The Best Grass for Hot Shade

Cool and Warm Season Grass

• The best grass type for hot temperatures is a warm season turf variety, which thrives between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the University of Illinois. In fact, this grass type generally goes dormant during the late fall to early winter. If your shady area is hot for a few days a year, use a cool season grass type. Cool season grass types exhibit optimal growth when temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but will survive temperatures up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit if properly watered, according to North Carolina State University.

Shade-Tolerant Warm Season Grass

• The best warm season grass types for shade include zoysia and St. Augustine. Within these types are several cultivars that perform well in shade. Zoysia cultivars include Diamond, El Toro, Belaire, Cavalier, Meyer and Emerald, according to Clemson University. St. Augustine shade-loving cultivars consist of Raleigh, Palmetto, Delmar, Jade, Bitterblue and Seville. When planting warm season grass, choose a time in the late spring to establish your turf in shady areas.

Cool Season Shade-Tolerant Grass

• Fescue grows best in shady environments. Gardeners have their choice between hard fescue, chewings fescue, tall fescue and creeping red fescue. Oftentimes, fescue is mixed with Kentucky bluegrass because the bluegrass spreads over lawns, while fescue is a bunching-type grass. You may buy either pure fescue seed or sod that is a blend of fescue and bluegrass. Furthermore, moderately shady areas may be planted with creeping bentgrass. Creeping bentgrass exhibits growth when planted under a dappled sunlight.

Other Factors

• Grass grown in shade and heat has different needs than grass grown in full sunlight. It must be kept one-half to 1 inch higher than grass grown in full sunlight. Also, reducing the amount of nitrogen you give your shady lawn by half discourages excessive growth that may stress the plants and make them susceptible to diseases.