Will Zoysia grow in shade? That’s a hard question to answer and it depends on what kind of Zoysia and how much shade. In the video, Houston Grass Owner Michael Romine talks about Zoysia shade tolerance in comparison with Bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass. For answers to questions about your project, given the amount of shade you’re dealing with, please call our office at 281-431-7441.
Summary of the Will Zoysia Grow in Shade Video
Grass is looking great. We had one pallet of emerald zoysia delivered to fill our town home yard and it has established very nicely, even with three dogs! The sections where the dogs do not go have immaculate, deep green, and healthy grass. The sections with the dogs take more maintenance and we had trouble with brown spots, but a follow up call to Houston Grass, an application of fertilizer, and some other dog specific treatments have even the heavy traffic area on track to look fabulous! I would definitely recommend Houston Grass for those looking to install high quality sod (we installed it ourselves, but in they offer installation services as well. Thank you!
Christopher M.
IX Brand SEO ReviewWill Zoysia grow in the shade? Well, we have to clarify first, what type of Zoysia are we talking about?
There are probably 30 different types of Zoysia, and there are two different families of Zoysia. There are the fine-bladed Zoysias and there are the little bit coarser-bladed Zoysias.
We carry three different varieties of Zoysia grass. We carry one variety of the coarser-bladed one, which is the Palisades Zoysia. That is probably my favorite. And we also carry two fine-bladed Zoysias — Emerald and Cavalier.
Emerald and Cavalier Zoysia are a lot more like something like the Tifway Bermuda grass, and are very, very fine-bladed. Palisades Zoysia is certainly not as coarse as St. Augustine, but it’s a lot thicker-bladed than the two fine-bladed Zoysia grasses.
Cavalier and Emerald Zoysia Have Better Shade Tolerance
The first question that we’re going to ask you is about shade if you call and say you want Zoysia. We’re going to ask you how much sun do you get in the area where you want to put the grass?
If your answer is six or seven hours, which is a fair amount of sunlight, I’m going to steer you to Palisades Zoysia. It’s easier to take care of than Cavalier and Emerald Zoysia in my mind. It’s just like taking care of St. Augustine actually, and that’s the reason that I like it. Anybody who has ever taken care of St. Augustine can take care of Palisades Zoysia pretty much the same way.
Someone with a lot of big oak trees is certainly not going to get six or seven hours of sunlight. The Emerald and the Cavalier can handle more shade. As long as you get four or five hours of direct sunlight you can grow the Emerald and the Cavalier Zoysia grasses.
All three Zoysia grasses are beautiful. I am partial to the Palisades and for me it comes back to the ease of care is the reason that I probably favor it.
All three all have their place though, and if you have a fair amount of shade and want to give Zoysia a try, the Emerald and Cavalier are both good options.
How Can You Tell How Much Sun You Get
Nobody really knows how much sun their lawn gets. Does it get three hours? Does it get five hours of sunlight? There is a way to measure it.
On a sunny day you go out with your phone and take a snapshot every hour or two. Then at the end of the day you scroll through your pictures, and it will show you the different areas. You’ll get a rough measurement of which areas of your yard get how much sunlight, and you’ll find out what kind of sunlight you get in those areas.
Another method that works well for measuring sunlight is to use your security cameras. After a sunny day, you can kind of scroll through and watch the sunlight move across your lawn. You’ll see which areas may or may not be a problem.
So we recommend that people do one of these two options when we talk to them on the phone.
Palisades Zoysia Requires More Mowing
The fine-bladed Zoysias grow more slowly, so that could mean mowing a little less frequently. Palisades is more like St. Augustine so it needs at least weekly mowing. It is certainly a more aggressive growth habit than Cavalier and Emerald Zoysia.
So to answer the question about will Zoysia grow in shade, it’s going to depend on how much shade we’re talking about. The rule of thumb is Palisades needs six or seven hours of direct sunlight and Emerald and Cavalier can survive on the four or five hours of direct sunlight.
If you do have a shade issue and you really want Zoysia, the Emerald and the Cavalier could absolutely be an answer to fill that need.
If someone is asking which one would require the least amount of sunlight I wouldn’t be able to guess. The three most tolerant grasses we provide are the Palmetto St. Augustine, Emerald Zoysia, and Cavalier Zoysia. They all appreciate sun though and the more sun you can give them, the better.
Call 281-431-7441 for Information Tailored for Your Situation
When you call Houston Grass for advice about the best grass variety for your Houston area project, we’ll ask you about the shade situation in your yard or project area. All grasses require some sun, but Cavalier and Emerald Zoysia and our Palmetto St. Augustine grass are more shade tolerant than many other grass varieties.
We can load your grass in your truck or trailer at our office in Arcola, Texas, or we can arrange delivery. We can also arrange for professional installation services to make sure your grass gets a great start.
