Has anyone in the Dallas area had any success with Shadow Turf in shady areas? I have a house in Lake Highlands with two large pecan trees and a six-foot wooden fence in the backyard. House faces North. In the last six years, I have sodded St. Augustine twice, but it has not made it. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

I'm not familiar with Shadow Turf. But I would be curious in hearing how much you mow and water your saint augustine. I've found that proper mowing and watering practices will help the grass grow in denser shade. But it won't keep it alive if there is simply not enough sunlight

During the growing season, I usually mow once a week and water twice a week.

Here's some information on Shadow Turf: http://www.turffalo.com/pages/sturf.htm

Here is a picture of Shadow Turf growing in Abernathy, TX.



It is probably the most beautiful grass I've seen. After seeing that lawn I was convinced enough to try it in a shady area I have issues with. Turns out we removed a problem tree and now that area gets a lot of full sun. I have trouble keeping the area watered and the grass is suffering. But as you can see above, it looks beautiful. You can't see that it feels wonderful, but it does.

The spotty looking area in that photo above is where the most dense shade is in the lawn. Most of that lawn is completely covered by an English walnut tree. The spotty area is the north side of the tree and is just taking longer to establish. It had been 18 months since the lawn was plugged.

Before you tear out your lawn, you might back way off on your watering. Once a week, especially in the shade, should be more than enough. You might be generating a climate for fungal problems for the St Aug. During June through most of Sept I water at most once a week and sometimes stretch it out to 10 days. The idea is to let the surface dry out completely between watering. That creates a hostile environment for weeds and for fungus issues.

Wow! A picutre really is worth a thousand words. Thanks for the picture and the advice on watering.