Hi, 

The issue with CRF in the southern parts of Maryland is disease. It tends to do better in cooler areas. You should look into hard or chewings fescue for shaded areas but it will depend on how much foot traffic those shaded spaces receive as these grasses don't tend to perform as well with heavy "play" as a fescue blend. These grasses still do best with about 4 hours of sun though and you will need to overseed probably yearly to keep them filled in enough. You could also look into some sedges that could spread in the area and work as a turf alternative. Mt. Cuba Center has a recent trial and study on various native sedges that were maintained as 'turf' and mowed similarly to lawn and you could entertain the idea of incorporation some of those as a ground cover, perhaps mixed with some hard or chewings fescue to get better coverage?

Feel free to send us any photos, but would it be feasible to cut back on some of the lawn space with a shade garden with some paths? It could be a nice addition to look at from the deck or through house window? Could you or would you want to incorporate a destination like a seating area or bench to enjoy the shade in the hot summer months? There are many native plants that thrive in the shade and you could build an area, over time that would be lower maintenance than a lawn.

Let us know if you would like additional suggestions that could help your shaded yard space function. 

Emily

Thank you for the reply. Here is a pic of the shaded area from the deck, off the kitchen. The grass looks very nice in fall, winter and spring. Summer...not so much as seen here, it has turned really brown in the last 4-5 weeks. This area slopes down toward the house, so it can be wetter than normal, especially given the percentage of shade to sun. There is virtually zero foot traffic as we use the white rock borders seen at the bottom of the photo to move through this area. As to lowering the grass footprint in the area.... a good idea and I was already thinking of a circular white rock area of 10-12 feet in diameter around the gas tank...and a bench or rocking chair, maybe a small plant that likes shade. I will look into the other grass options. Within a year or so, the area above the circular rock border will be 100% liriope, Vinca or Pachysandra...with a few Nandina Firepower and Green Giants thrown in for good measure. So a nice area to look at, if the grass would cooperate  :)  

And here is the Tri-Blend Fescue I will typically use in the fall, on the entire lawn, most of which gets 6-8 hours sun per day.  I buy it from a local Ag Supply store in Huntingtown. 

The seed blend for the sunny areas looks like a good blend! 

For the shade it wouldn't hurt to try overseeding with a hard or chewings fescue blend from the same brand or company. The seed company shown is reputable and tends to use many of the recommended species in their seed mixes.

Even though it does stay wetter, make sure to water as needed to get the seed established since the large shade trees in the wood line will most likely be sucking up much of the ground water from rain. You could reduce the lawn space in time and have less to maintain and overseed some areas as needed. Some lawn space can help define the garden areas as well so that could be an option. The sedges I mentioned from Mt. Cuba could also be an option for "lawn" if the shade blends don't perform well. 

The least expensive option would be to use the shade fescue blend to start and take it from there. 

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily

The area in question is about 850 square feet. After some reading, I'm going to take a leap and try this tri-blend of fine fescues, see link below. 

Always had used Tall in this area before. 

10 pounds will allow me to seed 1/2 the bag in the early fall, and another 5 in the spring.... assuming the shelf life of seeds is long enough. One of the things said about this blend is that it works well on "slopes"......and this is a sloping partly shaded ground.  We shall see. Since we expect to see low morning temperatures in the mid-50s in about 3 weeks, I'll prep with a dethatcher, aerate and overseed then.  

Also, I have about 1 yard of Leafgro sitting in a trailer...I assume this will be very helpful to put down before aeration.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MN5NO4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3KP4PUPMP96T0&th=1

oh, I forgot to add: the Sedges look like a good alternative for Liriope. Very nice for a road border like in my photo, or on a walkway.

Yes native sedge is a great replacement for liriope! 

The seed blend that you linked may be ok but it is showing that it is 40% creeping fescue which is the species you don't want. Sticking with a local source and blend would most likely be better. Plus the company that you are using for the tall fescue blend tends to follow the recommended cultivars from the turf grass trials that are studied periodically from UMD. Also you may want to price match as $70 for 10lbs seems a bit high. 

Using a small top covering of leafgro could be helpful as well. It can be counted in your overall nitrogen allotment but a small amount should not be that much to wash off or make your nitrogen content spike. 

Emily

Thank you for the comments. After I posted that I did check with my local supplier and they do have a much better price. Thank you it also has a lower concentration of the CRF.

you're very welcome! let us know if it works out for you!

-Emily