I'm sure others will fine-tune this, but except for the area that sees less than four hours, KBG is fine. You probably do want to transition it into the shadier and shadiest areas with TTTF and then let those two duke it out to see who does better.

The half of your lawn that sees six hours of sun can be pure KBG if you like, or the KBG/TTTF mix to keep it consistent throughout.

Also, is there a noticable difference in appearance (color, blade thickness) between KBG and the newer TTTF? I was even considering a total TTTF lawn but I'm not sure if it can look as good as a KBG lawn?

As long as they're matched, no. A close examination shows some difference, but nothing you'll really notice while walking on it unless you're really particular. It's a matter of matching the cultivars so they look good together.

Purchasing the darkest green KBG and mixing it with light TTTF wouldn't have good-looking results...

Others here are better at that than I am, by far.

Ok, thanks for the info. I think the easiest thing would be to plant a KBG/TTTF mix but I don't know if it will look as good as a full KBG lawn.

If anyone could recommend a good KBG/TTTF mix for my area it would really be appreciated.

Thanks,
Rob

Mr. Anderson, there is no good KBG/TTTF mix for your area. Your property has part sunny and part shady areas. You canÂt change that. (easily). You must accept that. You must accept that your lawn is going to look different in the shady area versus the sunny areas. I think your objective is to have the overall best looking lawn possible, considering the above limitations. I would suggest that you plant the best grass type for sunny areas, i.e. KBG in the sunny area. And plant the best grass type for shady areas in the shade (TTTF). The challenge is in getting the transition between the two areas perfect. It can be done. Plant 100 percent KBG in the known sunny areas. 100 % fescue in the shade. Then use a mixture of KBG and fescue in the transition area. In the darkest or least sunny area, you may need fine fescue. One method would be to seed everything with KBG, then overseed the transition area with TTTF. Personally, I hate the idea of a mixture of KBG and Tall Fescue in a lawn overall. Tall fescue looks like a weed sticking up in a beautiful KBG lawn. It is a compromise made in the transition area to enable you to have the most desirable KBG lawn. An alternative is a full TTTF lawn. Plenty of persons love their TTTF. Not sure how well it would do on Long Island. Check out seedland.com and summitseed.com and other venders of quality seed. For more information. Good luck in renovating your lawn.

Rob, one reason for mixing KBG with TF is to improve appearance. Your reason for mixing TF with KBG for shade tolerance is another common reason, but I hate mixing KBG with other species for almost any reason. In your case, I can't see the purpose because no matter what you do, the existence of TF cannot improve KBG's shade performance, can it? So, what's the purpose when you end up with some green and thriving grass (TF) and some crappy-looking grass (KBG) under shady conditions? Kinda defeats the appearance factor, right? I think all the species serve their utility purpose quite well on their own, and mixing them makes little sense. The bottom question for me becomes "what do you accomplish?" The answer is "nothing." The only reason I can see doing it is to have the creeping/spreading virtue of KBG to fill in bare spots when bunch grasses like tall fescue and ryegrass thin out. But then, that's only in cases where there is no other utility purpose to satisfy.

Your options are to either transition KBG into tall fescue (fine fescue might be best) as Morpheus and Bill Hill suggested. Or, just go with tall fescue, and I think this the better idea. Many of the newer varieties of tall fescue rival bluegrass in appearance, so I know you won't regret the decision. Also, by sowing shade tolerant tall fescue, you'll also have better wear tolerance for your high traffic backyard. Where that's concerned, consider something else. Other than creeping bentgrass, nothing recuperates like bluegrass, and tall fescue has almost no recuperative ability at all. In other words, it is better at withstanding traffic and wear but once damaged, it will not come back. Just wanted to point that out for you to determine just how much wear your backyard endures. And if a dog is what you mean, nothing survives them LOL. You might want to give Fido an area of his own as opposed to the run of the whole yard.

If you decide to transition from KBG to one of the fescues, I can offer KBG cultivar suggestions. If you decide to go with tall fescue or fine fescue, start a new thread addressed to A.J. or check his response here about fine fescue. The fine fescue blends are best for dense shade, better than tall fescue but he can also help with the better looking tall fescue varieties.

Hope I helped a little and didn't confuse you.
Welcome to the Lawn Care Forum.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

I think what I'm going to do is just reseed the front and side yards this year. I only have one large maple tree in the front yard that I'm going to prune up high to let in all the sun I can. This way 90% of the yard will get plenty of sun and I can go with a straight KGB blend. Then when I do the backyard which see's more sun and traffic (no dogs, just the kids) I'll use either TTTF or Fine Fescues. The side fence will provide a good break between the two turf types.

If anyone could provide some KGB recommendations for the front and possibly even some varieties that are a little shade tollerant it would really be appreciated.

Thanks again for all the help,
Rob

Just wondering if anyone had any advice on a KBG mix for the yard that would have some shade tollerance?

Thanks,
Rob

Blue Velvet
Kingfisher
Moonlight

Tell me when you plan to seed so I can find where to purchase these.

Or, blend Princeton 105 with any of the following: Brilliant, Apollo, Unique. All of these cultivars have a long track record of decent shade performance. Last August I planted P-105 and Apollo in an area that got almost zero direct sun, and although it took forever to establish, it now looks pretty good.

A.J.

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm planning to seed around the 3rd week of august if everything goes according to plan.

Thanks,
Rob

Good advice above. Personally, when I get down to which variety to choose, I like to got to NTEP trials and look at their data. Many tests in different areas and they break them down into categories (including shade if I recall).

Google NTEP and you'll get alot of info.