What Is the Best Grass Seed for Shade?
A lush green lawn is the desire of many homeowners. But a good-looking lawn is not always easy to establish and maintain. You must consider the conditions in your yard, the climate zone in which you live, annual rainfall, the lawn's need for fertilizer and weed control and other factors. If you have large trees that block the sun from large portions of your property yet you want a lovely lawn under those trees to make a park-like setting, you'll need to find the best grass seed for a shady environment. Does this Spark an idea?
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Different Grasses Have Different Needs
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Ask yourself it is important for your lawn to remain green year-round. Depending on your climate, you might want to consider two types of grasses: warm season and cool season. A warm-season grass holds up beautifully during the spring, summer and fall months but tends to turn brown and die back over the winter in areas where the temperature drops below freezing. An example of a warm-season grass is Bermuda grass. Cool-season grasses include ryegrass, the bluegrasses and bent grass. These grasses are often used for "overseeding," which means seeding one of these grasses in the fall. It will sprout before the first freeze and remain green on top of your brown warm-season grass.
Rough Bluegrass
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Rough bluegrass is light green in color with shiny leaves. It spreads by runners, forms dense patches and has oblong seed heads. It is well adapted to colder temperatures but does not tolerate drought, salt and wear as well as the fescues. However, it does grow nicely in shady areas and is a fast grower. If you're planting seed, you'll need 1 to 3 lbs. of seed for every 1,000 square feet of lawn you plan to plant. Mow this bluegrass to as low as 1 inch.
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Fescue
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Although the fescues are slow- to medium-growing grasses, two types of fescue, the red fescue and the sheep fescue varieties, tolerate shade well. Both are fair to medium in their drought and cold tolerance, although sheep fescue does not tolerate high temperatures. Both tolerate shade and wear, so if you live near the ocean, have plenty of shade and expect traffic on your lawn areas, either of these fescues are good choices. If you have partial shade, tall fescue might be the best grass for your situation.
Both red and sheep fescue are native grasses in the United States, making them appropriate for environments that have similar climatic conditions as their native habitats in open woods and rocky hillsides from North Dakota and Washington state as far north as Alaska. These are bunchgrasses, so it's necessary to plant seed very thickly to cover the area where you want your lawn. Six lbs. of seed for each 1,000 square feet of lawn are recommended. A common grass called blue fescue is a cultivar of sheep fescue, but it is not available as seed, so you must buy sod if you want this variety of grass.
Watering
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Be sure to give a rough bluegrass lawn extra water during the hottest summer weather. It is not drought tolerant and will die back if it receives insufficient rains or purposeful watering.
The fescues are more drought tolerant than the bluegrasses but still require regular watering when the rains don't come in the summer. Water it infrequently if your climate is cooler in the summer and in all climates in the cooler months. Watering deeply once per week should keep your fescue lawn green throughout the summer.
Fertilizer
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For all types of lawn, purchase a fertilizer that is specific to grasses. Fertilize rough bluegrass during its most active growth periods, which are from March through June and September through November. Three annual applications of a 20-5-10 fertilizer work best for the bluegrasses. For example, you could apply about 5 lbs. per 1,000 square feet of your lawn of this type of fertilizer in September, another 5 lbs. of high-nitrogen fertilizer in November and make a third application in May. Different information exists for different types of lawns: for example, it is recommended that you fertilize Kentucky bluegrass only during late summer and fall when the threat of crabgrass is over. Consult with your nursery or lawn professional for specific advice for your part of the country and your type of lawn.
Fertilize fescues in the fall and spring with 25 lbs. of lime for each 1,000 square feet of lawn. If you have your soil tested, you might learn that you need more, but if you choose not to bother with a soil test, your lawn will likely do well with 50 lbs. of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet. Another alternative is to fertilize with several applications of 12 to 15 lbs. per 1,000 square feet in late September, November, February and April (if the weather is not too warm at that time). Any general lawn fertilizer with a concentration of 16-4-8 should work well.
Hints and Tips
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Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn because it can cause too-rapid growth, meaning you'll need to mow it more often. Over-fertilizing also contributes to thatch buildup. Overwatering fescues can lead to diseases, especially if your climate is humid.
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