25 year old Manchurian tree, must be beautiful!
Geez, I'm not sure how susceptible those roots would be or how far they spread??? Why not phone the University of Saskatchewan, Department of Horticulture, maybe they can help or a reputable nursery that sells UG sprinklers, IÂm sure the professional installers are asked this question many of times.
Perhaps they'll just go around it?

Peggy, its not a sacrilegious question ;)

Sharon

Sharon Thank you.
As it turned out we were at Dutch Growers in Saskatoon this morning and talked with the owner from whom we bought the tree in the first place! He told us that where my hubby planned to put the trenches would probably not harm the tree. I only thought the question might be sacriligious because it seems many people on this forum are eager to get rid of lawns, not try to save them :) !

if I can remember how to post a picture I'll try to do just that so you can see just how beautiful it is.

{{gwi:750662}}

Peggy, I can't help you with the sprinklers question but what a gorgeous tree! It's got such a beautiful shape.

The lawn doesn't even look all that bad in that photo.

Northspruce - pictures can be deceiving! The lawn is actually very, very sparse. In some places even weeds don't want to grow. I did think long and hard about getting rid of some of the lawn, but I am suddenly experiencing bad pains in my hips and knees, and I find it hard enough to keep up with my flower beds and roses in the back yard. I guess it's lawn for us.

And thanks for the compliment on the tree. We absolutely love the shape of it - it's such a perfect oval. In fact people have often asked if we prune it that way! The answer is "No". We've had strangers at the door asking about it. And at one time a city arborist lived on our street and walked by every day. One time he stopped to talk with my DH and asked about it. A couple of years later they removed some decaying maples down at city hall, and put in Manchurian Ashes. We often wondered if that conversation had anything to do with that decision! It's fun to think about it anyway.
Peggy

That is a really beautiful tree. I'm curious, I have Green Ash trees and they take forever to leaf out in the spring, and are about the first trees to lose their leaves in the fall. Are Manchurian Ash really late to leaf out, too?

Pudge - yes, it is very late to leaf out, even later than the green ash one of my neighbours has! In fact, it still hasn't leafed out yet. On the other hand, our Manchurian keeps its leaves longer in the fall than the green ash, although it loses its leaves quite a bit earlier than most other trees.

One thing we like about it in the fall is that the leaves come down almost all at once, taking only about a day and a half or two days for them ALL to come down! Another thing is that the leaves are on long stems still attached when they fall so nothing blows around too much, but pretty much stays put. It's easy then for DH to suck them up (which shreds them at the same time). Then we bag them up and use them for mulch or compost.

Hope this info helps.
Peggy

I had a thought about the lawn problem - it would probably help if you purchased (assuming you haven't already) a grass seed mix for low-traffic shade.

And then the sprinklers, perhaps you could have two or three directional sprinklers installed at the drip line of the tree, and point them in towards the trunk - that way the system wouldn't have to be right in the root zone. I'm sure if you had a professional sprinkler installer come look, they would be able to work around the tree roots.

Hope you find something that works.

Northspruce, you've been such a help to me today - thank you so much!

The fellow we talked to yesterday also recommended a shade tolerant grass seed mix. Then he told us to wait a bit before seeding, because is yet too cold for good germination. Wow, that was something we hadn't realized.

We're planning on putting a sprinkler head in each corner, all pointing towards the middle. Each will water about 15 feet, which is just perfect for the size of the lawn. I had a scale drawing with me when we talked to the guy at the nursery yesterday, and he assured us that the trenches along the edges of the lawn will not hurt the roots of the tree. The tree trunk will stop the water a little, but we think there will be enough of an overlap to compensate. Sure hope so anyway!. We're also putting in a timer with a rain sensitive attachment so that if it's raining, the system won't come on. That should make everything self-sufficient for when we're away on holidays. We'll only need a "lawn-sitter" to mow! Hope it works out that way anyway!
Peggy

Wow, that'll be great Peggy. Glad to be of assistance (also glad to be in agreement with the pros, hee hee).

Soon people will not just notice your lovely tree, but they will also wonder how you have such a nice lawn under it...

Peggy, that is one gorgeous looking tree!
Glad to hear your sprinkler plans came out ok.
Oh btw, when I lived in Saskatoon, Dutch Growers was my favourite hangout ;)

Sharon