Black Beauty® Shady Nooks Grass Seed
Starting at
$19.99
- The most shade-tolerant turfgrass mixture on the market
- Grows in deep shade right up to the base of trees
- Requires less fertilizer and water than competitor’s mixtures
- Survives and thrives in deeply shaded lawns with either damp or dry soil
- Germinates in 10 - 14 days
- Description
- Directions
- Specifications
- Spreader Settings
- Reviews (112)
Jonathan Green Black Beauty® Shady Nooks Grass Seed is our most shade-tolerant grass seed mixture. This grass seed survives and thrives in both wet and dry shady areas where other turfgrass mixtures fail. What makes this proprietary shady seed mixture so great is the unique blend of Black Beauty® turf-type tall fescues and hard fescues.
Because shady lawns receive less sunlight they perform less photosynthesis which means they require less food and do not respond well to overfeeding, especially with high-nitrogen fertilizers. Use only Jonathan Green’s Seeding and Sodding Fertilizer which contains phosphorus to encourage deep root growth. This seed germinates in 10 – 14 days.
For the best results, follow the directions below for establishing a new lawn or overseeding an existing one.
Prepare:
- Mow – Mow the lawn at the lowest mower setting before seeding to allow the seed to reach the soil.
- Rake – Rake over the existing grass with a metal rake to remove the thatch layer and any debris to loosen the soil. Add additional topsoil to fill in holes and level the ground.
- Check soil pH level – Have a soil test taken to check your soil’s pH level. The optimum soil pH should be between 6.2 to 7.0. For a pH below 6.2 use Jonathan Green MAG-I-CAL® Plus for Acidic & Hard Soil to rapidly increase pH. If the pH is above 7.0 use MAG-I-CAL® Plus for Alkaline & Hard Soil to rapidly decrease the soil pH.
Seed:
- When to apply – The best time to apply seed is mid-August to mid-October while the ground is still warm and the nights are cooler. Mid-March through mid-May is the next best time to plant when the soil temperature reaches 55º+ Fahrenheit and the temperature of the air stays consistently warm.
- Spread seed – Apply half of the seed with a rotary spreader in one direction (north to south) and the remainder in the opposite direction (east to west). It is beneficial to spread a new seeding fertilizer that is high in phosphorus at this time as well.
- Rake seed – Rake lightly into the ground with a metal rake. Walk with light, even footsteps on the seedbed to firm the soil around the seed. Do not bury the seed more than one-fourth of an inch deep.
Maintain:
- Water – For best germination, water daily to keep the seedbed moist. Continue watering regularly for a few weeks until the grass plants reach a height of 2 – 2.5 inches.
- Mow – Begin mowing when the new grass has reached a height of 3 – 4 inches. Make sure the mower has sharp blades. Be careful not to scalp the lawn, low mowing will stress the root system and encourage the growth of weeds.
Coverage:
- 3 lb Bag
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- Overseeding – Seeds up to 2,250 sq. ft.
- New Lawns – Seeds up to 1,125 sq. ft.
- 7 lb Bag
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- Overseeding – Seeds up to 5,250 sq. ft.
- New Lawns – Seeds up to 2,625 sq. ft.
- 25 lb Bag
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- Overseeding – Seeds up to 18,750 sq. ft.
- New Lawns – Seeds up to 9,375 sq. ft.
Grass Type: Tall Fescues, Perennial Rye, & Fine Fescues
Grass Color: Dark green
Recommended Planting Months: For cool season grasses
- Mid-August through mid-October
- Mid-March through mid-May
Sun Tolerance: Good
Shade Tolerance: Excellent
Light Requirements: Sun to dense shade (4 – 5 hours of sun)
Drought Tolerance: Excellent
Insect & Disease Resistance: Good
High Traffic Tolerance: Good
Planting Depth: ¼ inches
Germination Time: 10 – 14 days
The spreader settings listed are approximate. Spreader condition, rate of walk, and humidity are just some of the variables that can affect the rate of application. Please refer to the product label link on this page, or the back of the bag, for further details along with application rates and precautionary statements. You may need to adjust settings for proper coverage if circumstances described on the label are applicable. In all cases, the user should read and follow label instructions before applying any product, and assumes all responsibility when using this spreader settings tool.
Well I applied the shady nooks under the shaded area of my lawn. I had used the dense shade before. The dense shade worked well until the summer then it died out so I reseeded with shady nooks. So far so good I am impressed. Lets see that will happen next summer.
I have never planted grass seed before and am quite lazy and impatient and cheap! I have a small rental townhouse and the backyard is very shady and full of weeds, but too costly to hire someone to fix. Last October, I figured I would mostly pull the weeds and throw down some of the shady nook grass seed plus the magical plus. Put on a sprinkler timer for 5 minutes a day and walked away. 3 weeks later it was LUSH and GORGEOUS! I can\’t believe the difference – especially given this is my first time and I am not all that careful. Love it. Wish I could post a before and after picture because it is hard to believe how good the transformation of the mud pit to lush yard was!
