Like all plants, the grass on your lawn needs sunlight for it to thrive, so shade can pose a real problem. Shaded grass can quickly weaken and struggle to survive, and may even die back completely. That's why we've put together these tips for the best shaded lawn care.
Make the area less shaded
One quick and highly effective way to care for a shaded lawn is to remove the features that are creating the shade. If this is caused by your house or your garage, this isn't a practical idea. However, if your lawn is shaded by trees or shrubs, it might be worth seriously cutting them back or relocating them all together.
Before you start felling all the trees in your garden, we'd highly recommend that you check for birds and other wildlife living in them. You don't want to destroy the habitats of your garden visitors when there are other ways to improve your shaded lawn care.
Mow less often
Some gardeners leave their lawn to grow to an unruly level before severely cutting it back. This dramatic change in length can be a lot for your lawn to cope with, especially if it's in the shade. Lawns that have access to lots of sunlight can bounce back from a drastic cut quite quickly, shaded lawns take much longer to recover.
In the summer, most lawns can handle a trim every week. But a shaded lawn should go longer between trims to ensure the grass has as much access to the sunlight as possible.
With that in mind, we'd recommend giving your shaded lawn a quick trim every few weeks to maintain a suitable length. If you can't commit to a consistent routine, why not consider investing in a revolutionary robot lawn mower to cut the grass for you?
READ MORE: How to Cut Grass
Fertilise frequently
As well as sunlight, grass needs nutrients if it stands any chance of thriving. Shaded lawns are often in competition for nutrients in the soil with the taller trees and shrubs surrounding them (as if it needed any more reasons to struggle!)
To counteract this decline in readily available nutrients, we recommend that you fertilise your lawn frequently. If you're unsure which kinds of fertilisers you should use, especially at different times of the year, then you should contact us about our professional lawn fertiliser services.
We use professional fertilisers that are not readily available to the general public, and we use our years of experience to expertly tailor each fertiliser treatment to your lawns exact needs.
You should also thoroughly aerate the soil in your garden to ensure the water and fertiliser get to the roots of the grass instead of lingering on top.
Starting again
If you've tried everything and nothing seems to be helping your shaded lawn, then it might be time to consider starting again.
One option is to lay new turf (something we've been doing here at Lawn and Weed Expert for years). You might decide to lay your new lawn in a different area of the garden where it's less shaded. Your grass will no doubt thank you for laying your new turf in a sunnier spot.
Alternatively, if relocating the lawn is not an option, you could re-seed your lawn with more resilient grass varieties that are better adapted to surviving in the shade. Just remember - all varieties of grass need some light, so don't presume that this is a fool-proof method for recovery.
Even the most shade-tolerant grass may struggle if the shade is a permanent fixture - if it's cast by buildings, for example. So you may be better off putting in other kinds of shade-tolerant plants that can thrive in shade.
If you need help caring for a shaded lawn, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team. We offer a free lawn care quote to determine the best course of action for you.
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