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Tall fescue grass can grow in full sun to part shade. These grasses are shade tolerant and grow well in areas where it’s too hot for cool grasses but too cold in the winter for warm-season grasses.
If you want your turf to thrive, it needs to receive the right amount of sunlight—not too little, or too much. For most varieties of lawn grasses, four – six hours of direct sunlight per day is optimal for survival. Even shade-tolerant species of grasses can thrive on as little as four hours of sunlight.
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season grass that grows best during the fall, winter, and spring months when temperatures are cool. Its growth slows during the warm summer months. Kentucky bluegrass prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade.
The final notable difference is their preferred growing conditions. While Kentucky bluegrass is vulnerable to weeds and diseases during summer and in generally hot climates, tall fescue is rather heat-tolerant and is resistant to summertime disease and weed invasions such as crabgrass.
- Bermuda Grass. This popular type of grass is grown throughout North America. …
- St. Augustine Grass. …
- Zoysia Grass. This slow-growing grass provides a lush, green carpet of turf once it’s fully established. …
- Buffalo Grass. …
- Centipede Grass. …
- Bahia Grass.
You can grow a pretty swath of lawn in a shady spot, as long as you pick the right grass and take care of it properly. Most turf grasses need at least four hours of direct sun to survive, but specialized shade-tolerant grass blends thrive in four hours of dappled sun or partial shade.
This seed mix is a combination of bluegrass, ryegrass, and fescue.
Rebel Supreme Fescue is the perfect option for homeowners, apartment complexes, and others who want a beautiful, low maintenance grass that stays green year-round.
Kentucky bluegrass prefers full sun, but some varieties can do well in lightly shaded areas. Look on the seed tag label of many grass seed mixes, including shade and sun-and-shade mixes, and you’ll find KBG varieties alongside other cool-season grasses.
Fine fescues have the greatest shade tolerance among common cool-season grasses, while tall fescues do well in moderate shade. Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass need more sun, but some varieties tolerate light shade well. Trees compete with lawn grasses for water, light and nutrients.
Tall fescue is valued for its adaptability to a wide range of climates and its tolerances for cold, heat, drought and shade. In its preferred growing zones, tall fescue provides lawn owners with outstanding options for improving lawn resilience and durability.
Kentucky bluegrass is a common choice among homeowners looking for a luscious dark green lawn. It is a cool-weather perennial grass that does best in cool, moist weather.
Tall fescue, which is used extensively in the transition region, is a low-maintenance, heat-tolerant, cool-season grass with fine to medium blade texture. Its deep roots deliver drought and heat protection. In this zone, tall fescue can add season-long color to Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass mixes.
Bermuda grass has an open, coarse texture, whereas zoysia is finely textured. However, the difference in texture is less obvious if the lawn was grown with one of the newer hybrid types of Bermuda grass rather than common Bermuda grass.
Sedges and Fescue Native species of sedges work well to keep your lawn green all year long. Sedges such as cedar, sand and Texas varieties work best in full sun to partial shade. Some fescue grasses, including Rana Creek fescue, can grow as evergreen grasses as long as they get extra water during the dry season.
Zoysia prefers full sun, but it tolerates light shade — unlike Bermudagrass and other sun-loving, warm-season grasses.
Summary: If you want the turf to thrive under and around trees, one of the most important factors is the grass variety itself. Supina bluegrass, creeping red fescue, and shade cultivars of St. Augustinegrass offer advantages in the battle between tree shade and turf.
Light Requirements. Bermuda grass prefers full sun. It is tolerant of both heat and drought as well as dry soil, so full sun during to hotter months is not a problem. It does not do well in shade, however.
Plant or Animal Product TypeHerbsNumber of Pieces1
Best Overall: Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix The fine-bladed grass can even hold up in droughts and cold winters. Each individual seed is wrapped in a special WaterSmart Plus coating, which absorbs twice the amount of water as its uncoated counterparts.
