Four tips when dealing with shade

• Water your lawn less frequently in shaded areas
• Prune trees and shrubs back to allow more sunlight to your lawn
• Never mow off more than one-third of the leaf at a time
• Choose a shade tolerant turf variety

As the sun gets lower in the sky, the amount of sunlight your lawn receives will decrease – but how much shade can your lawn tolerate, and what can you do about it?

Think LONG-TERM | future shade

Most new lawns are installed following housing construction, and quite often shade is overlooked as a factor. With many trees and shrubs being newly planted they won’t affect the lawn for some time. With shrinking block sizes and larger homes becoming more of the norm, shade from neighbouring buildings can be an issue for your lawn.

MANAging SHADE

Managing shade at home is a priority and may require routine pruning of trees, bushes and other foliage to encourage as much sunlight as possible onto your lawn. Avoid over-watering, as shade prevents the quick evaporation of dew or surface water and continued dampness encourages diseases that inhabit growing grass.

Your lawn care regime for SHADE-PRONE lawns

It is best to water shaded areas only when absolutely necessary and then water deeply. When mowing, never cut more than one third of the length of the blade. In shady areas it can be best to remove mower clippings to allow as much light as possible to reach the soil. If your lawn refuses to grow in a high-shade-area regardless of what you do, unfortunately the last option could be to remove the lawn and replace it with a new pathway or garden bed.

Choosing the right turf is important

The amount of shade will vary with the time of year and the aspect of the lawn area to surrounding structures. In these circumstances, it helps to choose the right lawn type from the outset to keep your lawn alive in heavy shade.

SIr Walter dna certified buffalo

Soft Leaf Buffalo grasses like Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo in Australia tend to do the best in the shade only requiring 2-3 hours of direct sunlight per day.

SIr grange zoysia

Sir Grange Zoysia is a highly shade-tolerant turf variety that requires very low fertilising and inputs due to its extremely slow growth habit. As a result, Sir Grange doesn’t require as much sunlight, so it can survive in areas of high shade better than most turf varieties currently available. Similarly to Sir Walter Buffalo, Sir Grange only requires 2-3 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Lawn care doesn’t need to be difficult and simple hints can help with products to keep your lawn in top condition.