Shades are really nice for relaxing in, whether alone or with your family and friends. Imagine how hot summer can get and how comfortable it feels resting under the shade in your yard. As beautiful as this feels, shades can become a problem for your lawn in the long run. It is for this reason that we have discussed the topic of how to grow grass in a shaded area.
Shades block out sunlight which can lead to poor growth and development of your grass, discolored or patchy grass or worse, disease outbreaks. Fortunately, some grass types are shade-tolerant and can grow healthily even with little sunlight.
Here’s how to grow grass in shade…
The Problem of Growing a Grass Lawn Under Shades
Grasses struggle to photosynthesize and develop deep roots in shady places, where sunlight is scarce due to building or tree cover. It also struggles to acquire the water and nutrients it needs due to little sunlight blocked by trees and bushes. In addition to this, the small roots of lawn grass find it hard to contend with larger ones of trees and other plants in the area.
Factors like fertile soil, water, and grass are all important factors in the process of grass growth. When sunlight is limited, processing these resources becomes a challenge. Grasses growing under a shade are often weak, thin and bend towards the light source.
Grass Types that Have Shade Resistance
If your property is in a shaded area, it pays for you to go for grass species that can withstand shade. Before a decision, do your checks to see your options. The first category is the cool-season grasses and the second option is the warm-season grasses.
Shade-tolerant cool-season grass species:
- Kentucky Bluegrass – works great in lightly shaded areas, 5 sunshine
- Perennial Ryegrass – works great in lightly shade areas, 5 of hours sunshine
- Tall Fescue – Moderately shade-tolerant
- Fine Fescue – Most tolerant Fescue, very minimal sunlight
NOTE: Cool-season grasses are best planted in late summer or early fall for the best results.
Shade-tolerant warm-season grass species:
These warm-season grasses are also drought-loving and will go dormant when there’s winter. They include:
- St. Augustine – shade tolerant, tough grass, needs only 4 hours of poor sunlight
- Zoysia – shade tolerant, drought-resistant, requires only 6 hours of poor sunlight
- Centipede grass – Minimal maintenance, shade-tolerant, requires 6 hours of poor sunlight
NOTE: Warm-season grasses are best planted in late spring or early summer for best results.
How to Grow Your Lawn In Shaded Areas
Having a home in a shaded area isn’t an excuse not to have a beautiful lawn. In this section, we have discussed how to grow your lawn in shaded areas with minimal challenges.
Prune Your Trees
Pruning trees involves removing excessive branches from your trees to stimulate growth, remove dead parts and allow sunlight to get to lower branches and grasses below. Pruning is important for grass lawns in shaded areas. You can liaise with a tree care expert for this task for the best results.
Aerate the lawn
Aeration creates holes in the soil to increase the permeation of air, nutrients and water. If your lawn is in a shaded area, aerating the lawn soil once or twice yearly will benefit it greatly. It should be done in the late spring or early summer, with warm-season turf and cool-season grasses in the early fall. A core aerator should be used to remove dirt plugs from the grass for optimum aeration. We recommend that you hire a yard service offering lawn care in Texas for this task so as to get it right.
Select the Right Specie of Grass
It’s important to pick the right grass type for your shaded yard. Some grass species are more shade-tolerant than others; therefore it helps to pick the right type of grass. If you have a new lawn yard, ensure that only shade-tolerant species are planted on your lawn.
Overseed the Lawn Occasionally
Overseeding your shaded lawn will keep it reinvigorated and fresh for a long while. It is one of the best answers on how to grow grass in a shade. Use a broadcast seeder or drop spreader to evenly distribute your seedlings over the lawn yard. When done right, overseeding will take care of areas of your lawn with poor or sparse growth.
Enrich your soil
Adding nutrient enrichment to your soil is a good way to boost its strength. Consider adding a light layer of compost after you have aerated the soil. Spread out the material uniformly across your lawn yard soil then water appropriately.
Water when necessary
Introduce water to your lawn only when it’s needed. The water requirement of a lawn under shade is less than that of a grass lawn in the open. Water your lawn strategically – each session should be deep but spaced out enough to allow the grass to develop a deep root system.
Mow minimally
Grass lawns under shade receive partial sunlight and as such, they need every other resource in decent amounts to be able to carry out photosynthesis. Do not cut shaded grass lawns too low – these plants need their leaf blades to maximize their photosynthetic process.
Take Out Weeds on Sight
Shaded lawns have enough trouble already as it is. Weeds form a strong competition for grass lawns so it’s important to eliminate them when spotted. Use a topical solution to tackle weeds or use any other organic means to take them out.
Reduce Foot or Vehicle Traffic
If it can be arranged, create walkways or driveways in areas with shaded lawn. Foot and vehicle traffic can affect the growth and metabolism of shaded lawns. Keep people away from lawns in shaded areas if possible. Kids, pets, cars and items should be off the lawn to reduce any form of stress on it.
Do you need professional lawn care in Texas? Contact us to take the stress of caring for your lawn off your shoulders today so you can relax and enjoy your shaded lawn.
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