Shade lawn: here's what you need to know

To achieve a healthy lawn, 3 things are absolutely essential: water, nutrients and light. But what do you do when light is a problem? Tall trees around your garden or buildings can take away coveted sunlight, leaving your lawn mainly in shade. Is a healthy lawn a pipe dream then? Not with shade grass mixtures. In this mixture, there are grasses that are more resistant to shade and still grow even in low sunlight.

Why choose a shade lawn?

If a lawn gets less than 4 hours of sunshine on a sunny day, it is a shade lawn. A lawn consisting of a mixture of grass species that are not adapted to this will deteriorate visibly. The grass will thin out, moss will take its chance and before you know it, your entire lawn will be overgrown by moss and not grass.

Discover our mixtures for shade grass

Grass needs sunlight for photosynthesis. Without sunlight, photosynthesis decreases and so does the production of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates have the same function as in humans: to provide energy. Without photosynthesis and therefore without carbohydrates, grass will not grow as well. "Normal" grasses need at least 4 to 5 hours of direct or filtered sunlight. If this is not possible, it is preferable to sow shade grass. Shade grass needs less light per day. A mixture of sports turf and play turf, for example, will not give good results.

Tips for the maintenance of a shade lawn

Don't mow too short: Even if you sow shade grass in your shade lawn, it will still grow slower than a lawn that gets the ideal amount of sunlight. As a result, you will also have to mow less. When mowing, be careful not to cut the shade grass too short. We recommend a cutting height of 5-6 cm. This gives the shade grass enough leaf surface to catch sunlight. This also allows the grass plants to take deeper roots and extract more water and nutrients from the soil.
Be careful with water: Shadow grass is vulnerable to water. Oddly enough both to an excess and a shortage. After a heavy rain, shade grass has a harder time getting dry. Moss, but also lawn diseases and fungi then see their chance to forcefully claim a place. On the other hand, trees with their dense foliage can barely let rain through and/or compete with the shade grass for water and nutrients. In this way, the shade grass suffers from too dry soil.
Remove moss: Has moss managed to conquer a place in the shadow grass? Then take action immediately. Moss is a spore plant that spreads very quickly. It will also suffocate the grass and demand water, light and nutrients. Find out how to tackle moss in the lawn here!
Maximise sunlight: To the extent possible, still try to give your lawn as much sunlight as possible. In autumn it is therefore best to rake up fallen leaves to prevent suffocation and provide your shade grass with sufficient sunlight. If you plant a large shrub or tree in your garden, take care to maintain it well to avoid it stealing too much sunlight.

Misconceptions about shade grass

Shade grass doesn't need sunlight

Shade grass does in fact need sunlight, only less than mixtures with "normal" grass seed.

Shade grass can't handle sunlight

This misconception has already been debunked in the previous paragraph. So, shade grass can actually withstand the sun and also needs sunlight to grow. So it is ideal if you have a garden that is partly in the sun and partly in shade throughout the day.

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