STEADFAST: Tackling your Shade Lawn issues this spring

STEADFAST: Tackling your Shade Lawn issues this spring
Has your lawn become thin and patchy under the trees or beside the fence? Or do you struggle to grow any grass in these areas? We've got the mix for you!

Using the correct shade lawn grass varieties in your seed mixture will ensure grass grows in your garden's shaded areas. If you use non-shade tolerant grass seed in areas with less sunlight, the seed may not germinate. Or, the grass will have a short lifespan since the growing conditions are not what it needs.

Grass varieties which tolerate less light include fescues and hardwearing ryegrass. In particularly shaded areas, a variety known as Poa Supina will work well in areas of deprived sunlight.

Shade lawn seed that grows well in shaded areas

STEADFAST: Shade

From our shaded grass seed range at The Grass People, STEADFAST: Shade is the perfect choice for partially shade-damaged lawns. It includes Perennial Ryegrass, Strong Creeping Red Fescue, Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass, Chewing Fescue and Sheep Fescue. We recommended STEADFAST: Shade, particularly for gardens with dappled sun caused by overhanging trees, dense hedgerows and similar obstacles. This shade-specialised mixture is also very tolerant to wear by kids playing or pets exercising. In appearance, the seed mixture brings a luxurious and luscious green sward.

STEADFAST: Ultra Shade

STEADFAST: Ultra Shade is a specialist blend of high-quality grass varieties designed for use in very shaded areas. It offers superb growth in parts of your garden where the sun is blocked by walls and fences or where light levels are particularly low. This mixture contains the exceptionally shade-tolerant grass species Poa Supina, which will germinate and grow well in little light.

How to sow shaded grass seed

  • Firstly, prepare the ground by removing any dead grass, weeds or stones from the area.
  • It is then advisable to rest the soil for 2 - 3 weeks and dig out any weeds which return during that period.
  • After resting, it is recommended to fertilise the soil with QUICK RELEASE: Pre–Seed fertiliser, which will boost growing conditions and get the seed off to a good start.
  • Now it’s time to start sowing the grass seed, which can be done by a spreader or hand. Shaded grass seed mixtures are sowed at a rate of 50g per metre squared when reseeding or 35g per metre squared when overseeding.
  • If mixing a shaded seed with a general-purpose seed, we recommend sowing at a 50/50 ratio and increasing the concentration rate of shaded seed in darker areas of the lawn when required. After sowing, rake the soil lightly over the seed to achieve seed-to-soil contact.
  • Then tread lightly to firm the seed into the soil. Given that growing conditions are correct, you should expect to see a green haze of shoots through your lawn within 5-10 days. Following that, you should aim for your first cut after 4-6 weeks.

You can view our shade lawn grass seed range, and if you have any questions about our grass seed, fertiliser, or wildflowers, please get in touch; we are always happy to help!