Question
Hopefully you can answer my question even tho I do not live in your area of the country.   I live in Shreveport, La., I have St Augustine GRass in my front lawn. A few years ago I planted a Fruitless Mulberry tree. The tree shades most of the lawn now and my grass is gradually dying out. I have replanted couple of times, I have cut a lot of limbs out of the tree to try and get Sun into the grass. So my question is: What kind of grass can I plant that is shade proof.  Please advise, it will be appreicated.

Answer
I'm sorry, Mr Patterson, but Grass is a green plant and it needs light for photosynthesis.  You're going to have to get a groundcover to get satisfactory results for this.

There is nothing like a beautiful old Tree in a landscape.  Don't overprune and sacrifice your valuable Tree for the sake of a nice Lawn.

There are new cultivars coming out every year.  I can tell you that of the warm season Grasses, St. Augustine Grass generally takes more shade than other warm season Grasses.  In DENSE shade, however, it will still be weak and spindly.  Some kinds of St Augustine do a little better in shade than others.  But nothing on the market -- not even new cultivars -- can thrive without at least 6 to 7 hours of full Sun.  Manila grass -- Zoysias Matrella -- may be your other choice.  

University of Florida Coop Extension website posts an essay on Shade grass, 'St Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns':

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH010

They list some top shade performers there: Dwarf varieties AMERISHADE; BITTERBLUE, CLASSIC, DELMAR and SEVILLE.  Worst for shade: FLORALAWN and the wildly popular FLORITAM.  The Seedland.com Shade department sells top performing Seville as well as the weaker cultivars:

http://www.shadegrass.com/

A new Zoysia called 'Ultimate' also is said to have good Shade attributes you may be satisfied with.

Nevertheless, it may in the end be just too dark for Grass -- nothing is 'Shadeproof'.  Count your bigger blessing, sir.  Like the poem says, Only God can make a Tree.  There are some beautiful things to grow under and around Trees.

Purple Heart (Setcreasea pallida 'Purple Heart' variety) and, if you can water them enough, Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula) and Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata), grown as houseplants here in the North, thrive in shade.

Liriope (Liriope muscari/Liriope spicata) almost seems like a turfgrass.  It will take a reasonable amount of foot traffic, unless most of the other groundcovers here on Long Island.  English Ivy (Hedera helix) will grow up the side of the Tree you plant it under.  I think these represent the
best choices on the short list of under-Tree mass plantings.

Others qualify.  Take a look at Cryptanthus, Algerian Ivy (Hedera canariensis), Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) and Florida Arrowroot (Zamia pumila/Zamia floridana).

Dwarf Gardenia jasminoides and Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium
sempervirens) are grown as greenhouse plants up here for their lovely flowers, so may need more light than you can provide.  But I list them because I happen to love them so much and if you can get them to bloom you will be luckier than I am because we need special greenhouses to do that.  You do not.

If you can water regularly on the very hottest day, Patridge Berry (Mitchella repens), Leatherleaf Fern (Rumonra adiantiformis), or Selaginella (Selaginella involvens) will do well under your Tree.

Let me know what you think.  Thanks for your question.