Knowledgebase
Can’t grow grass #556441
Asked April 28, 2019, 8:55 AM EDT
Washington County Minnesota
Expert Response
Maples trees have shallow root systems that enable them to take huge amounts of water and nutrients from the soil. Their dense canopy severely restricts the light intensity under the trees. These three factors—competition for water, nutrients, and low light intensity causes turf grass failure under shaded conditions. Late summer and early fall are the best time to seed your lawn. Use shade tolerant grass species varieties. Fine fescues (red, Chewings, sheep, hard). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRFjkfMXmNg&feature=youtu.be
Prune tree branches as much as possible without destroying the function and the beauty of the tree. You could replace the turf with mulch and shade lowing ground cover.
Night crawlers deposit castings (waste products) at their burrow entrances forming conical mounds at the soil surface. They are most active when the soil is moist in early spring and late fall. If night crawlers are causing the bumps, you might be able to control the bumpiness by dethatching your lawn. This would reduce some of their food supply. Vertical raking in the spring will help smooth out the bumps too. More information on night crawlers.
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/nightcrawlers
This site takes you to our soil testing service.
http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/testing-services