grass under a pine tree

[Sea Nymph]

I've got this big pine tree in my front yard. I'm not sure what kind it is. It has really fine long needles and tiny pine cones. The trouble is growing nice grass under this tree. Do any of you have any grass growing tips or know of a type of grass that will work best in this situation?

Here's a picture of the tree.
[img]http://photo.starblvd.net/~dvickery/2-1-1.jpg?i=1051385439&pw=*4EFC3E89DDFC[/img]

[Cool Texan]

I need to know the answer to this question too. The neighbor behind me has a pair of 50' pines. So we get the needles, pine cones, and the pitch (the dog gets most of that in her paws). The grass underneath seems to have a difficult time.

[FallRiverGuy]

It looks like there is enough light for grass. I would call a landscaper to see if some pine trees exude a substance which inhibits other vegetation from growing. I know some trees do this. You may want to consider putting something beside grass around the base of the tree.

[RvW]

Pine needles and roots acidify the soil under the tree. As big as that tree is..the soil has been acidic for decades. Pine roots are shallow and absorb all the available moisture. The shade from the tree is an issue as well.
I wouldnt waste the time trying...landscape the area with a circle of stone and bark mulch and throw a bench or swing in there and enjoy the shade or surrounded by self-watering pots or planters of shade-loving plants (such as impatiens, caladium, coleus).

To enrich the soil, nuetralize the acid, and irrigate, not to mention finding a seed which is tollerant would be a yearly hassle.

C.T. neutralize the acid, reseed with a shade tollerant strain of grass irrigate well. those trees use everybit of water they can get.

This greenthumb moment brought to you by your friends at IFish

[ 04-01-2003, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: cirrhosis-of-the-river ]

[DanS]

COTR's thumb is abviously green. Good advice. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]