Grass Can't Compete With Tree Roots

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Most trees don't like a lawn below - as you know if you've ever tried to get grass to grow around one. Tree roots need lots of space and water, and grass can't really compete. Trees also steal the sun; the shade of big trees is not what a lawn is looking for at all.

Plus, regular lawn care is terribly tough on trees. Mowers injure tree roots, weed whackers cut into bark girdling trunks and letting diseases in. And mower traffic really compacts the soil, smooshing out the air tree roots need to breathe.

So try to let your trees live more naturally without lawn underneath them, and you'll both be happier. Leave the leaves under trees wherever you can. If the leaves won't stay put, consider planting a circle of a shade-loving ground cover like a native Carex several feet away from the trunk; to create a pretty ring that'll keep leaves penned in as a tidy mulch and a fabulous fertilizer.

Reported By Phran Novelli, KYW Newsradio