Managing Turf in Shade

Maintaining a lawn in the shade of trees, large shrubs, buildings, walls and other structures is a challenging task for professional turf managers and homeowners alike. Though reduced sunlight is the primary problem in shaded areas, other factors such as reduced air movement, soil compaction and the competition for water and nutrients from trees and shrubs also play big roles in the thinning and loss of turf. These conditions lead to reduced density, succulent unhealthy growth and increased susceptibility to turf disease. Couple these problems with reduced tolerances to traffic, heat, drought, and cold, and you have a situation destined for lawn failure.
But despite these challenges, by following the suggestions below, you will have greater success growing and managing lawns in shaded conditions.

Step 1
Selecting the proper turfgrass is the most important element in growing turf in shaded conditions. Several turf species have greater shade tolerance than others. The fine fescues, including creeping red, chewings, and hard fescues and the tall fescues are two of the more shade tolerant species available. Kentucky bluegrasses and perennial ryes are typically capable of only handling very light shade conditions. Keep in mind that when shade extends to more than half of the day, the difficulty increases for maintaining a quality, dense lawn.

Step 2
Whenever possible modify the conditions to reduce the amount of shade. Careful pruning of trees to open up and raise the canopy will increase the amount of sunlight reaching the lawn. Turf performance generally improves significantly when the canopy is raised to eight or more feet above the lawn. Higher canopies allow more direct sunlight to reach the surface during the early morning and late afternoon. It is also important for both the tree and the lawn to not plant the turf right up to large shrubs or tree trunks. It is not only healthier for both, but will also reduce the incidence of plant damage from lawn maintenance equipment.

Step 3
Remember to keep leaf litter and traffic to a minimum. Lawns can be quickly 'smothered' by fallen leaves and problems can develop quickly during wet Falls. It is also important to know that turf typically struggles in and around firs, pines and other conifer trees. Shade and needle drop typically create conditions very unfavorable for most grass species. Traffic and wear tolerance is also greatly reduced in shaded areas, and efforts should be made to reduce damaging activities.

Step 4
For buildings, walls, and fences it is important to not plant the turf directly up against these structures, especially north facing walls. North facing walls will typically cast many months of winter shade upon the lawn causing thinning and loss of turf. Also it is best to avoid planting turf in 'dark corners'. Shade, lack of air movement, maintenance practices, and disease will typically eliminate the turf quickly.

Step 5
Maintenance practices should also be changed for shaded situations. Raising the mowing height will not only allow for more 'light gathering' leaves, it also reduces the mowing frequency and thus the amount of traffic. Irrigation practices should also be modified to deep, infrequent waterings for improved tree and lawn health. Shaded turf areas should also be on systems separate from those in full sun to reduce over-watering the shaded portions. The amount of nitrogen applied during fertilization should also be reduced by half of recommended rates. Fertilizer is best applied to shaded turf in the spring and fall.

In some situations, despite the best program and varieties, shade may be just too dense to maintain a quality turf. In these heavily shaded areas other plant species should be considered. Several different species of groundcover and plant material have excellent shade tolerance and may provide a better alternative to turf. Check with your local nurseryman for plant and groundcover suggestions.