 Trees don't have to send roots out looking for water when the water is sitting at their feet. Shallow roots develop and as the tree grows it becomes top heavy. The next time the wind blows the soft soil and heavy branches cause the tree to fall over. The tree canopy is meant to deflect the water. Too much water may cause root failure, a small canopy, short roots and a small root ball. Bark also suffers from too much water simply caused by watering the lawn. Water is not the only reason the roots are sitting on the lawn. The tree needs oxygen and watering the grass displaces the oxygen. One condo owner once remarked that if the roots did not grow on the top of the lawn, they would grow down to water lines and clog pipes. Falling trees on cars, fences and buildings are hardly the best alternative to roots in the water pipes versus taking care of the problem. There are other alternatives. One is to not try to grow grass under the tree or plant drought happy shrubs. Another alternative is to use less water, use tree spikes driven into the lawn for watering and plant the right trees. Want trees that are a problem planted on lawns? Fruitless Mulberry, Sweetgum, Pine, Sycamore Cedar, Lombardy Poplar, Flowering Olive trees, Walnut or Pepper trees are not what you want on the lawn. Depending on the trees mentioned, the roots become visible on the lawn, there produce too much shade and kill the grass, have allergenic pollen, fuzz, short life or just just messy. No matter what the tree, don't plant grass near the trunk. Deciding on the Tree *Think about deciduous trees or those losing all the leaves in winter and let in light and warmth. *Trees on the south or east of the house should be deciduous and not evergreen. *Plant only lawn friendly trees. *Do not plant allopathic trees on a lawn like walnut or eucalyptus that kill plants below them. *The shade should not be so deep that grass can't grow from lack of sun. *Keep lower branches trimmed as high as possible. So what tree should you plant on your lawn? *Crabapple Sugar Tyme has pale pink buds, white blossoms in spring and red fruit for the birds in fall and only grows 20 feet tall. *Flowering Plums lose their leaves in the Fall, and they like frequent irrigation and the shade is not dense. *Apricot trees of the Prunus species have fruit. are easy to grow and are pretty in the Fall. *Fuyu Persimmon trees grow slow, are pollen free and have beautiful colored leaves in Fall. *Pineapple Guava trees grow to about 18 feet, have grayish leaves with white flowers. *Quaking Aspens, Pendula trees are medium-sized, pollen-free, fast growing and will grow on a lawn. *Black Poplars are medium-tall, bright yellow leaves in Fall and are narrow, so it is good in small areas. These are only a few of the trees that grow well on a lawn. Think about the size, the various colors and have fun choosing the perfect trees. |