Bermuda Grass In Shade
The university of georgia developed tifgrand bermudagrass which produces healthy turf in areas with less than half the light this grass normally requires.
Bermuda grass in shade. Bermuda hates shade period. The key to a lush turf is to choose. Tiftuf bermudagrass was developed with this challenge in mind. Rule 1 for bermuda to grow well it really needs 8 hours of full sun a day.
It won t grow under a southern magnolia but should do fine under the shade of high pine trees or tall tulip poplars. Tifgrand bermudagrass thrives well in shade or full sunlight yet one more reason why homeowners sod producers and turf breeders regard it like a true champion. Again i said for it to grow well. Found in professional and college sports venues golf courses and home lawns.
Though the majority of bermuda s roots stay within 6 inches of the surface they can reach 6 feet or more in depth. Clemson university did a two year shade study of 42 bermudagrass cultivars in 2007. Read the full guide here. A limited number of growers will be selling tifgrand this summer 2009.
Celebration is a deep blue green bermudagrass that has finished best in numerous university research studies for wear tolerance and recovery drought resistance and tolerance and bermudagrass shade tolerance. In most cases all grasses will thin out over time in heavier shade environments. This grass retains its thick soft light to medium green color even in shaded lawns but it usually needs six hours of partial sun a day for survival. Bermuda in general is not considered a shade tolerant grass.
Celebration was the only grass to get a six rating for overall shade tolerance. If it offers an mvp performance against world class athletes on game day you can count on it to look great every day your athletes take your field um lawn. This study included both celebration and uga s tifgrand then known as tift no 4. It has superior heat salt and humidity tolerance and unlike centipede grass is very drought tolerant too.
To begin with bermuda grass is not very tolerant to shade. I d love to tell you that some varieties do better than others but honestly it loves the sun and no one has truly created a shade tolerant bermuda grass. If you re looking to grow bermuda grass in areas with shade then there are a few things you need to consider. This fine textured green leaf beauty uses 38 less water than similar grass cultivars and still looks great.
If your lawn has tall trees and objects that block direct sunlight you might want to consider another type of grass that will thrive under low sunlight areas. And just as important tiftuf bermudagrass has a high shade tolerance.