Removing small roots from lawn

[jeffc]

I'm transplanting some grass from healthy areas of my lawn that I'm trimming back, to thin areas in several spots. The grass is thin and not really growing probably due to rocky soil (heavy gravel left there from preconstruction) and also probably due to shallow roots from some pines. If I'm cutting up small areas (several feet square in several places) how do I best cut out these roots? They are 1/4" to maybe 3/4" in size. Tried a tree pruning saw but it curves the wrong way. Other saws, or something else altogether?

[Kraka]

are you trying to kill the trees?

[Steveo]

Why bother transplanting bad turf? Where do you live?

[Steveo]

Forgtaboutit. Grass and pines donut mix very well.

[Eggs Zachtly]

And, you're transplanting some sort of 'magic' grass, that will ignore, and somehow overcome the fate of it's predecessor?

If the pines are still there, I'd venture a guess that you'd find /most/ of their roots, "shallow".

Why would you want to cut them out? They're there for a reason, you know. The trees' roots are shallow because that's where the food is (and the water, and the air, etc). If they're actually pines, that may be part of the problem. Pine needles can raise the acidity of the soil to levels that most grasses just can't tolerate. So, the transplanted sod will die for the same reasons the old sod was dying, and the trees will suffer damage, for no reason at all. Seems pretty much a waste of time, energy, and sod 'transplanted from the healthy areas of your lawn'.

Add some quality, fine compost, and maybe a bit of lime? (A soil test would be a good idea). Oh, and if you /really/ want nice turf under your pines, get a lawn vac that will pick up the needles. ;)

[James]

I have a lot of pines and very nice grass.

James

Forgtaboutit. Grass and pines donut mix very well.

[Steveo]

How high are the limbs over your nice grass?

[jeffc]

For crissakes people, yes I know what roots are for. If you don't want to answer the question, don't answer, but this is pretty annoying.

[jeffc]

The limbs are very high over all the grass. 90% of the grass looks great. The grass only has small patches that are bad in an overall nice back lawn. The transplanting I've done so far has worked fine. I just need to get out some roots so I can dig out some of the gravel and get some good dirt in those patches. Everywhere there is decent soil the grass is doing fine.

[Eggs Zachtly]

Your question was answered. I also gave you an alternative solution, which would be more beneficial to your lawn, as well as your trees. Apparently, you missed it (or you're determined to damage your trees).

[Pat Kiewicz]

If you have to do it, use loppers. Or hand pruners, if you've got a strong grip. That's what I use for cutting out the roots of the damned white aspen that send up shoots all over the yard. (The neighbor is retired and doesn't have the resources to have them professionally taken down, and they are too large and leaning too much to make them safe for non-professionals.)

Pick out bypass-cut loppers with the narrowest blades, the better to winkle them down into the dirt past the stones.

[Abe]

A good sharp hand axe.

[Art]

If you don't care about the tree - they make pruning blades for sawzalls that really do a number on roots. They are about 8-10" long and go through dirt and roots with ease. I don't know about gravel and rocks. Maybe look for a carbide blade.

[Eggs Zachtly]

You can't be serious.

[jeffc]

No, I don't need a lawn vac because pine needles aren't a problem. I don't need compost because the grass I'm transplanting comes with 3" of it's own "compost" - it's healthy grass with enough dirt underneath transplanted with it. This tactic has worked fine for me whenever I've tried it, and no it's not "magic" grass and no the transplanted grass doesn't "suffer the same fate".

[jeffc]

Thank you for the helpful suggestions.

[Eggs Zachtly]

Sure they are. You just don't understand chemistry. That's cool. =)

Ok. Then why do you need to cut the roots? You should be able to just lay the sod right over them. It's the lesser of the two evils. You don't understand trees, either.

No shit? I was being facetious.

It will, if you don't get a grip on the acidity. Of course, the falling tree could do more damage than the acid, I'll give ya that.

[richard fiser]

He's determined to do it "his way" and he doesn't want to hear that it's not good for the tree to cut the feeder roots or that the grass will probably die anyway. He just wants to know of an easy way to do it. Jeffc. Go rent a sidewalk edger. cut the roots in the pattern you want and then use the sod cutter to lift the feeder roots in sections. Then put down your sod and watch the grass and trees die. I've never done this but I'm sure it will work.

Why do people have nice trees and then insist on killing them because they don't like what nature does?

[jeffc]

Because the grass sod coming in has 4 inches of dirt with it, and I can't dig out 4" of dirt with the roots there. Do you understand how to transplant healthy grass?

No, it won't. Been working for years. You act like pine needles fall in one little 4 foot square on the lawn and magically avoid the rest. Frankly, you don't seem too bright.

[jeffc]

It's called "landscaping". Check it out sometime.