How to grow grass in shady spots and under trees
Grass planted in deep shade near fences or under trees lacks the direct sunlight required to thrive, leaving dead patches that refuse to grow back. Without choosing shade-tolerant turf varieties and adjusting care routines, homeowners end up with bare soil instead of a healthy lawn.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1building something that would reflect sunlight downward
- 2Throwing down fescue seeds
- 3Turning the grass strip into a low-maintenance planting area such as a row of berries
- 4planting shade-tolerant fescue
- 5installing mulch beds for flowers or vegetables
- 6creating a shade garden with local plants, shrubs, and evergreens
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“portion of the grass nearest our fence is dead and won’t come back.”source ↗
“I realized from using a sun app, we planted grass on the side of the patio that mostly does not get direct sunlight and when we swing into winter, it gets even less sun.”source ↗
“I am very new to lawncare and would love some advice!!”source ↗
“Im making headway on the crabgrass but now I have a bare spot under the tree.”source ↗
“I would love to get some more grass under that tree.”source ↗
“the back part of the yard is a big ole pine tree that causes a shadow spot where really nothing grows save for a handful of weeds.”source ↗
“Every time the Navimow goes down this side of the house I wonder why I'm even keeping grass here lol. It's narrow, shaded, nobody uses it, and somehow it still counts as part of the lawn.”source ↗
“Starting to think I should just give up on the grass and turn the whole strip into something lower maintenance.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 10Why is my grass seed not germinating evenly?
- 2Why is green growth showing up so fast after seeding?
- 2How to grow grass from seed on bare dirt without a sprinkler system
- 29Why does my lawn pull up like a mat?
- 16How to keep a lawn green during a drought with water restrictions
- 69Why is my overseeding failing to grow?