Question
Hi,
I live in Fremont, CA. My lawn faces east & gets sunlight in the morning & gets shade in the afternoon. When I took a sample of the grass in my lawn to a local nursery, they said that it is a combination of Blue Grass & Fescue.
Q 1. Most part of the lawn has weeds, the leaves of which are greenish brown.They have small yellow flowers. Not sure whether it is Oxalus or Clover. I tried spraying a can of Ortho Weed B Gone, which killed some but not all. What weed killer(that is safer on grass) would you suggest?
Q 2. My lawn looks worn out. What would be the best fertilizer and ideal time for using it? Should I wait to use fertilizer after I get rid of weeds & seed bare spots? Should I wait after seeded bare spots establish themselves?
Q 3. I understand that the same variety of grass can come in different shades. How do I find the closest shade for fescue and BlueGrass so that the patches merge with the existing grass? Is fall a best time to seed or shall I wait till spring?
Thanks in advance. Hope I didn't go overboard with too many questions.
Sumathi

Answer
Good afternoon Sumathi:
You're just a little sneaky asking all those questions on one entry but I will give you the best I can.
Lawns in the shade are typically thin, weak, and of poor quality. Maintaining a quality stand of grass in the shade can be difficult and requires modifications in lawn care practices. Shade-tolerant grasses still need an acceptable amount of light to grow. In addition, lawns in shade areas generally do not have the ability to tolerate or recover from stress problems as compared to lawns growing in full sun.
Choosing a shade-tolerant grass mixture is critical.
Red fescue or other fine fescues are the primary lawn species in these mixtures. These fescues are have a poor to moderate wear tolerance meaning traffic should be kept to a minimum. Among the more commonly used cultivars of the fine fescues are Jamestown, Banner, Barfalla, Checker, Highlight, Koket, Shadow (all chewings fescues); Dawson, Ensylva, Fortress, Pennlawn, and Ruby (creeping red fescues); and Aurora, Biljart(C-26), Reliant, Scaldis, and Waldina (hard fescues).

Perennial ryegrass and tall fescue offer intermediate shade tolerance. Perennial ryegrass cultivars for shade include Birdie II, Citation II, Fiesta II, Manhatten II, Palmer, and Regal. Tall fescues best for shade include Falcon, Finelawn, Houndog, Jaguar, Olympic, Rebel, and Rebel II. Both perennial ryegrass and tall fescue are bunch type grasses and will not spread like Kentucky bluegrass could.

Kentucky bluegrass generally does poorly in the shade, but some of the more shade tolerant cultivars include Bensun, Bristol, Eclipse, Glade, Nugget, Touchdown, and Victa.

Care of lawns in shade areas should be different than lawns located in full sun. Mow higher (near 3 inches), and fertilize less in the shade, as too much nitrogen can be detrimental to shade lawn species. About 1 to 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per growing season is all that is needed. When watering shade lawns, do so as infrequently as possible, and water deeply. Reduce traffic over lawns in the shade.

If these practices have been followed but the lawn still fails, there probably is not enough light even for a shade-tolerant grass species. Often a shade lawn mix is seeded, comes up fine, but declines rapidly due to a lack of sufficient light.

If lawn grasses have failed, try a shade-tolerant groundcover or mulch, possibly in combination with ferns or woodland flowers. See the list I have provided below.

Goutweed  Aegopodium podagraria. 'Variegatum' Persistent, weedy groundcover that spreads via rhizomes. Tolerates many soil types, deep shade to full-sun; foliage may scorch in full-sun. Plant in contained areas to avoid becoming evasive; cultivar 'Variegatum' more desirable.
  
Bugleweed  Ajuga reptans. Low-growing, attractive foliage, spreads via above ground stolons. Prefers moist, well-drained soils in heavy shade to full-sun; protect from winter winds. Cultivars vary in both flower and foliage color.
  
Canada Wild Ginger  Asarum canadense. Forms foliage mass up to six inches tall, spreads rapidly via rhizomes. Excellent for partial to deep shade.
  
Lily-of-the-Valley  Convallaria majalis. Forms thick carpet of upright leaves, spreads rapidly via rhizomes, very adaptable but does best in well-drained soils, partial to full shade. May crowd out delicate plants. Large quantities of roots and rhizomes are poisonous. Fragrant flowers are popular.
   
Purpleleaf Wintercreeper Euonymus  Euonymus fortunei 'Colorata'. Trailing habit and roots readily into soil as it creeps along. Heavy shade to full-sun, prefers well-drained soils. Protect from winter winds. Scale can be a problem.
   
Sweet Woodruff  Galium odoratum. Delicate deciduous groundcover which forms uniform mat of bright green, persistent foliage. Small, white flowers. Prefers moist, well-drained soils in medium to deep shade.
   
Hosta, Plantain Lily  Hosta species.  Large group of hardy, dependable plants with bold, decorative foliage forming neat, circular clumps. Plants spread slowly via short rhizomes. Adaptable, best in open shade, leaf burn problems in sun. Slugs are a common problem.
  
Japanese Spurge  Pachysandra terminalis. Neat, uniform, evergreen groundcover, which spreads via rhizomes to form dense mat. Best in shade, well-drained soils. Protect from winter winds; may have pest or disease problems if stressed.   
Periwinkle  Vinca minor. Trailing, vinelike evergreen groundcover, which roots as it creeps along. Grows in fairly heavy shade to full-sun; although foliage tends to be deeper green and glossier in the shade. Protect from winter wind and sun. Disease problems may occur with poor drainage and poor air movement.
  
Barren Strawberry  Waldsteinia ternata. Forms mats of strawberry-like evergreen foliage with glossy, bright green leaves and yellow flowers. Easy to care for, plant in partial shade to full-sun.
   
Woodland Natives  (various). A wide variety of woodland plants such as ferns, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and trilliums may also be used in areas where turf will not grow or is not desired. Consult native plant specialists & nurseries.
  
Evidently the weed with the yellow flowers is a shade loving weed. If it has broad leaves as opposed to grass like leaves the Ortho Weed B Gone should work fine. I would suggest that you take a sample to your local Cooperative Extension for their identification and control.

I recommend, if you choose to plant with grass instead of ground cover, the following combinations.

Dry Shade: 30-50% blend of shade-tolerant Kentucky bluegrasses (see above) plus 50-70%blend of fine-leaf fescues or a tall fescue blend.

Wet Shade: 70% or more of rough bluegrass plus the rmainder in a blend of shade tolerant Kentucky bluegrass.

I would not be worried about the color of the grass at this time but rather trying to get a good stand should be your prime objective.
Fall is the best time to plant cool season grasses.

I hope I have helped. Good Luck!
Floyd McMahon