Have used this now for the 2nd year and with the rains we have had this is filling in very nice. Just noticed today that the thickness is becoming lush. Great Product.
Don\’t ever use this grass send – contains Poa T, or it used to. It ruined my Lawn and J.G. will not own up to it. IT\’s a disaster and it grows in the sun areas of my lawn.
We are sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with our Shady Nooks Grass Seed Mixture. You are correct that we did have 10% Poa Trivialis in this mixture three years ago. Poa Trivialis is a great choice for lawns that are grown in damp shade. It is not a good grass for sunny areas of the lawn, because in the sun it looks very different. It creates a mottled appearance in the lawn and looks like a contaminant. We thought that the name of this grass seed mixture Shady Nooks and the descriptive phrase on the bag, “Survives in shady areas, wet or dry, where others have failed” would alert our customers to the fact that this was not a grass seed mixture to plant in the sunny areas of the lawn. We did receive a few complaints about poa trivialis by people who had planted it in the sunny areas of their lawn and decided that we should stop using poa trivialis in Shady Nooks which as I stated earlier was three years ago. If you check out the reviews for Shady Nooks on our website there are 108 of them right now. 85 give Shady Nooks a 5- Star Rating, 21 a 4-Star Rating and 2 a 3-Star Rating. There are no 2-star or 1-star ratings so the vast majority of our customers really like the Shady Nooks Grass Seed Mixture. If you write back with your address we will send you a bag of the new mixture to try, we think that you will like what you see in your lawn this time.
Thank you for your feedback, The Jonathan Green Team
great 4 shade
Outstanding results in a wet, shady area I have previously had trouble growing grass. I’ve tried all kinds of fescue mixes, rye mixes, and mixes advertised as dense shade. Just about every grass seed on the Internet that advertises as a shady mix. By far the best results were from this product. Time will tell how it holds up over the winter.
This is the second 25 lb bag we have used this year on a shady section of our backyard ! By far the best grass seed ever. Two of our neighbor’s have asked what we used, so expect more customers
Good germination. Thriving where no other seed has.
I’ve been putting down this Shady Nooks grass seed for the past two years, and it’s really the only grass mixture I can get to take in our woodsy, sandy yard. We actually have more moss than grass, lots of shade and dappled sun, and sandy/gravelly soil-those are the conditions I have to deal with.
This stuff germinates well, and covers the bare spots. It’s a little bit expensive, but I wasted money on the cheap stuff. This works.
i would say pretty much all of the seed i layed down as sprouted. I would buy this again. Prep is key! make sure your soil is broken up for the seeds to grab and water every day for at least 2-3 weeks.
it’s coming in really well in areas that have always been a problem. even with lousy soil
at 1st I didnt think it would work, it said wld grow in 3-5 days…. 2 weeks later it started sprouting. even if you just throw it on top of soil it will grow.
Five Stars so far. The seed was put down in a very densely shaded area in early October. The germination period was extremely quick and the grass is fairly thick. Spread the seed on with a Scotts broadcast spreader set on 7, that was probably to high a setting given how thick the grass is coming in. This is a much higher quality seed than what you typically get at your big box hardware stores. I will update in the summer of 2019 to advise on how the grass does in extreme shade.
Have a shaded damp area near cedar trees. this worked very well. nothing else did.
Great Grass Seed – best I’ve ever used
works well!
Worked great in our shady corner.
I was very sceptical when I read that this grass would grow in dense shade but it does. We have over 30 large Oak trees in our back yard and I have tried all sorts of grass that claim to grow and then it would dye after a few monts. This stuff is still there. I have to say, you do need to give it plenty of water in this summer heat though. I water it deep every 3 days since we have hit 95 degrees and above. So far we still have grass. I am very pleased.
Great seeds. They take about a couple of weeks to grow, but the they fill up nicely. Keep them moist while germinating.
Great seed for shady areas. I’ve used it before and It grows very fast provided that you have enough soil prepared. Don’t over-water but at least once a day water enough. Always plant seed in the fall for best root development. This by and far is the best seed I have used. Forget Scott’s, and the others this seed is the real McCoy
Amazing seed. I bought this for some shady areas underneath an elevated deck is have. I had great germination in 4 days which is amazing. I have and will be a Jonathan Green product user for life.
I planted this in a wet area that gets about 2 hours of sun a day. It germinated on the fourth day. The bag lists mostly fescues and that appears to be what has germinated. It was a little patchy, the seed does not like to be covered much if at all. I am on the seventh day now and have spread a bit more seed here and there. I see a lot of seed that has not germinated yet. The bag lists rye grass, I don’t see anything but dark blue green fescue. I will update in a few weeks but so far, It is doing what fescue does. Grow slowly, very thin bladed grass that lays down when a chipmunk runs over it.
Shady Book Grass Seed is fantastic. Grass sprouted in about 3 days. I bought another bag.
