People who have read installed fresh new sod will often experience difficulty in trying to grow it in the shade. The reason behind this is that for a sod to grow effectively, it needs to have a certain amount of sunshine for the day. This can be direct for a few hours or filtered for the whole day. If this does not happen, what people will realize will occur is that the installed will have patches of growth and small areas where no grass will grow at all.
Most Effective Ways to Grow Sod in the Shade
- If you have a highly shaded area, then it is a good idea to trim the tree. An arborist can be called into to professionally cut the tree. This will allow the maximum amount of sunlight to reach the sod.
- Seed the area as opposed to sodding it. This may work out better as there are different types of sod that do not work well in the shade.
- Sod needs around 4-6 hours of sunshine to grow properly. Make sure the area where the sod will be installed can accommodate this.
- When cutting the lawn, make sure that the height of the blade of the lawn mower is not too low, as you don’t want the grass to be cut too short.
- Use grasses like tall fescue. Tall fescue is a grass that is designed for cooler regions and as a result it can handle shade much better unlike warmer season grasses such as zoysia, bermuda and bahia.
- St Augustine is also a good grass to be used in shaded areas. Many people do not like the feel and look of this particular grass. However if you are looking for a grass that will work well in the shade, this is one to use.
- If nothing will grow in the shaded areas, maybe you should consider some other type of ground cover such as rocks, plants, bark and others.