Artificial grass, much like concrete, pavers and other “coverage”, even thick mulch or deco rock; changes the growing conditions of your tree.

Tips on Installing Artificial Turf Grass around trees:

Trees help us breathe, provide shade, beauty & a legacy to our landscaping.  If your artificial turf grass and landscape investment is going to perform at its best and, importantly, last, invest in the right tree & install both turf and tree properly in the best location!

As you select a tree for your landscape project; or maybe you’ve inherited one or more in your yard from previous owners or native volunteers; we suggest you take a few minutes to research the tree; what are the ideal environmental conditions (sun, rain, watering); how tall or wide can it grow; what types of debris to expect each season.

Ideal project conditions for installing artificial grass around a tree

• Well draining soil
• No surface roots within 4-6 inches (consider root barrier solutions if possible)
• Plants, bushes & trees are not “root invasive” or “trashy”; fruit will need to be removed
• Do not excavate or install artificial turf grass (or any dense coverage) within 50% of the maximum drip line of “most” trees, hedges, bushes.(*)

ROOT SYSTEMS

Understanding the growth pattern of the root system of your tree (or hedge or large bush) is CRITICAL. Invasive root systems; (redwoods, cypress, juniper, cottonwoods, camphor, catalpa, sycamore are some tree examples) can cause havoc on installations. As roots grow, they can expand under any kind of “coverage” created uneven humps and swales in the surface levels; anyone whose concrete has cracked knows this all too well.

COVERAGE

We define “coverage” in our profession as any type of dense, nonporous material that will be installed; 3+ inches thick; on top of native soil & roots.  Pavers, flagstone, pathway stones, concrete slabs and solid or slab sidewalks are all examples of “dense non-porous coverage”. Even 3+ inches of bark or rock can reduce water and airflow and are not recommended under certain types of trees.

Artificial grass is also coverage with one huge difference; TuFFGrass only installs artificial turf grass styles that are completely porous!  Water will drain right though TuFFGrass artificial grass. As with other porous solutions; permeable pavers, loose bark or deco rock; even 3+ inches of bark or rock can reduce water and airflow; conditions that all affect the health of your tree (bushes or hedges).

* “Coverage” changes the growing conditions of trees (and other plants) due to

• all the materials that lay on top of the soils will (to some extent) reduce oxygen available to roots that have grown out beyond the plants’ trunk
• eliminating or reducing water on an area changes watering “habits” where coverage is a new landscape surface; plan for additions or modifications to provide adequate water
  • HAVE YOU’VE ELIMINATED WATERING ALTOGETHER, BY ACCIDENT!
    • if your lawn irrigation also served to water adjacent gardens – plan to add or modify your irrigation to accommodate their needs.

 

VOLUNTEERS

We refer to vegetation and trees that existed in their location before your property was developed as “Volunteers”.  We often find volunteer “heritage” sized trees (20+ years old, 15+’ High, 20-24″ round trunks) in mature landscapes and pay close attention to professional advise as we plan for your installation. Every project is different but commonly excavation of up to 4-5 inches of surface materials are required for an artificial turf grass lawn.  During excavation to these depths roots will get cut and exposed; stressing the tree; the finer root beds you see with redwoods, can be damaged severely (and grow back quickly). The trees’ health is the first consideration, always.

We always suggest to get the advice of a certified arborist before installing any kind of coverage over a tree or large bush that is over 10 years old or if its trunk is any larger that 8-10 inches around at ground level.

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For Northern California – here are some good choices of trees to consider planting with artificial turf grass.

• Maples – all varieties
• Citrus (fruit needs to be picked up)
• Bay Laurel Tree or Hedge, Bush
• Box Woods, all types
• Japanese Sky Pencil (Holly)
• Fruitless Plum
• Fruitless Olive
• Autumn Purple Ash
• Purple Leaf Acacia
• Chaste Tree
• Chinese Flame Tree
• Holly Oak, Live Oak, Blue or Canyon Oak
• Flowering Dogwoods
• Fruitless Mulberry

SHOP LOCALLY AT GREEN ACRES
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 Knowledgeable Staff / 9 locations in Sac & Foothills

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Projects:  LAWNS  |  PUTTING GREENS | DOG YARDS

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Call us at 916-741-3396 or 530-432-8175

Artificial grass installations in Nevada City, Grass Valley,
Penn Valley, Auburn, Colfax, Rocklin, Roseville,
Granite Bay, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Sacramento, Lincoln

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