How do I stop the roots of a tree from killing my grass?

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gabagoo

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I have 2 blue spruce and a red maple tree on the front lawn...For the longest time I thought it was thre blue spruces killing the grass, but now have figured it is the root system of the maple tree that is causing this. Every year I reseed the areas and by mid July it is all dead again. I can see the roots starting to come above the surface. Not sure if I actually tore up the lawn and put new rolls down and built up the base if that would just be a futile attempt to keep fighting it. I should mention that this area is outside the drip zone too.
 
Spring time. By July it dies again.
Plant your seed in the fall, run a plugger over it, then overseed. Cool season grasses build their root system over the cooler months. Hot summer heat saps to much moisture out of the grass in the summer time.
 
Definitely plant grass in the fall. You could also add a top dressing of compost to the area, not thick only an inch or so after plug aeration. You don't want to get to thick with the compost over the tree roots. Maples tend to root pretty shallowly, you could expand the mulched area around the tree and just forget about grass.
 
As a retired landscaper, I ran into this very problem years ago. Top dressing, sod, none of these will work as the shallow roots of the Maple tree are way more superior that a little grass root. The Maple will suck up all the water and the nutrients in the soil leaving nothing for the grass to survive.
You have two choices. 1. Remove the maple tree and replant grass seed over new soil or
2. Make a beautiful rock garden around the Maple tree planting ivy or packasandra in the garden. Sorry to say, that is your only fix.
 
I have red maples and the grass grows fine over their roots... but in drier weather you may have to water the grass there a couple times a week... plus maybe a little fertilizer... although I've never used it...
 
The areas effected are not really under the tree so much so to have no grass in those area would look strange, I need to take a pic to show you... I will do some seed now but I will redo it in the fall as suggested. I also have 2 large blue spruce trees on either side of the maple.
 
In addition, the needles falling from the spruce trees will make the soil under them and a few feet beyond their drip lines more acidic than the grass likes. You may need to apply lime to the soil in that area.
 
The areas effected are not really under the tree so much so to have no grass in those area would look strange, I need to take a pic to show you... I will do some seed now but I will redo it in the fall as suggested. I also have 2 large blue spruce trees on either side of the maple.
See my post! This is the only answer. Save your money on seed or sod! Trust me. .
 
Well, it's now Augusat and the grass looks horrible. It's basically dead. Here are some pics.
 

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Wait til Sept, early Oct and run a thatcher over the lawn, plug it then seed it. That's what I'm doing with my yard this year that has nothing but weeds and maybe 3 blades of grass. Every year I swear to do it, but something always gets in the way.
 
I'd plug aerate it and top dress it with compost and then seed. I can get a pick up load of compost for around $25. I top dressed my yard a couple of times over the past 20 years and it makes a huge difference. You can see exactly where I stopped the top dressing by the color and thickness of the grass. I'm thinking of renting an open trailer from U-Haul and buying several trips worth in one weekend. Alternatively, if I want to get 10 or 20 yards they'll deliver it.
 
I was thinking of just removing it all and relaying new sod down. I'm still curious as to why it is happening and now wonder if it is something different then the roots as it spans 20' from the trees. I lifted a few dead areas but saw no grubs, unless they move on after killing it.
 
Wait til Sept, early Oct and run a thatcher over the lawn, plug it then seed it. That's what I'm doing with my yard this year that has nothing but weeds and maybe 3 blades of grass. Every year I swear to do it, but something always gets in the way.
 
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