Shade-tolerant grasses grow only fair in the shade

Turfgrass species and cultivars vary in their tolerance of shade. Warm-season grasses prefer full sunlight. Bermuda grass, which is the predominant lawn grass in Arkansas, unfortunately has very poor shade tolerance. Zoysia grass (Zoysia spp.) and centipede grass have fair shade tolerance, with zoysia grass being adapted for use throughout Arkansas and centipede grass limited to the southern half of Arkansas due to poor low-temperature tolerance.

St. Augustine grass has good shade tolerance and is the most shade tolerant of the warm-season grasses, but its use is also limited to the southern half of

Arkansas due to poor low-temperature tolerance.

Cool-season grasses have good shade tolerance and perform well in northern Arkansas in lawns receiving morning sun and some afternoon shade. Tall fescue is well adapted for Arkansas lawns since it is the most heat and drought tolerant of the cool-season grasses. Creeping red fescue is the most shade-tolerant grass for northern Arkansas, but it lacks heat, disease and drought tolerance compared to warm-season turfs and it is not widely recommended for use in Arkansas. No grass species will grow well in areas that receive only filtered sunlight. Even the most shade-tolerant grasses require some sun.

As trees mature on your property, turf will get weaker and weaker under the increasingly thick shade. If you have moss in your turf stand, it is an indication that there is not enough sun. Pruning trees to increase light penetration should occur annually (but that will only help a little). You’re better off planting shade-loving ornamentals as opposed to battling nonperforming turf.

There are many ground covers and perennials better adapted to shade than turf grasses. Visit your local garden center to find out which shade-tolerant plants are best adapted to your location in Arkansas. If plant materials are not suitable for your site or landscape design, decorative mulch and gravel are alternatives. For more information, see FSA6140, Growing Turfgrass in Shade, under Publications on our website: http://www.uaex.edu. You may reach Jimmy Driggers, county extension agent – staff chair, at 501-623-6841.

Master Gardeners

If interested in gardening, the Garland County Master Gardeners hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday at Lake Valley Community Church. The meeting is open to the public. For information, call the Extension Office or email Allen Bates at abates@uaex.edu.

EHC

Interested in joining an existing Extension Homemaker’s Club or would you and a group of your friends like to organize a club in your community? For information, call Alison Crane, county extension agent – FCS, at 623-6841.

4-H

If between the ages of 5 and 19, you can join 4-H. We have a club for you, or you and a group of friends can organize a club of your own. For information, call Linda Bates at 623-6841 or email lbates@uaex.edu.