One of the most important things for the health of a lawn is the amount of light it receives. But with concrete jungles becoming the norm, your lawn may not be getting as much sunlight as it is supposed to. As a result the grass suffers from more humidity, which translates into less vigorous grass, diseases and fungi, unhealthy roots, and a lot of weed and pest infestations.
So it is really advisable to only plant a lawn if it can get the sunshine it needs. In case you need to grow your lawn in the shade, buy the right kind of seeds. No bluegrass or ryegrass, try fine fescue and tall fescue, they will fare better.
Reduce the seeding rate by about a third so as to reduce competition between individual plants. Find the right time of the year to plant your shade lawn in, either in fall after the trees have shed all their leaves or in spring, after the leafing of vegetation. Make sure you let the grass grow longer, so it can process more energy. Mowing at or above 4 inches would be ideal. Try not to step on it too much, and prevent pets from getting on it as much as possible.
With 50% of required sunlight, grass growth is bound to be thinner and you may perhaps consider alternative arrangements for your lawn area. There are a lot of plants that flourish and look beautiful in shade. Or, you could also opt for ground covers.