If you live in the hills and mountains of New Hampshire you come to look upon a decent looking lawn as a luxury. We live deep in the woods and dense shade is an apt description. Having lived in upstate New York, Illinois and New Jersey good, rich soil is taken for granted. Growing grass in the Granite State is like trying to grow grass on concrete with a thick coating of dust. However, being a thick headed never giver upper I tried again and lo and behold even my wife was impressed and suggested that maybe I could outlive the label of Don Quixote. Germinates in about a week and needs cutting in two. Color is dark green. Next spring will be the final judge on how it handles winter but for now–Thanks Jonathan.
Of all of the shade variety grass seeds, this is the only one that actually works. I throw it down and it grows, the other brands do not grow regardless of fertilizer, watering and mulch.
First time for using this product but I got to tell you this is the first time I’ve been able to grow grass on the sloping hillside of my yard. I have tried every brand of grass seed and have failed to grow grass in this area. It’s a nice thick Fescue type of grass that is seems to be sturdy and withstanding 90° hot weather we have already experienced in this year. Would buy this product again !!
I used this under a large shade tree where grass never grew. My wife said it would never work. I prepared the surface by lightly breaking up the compacted soil, and covered the seeds with that recycled paper mulch for new grass. Watered regularly for the first few weeks and now I have grass right up to the trunk and roots of the tree.
This is the only seed mix that took to my shady spots in the yard, first season but I have grass under trees, lets hope it takes and builds root structure .
Seeds germinated pretty well and blended in with the rest of my lawn. I recommend this if you have a damp shaded lawn like I do.
Excellent choice for dry tree shade
ok
Absolutely the best grass seed I have ever used.
Sprouted in 10 days- 2 weeks.
Grows fast and strong, as I had hoped for my shady areas.
great product
Quality product. Works great. Grass is going after only a week.
good
Expensive but seems to work.
First used in May but cool weather delayed growth. As soon as warmer & sunnier days came the grass sprouted. Not very thick turf but full and green. Will see how it does through the summer and into the Fall.
Last year we had the ugliest lawn on the street. Now we have the greenest, most lush one! The seed sprouted quickly and evenly. It will be interesting to see how well it does through the summer heat and drier months, but so far we are thrilled!
It grew SO fast! Incredible seed! Saw baby grass in a week.
I live on a 1 acre wooded lot in central maryland and when we moved in 3 years ago, there was no grass at all. We literally live in the middle of the woods. After seeing a friends wooded lot covered with grass, I was inspired to try and clear an area around my house for a yard. So after spending nearly an entire summer clearing the debris and hauling it to the dump, I was ready to plant grass seed. But I wondered what, if anything, would actually grow under such a dense canopy of trees. I went to Clarks Ace Hardware in ellicott city MD and the guys in the lawn and garden dept handed me the Shady Nooks and told me if I couldn’t get that to grow on my lot, nothing would grow. September of 2015 I seeded the cleared area – about 1/2 acre. Weeks later, grass everywhere! This April I overseeded the whole lawn with another 35 lbs of shady nooks. Man is it everywhere! Dense and lush! This stuff really grows, and it will last the winter. I am truly impressed, and most visitors are too!
grass is growing great
Impressive! We’ve got so many trees in our backyard and didn’t expect much, but this grass seed grew so quickly and is covering nicely.
Exactly what I needed! Best grass seed I have ever used. After two weeks, already germinated and filling bare spots! Growing where I’ve never been able to get grass started. Very pleased and only been two weeks!!
Best grass seed on the market. Look a the 6 week difference!
Mixed this with the dense shade grass seed for the shady lot next to our cabin. It worked great…and grew very fast!
There be grass under the tree. Quote from Star Trek – “There be whales”. So far so good.
So far the shady mix is doing well. But the real evaluation is next spring when the trees have their leaves back.
Great product!!! We bought the fertilizer, shady nook & fast growing grass. We have a very shady backyard, that was pretty much just dirt. So used the 3 products together – One, to get the grass to grow quickly, two. assumed the shady nook would take longer to grow in. We had great grass year 2. Worked amazingly well! We had spent years and lots of money getting seed at the local nursery, raw seed as well as various name brands like scotts, that never worked. Other products we had used had an annual grass that would die by fall – this comes back in. This came in and stayed in. Highly recommend it. Also nice that seed arrived had been tested recently. This stuff work fabulously! We still reseed in the spring and use this – works like a charm. For year 2 we filled in some bare places with the remaining seed & fertilizer. Year one, our wooded backyard was all dirt. Cannot say enough good things about this line of products.
Frequently Bought Together
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Black Beauty® Dense Shade Grass Seed
Shade tolerant Black Beauty varieties that grow well under trees in up to 70% shade. -
Mag-I-Cal® Plus for Lawns in Alkaline & Hard Soil
Unique soil food combo for lawns to rapidly lower pH, loosen compaction & stimulate soil microbes.