One of the problems with growing turf whether a cool season or warm season turfgrass is how much light does a turfgrass need? As a general overview the minimum requirements reported are under management conditions where the turf is not subjected to wear, adequate air movement is present, and pests are not present. Additionally the minimum daily duration of light is affected by the time of the year, latitude, and size and location of the tree(s) or structure creating shade.

Given these conditions turfgrasses require 4 to 5 hours of full sun per day (Fry & Huang, 2004). Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) can be shaded up to 6 hours per day (31 percent of full sunlight) and still maintain adequate turf quality (Bell & Danneberger, 1999). Warm season turfgrasses require more hours of sunlight. For example, ‘Tifeagle’ bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x transvalensis) requires at least 8 hours of full sunlight to provide adequate turf quality (Burnell, 2005).

References:

Bell, G.E. and T.K. Danneberger. 1999. Temporal shade on creeping bentgrass turf. Crop Science 39:1142-1146

Bunnell, T.B., L.B McCarty, J.E. Faust, W.C. Bridges, and N. C. 2005. Crop Science 45: 569-574.

Fry, J. and B. Huang. 2004. Applied Turfgrass Science and Physiology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. NY.