St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a warm season lawn grass that is popular for use in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a low to medium maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses.

A plug of St. Augustine grass ready for planting. 

St. Augustine Grass Characteristics

St. Augustine is a dark green grass with broad, flat blades. It spreads by above ground rhizomes and forms a dense layer of grass.

St. Augustine is one of the most shade tolerant warm season grasses, thriving beneath partial shade of large trees, shrubs, and structures.

St. Augustine grass is one type of grass that commonly exists in most Caribbean and Mediterranean areas. It breeds best in tropical and subtropical climates. It is often seen in lagoons, marshes, shorelines and wherever there is a good amount of moisture.

St. Augustine grass is a warm season grass. Warm season grasses only start growth at temperatures above 50 °F, and grow fastest when temperatures are between 77 °F and 95 °F, with one long growth period over the spring and summer. St. Augustine grass goes dormant in cooler months, turning shades of tan or brown. St. Augustine grass is fairly drought tolerant, and can handle very high summer temperatures, although temperatures below 5 °F can kill St. Augustine grass.

St. Augustine Grass Planting and Propagation

St. Augustine does not produce a viable seed, so it must be propogated by plugs, sprigs, or sod. Once the grasses are cultivated, then they can propagate on their own.

St. Augustine can grow in a wide range of soil types with 5.0 to 8.5 pH. St. Augustine grasses will be in full bloom between springtime and summer.

Varieties of St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine grass comes in several varieties:

• Texas Common. May be the original St. Augustine. It has fallen out of favor due to its susceptibility to the incurable St. Augustine Decline (SAD) virus.
• Floratine. Released 1959. Darker color, finer texture, tolerated lower temperatures and lower mowing.
• Floratam. Released 1972. Resists SAD and chinch bugs. Not as cold- or shade-tolerant.
• Seville. Released 1980. Finer texture than Floratam, but shared Floratam's strengths and weaknesses.
• Raleigh. Released 1980. SAD resistant and shade tolerant, but susceptible to chinch bugs.
• Palmetto. Discovered in 1988. Still experimental. Susceptible to SAD. 

St. Augustine Decline Virus (SAD)

St. Augustine Decline (SAD) is a common name for the effects of the panicum mosaic virus on St. Augustine grass. Infected grass develops a mottled or stipled appearance with small yellow patches. Affected grass usually dies within a few years of infection.

SAD is incurable. The only treatments are to introduce SAD-resistant grasses, which will take over as the affected grasses die out.

SAD is found in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Raleigh, Floratam, and Seville are SAD-resistant varieties of St. Augustine grass.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia