Are there different types of sod for sunny or shady areas?

Question

I layed sod this spring in my backyard, it looked great, dark healthy green. Watered it twice a day. Then it took a nosedive and now I have a yard of dry deadlooking grass. My yard is entirely in the shade all day long, no direct sun for even an hour. Do I need a certain type of sod? I'm new at landscaping so not sure what I might have done wrong.

Answer 1

Grass definately needs sun- some varieties more than others.  The fescues are the best for these applications.  Fine Fescues and Dwarf Fescue is what you want.

Now, if you don't get any sun, why are you watering so much?  

The only reason you will EVER need to water that much is if you had 90 degree temperatures in FULL sun.  

Recommendation: Water your lawn once a week for an hour; trim some tree branches to get more light down to the turf canopy;  rip up the sod and plant something more shade tolerant (than rye or bluegrasses).  

Answer 2

Yes there are different types, you need to get sod or seed for shady areas. There are also types for high traffic areas and full sun, etc. Good Luck!

Answer 3

I just sodded my yard as well and in my backyard i have some shady areas. We bought centipede...what type did you get? Did you fertilize after the first month? When shopping around for sod and prices etc i did find out that some types of bluegrass do really well in shade. Your other choice is a groundcover. I am thinking also that if it is in shade al day it may not have needed to be watered as much maybe cut back on that.

Answer 4

Goggle wwwthesodsource.com  I think you'll find what you need there.  :)