St. Augustine Grass Guide: 10 Tips for Growth and Care

St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a warm-season grass known for its dark green leaf blades, aptitude for weed control, and impressive drought tolerance. It’s routinely used as a lawn grass in states with warmer climates—both inland, like in Texas, and in coastal areas, like in Florida—because of its ability to withstand scorching summer months. While St. Augustine grass withstands the heat and light of the full sun well, its shade tolerance is also notable. All these traits make landscaping and healthy lawn care far more low maintenance than they would be with a less hardy or less adaptable type of grass.

Homeowners in temperate areas have to decide between sodding a new lawn with St. Augustine grass or choosing from a variety of alternative warm-season turf grasses with similar strengths. Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass are also popular and come with their own perks, for instance. But a St. Augustine lawn is distinct on account of its vibrant, dark blue-green color, resilience against entering dormancy in simmering temperatures, and ability to create a coarse, dense turf thick enough to stop weeds from being able to grow in the first place.

This grass requires you to exercise wise judgment every step of the way as it grows. Here are several tips on ensuring your St. Augustine grass lawn looks its best:

1. 1. Choose a cultivar. There are quite a few different cultivars of St. Augustine grass with different strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose one that best suits your needs. Palmetto is perhaps the most popular given its high degree of vibrance and resilient root system. The Raleigh cultivar survives cold weather especially well compared to other types. Seville is smaller and more narrow, whereas Floratam possesses broadleaf blades. Each comes with pros and cons, so weigh your options and then choose the best one for your needs.
2. 2. Ensure you have the right soil type. This grass prefers a sandy soil type, but it’s quite adaptable. As for soil temperature, it thrives in heat but will continue to grow well even at temperatures as low as 60 degrees. If you’re unsure if you have the right conditions for St. Augustine grass in your yard, consider calling your local extension office for a soil test. Consulting the many available resources the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes available is worthwhile.
3. 3. Choose the right time. St. Augustine grass craves bright sunlight, so make sure to plant your grass in the early spring or summer. You’ll get the most out of your growing season if you start it long before colder temperatures arrive in fall and winter.
4. 4. Decide how to plant the grass. When it comes to planting your lawn, forgo grass seeds for a variety of more effective methods. Seeding a St. Augustine lawn is more time-consuming compared to alternatives. Grass sprigs—also known as stolons—are grass stems with roots intact and they’re ideal for very small portions of your garden. But if you’re looking to cover a lot of square feet, rolling out some St. Augustine sod is your best bet. For a happy medium, grass plugs are smaller portions of sod already enmeshed in soil you can add to your lawn.
5. 5. Fertilize appropriately. Spreading high-nitrogen fertilizer throughout your St. Augustine grass will go a long way. It’s ideal to get some with potassium and phosphorus at lower ratios included as well. Fertilizing every couple months of the spring and summer season—whether the fertilizer you use is liquid or granular—will help green up your lawn and give it the nourishment it needs. Slow-release fertilizers, which feed your lawn more gradually, will make your job a lot easier.
6. 6. Water well. You don’t want to leave your lawn waterlogged or too dry—your goal should be to give it just the right amount of water. For a St. Augustine grass lawn, giving it a half inch of water a couple times a week is ideal.

St. Augustine grass is low-maintenance but still requires routine upkeep to ensure it looks its best. Here’s how to care for your lawn.

1. 1. Mow appropriately. St. Augustine grass requires mowing less often than other grass types. Use your lawn mower about once every one to two weeks to keep your lawn about 3 to 4 inches tall. Keeping the mowing height high like this helps the shade-tolerant turf more easily encourage root growth. Leaving the clippings in your lawn, at least during the warmer months, also serves as a natural fertilizer.
2. 2. Fend off pests. This grass attracts all kinds of insect pests—chinch bugs, white grubs, mole crickets, and webworms are just a few of the assailants that may attack the grass blades in your lawn. While prevention through good lawn care goes far, sometimes the only way to handle this situation is through the use of pesticides and insecticides.
3. 3. Eliminate weeds. The coarse, thick nature of St. Augustine grass crowds out most weeds, but you’ll still need to take action to remove weeds completely from your lawn. If crabgrass, fescue, or any other unpleasant visitors make an appearance, consider plucking them out by hand or applying herbicide if you can target the weeds specifically without damaging the rest of your lawn.
4. 4. Treat diseases. St. Augustine grass occasionally suffers from fungal diseases like gray leaf spots. You can prevent this problem by maintaining your lawn through regular watering and fertilization. If a disease should appear, apply a fungicide to prevent it from spreading further.

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