How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas?
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Growing and maintaining grasses in densely shaded areas is one of the major challenges faced by most homeowners. Maintaining a rich lawn in the shade is relatively easy as long as you choose the right grass and take proper care of it. Turf grasses typically needs four or more hours of direct sunlight, but some shade tolerant grasses need only four hours of filtered or partial sunlight. These shade tolerant grasses include rye, some fescues, zoysia, and St Augustine. It’s best to choose a good quality blend of these grasses.
- Prune
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Prune. Keeping trees well pruned is an easy way to help both your lawn and your trees. Pruning the lower branches that you can easily reach standing on the ground will allow more sunlight to reach the grass from various angles as the sun moves around during the day. Additionally, keeping the rest of the tree pruned will allow more air circulation among the branches and more sunlight to reach the tree itself, keeping it healthier, as well as allowing some sun to filter through to the grass. It is recommended to hire a professional to trim branches that you cannot reach from the ground.
- Aerate
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Aerate every year. Aeration involves making holes in soil and exposing the root area of grass. This enables water, air and fertilizer to be easily penetrated by the roots, and helps the turf strengthen up for the next season. Aerate just before peak growing time: for warm-season grass (i.e. zoysia and St. Augustine), aerate in late spring or early summer; for cool-season grass (i.e. fescue and rye), aerate in the fall, about a month before your area’s typical first frost. For best results, use a core aerator that pulls plugs of soil from the turf, not one that just has spikes. You can manually aerate a small area with a digging fork. If thatch is thicker than a half-inch, it is definitely time to aerate.
- Sowing/Seeding
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Seed every year. It is very important to choose seed well. This is not the place to skimp. Purchasing top quality seed (weed seed of less than one percent and inert material less than four percent) will cost less in the long run and really give you what you are looking for. Shady areas require less fertilizer than full sun, but a great way to help your shade lawn is with a little compost. Spread a very thin layer after aerating and before seeding.
Due to the difficult growing conditions, dense areas tends to become thin over time. Overseed at the appropriate time, using either a drop or broadcast spreader, and be sure to overlap your paths.
- Watering
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Water consistently. Shady areas will not use as much water as their sunny counterparts. When you do water, make sure you irrigate deeply to encourage deep root development, for the overall strength of your lawn. Water in early morning if possible, as nighttime watering can increase the possibility of diseases.
- Mowing
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Mow at correct height with sharp blades. Grasses in shady areas should be at least 3 inches in height. Simply put: shady areas receive less sunlight, and a longer blade can get more of the scarcely provided but desperately needed sunlight for photosynthesis. Also, try to alternate the mowing direction to avoid ruts and damage to the lawn. The mower wheels cause this damage as they repeatedly go over the same areas, leading to physical wear as well as soil compaction.
- Fertilize
How Do I Get Grass to Grow in Shady Areas? Fertilize consistently. Grasses in dense areas requires less nitrogen than ones growing under direct sunlight. Therefore on average, give grasses in shady areas nitrogen which is one-half to two-third less annually when compared to sunny areas.
