Best sod for shade in Dallas
The first thing to tackle is the definition of shade as it pertains to growing sod. If you don’t have at least 4 hours of dappled sun on your lawn your not going to grow grass of any type. I don’t care what your neighbor has growing in his yard or how much your going to try to butcher your tree to get a wee bit more sun light. It’s 4 hours–dappled sun, minimum–period. If you don’t have that–this article isn’t for you. I will posts an article on what to do when grass is not an option at a later date. Until then, give me a call and let’s discuss your options if you need immediate assistance.
Growing grass in the shade–there is a glimmer of hope, all is not lost. There has been some progress with Texas Tech’s Shadow turf , which is a selected variety of Zoysia grass. Unfortunately, it is currently only available in plugs which makes it not only more time consuming to install but very expensive. We had two small test sites set up and between the squirrels plucking them out of the ground and drying issues (planted in summer) I was very discouraged about the reliability of this material in our conditions.
The best sod for shade is St. Augustine Palmetto and Zoysia: Emerald. If you go to 50 websites you’ll get 50 different opinions. We install sod all over the greater Dallas and Collin county area and this is what we use. We’re not sitting in an office looking at sod on paper and we’re not checking it under primo conditions at the lab. We install in real houses with real Texas conditions. Here’s a little more about my top pics.
Zoysia Emerald Sod
>Great Color
>Most shade tolerant Zoysia
>Fine Texture
>Requires low water/fertilizer
>Good for homes and golf courses
St. Augustine Palmetto
> Best Shade Tolerance
>Grows Well In Full Sun
>Super Color
>Maintains Color in Milder Winters
In terms of cost Zoysia is more expensive than St. Augustine but it’s my favorite of the two. I prefer the fine texture and color of this grass. It is close in appearance to winter Rye.