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Overgrown Trees Blocking Light to the Yard
in Montgomery, AL
Montgomery's growing season runs from roughly March through October, and trees put on a lot of canopy mass in that time. Older neighborhoods like Midtown and the Capitol Heights area have large trees whose canopies have filled in to the point where some yards get almost no direct sun. When grass cannot grow and the ground stays damp, you end up with moss, fungal patches, and moisture sitting against your house longer than it should.
Quick Answer
When a tree canopy gets too thick, sunlight cannot reach the lawn or garden underneath, and the ground stays wet longer after rain. In Montgomery's humid summers, that constant shade and moisture leads to fungal problems in grass and can cause damp conditions against your foundation. Thinning the canopy lets light and air through. This is a maintenance issue, not an emergency, but it does get worse every year.
Telltale Signs
Warning Signs to Watch For
- Lawn under the tree is mostly bare dirt or moss rather than grass
- Ground under the canopy stays visibly wet or muddy well after rain stops
- Plants or a garden you had there used to grow but no longer do
- Algae or dark green slime on hardscape surfaces under the tree
- The yard has a noticeably different smell in that area from standing moisture
Root Causes
What Causes Overgrown Trees Blocking Light to the Yard?
Dense Crown with No Trimming History
A tree that has never been thinned closes its canopy over time until very little light gets through. In neighborhoods like Capitol Heights where trees were planted in the 1940s and 1950s and rarely trimmed, canopies can block 90 percent of available light by the time the tree is mature.
The Fix
Crown Thinning
The trimmer removes selected branches from inside the canopy to open it up without changing the overall shape of the tree. Light and air can then reach the ground and dry out the soil properly.
Multiple Trees Grown Together
When two or three trees are planted close together and all mature at the same time, their canopies merge. Montgomery's fast-growing water oaks and pecans can close a canopy gap completely in just a few seasons.
The Fix
Selective Crown Lifting and Thinning
Lower branches are raised and interior branches are thinned to open up the shared canopy. In some cases one of the trees may need to be removed if there is no good solution otherwise.
Self-Diagnosis
Which Cause Applies to You?
Check the signs you're observing to narrow down the likely root cause before your inspection.
| What You're Seeing | Dense Crown with No Trimming History | Multiple Trees Grown Together |
|---|---|---|
| Single large tree with a very dense, dark canopy over the problem area | ||
| Two or more tree canopies have grown together and overlap | ||
| Problem is worst under the center of the tree canopy | ||
| Affected area spans the spread of multiple trees, not just one |
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