Opt for low-maintenance grass

Hawaii has some of the loveliest shade trees on the planet.

Our giant coconut palms, banyans, monkeypod and mango trees are legendary — and rightly so.

But big trees aren’t especially friendly to most turf-grass varieties. Lawns bordered with big trees that get too much shade during the day won’t ever really thrive, no matter how much they’re fertilized.

“The secret is choosing the right grass for a shaded yard,” says Sean Aukanaii Fong, owner of Hawaiian Turfgrass in Mililani. “All grass requires at least some direct sunlight — at least five hours or more is recommended — but we do have a turfgrass that does better in shaded conditions.”

Beautiful and hardy, Captiva® St. Augustine is the recommended turfgrass for areas that get only a few hours of direct sunlight each day.

“Anything that gets less than four hours of direct sunlight is considered a shaded area and will require a shade-tolerant grass like this one,” Fong explains.

Developed by University of Florida, Captiva St. Augustine has lush, fine, dark green blades with a dense canopy.

“Some people think they don’t like St. Augustine grasses because many of them are rather wild-looking,” Fong says. “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 weedwack 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.”

Like Captiva St. Augustine, all of the grasses sold by Hawaiian Turfgrass were selected especially for the Hawaiian Islands, with characteristics that outperform older, common varieties. All are more drought-tolerant and pest-resistant, and all require less mowing.

“You can have a beautiful lawn if you choose the right turfgrass for the area,” says Fong. “If your yard only gets a few hours of direct sunlight each day and if you truly want a low-mow, low-maintenance grass, Captiva St. Augustine could very well be ideal for you.”

Chosen once again by the readers of Honolulu Star-Advertiser as Hawaii’s Best Lawn Installation Company for 2021, Hawaiian Turfgrass has made it easier and quicker than ever to purchase a beautiful new lawn. Visit hawaiianturfgrass.com to place an order and arrange for pickup or curbside delivery. To schedule complete turnkey installation, just call 808-371-0527; place your order.

HAWAIIAN TURFGRASS
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
CONTACT 808-371-0527
ADDRESS 94-840 Lanikuhana Ave., Mililani
WEB hawaiianturfgrass.com