Shade and high traffic – Which lawn is the best?

Customers often come to us with a scenario where they have a shady back or front yard and need a lawn that will withstand a high amount of traffic. Which is the best lawn for these situations?

You may have kids that want to play on it intensively and maybe have a dog or two. In any case, when you have a shady yard and a high amount of traffic, you'll need to think carefully about which you choose, as this is a difficult combination for a lawn!

Shade can be cast by buildings, fences, trees and shrubs, and as far as a lawn is concerned, a shady environment is an area that receives less than 5 hours of direct sunlight per day. Shade can be defined as anything other than direct sun and includes dappled sunlight cast by trees.

Generally speaking, the more shade a lawn receives, the slower it grows. Some lawns can adapt to this, and others can't (which I'll explain later). The more shade-tolerant varieties also happen to be the less durable varieties, and so you can start to see how managing an environment like this becomes important. 

Which Varieties are the best?

Once you get into an area that has less than 5 hours per day of direct sun, the varieties of lawns you can choose from become significantly less. Lawns such as Couch (Bermuda grass) and Kikuyu are sun-loving grasses. They can tolerate some shade but won't grow in environments of less than five hours of sun per day, regardless of the brand you choose. These, however, are the most durable types and the ones you would ordinarily choose when a hardwearing lawn is required. While there are some differences between varieties, the minimum amount of sun required for a couch or kikuyu is five hours per day – four at a stretch.

For a lawn to be durable and be able to repair itself from wear and tear, it must have runners. Couch and kikuyu have these; however, as already established, neither of these varieties is suitable for areas with less than 4 hours of sun. This leaves soft-leaf buffalo. Buffalo will grow in areas with as little as 2-3 hours per day of direct sun, making it a much more suitable lawn for shady situations. While it is more shade tolerant, it is also less durable, making it less ideal for high-wear situations. As I mentioned earlier, the more shade a lawn area receives, the slower the lawn grows, meaning the slower it is to repair from damage, and this is where shade and traffic situations become a bit more challenging. 

While Soft-leaf buffalo is the most hardwearing grass available in South Australia for shade,  it has its limits on how much traffic and shade it can tolerate. If you have less than 2-3 hours per day of full sun, then this lawn may not be suitable either, even if it is managed well. 

If you have high traffic (especially pets) and less than two hours per day of sun, the notion of being able to maintain a living lawn becomes very difficult. I wouldn't recommend it and would suggest you investigate alternatives such as synthetic grass. 

Apart from varietal choice, what else can you do to manage a high-traffic lawn in the shade?

If you're intent on maintaining a lawn in the shade with high traffic, there are some things that you'll need to do and keep in mind:

1. Manage your expectations. It's hard to keep a high-traffic, shady lawn looking optimal. Expect some patchiness and off looks. 
2. Restrict traffic when required. If you find that an area is wearing out faster than it can re-grow, you may need to restrict traffic until it recovers, especially if you have buffalo. For some people, this may be impossible, especially when considering pets; however, if you don't, unrecoverable patchiness may start to emerge. 
3. Expect to replace and repair sections from time to time. If areas wear out and the lawn isn't repairing itself, you may need to replace sections to keep it usable. 
4. Make sure it's healthy and well-fertilised. Keep your lawn well fertilised, fertilising it at least 3 times per year with a balanced program
5. Watch out for moss and algae. Shady areas tend to grow moss and algae, which is bad news for lawns. If you notice moss and algae starting to grow in your shady area, treat them immediately with a product called Wet and Forget. 

Ultimately, most people will have enough sun to grow a lawn, but as you can see, when you have shade and high traffic, the variety you choose and the way you manage it becomes more important. These types of environments tend to be a bit more hands on than lawns in the sun, however as a lawn lover, I think it's definitely worth the effort. 

If you're having trouble with this and want to chat to an expert, get in touch at info@paulmunnsinstantlawn.com.au or give us a call on 8298 0555