Shady areas struggle to support thick grass. There is not enough direct sunlight for grass to be thick in shady areas.
What can I do in shady areas?
- Thin your trees to allow more sunlight to get to the grass.
- Remove trees to allow more sun in.
- Cut your grass to higher levels.
- Replace grass with landscaping plants that are shade tolerant.
- Do not use zero turn mowers in shady areas.
- Do a liquid aeration instead of a mechanical aeration.
- Seed areas in the spring but avoid applying a pre-emergent, do not expect impressive results if heavy shade.
- Seeding shady areas in the fall is difficult due to leaves falling and smothering grass.
- Water more in shady areas than in sunny areas as trees require 2” of water per week in comparison to 1” for sunny areas of your lawn.
- Shade tolerant grass still needs at least 3 hours of direct sunlight per day. Do not be fooled into thinking that shade grass will thrive like sunny areas.
Additionally, remember that trees grow quickly, often 1’ per year up and out. In a decade, a tree will have grown 10’ in height and 10’ out. Each year less and less sun is available for the grass. Pruning your trees regularly is critical to allow direct sunlight for the grass. If you are removing large trees, replace them with ornamental trees which are much smaller.
One last point is that trees consume a sizable portion of the available nutrients. Reduced nutrient availability along with low amounts of direct sunlight is a double whammy for grass. It is common in the spring to see that lawns are very thin in shady areas, often even bare.
If you have thin or bare areas as described above or like the pictures above, give us a call to discuss.
