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Shade Grass for Back Yards

Growing grass in shady back yards can be tricky for gardeners. Shady environments lack proper air flow and have high levels of humidity and reduced light, which is an incubator for diseases. Establishing a successful lawn starts with proper grass selection. Certain types of grasses cannot tolerate shade, such as Bermuda and Bahia. While most grass types prefer six to eight hours of sunlight, there are several cool- and warm-season grass varieties that contribute a thick lawn for back yards.

  1. Fine Fescue

    • Fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are more tolerant of shady areas than other types of cool-season grass varieties. Gardeners can plant shade-tolerant fescue types, such as creeping red and chewings. While fescues survive low-light backyards, they do not spread quickly. Fescue is a bunch-type grass that spreads in clumps, unlike spreading varieties of grass such as Kentucky bluegrass. Fescues cannot tolerate heavy foot traffic in the back yard. Gardeners with children and pets may experience bare patches within their fine fescue lawn.

    Kentucky Bluegrass

    • Kentucky bluegrass tolerates some shade but displays signs of stress when growing in warm climates. This cool-season grass type exhibits optimal growth when grown in the northern parts of the United States or in areas that do not receive intense summer temperatures. Often gardeners purchase Kentucky bluegrass mixed with perennial ryegrass. Perennial ryegrass contributes disease resistance to the grass mixture. Furthermore, Kentucky bluegrass bounces back after a high level of foot traffic, which makes it a suitable choice for back yards.

    St. Augustine Grass

    • St. Augustine grass is a warm-season turf that is able to thrive in shade. Certain cultivars of St. Augustine grass perform better than other. Types such as Palmetto, Raleigh, Delmar, Jade, Seville and Bitterblue spread well in shade. One disadvantage of St. Augustine grass is that it is not available as grass seed at most nurseries. Gardeners often install sod when establishing St. Augustine grass in their back yards. St. Augustine has little tolerance for the cold and must not be planted in areas that experience cool summers.

    Zoysia

    • Zoysia grass grows best in areas that have hot summers and mild winters. Certain cultivars of zoysia grass perform better than others. For instance, gardeners wanting to plant zoysia for shady back yards should choose a type such as Diamond, El Toro, Belaire, Cavalier, Meyer and Emerald. Furthermore, zoysia handles heavy foot traffic characteristic of back yards without dying out or creating bare patches. However, gardeners must check their thatch layer annually, because zoysia is heavy producer of thatch.

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Growing Grass
  1. Hybrid Grass Seed for a Partial Shade Lawn
  2. The Best Grass for Full Shade in the South
  3. A Good Grass Seed for Shade
  4. Landscape Ideas for Back Yards for Kids
  5. Grass Seed for Dense Shade
  6. The Best Grass for Hot Shade
  7. Grass Seeds for Shade
  8. Southern Grass for Shade & Sun
  9. Turf Grass for Shade
  10. Grass Sod for Shade
  11. How to Plant Grass Seeds for Shade
  12. Substitutes for Shade Grass

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