Spruce trees smothering your lawn?

Credit: Flickr / blmurch

Q: My neighbours have five spruce trees in their backyard. Spruce needles are constantly blown over the fence into our yard. How do we properly care for our lawn due to the acidity in our grass?

Apply a dolomite lime as directed on the label; rake up excess spruce needles to prevent smothering the grass; irrigate the lawn during dry stretches; and overseed the lawn with grass seed. In extreme conditions one might consider growing an alternative groundcover instead of grass. In the wild, grass under trees is not the norm.