug up. He has backfilled the holes with soil and seeded with grass seed, and has had no success at getting any grass to grow in these areas. I know the kind of grass he has growing in his lawn is acid tolerant. So with that said, what could the problem be? Did he seed at wrong time, or will he ever be able to get grass to grow there?

[jwholden]

Are you asking for your friend or do you have some issues with your contractor?

[scarymary]

There are no contractor issues that I am aware of. I didn't do the work, and it isn't my lawn.

[NCSULandscaper]

were the stumps dug up or ground? If they were ground then all of the chips should have been removed and new soil brought in. The reason is the chips will rob nitrogen from the ground through the process of decay, and with no available nitrogen in the area, the grass will not live.

[trees]

Hickories contain a chemical called juglone (most know of it from Black Walnut, but hickories have it, too, just in smaller amounts). Juglone is an alleopathic chemical, which means that it can stunt or kill plants it comes in contact with. It's a great defense mechanism for plants to eliminate competition in their root zone.

Trees that exhibit this alleopathy secrete the chemical from all parts... leaves, roots, bark... everything. If there's any significant amount of root system left, it may be impossible to start grass from seed. I'd try laying a few pieces of sod and see how they do. Grown plants will have a much better chance at tolerating the juglone than seeds.

Incidentally, alleopathy is a lot more prevalant than just this chemical with those groups of trees. Grass, weeds, and even the anthocyanins in red maple leaves all take part in this biochemical warfare.

Also, as was mentioned in the previous post, if there are a lot of chips in the area, their decomposition will rob nitrogen and make it difficult to grow, as well.

Try the sod...

[P-Train]

Considering it is February and in Tennessee I don't think you'll get any grass to grow unless it's an annual rye.

You can put down a few pounds and lightly cover with straw. Germination will be within about ten days or so.

When temps are steady this spring you can re-seed with a perennial grass seed. I would imagine a fescue blend.