First we live in north east Tennessee and our yard is your basic grass however it had many very LARGE trees covering most of the yard and the grass was spotty at best. this winter we had most of the trees cut down and the stumps ground down. my questions are what to do with these old stumps spots. how do we get grass to grow in these old spots? a lot of the old chips is there (not a pile just even with the rest of the ground) as it was just done 2-3 months ago. but can we cover that with a top soil and then plant seed? can you please lay out the steps for best results please.
4 of the trees were large 65+ feet tall oak treas. the area at the ground is about 8 foot around where the chips are now. 12 of the other trees were pines. this was along the driveway and they were 60+ feet tall as well so you can guess how long the pine needles have been built up in the area. what can we do about this area? what needs to be done to the ground or area to get grass to grow.
I plan to spread seed all across the yard because now we got sunlight and can get it to grow plus it need a ton of work after the tree removal company did some damage that was expected but need to be repaired now. however I just don't know what to do with these old stumps? plus what about bugs? termites etc?
thank you in advance for the help!!!
-Rob
I will be interested in following this post.
The city cut down a tree that fell in the road a few years ago and a couple of years ago, I had to cut down a tree in my front yard because it outgrew the space and had some issues with rotting branches.
The city tree was ground and mulch piled on top. Since then the area has receded. Grass grew back but now I have a sinkhole that needs filling
The tree in my front yard was just allowed to rot with stump killer. The roots took a couple of years but they did decay. The grass that was there is actually dying because where the roots were is now mostly air. I will have to remove the weeds and dead grass and fill the hole before I can plant anything else there.
I have not done this sooner because there was another stump we found buried in the vegetable garden. The neighbor said it was a mango tree the original owner planted that got termites and had to be cut down. The stump was buried but apparently it was covered with dirt soon after cutting it down, so it actually rotted very slowly.
I was having problems in growing things in that spot for years since I always had fungus killing my plants. It was only when we starting digging out the fungal laden soil that we ran into the partially decomposed stump. It took a while to chop it out, but the fungal issue stopped after it got out.
Moral to the story:
Even though you have ground the stump and made a mound of chips, expect that it will sink over the next couple of years and you will have to do some filling
If the stump is ground it won't grow back, but if the roots are still there, they too will slowly rot and cause air spaces and sinking as far out as the roots went.
My grass did look o.k. for a while until the sinking started.
The city cut down a tree that fell in the road a few years ago and a couple of years ago, I had to cut down a tree in my front yard because it outgrew the space and had some issues with rotting branches.
The city tree was ground and mulch piled on top. Since then the area has receded. Grass grew back but now I have a sinkhole that needs filling
The tree in my front yard was just allowed to rot with stump killer. The roots took a couple of years but they did decay. The grass that was there is actually dying because where the roots were is now mostly air. I will have to remove the weeds and dead grass and fill the hole before I can plant anything else there.
I have not done this sooner because there was another stump we found buried in the vegetable garden. The neighbor said it was a mango tree the original owner planted that got termites and had to be cut down. The stump was buried but apparently it was covered with dirt soon after cutting it down, so it actually rotted very slowly.
I was having problems in growing things in that spot for years since I always had fungus killing my plants. It was only when we starting digging out the fungal laden soil that we ran into the partially decomposed stump. It took a while to chop it out, but the fungal issue stopped after it got out.
Moral to the story:
Even though you have ground the stump and made a mound of chips, expect that it will sink over the next couple of years and you will have to do some filling
If the stump is ground it won't grow back, but if the roots are still there, they too will slowly rot and cause air spaces and sinking as far out as the roots went.
My grass did look o.k. for a while until the sinking started.
I knew I would have to fill in later when it settles. but what is a quick fix for grass this summer. also I forgot to add that I have a large area where leaves had sit most of the winter. I racked it up and there is a dead spot there under where the leaves were. I know I can't just add seed because of the acid from the leaves. but is lime the answer? I also have considered just doing a garden in this area is lime is the fix. if it is then how much ?
If there is a pH problem, the best answer would be to do a soil test and specify if you want a lawn or mixed vegetable garden. Your choice of plants will determine the recommendations. If pH needs to be adjusted, they will tell you what to use and how much. pH should always be adjusted slowly, it will take up to 6 months for the change to occur since it is the soil bacteria that really do the work.
If you are planting grass, a soil test still won't hurt. You can over seed but realize that the area will still sink over time. The grass can be grown there but may have to be filled in over time.
If you are planting grass, a soil test still won't hurt. You can over seed but realize that the area will still sink over time. The grass can be grown there but may have to be filled in over time.