Growing grass in the shade.

[D_Wreck11]

Not pot. Is it possible? My St Augustine fades out under a large oak tree, despite watering and fertilizing. I've thought about giving up and extending the garden for shade loving plants if I can't make this grass thing a go. Tips?

 

[D_Wreck11]

P.S. It's in the back yard, and the grass area gets very little sun all day long b/c of shade from the house, fence, and tree.

 

[Hobbes]

If St. Aug won't grow you are probably out of luck.

 

[ArrogantAssclown]

We went over this a couple of weeks ago. Pretty much decided that there is little that can be done for "high shade" areas.

Grass in the Shade

 

[7Titles]

You might be able to grow fescue but it looks so different than St Augustine that I would do groundcover.

 

[tropheus]

also, the oak will suck water out of the soil at an alarming rate near its base, so shade plus a monstor competitor for water spells disaster for water-loving St. Augustine.

I posted on that thread eariler, I am getting better results than I thought with fescue. I also get more filtered sun light than I originally thought -- maybe 5 hours per day of filtered light. The high traffic areas are still having trouble though.

 

[zzzz]

Get yourself a couple of those giant mirrors.

 

[hollisdude]

I am going where no sane man has gone before. Here in Houston, I already had St. Augustine die completely out because of it's shady block under trees. Well, years have passed, I pruned all my trees and I'm throwing down 150 slabs of St. A this week in the old spot. See ya in September

 

[Ring1]

You might also try aerating the lawn in that area. It could be starved for oxygen and or nutrients in addition to sunlight. The combination might be too much. If your grass is getting all the nutrients it needs, it MIGHT be able to survive on less sunlight.

I've got a similar problem with a large live oak in my front yard. Last year I resod the area, and it looks like it's dying out again. I may have to put groundcover in the area. But it's a last resort.

 

[Squirrel]

Having the same problem, D Wreck.

Pruning the trees definitely helps - also make sure (because of the shade) that the water isn't festering there and getting a fungus.

Also, as mentioned above, aeration is a good idea as well.

Another suggestion is to go get a few squares of sod and fill in the some of the bare areas to see how well it takes.

Beyond that, check this site out -->The Link

 

[AustinTejasFan]

I agree with the tip about iron. I always mix my fertilizer 50-50 with Ironite and you wouldn't believe the dark green color your St. Aug will turn in 3-4 days, and you won't get the excessive growth brought on by applying nitrogin only.

My front yard is completely shaded and the St. Aug is holding out fine. I've pruned the trees back and high enough off the ground to allow significant sunlight penetration early and late. Another thing is to raise your mower deck to a higher setting. You may have to mow more often, but the taller grass stems will absorb more sunlight.