Updated On

October 27, 2023

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    At the most basic level, grass needs two things to grow: water and sunshine. How much water your lawn gets is easy to control but making sure it gets enough sunlight can be tricky. If you live in a wooded area or have many shrubs or bushes on your property, you should consider growing grass that does well in the shade.

    Choosing a shade-tolerant grass species requires an intimate understanding of how much sun your lawn gets throughout the day and knowledge of your region’s climate. Growing grass in a shady yard is more complicated than growing it in full sunshine, so we’ve put together this handy guide to make things easier. Below you’ll find a rundown of the six best types of grass to grow in the shade, followed by some general tips for helping your shady lawn reach its full, verdant potential.

    If you’re not confident in your DIY grass-growth abilities and would rather have a professional lawn care service take care of all your lawn needs for you, Today’s Homeowner’s Experts recommend TruGreen for all lawn care needs.

    To learn more: TruGreen Review

    6 Types of Grasses to Grow in Shade

    1. Fescue: Fine fescue, red fescue, and tall fescue are all excellent cool-season cultivars for partially-shaded lawns. All types of fescue have deep roots that allow them to flourish with as little as four hours of spotty sunlight per day.
    2. St. Augustine: The Sapphire and Palmetto cultivars of St. Augustine grass are generally considered two of the best warm-season options to grow in the shade. St. Augustine grass needs more water and sunlight than fescue, requiring four hours of direct sun per day. Is your St. Augustine grass looking unhealthy, and you’re wondering how to revamp it? Check out our article that outlines ways to revive St. Augustine grass.
    3. Centipede: If most of your lawn gets six hours of dappled sunshine daily, you can spread Centipede grass. The Oaklawn and Tennessee Hardy cultivars are especially shade-tolerant, and are excellent warm-season grasses.
    4. Zoysia: Zoysia is extremely popular throughout the south and warmer parts of the transition zone for its robustness. Zoysia is an excellent grass for sandy soil, thrives on just three hours of full sun, making it extremely easy to grow in low-light conditions.
    5. Perennial Ryegrass: If you need cool-season grass that grows well with four hours of sunlight per day, perennial ryegrass is a great choice. It’s not as tolerant to shade as fescue but still grows well in partial shade.
    6. Rough Bluegrass: Rough Bluegrass needs four hours of dappled sunshine per day to reach its full potential, making it a great choice for growing in full-shade conditions. However, it is a cool-season grass and does not tolerate heat well, making it a viable option only in cooler climates.

    How to Grow Grass in Shady Areas

    Choosing the right cultivar for your lawn’s conditions is only the first step to growing a shady lawn. Here are six tips for growing a lush, healthy lawn in the shade.

    Read our extensive guide on finding the perfect lawn treatment plan for you.

    Even out the shade

    If you can, consider altering your landscaping to make your shade more evenly distributed. This might not be possible without drastically altering your yard’s look and feel — for example, if your shade comes primarily from a tree canopy. But if you can transplant a few bushes or prune some of the lower branches on your trees to even out the shade across your lawn, it will make your life a lot easier.

    Don’t forget that planting new trees or bushes to reduce the direct sunlight that reaches other parts of your lawn is also an option. Having the same sunlight conditions on as much of your lawn as possible is the goal.

    Pick the Best Seed for Your Climate

    Even if you can manage spotty sunshine in some parts of your lawn, your yard won’t look good if you aren’t trying to grow the right type of grass for your climate. Choosing a suboptimal grass seed will leave your lawn thin, patchy, and brown even if you do everything else right.

    Most of the country requires cool season grasses like bluegrass, ryegrass, and fescue that can withstand the freezing winter temperatures. These grass varieties don’t handle heat well and will wilt under the intense heat of a southern summer.

    Conversely, warm season grasses thrive in the blistering southern summers and can easily handle temperatures over 85 degrees.

    Plant the right grass seed mix

    Seeding your lawn with a grass seed mix is a great idea for many reasons. Grass seed blends are more resilient to varying water conditions and can resist invasions from weeds and insects better than single-seed lawns. They also make growing a thick lawn in shady or partially shady conditions easier since the different cultivars or species will even out growth in different areas.

    Most major lawn care brands offer grass seed mix suitable for different shade levels and direct sunlight, making it easy to plant grass seeds that will thrive.

    Read also: How to restore a weed-plagued garden

    Mow taller

    One of the simplest ways to give your shady lawn a boost is to mow your grass higher. Mowing your grass higher makes it better at absorbing sunlight since the blades have larger surface areas. Taller grass also protects your lawn against fungus and makes for a healthier lawn overall.

    Most experts recommend setting the mowing height to two-thirds of your grass’ current height to avoid cutting it too short. Don’t forget to keep your mower blades sharp, as they make cleaner cuts and promote healthier grass. It’s also essential to use one of the finest lawn mower brands for mowing. Grass growing in the shade is less robust than grass that gets more sunlight, and every bit of help you can give it will improve your results.

    Adjust Watering Schedule

    Overwatering a shady lawn is one of the most common mistakes homeowners make. Shady spots hold water for longer than sunny spots, so giving the same amount of water to every part of your lawn could lead to fungus development in the shady parts. In general, watering shady patches early in the day is better since it gives the grass time to absorb the water and dry out before the cooler temperatures set in overnight.

    Another important note about watering shady grass is to make sure the grass growing directly under trees gets more water than other shady spots. Grass that grows at the tree’s base has to compete with tree roots for water and can easily die if it doesn’t get enough water.

    Reduce Traffic and Overseed

    Grass in shaded areas has a harder time recovering from stress, so try to reduce activity in the shady parts of your lawn if you can. Rerouting footpaths to reduce foot traffic with clever landscaping is a great unobtrusive way to keep the kids and pets from killing the grass.

    If you already have some dead or dying grass, overseeding is a great way to bring them back to life and can save you from the much more labor-intensive job of reseeding your entire lawn

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    FAQs about Growing Grass in the Shade

    What type of grass needs the least sunlight?

    Fescue is the most resistant species of grass. Unfortunately, fescue is a cool season grass and won’t grow well in warmer climates.


    What is the best grass for shade?

    Most kinds of fescue grass, Kentucky bluegrass, St. Augustine grass, most species of cool season turfgrass, Bermudagrass, and zoysia grass are all excellent grasses to grow in shady conditions.


    Is there a grass that grows in 100% shade?

    Sort of. All grass needs sunlight to grow, but tall fescue can thrive in dense shade as long as it gets at least three hours of filtered sunshine per day.


    How do I grow grass in heavy shade?

    Assess your yard’s sunlight conditions, choose the right grass seed for your climate and shade level, water it in the morning, and mow it taller than you normally would.


    Editorial Contributors
    avatar for Dan Simms

    Dan Simms

    Contributor

    Dan Simms worked in real estate management for five years before using his experience to help property owners maintain their own homes. He got his master’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, and he now enjoys sharing his knowledge about homeownership and DIY projects with others on Today’s Homeowner. When he’s not writing, he’s usually outdoors with his wife and his dog, enjoying mountain biking, skiing, and hiking.

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    Lora Novak

    Senior Editor

    Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.

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