Will trees grow with grass at the base?

shoehorn

PXL_20240126_152900482.jpg

We planted 100 4ft hazel trees about 2m apart on a part of our 1 acre garden. The site is somewhat exposed to wind (not coastal). They went down a year ago on what was previously a lawn. We haven't cut the grass since, save for a winding path. The aim is to create a small woodland.

Will the trees grow, with the grass growing around them?

See photo. Garden centre advised that it should be ok. Cutting the grass will just encourage more grass growth they said. Once the trees are above the level of the grass (which they are), they will grow, and the grass might just need to be flattened (stamped down) before the trees will eventually shade the grass out in years to come.

Being a novice, I welcome any advice here. I read various opinions on this and concluded that they should grow, but maybe just take a bit longer to grow and mature compared to keeping a certain diameter weed free.

looksee

I have been somewhat half heartedly mulching round some silver birches that I planted about 3 years ago, but mostly they have grass growing up to them, they are fine and growing well. They started out as a mix of 3ft and 4 ft whips and are now around 7/8ft and looking like trees.

uberwolf

there are apparently limits to mulching around teh base of trees - too much being worse than none at all

https://www.thespruce.com/should-i-be-using-mulch-around-trees-2132626

looksee

Ah yes, thats the 'piling it up and rotting the trunk' scenario though. Sensible mulch is covering the ground round the tree but not in a heap. I would think it might be helpful for some trees, but trees like hazel and birch are tough enough to sort themselves. I have some rather more fussy young shrubs and trees in a very wild, nettle-y patch that I have to keep clear round them or they look very sad.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677191#Comment_121677191

Same here. Planted two and tried to keep grass away and failed. They absolutely thrived anyway.

Wanderer78

helped plant some trees in public locations, expert advice was mulch mulch mulch, we even re mulched previous year saplings....

standardg60

They'll grow fine OP.

Looks more natural and if you start keeping an area free around them you'll just get other more annoying weeds seeding in.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677344#Comment_121677344

The same is now being said about those deer protection sleeves that you see in commercial plantations - it's keeping the bark more moist and hence more susceptible to bacterial and moulds. I'm not a fan of them anyway, adding more plastic waste into semi-pristine environments.

looksee

I tend to agree with you about that. I have had to protect trees from rabbits and used a wire netting ring round them, which worked fine, but I could never see how the solid sleeves were a good idea.

elperello

If you can get some old carpet (not foam back) you could cut it in pieces about 1 metre square and put it around the base.

Then you can cut the grass if you want without getting too near the trunks and damaging them.

looksee

The last owners of this house had a mania for putting carpet in the garden, sometimes it was simply a way of dumping it, but some of it was spread. I think we have finally got rid of it all, its a nightmare to dig up.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677572#Comment_121677572

It's not for everyone especially if you put it down in big pieces.

The 1 metre square pieces are easy enough to manage. If you want to lift them just cut them into smaller strips with a Stanley knife.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677612#Comment_121677612

A small woodland with 100sq metres of carpet definitely wouldn't be for me anyway🙂

FrancieBrady

Remembering the advice we got with our apple trees now, water and mulch away from the base as that would encourage the roots to quickly spread in search of nutrition.

macraignil

I agree about it just taking a bit longer for the trees to get established with the grass as it is in the photo but they should still be fine. What I like to do myself is if I have some free time is to just grab hold of clumps of grass around the base of the young tree and pull these out just to help rain get down to the tree roots.

Happy gardening!

shoehorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677902#Comment_121677902

Thank you and everyone for the advice.

I won't worry too much about the grass so.

Seth Brundle

I've two hazels here which were maybe two foot when I planted them six years ago. Mowed the grass around them (because its a garden) but did nothing else. Can't stop them growing!

shoehorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121678703#Comment_121678703

Well my plan is to coppice mine, in rotation, for firewood and rods for the fruit / veg beds.

slystallone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121694069#Comment_121694069

Interested to hear, how mature are you going to let them get before using for firewood?

shoehorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121825023#Comment_121825023

No idea really! I'll play it by ear. I assume I'm 10 years away from coppicing them. They are barely thicker than a finger now.

I want to keep the area as a shaded woodland, so I will then them out in rotation.

slystallone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121922964#Comment_121922964

Would you have to leave it dry after cutting?