Best Shade Tolerant Turf Types

• Evaluate the amount of sunlight your lawn receives per day – shade-tolerant grasses do need at least three to four hours of direct sun or four to six hours of infrequent sunlight a day
• Do trees or bushes shade your grass or will they grow and eventually cause shade
• If living on a small block with a big house it is probable that there will be shaded areas
• Choose a grass variety that has a high shade tolerance

In Australia many varieties with high shade tolerance are warm season grasses such as Buffalo grass (up to 70% shade) and Zoysia(up to 40% shade), varieties such as Couch and Kikuyu can only tolerate 40% shade cover a day.

For those wanting cool-season grasses the shade-tolerant varieties are Rye as well as Fine and Tall Fescues.

SHADE TOLERANT BUFFALO’S

Buffalo grasses are the most shade tolerant varieties on the Australian market.

Sapphire® Soft Leaf Buffalo is one of the best varieties and can tolerate up to 70% shade a day.

Other high shade tolerant Buffalo varieties are Prestige® and Palmetto®.

Buffalo Suppliers & Pricing

Buffalo grass can be found from Queensland down to Victoria and across in Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

To find suppliers of Buffalo grass near where you live go to Find a Turf Supplier.

SHADE TOLERANT ZOYSIA’S

Like all grasses, Zoysia varieties do need at least four hours of direct sunlight.

Empire^TM Zoysia is an option and will tolerant up to 50% shade in low wear areas and in moderate to high wear areas up to 30% shade.

Another ideal Zoysia choice is Nara^TM Native which has 40% to 50% shade tolerance – higher than Couch and Kikuyu.

Zoysia Suppliers & Pricing

Zoysia can be grown in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Your local Zoysia Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

Mowing Shade Tolerant Grass

For lawns with shade cover only mow down to 50mm-60mm so you leaf remains long and healthy.

Partial shade conditions can reduce the amount of photosynthesis – which causes your lawn to be starved from a lack of food with the possibility of it dying off.

Photosynthesis is the way the lawn converts energy from sunlight to produce glucose from carbon dioxide and water, as well as vital minerals.

Therefore, remember – the greater the shade the longer the leaf.

Don’t worry that mowing your lawn higher may cause thatching issues, Buffalo grasses growing in shading conditions have the lowest chance of thatching.

Watering Shade Tolerant Grass

With shade tolerant grass only water when necessary or if you feel the soil drying off.

Water you shade tolerant grass infrequently but deeply in the morning between 7am and 10am.

Buffalo Grass

Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo cost between $10 to $15 per square metre and can be grown in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

Prestige Buffalo costs between $13 to $16 per square metre and can be grown from Queensland to Victoria as well as Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

Palmetto Buffalo costs between $10 and $15 per square metre and can be found from Queensland down to Victoria and across to Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

To get more Buffalo variety pricing info, visit our Find Your Turf pages and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.

Zoysias

Empire Zoysia costs between $12 and $16 per square metre and can be found in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

Nara Native Zoysia costs between $11 to $16 per square metre and is available in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and Western Australia. Your local Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

To get more Zoysia Turf pricing info, visit our Find Your Turf pages and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.

For more fast facts and Q&As on our varieties –

• Prestige Soft Leaf Buffalo
• Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo
• Palmetto Soft Leaf Buffalo
• Empire Zoysia
• Nara Native Zoysia
• Kenda Kikuyu
• OZTUFF Couch
• Stadium Couch

Or check out our handy Quick Lawn Selection Guide.