Sunshine is one of the most basic elements that your lawn needs for adequate grass care, but too much sun can damage your grass. Finding the right balance of sunshine and shade for your lawn can be tricky. Unless you've studied the sun and shade patterns of your lawn throughout the day, you may not even know how much sun exposure your grass is receiving. There are so many factors that can disrupt your lawn, including too much shade or sun overexposure.
Without the proper grass care knowledge for these instances, you could run the risk of a deteriorating lawn. Here are some topics we will cover to equip you with the best lawn care for yards with ample sunshine and shaded grass care:
- Understanding different grass types
- How to care for different grasses, including shaded grass care
- Spotting the signs of a deteriorating lawn
- When to plant new grass seed
- Why grass seed care is important
Whether your lawn issues come from sun exposure or too much shade, we will help you get back on track with the proper lawn care techniques and high-quality products. Simple Lawn Solutions offers our expert tips on ensuring your lawn is getting everything it needs, from liquid grass fertilizer to proper hydration. We’ll help teach you the best way to balance the sun and the shade for different types of grass.
How Varying Sunshine and Shade Affects Your Lawn
Finding the right balance of sun and shade is critical in providing the proper growing environment for grass. Sunshine, along with air and water, is critical for photosynthesis, the process in which plants (including grass) create food. While your lawn must receive adequate sunshine, too much sunshine could be detrimental to your grass's health, which is why it's crucial to understand shaded grass care. Too much shade can inhibit the process of photosynthesis, eventually leading to nutrient-deficient and deteriorating grass.
When you are equipped with the knowledge to care for your lawn, you can help your grass thrive in full sun or heavy shade. Neglecting shaded grass or frying your grass in the sun can lead to deterioration. Deteriorated grass can quickly become dead grass. Once grass dies, you need to lay new grass seed and follow proper grass seed care.
Sun-Loving Grasses
If you live in an area with warmer weather or have a lawn exposed to full sun for most of the day, you may want to consider the installation of warm-season grass. Not only do warm-season grasses have the ability to withstand long bouts of full sun, but they are also more equipped to handle longer seasons of high heat. Most warm-season grasses love as much sun as you can provide, and thrive with eight hours of full sun.
Here are some common warm-season grasses that can withstand the heat from long hours of full sunshine:
- Zoysiagrass
- Centipedegrass
- Bermudagrass
- St. Augustinegrass
Most warm-season grasses are tolerant of full or high hours of sunlight throughout the day. Warm-season grasses are generally dense and sturdy to withstand possible sunburn. However, robust and tolerable grass doesn't mean your lawn is incapable of damage. Check out tips, tricks, and common mistakes, so you don't have any mishaps when treating your warm-season grass.
What Too Much Sun Can Do To Your Lawn
As mentioned above, your grass needs sunlight to thrive. If you speculate that your lawn might be receiving too much sun, keep a concentrated eye on these common signs of overexposure:
- Brown patches
- Dry soil
- Dry spots
- Soil compaction
You can correct these lawn issues with proper lawn care techniques and high-quality products like liquid grass fertilizer. If your grass has been overexposed to sunshine and burned beyond repair, planting new grass seed might be your only option. We will dive into the details surrounding proper grass seed care later on. First, let's learn about cool-season grasses that thrive in shaded areas.
Grass Types That Thrive in Shade
If you live in the northern half of the U.S., chances are you have a cool-season, shade-friendly grass. Cool-season grasses are ideal for areas with cooler temperatures around 60-75 degrees. Some common cool-season grasses include fine fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and creeping bentgrass. These grasses are shade-tolerant, so if you are looking to plant new grass that will withstand the colder months and still live during the heat of the summer, cool-season grasses are the way to go. Growing healthy, thriving grass that does well in the shade can seem like a challenge, but it doesn't have to be with the knowledge and know-how of proper shaded grass care. With the right products and care, you can be successful.
Shaded Grass Care
Cool-season grass is less tolerant to full sunshine and can become scorched by the sun with too much exposure. But, with the right preventative measures, you can avoid lawn burns. Consider adding these lawn care techniques into your shaded grass care routine:
- Keep grass hydrated with consistent watering in the summer months.
- Aerate your lawn to reduce soil compaction.
- Make sure to mow the lawn at an appropriate, medium length.
- Restore nutrient balance with a liquid grass fertilizer but avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization
Proper shaded grass care also involves a limited amount of sun exposure, typically four to six hours for cool-season grass. By becoming more knowledgeable about your grass type and species, you reduce the risk of wasting your own time and risking damage to your lawn with improper grass care. When it comes to shaded grass care, taking extra precautions will pay off once you see your grass healthy and thriving.