“Full sun” describes areas that get eight or more hours of direct sun each day and the grasses that prefer those conditions. Medium or moderate shade areas receive four to six hours of direct daily sun. Grasses with moderate shade tolerance handle those conditions well.
- Bermudagrass. …
- Zoysia grass. …
- Fescuegrass. …
- Buffalograss. …
- St. …
- Bahiagrass.
The best time to plant bermuda grass is during the late spring after the threat of frost has passed and daily high temperatures are consistently in the 80s. The most cost-effective way to plant a bermuda grass lawn is from seed.
Creeping Red Fescue is a Great Choice for Shady Lawns, Around Trees, and To Overseed in Weak Areas Caused by Shade Creeping Red Fescue is a cool-season grass used in cool, shaded, mountain sites, such as camps, resorts, and cabins and Lawn where low-input of mowing, fertilization, and irrigation is desired.
- Red Fescue Grass – a fine-textured, creeping grass variety that loves the shade. …
- Zoysia Grass – for moderate shade in warm climates you can’t beat Zoysia grass. …
- Tall Fescue – Fescue grasses are known for their deep roots and disease resistance.
Partially Shady Ornamental Grasses Many grasses perform well in either partial or full sun. Partial shade often means the shade is during just part of the day or it can be a dappled light area. … These all need moist soil to thrive but can withstand either full or partial light locations.
About Fescue Grass Lawns Under the right conditions, fescue is green year-round, but it can go dormant (brown) during severe heat and drought.
Yes, red fescue is a great choice for landscaping, as it grows quickly and covers lots of ground. Because it grows well in sandy soil, it is also great for landscaping in tough spots. It is commonly used on golf courses, recreation fields and for home lawns.
Tall fescue is the most popular variety because it can thrive in different types of soils and temperatures. The grass can withstand a range of temperatures and of Southern California. This grass variety doesn’t need frequent mowing, which is a chore most could do without. Also, tall fescue won’t overtake other grasses.
Features. Fescue is divided into broad-leaved and fine-leaved classes. Tall fescue is a broad-leaved fescue with wide, flat blades typical of lawn grasses. … Fine fescue has thinner blades than tall fescue, with some fine fescues having needle-type blades.
Tall fescue is medium- to dark-green in color and coarse textured. It is a bunch-type grass and forms a coarse, clumpy appearance when used alone. The new, improved turf-type varieties have finer leaf texture, denser growth habit, and possess weak rhizomes (Photos 1 & 2).
ProsConsProsConsRequires little to no winter maintenanceIs susceptible to brown patches during hot and humid summer monthsWithstands heavy wear and tearMay require overseeding during summer monthsDoesn’t require extensive dethatching
Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), like ryegrass, has a coarse texture, but its color is typically darker than that of ryegrass. … Tall fescue is a sturdy grass, with a high tolerance for drought, heat and wear. It doesn’t handle cold as well, however, and in very cold climates, it may be prone to thinning.
Kentucky bluegrass has better disease, drought, and wear tolerance the perennial ryegrass, but is very slow to germinate. … The ratio by seed number is even smaller since Kentucky bluegrass contains about 1.4 million seeds per pound whereas perennial ryegrass contains about 240,000 seeds per pound.
You can mix Bermudagrass with fescue. … Whether you live in a warm or cool climate, combining a warm-season grass, like bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.), and a cool-season species, such as the fine fescues (Festuca spp.), gives you the best of summer, fall, winter and spring lawns.
Common nameSpeciesSlender creeping red fescueFestuca rubra ssp. littoralisStrong creeping red fescueFestuca rubra ssp. rubraChewings fescueFestuca rubra spp. fallax
Encouraging Full Bermuda Lawn Because consistent mowing stimulates Bermuda, both stolons and rhizomes rapidly fill in the yard and choke out any remaining fescue patches. … You preserve your Bermuda’s health while rapidly removing fescue from the yard.