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Let the truth be known: cool season turf
grasses prefer to be grown in sun! Let’s reiterate: to establish
a thick and healthy lawn you need sun! Six hours of full sun a day
is ideal for Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Fine and
tall Fescues are more shade tolerant and require a minimum of 4
hours of full or 8 hours of filtered sun daily. When plants do not
receive enough sun they can not manufacture food (photosynthesis)
effectively to support growth and as a result the plant is less
heat and cold tolerant and more susceptible to disease and insect
damage. When it is a larger plant, tree or shrub, creating the shade
there is also competition for soil nutrients and water.
So, what does this mean for
the homeowner with less than optimal light? If it is grass that
you desire to grow it is not impossible but you will have to settle
for a thinner stand. Your chances of maintaining a healthy thin
lawn in a shady area is increased when adopting the following guidelines:
- Increase the amount light and air circulation,
if possible, by thinning tree canopies or removing the trees altogether.
- Provide us with a soil sample of the
area. We will test it for free to determine the pH of you soil.
This will conclude whether you require lime to raise your pH or
garden sulfur to lower it. Soil pH for growing Fine Fescues should
be 6.0 – 6.5.
- If drainage is poor improve it. Most
turf grasses prefer well drained soil.
- Use a shady grass seed mixture that has
a high percentage of fine fescues like our Penn Prima Shade Mix.
This mix is made up of 55% Fine Fescues (creeping red), the most
shade tolerant turf grasses.
- Do not sod, most sods are Kentucky Blue
Grass and require full sun.
- Sow seed in late August to avoid heat
and drought stress, weed competition and suffocation from falling
leaves. Early spring is the second best time to seed.
- During periods of drought provide deep,
yet infrequent, watering to encourage a deeper root system. Water
early in the day to allow leaf blades a chance to dry and therefore
reducing the incident of disease.
- Mow grass high, 3-4 inches. More leaf
surface is required to increase photosynthesis in shade.
- Limit traffic in shady areas. The grass
is already growing under stressful conditions and high use will
add to its decline.
- Fescues require less nitrogen than other
grasses. You may allow the grass clippings to remain in place.
As they break down they will provide nitrogen to the soil. A spring
and fall application of a high phosphorus fertilizer such as Greenview
Winter Green 10-16-20 or Lebanon Pro 10-20-15 may be used. Or,
if you prefer an organic option, Espoma Organic Lawn 18-8-6 is
a great choice as the nitrogen is slow release or Bradfield Organics
Lawn & Garden Fertilizer 3-1-5.
It is highly unlikely that success will
be had when attempting to grow a lawn in deep or heavy shade, the
one exception, however, is Poa trivialis and is commonly known as
rough bluegrass. This type of lawn is very shade tolerant but must
have constantly moist soil. Without these conditions, constant moisture
and heavy shade, you will not be able to grow a rough bluegrass
lawn.
ALTERNATIVES
Turf alternatives for areas with less than 4 hours of sun a day
are many. They include:
- Shade Tolerant Evergreen Ground Covers:
common periwinkle (Vinca minor), pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis),
purple wintercreeper (Euonymous fortunei), English ivy (Hedera
helix), Lilyturf (Liriope muscari or spicata)
- Shade Garden: Primex has an incredible
selection of shade garden perennials. Stop by and have one of
our expert staff members advise you on your selection.
- Mulch: Mulch is an excellent turf alternative
for a shaded area if it is under a shallow rooted tree where it
is difficult to grow plants due to root competition. Mulch will
also help you define paths for walking through a shade garden
and will prevent mud from becoming a problem on those paths. Stone
may also be used for this purpose.
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