Last Updated on November 23, 2022 by
It is a known fact that all greens need 4 things to grow well, that are water, nutrients, air, and the most important of all sunlight. If anyone of these is missing, then the growth of plants specifically the sod grass can get compromised. However, with the rise in technology, experts have now made out ways that can help to grow sod in shade as well. This type of sod is commonly known as the shade-tolerant sod, and it can thrive well without much exposure to the sunlight.
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Problems
There are many problems faced by grass sod when it is growing in shade because of the lack of natural light that is imperative for its growth. Some of the major problems are:
1. Excess Weed Growth
In shady areas, the weed grows excessively and can damage the growth of sod. Thereby, you have to eliminate any sort of weed in your lawn at all costs.
2. Excess Moss Growth
Moss does not directly damage the grass sod but it prevents essential nutrients from reaching the grass that can cause pale and thin grass.
3. Lack of Photosynthesis
Lack of sunlight means lack of photosynthesis, which can kill your grass sod in no time. It also results in a lack of nutrients in your grass that ultimately causes it to die.
How to Make Sod Grass Shade-Tolerant?
In order to make your sod grass shade-tolerant, you must eliminate the weed and moss, and keep the trees trimmed. Other than this, you must know the proper techniques of installing your sod, as it makes a huge difference. If you can not do it yourself, then you can always hire professionals as they are trained to give you the best sod on your lawn.
Installation Factors to Consider for Shady Areas
If you are new to installing sod grass and want to install it yourself, then here are some important factors that you must go through because they will help you when you stumble upon a shady area in your lawn during the installation process:
1- Placement of Tress and Other Big Plants
The placement of the tress and other big plants matters a lot as they cause shade on the rest of the lawn area. As, these plants block the sunlight, thus the grass with the highest shade tolerance should be placed under them to keep it from yellowing and losing its original color.
2- Placement of the Sod
The roots of the plants especially of the trees absorb most of the nutrients from the soil, thus laying sod in such areas is avoided as much as possible. However, some people prefer to have sod in such areas, but then they have to take extra care of it.
3- Level of Moisture
Too much water can sometimes be a reason to destroy your sod. Thereby, where the moisture level is elevated, that area must be watered less than the others to keep a balance.
4- Full Shade Grass
If your lawn is under the shadow of your house, then it is advised that you get a full shade sod in order to keep it healthy and thriving even in lack of sunlight.
Growing Sod Grass in Shade
It is considered by most people that installing grass in a shady area is not possible, but If you hire professionals for the proper installation process then you would not have any problems because they are trained to grow grass in your lawn, whether it has a shade or not.
To install sod in a shady area, the professionals will first trim all the trees so all the excess waste is gathered before the installation process begins. The ground is also tested in order to know the properties of the soil in all areas. After this, the right type of sod, according to the soil properties, is ordered. Sometimes, a combination of sods is ordered if the ground has different properties on different patches. The soil is prepared on the basis of the results of the ground tests, and the professionals lay down the sod in the right way. The professionals can do the first installation, then the owner has to keep the sod maintained in order for it to grow properly.
