subject: The Grass For Shade Explanation And Its Purposes [print this page] There are several types of grass turf that are bred for their purpose. There are for example grasses that are either heat tolerant or those can withstand the cold weather. There are also some that are ideal for shade conditions and thus known as grass for shade. This seems an odd term but this only means that this type of grass or combination of grass varieties are shade tolerant.
Shade tolerant implies a grass' tolerance for shade ranges whether it is for limited shade (with some sun throughout the day) to a complete shade range (shady throughout the day). This can also relate to dappled shade meaning there is light breaking through from tree branches and therefore could supply light to heavy shade and this varies underneath many tree canopies. Definitely, some grasses perform well in varying degrees of shade instead of tolerating just one shade range.
Examples of Best Varieties of Grass for Shade Conditions: One example of a good grass for shade is the Sapphire soft buffalo grass. It is usually a little maintenance grass that is mow-and-grow. It's known as Sapphire due to its Sapphire colored tinges which makes it really vibrant with its soft beautiful feel and fine texture together with its high performance in shade situations. This also grows well underneath fig trees in clay and sandy soil areas and thrives in intense hot conditions.
Another are the shade grasses from the fescue family that are best throughout the cool season. Under the fescue variety, the creeping red fescue is regarded the best performer but is also laid along with chewings fescue and hard fescue to modify diverse variations of shade and soil types. Furthermore, tall fescues do well as grass for shade especially as it's always seen in other seed blends specialized for this condition. Still, each fescue variety contains different cultivars which makes them different with each disease resistance, soil adaptability, drought tolerance and shade tolerance. Other than that, a lot of them could resist the shady areas.
Aside from the moist conditions, there's also a grass variety that's beneficial throughout the warm season and that's where St. Augustine grass reigns. Centipede grass and Zoysia grass competes in this level as well however the more northern the lawn is laid, the lower shade tolerance they can obtain. So the closer these grasses are in the transition zone the better. What may help is to aim to reduce the shade by thinning out any shady trees near to these grasses or use a pachysandra well suited for the location. This should make it easier to use a plant for the grass' location to help level the quantity of shade in the region.
