[gatormac2112]

Thought I would go ahead and document the south side of my lawn that has a forest blocking the sun for most of the day. The area gets about 4 hours of sun in the morning, but afternoon is constant shade.



It's progressively become thinner over the two years the sod was installed to the point of being nothing but dead grass and dirt with the occasional blade of grass here and there.









This area also remains damp well after the rest of the yard has dried so drainage is an issue along with the shade.

Hoping some grass geniuses can tell me what I need to do to coax this zoysia back to life.

 

[raymond]

Cutting trees to allow more light out of the question?

 

[Sbcgenii]

I am a newb but the first thing i would try is putting some fescue down. We have areas of heavy shade in our lawn and all the Tif sprigs and sod did the same thing. After doing some research on the amount of light required for any grass commercially available it seemed like nothing was going to work. We tried creeping red fescue because we thought the blade thickness would match good and for 2-3 years it has been doing well.

 

[gatormac2112]

Cutting trees to allow more light out of the question?

Yep. Unfortunately I don't own that land the trees are on.

 

[Sbcgenii]

Found this video last year.
https://youtu.be/ZeE-RL2h-yQ

 

[gatormac2112]

I am a newb but the first thing i would try is putting some fescue down. We have areas of heavy shade in our lawn and all the Tif sprigs and sod did the same thing. After doing some research on the amount of light required for any grass commercially available it seemed like nothing was going to work. We tried creeping red fescue because we thought the blade thickness would match good and for 2-3 years it has been doing well.

So you have fescue in the shade and tif in the sun?

 

[Sbcgenii]

I am a newb but the first thing i would try is putting some fescue down. We have areas of heavy shade in our lawn and all the Tif sprigs and sod did the same thing. After doing some research on the amount of light required for any grass commercially available it seemed like nothing was going to work. We tried creeping red fescue because we thought the blade thickness would match good and for 2-3 years it has been doing well.

So you have fescue in the shade and tif in the sun?

Yes. Creeping red fescue in the shade and Tiff in the sun.

 

[Spammage]

Well, I'm assuming the house faces West? If so, the zoysia is probably lost close to the tree line. Creeping Red Fescue might be an option, but it prefers dry, well drained soil, likely isn't much more shade tolerant than the zoysia, and will probably be quite a bit darker in color.

That might be a good area for some hydrangeas, hostas, etc. Ajuga is a good shade tolerant ground cover, but spreads aggressively via stolons and would try to invade the grass.

 

[gatormac2112]

Well, I'm assuming the house faces West? If so, the zoysia is probably lost close to the tree line. Creeping Red Fescue might be an option, but it prefers dry, well drained soil, likely isn't much more shade tolerant than the zoysia, and will probably be quite a bit darker in color.

That might be a good area for some hydrangeas, hostas, etc. Ajuga is a good shade tolerant ground cover, but spreads aggressively via stolons and would try to invade the grass.

Yep, the house faces West. My wife wants me to try to resurrect the grass there if possible. I'm going to get all the dead grass out of there and see if I can nurse the bit of grass that is there to spread. A tall order in the shade, but maybe with PGR and aerating I can slowly over time get it back.

If not, I was planning on doing a Hosta bed surrounding the yard in the shade anyway, it just might be moved a bit closer :lol:

 

[gatormac2112]

I am a newb but the first thing i would try is putting some fescue down. We have areas of heavy shade in our lawn and all the Tif sprigs and sod did the same thing. After doing some research on the amount of light required for any grass commercially available it seemed like nothing was going to work. We tried creeping red fescue because we thought the blade thickness would match good and for 2-3 years it has been doing well.

So you have fescue in the shade and tif in the sun?

Yes. Creeping red fescue in the shade and Tiff in the sun.

How does that work with coloration? Do the 2 grasses meet or are they in separate areas? If they meet, how well do they blend? I also know they would both require different care plans, how do you manage that?

 

[Sbcgenii]

I will take some pictures tomorrow after I mow. It's gets the same fertilizer and I just mow it a lot higher. It wants to be tall.

 

[Sbcgenii]

 

[gatormac2112]

Thanks!