“Shade Champ” Grass Seed

Fertilize fescue in May

Q: My yard gets too much shade from oak trees. I’ve found “Shade Champ” grass seed for sale. It contains creeping red fescue, PennLawn red fescue, Chewings fescue and Pizzazz ryegrass. Can it really grow in Georgia?

A: All of the grasses listed are shade-tolerant but they aren’t Georgia heat and humidity tolerant. Creeping red fescue sometimes makes a tolerable stand but it really suffers at 90 degrees and above. It usually disappears in a year or two. I would not depend on this mixture to solve your shady lawn problem. Either hire an arborist to limb up the trees to admit more light or plant shade-loving plants like ferns and Lenten rose.

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