Question
I have a heavily shaded lawn and sparse amounts of grass.  We only have one tree in it but the neighbor's trees block the most of the sun. I've tried good quailty seed for shady area but the results are so-so.  I also have numerous slugs and crickets in the yard as well as mysterious holes roughly 1/2- 3/4 inches in diameter in the soil.  I live in southern Ohio.  If I can't get grass to take, is there a type of vegetation I could plant that would withstand the stress of my kids playing on it?


Answer
Good evening Doug:

Lawns under the shade of trees are typically thin, weak, and of poor quality. Maintaining a quality stand of grass under the shade of trees 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. 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).  All of the fine fescues are not good in high traffic areas such as your children playing on it.

Start improving shade areas for grass growth by pruning the tree as much as possible to allow the maximum amount of light to reach the soil surface. Of course you can't prune your neighbors tree so this may not help at all.

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, as  you have experienced,  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. None of these groundcovers would be good for children to play on. See the list I have provided below.

Goutweed : A 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:  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: Forms foliage mass up to six inches tall, spreads rapidly via rhizomes. Excellent for partial to deep shade.
  
Lily-of-the-Valley:  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: 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 : 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;  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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

If you cannot restrict the children to a certain area of the yard for a play area you will probably not be able to have a good yard. I suggest you designate a certain area for the children to play and cover that area with a bark mulch about 2 to 3 inches deep with an edging of landscape brick to hold the mulch in place.
The remainder of the yard could then be planted using a selection of the grass cultivars and/or groundcovers listed above.

Slugs and crickets thrive in your yard because of the shady damp environment. Until the area is opened up to more sun you will continue to have that problem. Even if you choose to fight the slugs with "Slug Bait" it sounds like you will fight a losing battle.

The holes you are concerned about I believe are the 17 year Cicadas that are in your area this year. They have no effect on the lawn except to aerate it and that's good.

Good Luck!
Floyd McMahon