When managing lawns along the Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast, it is important to understand the needs and limitations of the different grass types found in our landscapes. We experience cooler temperatures than might be expected and that eliminates many of the St. Augustine cultivars such as Floratam. EnSec recommends the St. Augustine Palmetto cultivar and for Zoysia lawns, either Palisades or Empire. We promote Zoysia and St. Augustine over centipede grass due to the advanced ability to recovery from stressors such as winter hardiness and pest resistance. Centipede lawns in our area commonly fall prey to winter injury or centipede decline where the lawns are green when transitioning into winter dormancy, but do not transition back to green in the spring. This can result in areas that have to be renovated, and at times the entire lawn requires attention. In these cases of injury, we recommend utilizing sod or plugs to reestablish grass in the damaged areas. We typically recommend renovating with zoysia in these instances as it has the most similar mowing height requirement and meshes well with centipede while providing superior winter hardiness.
Our hope is that by equipping homeowners with the best advice they will make the best decisions for their property. It is important to note that even the most shade tolerant grass types require a minimum of four to five hours of light per day. Filtered sun can sometimes cover the requirement, but ultimately Mother Nature will tell you whether grass will grow in any given situation and location. We have many clients that understand when the conditions in areas of their property are not suitable to sustain turf. In most cases, they choose to go the route of a long-term solution with natural areas, but in some cases they set aside a budget to replace these areas with turf every year because they prefer grass over a natural area.
The attached information sheet from UF IFAS demonstrates the sun/shade requirement for the different warm season grass types that we encounter in the South Alabama/North West Florida area. A leading principle in this industry is "Right Plant Right Place". So often we will see turf grass like centipede grass planted in locations where there is too much shade or moisture for it to survive. Likewise, at times we will encounter properties that have Bermuda grass that is planted in spots that are too shady for its survival. In these instances, there is no amount of fertilizer or TLC that will make a grass growing in the wrong place thrive. Instead you either have to remove and replace the grass with one that will perform better in that condition, or in extreme cases of shade you may need to convert the area to a natural area with mulch or shade tolerant ground cover. The bottom line here is that Mother Nature will tell you pretty quickly if you have the wrong plant in any given location. Here is a helpful link: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP457
If you require advice or have questions, the friendly team at EnSec is here to help. We have solutions for the lawn and landscape that include lawn care, tree and shrub care, aeration, top dressing, sod, and plugs. Call us today at 1-877-973-6732 or put in a request for a visit at https://www.ensec.net/lawn-care/
Thanks so much and we wish you the best growing season ever!