Will Grass Sod Grow in Shade?

Call us at 281-431-7441.  In the Houston area, our typical turf grasses are warm season grasses that require lots of sunlight.  So we’re often asked if any of our grass sod varieties will grow in shade or up next to a house or in the small space between a house and a solid fence.  In this video, Houston Grass owner, Michael Romine talks about that issue, and he describes the varieties of grass sod that are more shade tolerant than other varieties.

Will Grass Sod Grow in Shade

Summary of the Will Grass Grow in Shade Video

Will grass sod grow in the shade? It depends on the severity of the shade. We do have some varieties, the Bermuda grasses for example, that need 100% sunlight. If there’s any shade at all, Bermuda grass is absolutely a non-starter.

So to continue on down the spectrum, Raleigh St. Augustine needs six or seven hours of direct sunlight per day. If you can get that, then you’re good.

On the other end of the spectrum from Bermuda grass are the Zoysia grasses. Palisades Zoysia, like Raleigh St. Augustine, needs about six or seven hours of sunlight a day. It’s the grass variety I like best, it’s very easy to take care of, but it does still need that six or seven hours of direct sunlight per day.

The zoysia sod we ordered was beautiful and the installation crew was right on time. Omar and his team took great care of the grass and took the time to level pieces of the yard and custom cut pieces for tight spaces. I am very satisfied with how everything looks and I highly recommend this group.

IX Brand SEO Review

Taylor G.

IX Brand SEO Review

At the shady end of the shade tolerance spectrum, we have three grasses. They need four or five hours of direct sunlight per day to survive. If you don’t get that, you should look at options other than grass. I don’t have any grass that can tolerate more shade than that. If you do have four to five hours of sunlight, perhaps in the morning and afternoon when the sun is low, we have grass varieties that will do well for you.

You can pick from Palmetto St. Augustine, which looks remarkably similar to the Raleigh St. Augustine. If you laid the two side by side, it’s hard to tell the difference. There are some differences to look for but Palmetto St. Augustine is a good alternative for the shade.

We also have the Cavalier and Emerald Zoysia. Those are the two fine bladed Zoysia’s that we carry. And they also can survive on about four or five hours of direct sunlight per day. They require a little bit more maintenance, I would say than the Palmetto.

So if you have some shade, Palmetto St. Augustine would probably be your best choice if you want ease of maintenance. But if you want a different look than the St. Augustine that everybody is used to in this part of the world, then a fine bladed Zoysia like the Cavalier or Emerald might work really well.

You can pick up your grass at our office or we can deliver direct from our farm. We can also arrange for professional installation.

Quality Grass Direct from Our Farm

Lay the foundation for a better lawn in sun and in shade with one of our shade tolerant grass varieties. Call 281-431-7441 for answers to your questions and a quick quote for your project. Click the button below to email a question.

1 thought on “Will Grass Sod Grow in Shade?”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.