One of the most challenging tasks in gardening for home-owners is to grow grass along with mature trees. Invariably bare spots appear under them. This is because grasses grown under reduced light conditions have are more susceptible to heat, cold, drought and other forms of stress. There is reduced growth of all parts of the grass such as the roots, rhizome and stem, which finally leads to the death of the grass.

One needs to understand clearly the various options available while seeding a lawn with a type of grass and its characteristic. The type of grass you are going to use also depends on the zone you live in. As warm season grasses move upwards towards the north, their shade-tolerance reduces.

For the Northern lawns fine fescues and creeping red fescues can be used. Creeping red establishes itself quite fast from seeds and is also used to over-seed warm season grasses such as Bermuda. Some varieties of fine fescues such as Aurora are also more disease resistant. You can also try Kentucky bluegrass and rye. They are also good for lawns which have heavy foot traffic. These grasses also grow in the sun provided they are well watered.

For mid-American areas, transition lawn shade grasses should be used. Tall fescues are ideal for this zone. Creeping red is also good for this region. Fine fescues are also excellent and are the most shade tolerant.

The best shade tolerant grass for southern regions is St. Augustine. This grass needs to be sodded (vegetative propagated) as there are no seeds available for it. St. Augustine is a thick bladed grass and can produce a lush dark green turf. Centipede grass is a good choice for areas under trees which allow filtered light. It is a slow growing creeping grass and has short stems. However, they do not do too well under large shaded trees.

Once the type of grass is selected, it is time to seed the garden. Over-seeding the lawn in shady areas is a must. Most shaded areas tend to get over-watered. It is better to underwater these areas. However, during dry spells water deeply as the tree roots will compete for the moisture. Traffic should be minimal in these areas, lest the grass goes into stress. Fertilizing the area should be done carefully as compared to areas exposed to the sun. Shade resistant grasses require less nitrogen than grasses growing in the sun.

If the above steps fail to give rise to a healthy turf, it is recommended that another plant ground cover be used or the area can be paved with suitable garden tiles.

Here is another great article about fertilizing your Lawn & Garden

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All About Weeds, Common Lawn Problems, Controlling Lawn Diseases, Four Steps to a Great Lawn, How to Water Your Lawn, Inexpensive Lawn Fertilizer, Lawns in Shady Areas, Thatching, Turf Secrets, Types of Lawn Recreation, Care Free Lawns, Creating a Perfect Lawn, Earth Friendly Golf Courses, Feeding Your Lawn, Fertilizing Basics, Mowers and Pollution, Natural Ways to Fertilize, The Right Time To Fertilize, Types of Lawn Fertilizers