How to Kill Grass Around Trees

When trees and grass occupy the same piece of land, they compete for the water and nutrients in the soil. Because there are generally more grass roots than tree roots, the trees may not grow successfully, especially if they are young and have yet to fully establish their root systems. Killing the grass around a new tree can be beneficial to the tree's growth. There are several ways to kill grass around the trees in your yard.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lawn mower
• Newspaper
• Garden hose
• Mulch
• Black plastic
• Large rocks
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle

1. Mow the grass so it is as short as possible. This gives whatever you use to kill the grass closer access to the roots.

2. Wet all of the grass beneath the tree and cover the wet grass with 8 to10 sheets of newspaper. Wetting between newspaper layers will weigh them down and keep the wind from blowing them away. Cover the newspaper with mulch. The newspaper will prevent light from reaching the grass, killing it. The paper will also decompose slowly, adding nutrients to the soil beneath the tree.

3. Use black plastic as an alternative to newspaper. Like the newspaper, the plastic will block out the sunlight and smother the roots of the grass, killing existing grass and stopping new growth. Place large rocks around the edges of the plastic to hold it in place. The plastic can be removed after a few weeks.

4. Spray the grass around a tree with white vinegar. Try not to let the vinegar come into contact with nearby plants, as it will damage them as well. And guard against over-saturating the grass. You don't want the vinegar to soak into the soil and harm other plants.

References

• Trees are Good
• Kill Unwanted Grass in Your Yard