Grass vs Trees

Foresters are famous for preaching against grass in tree planting projects, and for good reason. This thirty year old walnut planting has various treatments to row groupings for demonstration purposes. Grass was controlled with herbicide in the rows to the left, and grass was allowed to grow in the rows up the center of this photo. It is a dramatic difference. The worst grass to have in a tree planting is fescue. It is not unusual to lose 90% of your trees in the first years where fescue is growing. Fescue does not only compete with trees for water; it fights trees chemically.

In deep prairie soils, a seedling with 8" or 10" inches of root doesn't have a chance against deeply rooted grasses during a dry summer. Annual weeds and briars may look bad, but trees seem to thrive amongst them. I have also had good luck with Timothy and red top grasses on poor soils.

Be sure to talk to a forester who knows your area when you begin planning for a tree planting project. Knowledge of local conditions and soil types is critical for success.