A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Neighbor's pine needles

My neighbor's pine tree hangs over half of my back yard and the amount of needles that drop into my yard have slowly killed my grass. They said that they were going to have the tree removed (since they have no grass either) so we had the yard sodded this spring. Now they decided against removing the tree. I was told by the landscaper that pine needles are acidic and will kill grass. I can't prevent the needles from falling into my yard. Is there something I can treat the lawn with to combat the acidity? Will lime work?

I'd appreciate any suggestions.
Scott

Scott,
this isn't a treatment, but... what I would do is to rake the grass EVERY week during the main dropping season and use the needles for mulch in an area that you want to protect from cold/heat (not to mention weeds!). Pine straw mulch is very expensive if you are buying it... btw, where is north wales PA?? Mom is in the area south of Harrisburg.

Scott,
That's what I was going to say Jiffy,
I'd just rake the leaves and use for mulch.
I take the lawn mower and drive over it again and again, so they are very tiny. I have a sweeper, take that, sweep them up and throw in my compost pile. And for plants that love acid, I use that as a mulch on them. (Azalea's, Rhod's ect.)
Let us know how you make out.

Do you garden???
Weezie

The best way to fight against acidity in the soil is by adding limestone to it.
As long as the lawn is getting plenty of light under the tree, and keep it reasonably clean of needles it should do fine.
Most people do not put lime down heavy enough to really make a difference however.
To lower the acidity one notch on the ph scale you will need to add about 30 lbs of limestone per 1000 square feet.
The best type of limestone to get is the pelletized type. It has already been broken down and reformed into pellets.
It is much cleaner then using the old fashioned barn lime. The best time to do this is in the fall.
Hope this helps!

Scott have you thought about going in half with the owner of the tree to have a major trim on it. It helps with less needles. Or maybe pay half to have it cut down??????? May be worth it!
Just a thought Catlover :rolleyes:

I was surprised when i read somewhere that it sometimes takes several months for lime to take affect! Not sure if that applies to average well drain soil, but it would seem logical that it would take longer on clay soil.
For warm season grasses, late winter or early spring would probably be a good time to apply lime.