These lawn care tips should help you with your shaded grass care routine. Stay tuned for more grass seed care and lawn care tips like when and how to use liquid grass fertilizers.
Grass Seed Care
Whether your lawn is deteriorating from lack of sunshine, too much heat, or other reasons, it may reach the point in which it is beyond repair, and it may be time to look into a grass seed care routine. If your lawn routine is not working for your shaded or full-sun yard, it might be time to look into grass seed care.
Planting new grass seed may be your best option for restoring your yard. Though it may sound like an enormous task, seeding a lawn does not have to be a challenging feat. You just need to follow proper grass seed care. We can help you successfully start over and grow a new lawn.
Prep Your Lawn for Seeding
The first step to proper grass seed care is preparing the soil. First, remove any grass, weeds, and debris from your lawn. This includes old, dead grass and roots. Proper grass seed care begins by starting with a solid, healthy soil base. Before applying your new seeds, you can apply a liquid grass fertilizer to ensure nourished, balanced soil. By starting with a solid, nutritious base, you can ensure proper grass seed care before planting new seeds. If you're unsure if your soil lacks nutrients, conduct a soil test for more conclusive answers.
Nurturing Grass Seedlings
Once you plant the new seeds, make sure to follow a proper and consistent water regimen. Water will activate the seeds to begin germination and is essential for proper grass seed care. Proper grass seed care following germination is necessary to maintain positive growth. Be careful: new grass does not have established roots, so it can quickly die. Grass seed care is a delicate but doable job, even when working in areas that require more attention and shaded grass care.
Am I Watering My Grass Enough?
We've discussed how adequate amounts of water are necessary for healthy growth, but just like sunshine, too much can be a bad thing. Watering your lawn is not always the way to combat too much sun. Too much water can lead to a fungus-infested and disease-ridden lawn. Grass roots need oxygen, and overwatering can restrict their access to it, causing root rot. Spotting the early signs will stop any further damage to your grass so that you can correct these issues with a liquid grass fertilizer.
The ideal amount of water for your lawn is around one to two inches per week during the growing season. To ensure your grass is receiving enough water, we recommend sticking to a watering routine or using sprinklers. Pre-scheduled sprinkler systems make watering easy and convenient. To be sure the water is well-received by your grass, opt to schedule watering in the cooler hours of the morning. Try to stick to these lawn watering rules for shaded grass, too.
If your grass needs more hydration, you can easily change the frequency and duration of watering sessions. If you live in an area that receives a lot of rainfall, be sure to take this into account. To ensure your lawn is receiving enough hydration, check out everything you need to know about watering your lawn.
Is my Grass Dormant or Deteriorating?
The dictation of sunshine may or may not be causing your critical lawn issues. Whatever problem your lawn is having, it's important to spot these signs early so you can nip any lawn issues in the bud. Sometimes, your lawn issues might be a part of the grass's natural growth cycle.
To spot the differences between dormancy and deterioration, look out for these signs:
- The grass feels dry and crunchy when walked on
- Color is dull or even brown
- Stunted growth
Cool-season grasses may enter dormancy in the summer if water is not plentiful, while warm-season grasses are dormant in the late fall and winter. If you notice lawn issues outside of the dormant seasons, it may be a sign of early deterioration. Proper lawn care techniques involve watering the grass, ensuring it receives adequate sunshine, and mowing regularly. If the greenness does not improve, this may lead to signs of a deeper lawn issue, which liquid grass fertilizer might correct.
Liquid Grass Fertilizer
Suppose you are looking to revive your grass. In that case, we have liquid grass fertilizers that focus on correcting several lawn issues like improving grass growth, strengthening the lawn, and aiding in root development. Switch up your traditional fertilizer and opt to liquify your lawn care with a liquid grass fertilizer.
- Easy-to-use spray nozzle
- Well-mixed nutrients for uniform application
- Fast results
- No spreading equipment is needed
The key nutrients in liquid grass fertilizer are essential for grass health and optimal growth and work to combat lawn issues from too much sun or too little sun. Liquid grass fertilizer is also an excellent predecessor to applying new seeds in grass seed care by nourishing the soil and restoring a balance of nutrients.
Liquid grass fertilizer is a homogeneous, well-mixed blend, so there is an equal distribution of nutrients on your grass.
Liquid grass fertilizer provides so many more benefits than what meets the eye. With the right liquid grass fertilizer and proper grass care techniques, you will be on your way to green and growing grass.
From grass seed care to liquid grass fertilizer and shaded grass care, we are always sharing the best tips for increasing your curb appeal!
