St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Palmetto or Floratam (common turf cultivars with dense, coarse texture)
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10. Susceptible to freeze damage below 20°F, enters winter dormancy in cooler portions of its range.
About This Grass
Forms a very thick, coarse-textured lawn with a bright to dark green color. Unmowed height can reach 6 to 12 inches, but typically maintained low at 2 to 3 inches. Produces flat, upright seed heads on short flattened spikes.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse texture with wide blades measuring 4 to 10 mm wide. Blades are flat with rounded, blunt tips, folded in the bud (vernation). Ligule is a fringe of hairs, auricles are absent, and the collar is continuous.
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from nodes along the stolons. Establishes relatively fast from sod, forms a dense sod layer, but has a moderate thatch-forming tendency.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical and subtropical regions along the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and coastal areas worldwide; thrives in warm, humid climates
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous, spreading aggressively via above-ground runners (stolons) to form a dense, thick turf mat
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade-tolerant than most warm-season grasses). Needs regular watering, high moisture requirements, and moderate drought tolerance going dormant under severe dry conditions.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height ranges from 2.5 to 4 inches. Requires regular mowing during growing season, medium to high fertilization (2-5 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually), periodic dethatching, and medium-high maintenance level.
Special Characteristics
Moderate wear tolerance, excellent shade tolerance for a warm-season grass, good salt tolerance for coastal areas, susceptible to chinch bugs and large patch disease, poor cold tolerance.
Ecological Information
Introduced turfgrass in many non-native regions, provides ground cover and erosion control in coastal sandy soils, filters runoff, can crowd out weeds effectively when dense and healthy.