Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
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Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
I have a giant oak in the front yard. Every season it's pretty dry under the tree. I always suspect it's lack of water. However, as soon as the oak loses it's leaves in Dec-Feb, the grass starts perking up again. With leaf cover, the grass under the tree only receives light for the first hour and last hour of the day pretty much. It sounds dumb but looking at the (thin) grass, I find it difficult to assess whether I'm dealing with heat, light, or water problems sometimes. It could be a trifecta, who knows! Does anyone have a distinct "not enough light" sign, besides cholorosis, that nixes heat or water stress? Lord knows I don't.
- andy10917
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Re: Winter Discussion Topics
I'm going to move the specific question to a thread of its own, so you'll get more responses.
- andy10917
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Re: Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
Actually, it could be four factors, or some number in combination. Heat, Light, Water are all possibilities - but some Oaks show degrees of allelopathy too.
Does the pattern of less-robust grass follow the area right under the canopy for the most part, or does it follow the shade pattern of the tree (they're not the same!).
A mature tree like an Oak can require 40,000 gallons of water in a season - that's pretty demanding. Directly, I'm not betting on heat, as it's not likely that it's hotter under the tree's shade than in sunny areas -- but it could be a stress factor that piles on the issue indirectly.
My bet would be on the primary stressors of less light in combination with competition for water.
Does the pattern of less-robust grass follow the area right under the canopy for the most part, or does it follow the shade pattern of the tree (they're not the same!).
A mature tree like an Oak can require 40,000 gallons of water in a season - that's pretty demanding. Directly, I'm not betting on heat, as it's not likely that it's hotter under the tree's shade than in sunny areas -- but it could be a stress factor that piles on the issue indirectly.
My bet would be on the primary stressors of less light in combination with competition for water.
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Re: Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
Even with more than sufficient light (vase shape w/ high limbs), I never had any success growing grass near a mature oak. And I don't have the summer heat of OK to contend with. The demand for water by the tree was always just too great. Yes, the lawn would do somewhat better after the leaves fell, but the lawn would quickly decline again after the spring rains subsided.
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Re: Strugglin' Lawn Around Tree
Re: Is mulching really necessary?
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Re: Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
Thanks for moving this to a new topic Andy!
The lesser growth does follow mostly directly underneath the canopy give or take a foot or two.
Timmy, I’m assuming those spring rains coincided with leaves filling out and the tree waking back up?
The lesser growth does follow mostly directly underneath the canopy give or take a foot or two.
Timmy, I’m assuming those spring rains coincided with leaves filling out and the tree waking back up?
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Re: Oak Tree: Heat/Water/Light
I wouldn't say coincided necessarily, but close enough. It's all part of the same story: a mature tree with leaves simply outcompetes grass for water. Add shade from the canopy, and sun-loving grass doesn't stand a chance.
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