Grass Seed for Dense Shade

Grass Type

• Certain varieties of fescues, including hard fescue, creeping red fescue and Chewing's fescue, have excellent tolerance for shade, cites the University of Wisconsin Extension. These grasses not only highly are recommended for areas of dry shade but also for areas with moist shade. Hard fescue is closely related to Chewing's fescue. Though cool-season fescues primarily are recommended for shaded areas, St. Augustinegrass is the most shade-tolerant grass among the warm-grass season grasses, according to the University of Florida Extension.

Description

• Chewing's fescue and creeping red fescue refer to different growth habits of red fescue. Creeping red fescue has a low, creeping growth habit and grows with short rhizomes, while Chewing's fescue is upright and bunchlike. The grasses are fine textured and dark green. Hard fescue is grayish to dark green in color and is also fine textured. The grass has a dense root system and is a partially erect, bunch-type grass. St. Augustinegrass is medium green in color and has a creeping growth, propagating with stolons that produce shoots. The grass blades are broad with boat shaped tips.

Cultural Requirements

• Both creeping red fescue and Chewing's fescue widely are used in shaded mountain landscapes surrounding resorts, cabins and camps. The grasses have a low requirement for water and fertilizer and keep their appearance even with minimal mowing. Red fescue grass seed often is used in combination with other grass seed to improve shade tolerance. Hard fescue is just as low-maintenance as the other two fescues, thriving well with minimal water, fertilizer and mowing. The grass is seen in little-used landscape areas and median strips. St. Augustinegrass has low water requirements and prefers areas of full sun for best growth. This grass also has a high tolerance for shade but is poorly tolerant of cold temperatures. The drought- and salt-tolerant grass requires high levels of nitrogen to maintain its color.

Growth Traits

• Red fescues are extremely intolerant of heat and sunny areas, as they are highly tolerant of cold. The grass seed is slow to germinate and establishes with only a moderate level of tolerance for traffic and drought. Hard fescue has a high level of tolerance for drought and cold temperature. The grass has low tolerance for wear and recovers poorly from severe damage. Hard fescue produces seed prolifically but seedlings are not highly vigorous. St. Augustinegrass is among the moderate-maintenance grasses, cites the University of California Extension. Given the dense texture of the resulting turf, thatch is a problem with St. Augustinegrass turf. Unless the grass is dethatched on a regular basis, it is hard to mow. The grass has few pest-related issues and goes dormant during fall and winter.