Made in the shade
Shade trees can be an asset to any property. They help improve air quality, offer shelter from the elements and provide homes for Hawaii’s birds. Graceful old shade trees can also prevent uniform lawn growth, creating vexing and unattractive patches. But if you select the right turfgrass for your shady yard and maintain it properly, your lawn will provide your family with a lovely place to live and play for many years.
“All grasses require full sun and direct sunlight; at least five hours or more is recommended,” says Sean Aukanaii Fong, owner of Hawaiian Turf-grass in Mililani. “Anything that gets less than four hours of direct sunlight is considered a shaded area, and will require a shade-tolerant grass.”
No grass grows in complete shade, Fong reminds us, but Captiva® St. Augustine is the recommended choice for areas that get only a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
“It’s a semi-dwarf, fine-bladed, dark green grass,” he explains. “Some people don’t like St. Augustine because it’s so wild-looking! But the Captiva variety is finer, thinner and much nicer aesthetically.”
Requiring less maintenance than any other variety sold by Hawaiian Turfgrass, Captiva® St. Augustine has a massive root system.
“It actually grows laterally, with runners ‘crawling’ over the ground,” says Fong, who warns that aggressive cutting isn’t good for this variety. “When it’s nice and lush, and landscapers weed whack it all the way to the ground, they kill off the runners. It’s best to cut Captiva every two to four weeks with a rotary mower, when it’s 2 inches or higher.”
In Hawaii, where water bills are among the highest in the country, it’s critically important to get turfgrass selection right the first time. Hawaiian Turfgrass offers five sod varieties, selected especially for the Hawaiian Islands, with characteristics that outperform older, common grasses. All are more drought-tolerant and require less mowing.
Like many local suppliers, Hawaiian Turfgrass sells the popular El Toro Zoysia. It’s also the exclusive authorized seller in the state of Hawaii of SeaStar®Seashore Paspalum, Zeon® Zoysia and Captiva® St. Augustine.
“A beautiful lawn is achievable if the customer chooses the right grass for the area,” says Fong. “The most important considerations are how much maintenance you’re willing to do, followed by your aesthetic preferences and budget.”
Planning a new lawn for the New Year? Call 371-0527 or visit hawaiianturfgrass.com. Place an order for Captiva® St. Augustine by Jan. 31 and enter discount code “star” to receive 25 percent off.
HAWAIIAN TURFGRASS
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
CONTACT 371-0527
ADDRESS 94-840 Lanikuhana Ave., Mililani
WEB hawaiianturfgrass.com