Davidson County, TN
Nashville lawn care for shady, older yards
In Nashville’s older neighborhoods the trees came first. Big oaks, maples and hackberries shade yards that were seeded decades ago, and grass under a canopy like that needs a different plan from a sunny new lot.
Growing grass under Nashville’s big trees
Bermuda, the grass on many sunny Nashville front yards, simply won’t stay thick in shade. Under trees, tall fescue is the better bet, and even fescue thins where the canopy closes in and roots compete for water. In Sylvan Park or East Nashville, one yard can be full sun at the curb and deep shade by the back fence. The wooded streets near Percy Warner Park follow the same pattern. Under the trees, thin turf also leaves room for chickweed and wild violet, so the spring pre-emergent and broadleaf rounds count for more than you might expect.
That’s a yard with two lawns in it, and the program has to account for both. The sunny Bermuda gets fed and weeded through the warm months. The shaded fescue gets the same rounds plus fall aeration and seeding, to replace what summer and the tree roots took. Our lawn care page lists each round.
Older soil and the lime round
Clay that has been fertilized and buried in leaves for decades can turn acidic, and acidic soil holds back nutrients the grass needs, so fertilizer does less than it should. Round 8 of every LawnWise program is a lime treatment that moves the pH back toward where turf grows best. It isn’t glamorous. It does make the other seven rounds work harder. Lime acts slowly, so it’s a yearly round rather than a one-time fix. If you want numbers for your own yard, a soil test through UT Extension will show where it stands.
The river, the bugs and the old houses
The Cumberland winds through the middle of Davidson County, and the bottomland along it, Shelby Bottoms included, breeds mosquitoes all summer. Older houses with crawlspaces and settled foundations also give ants, roaches, spiders and termites more ways in. Our pest control packages take care of the house, and monthly mosquito visits take care of the yard. Nashville is a short drive up I-65 from our Franklin office, and every new customer starts with a free evaluation; nothing is sold before a specialist has seen the yard. For the south side of town, see our page on lawn care in Green Hills.
Answers
Lawn care questions in Nashville
Why won’t Bermuda grass grow under my trees in Nashville?
Bermuda needs full sun, roughly six or more hours of direct light a day, and thins out quickly in shade. Under Nashville’s mature trees, tall fescue is the better grass because it tolerates partial shade. Shaded fescue still thins over the summer, so fall aeration and overseeding are what keep it filled in.
Does lime help an older Nashville lawn?
Lime helps when the soil is acidic, which older clay under trees and years of fertilizer can become. It raises the pH so grass can use the nutrients already in the soil along with the fertilizer applied. LawnWise includes a lime treatment as round 8 of every lawn program, whether Basic, Plus or Premier.
What pests get into older Nashville houses?
Ants, cockroaches, spiders, crickets, silverfish and mice are common in older homes, which have more gaps around foundations, crawlspaces and old windows. PestWise packages cover more than 40 pests with quarterly exterior service and free service calls in between. Termite monitoring and protection come with the Premium Plus and Complete packages.
Can one yard be half Bermuda and half fescue?
Yes, and plenty of Nashville yards are: Bermuda in the full-sun front and tall fescue in the shade. The two need different timing, especially for seeding, because fescue is overseeded in fall while Bermuda spreads on its own in summer. A LawnWise specialist maps out which is which during the free evaluation.
Service areas
Other towns on our routes
Williamson County
Davidson County
Rutherford County
Maury County
Wilson County
Sumner County
Free evaluation in Nashville
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