St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Variety / Cultivar
'Floratam' or 'Palmetto', featuring coarse texture and aggressive stoloniferous spread
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10; excellent heat tolerance, poor cold tolerance (susceptible to frost damage below 25°F)
About This Grass
Forms a lush, dense, blue-green to dark green turf with coarse texture. Grows rapidly in warm weather, reaching heights of 3 to 4 inches if unmowed, and maintains a dense carpet when regularly mowed
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades (>4mm wide), flat with rounded or blunt tips, folded vernation in the bud, smooth texture with prominent parallel veins, membranous ligule, and absent auricles
Root System
Shallow to moderately deep fibrous root system originating from stolon nodes; establishes quickly from sod or plugs, moderate thatch tendency, forms a very thick turf canopy
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to the Gulf of Mexico region, West Indies, and tropical coastal areas worldwide; performs best in warm, humid subtropical climates
Growth Habit
Aggressively stoloniferous, spreading above ground by thick, flat runners and rooting at the nodes to form a dense mat
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade-tolerant than most warm-season grasses); high watering needs during dry spells, moderate drought tolerance with dormancy in severe drought; prefers well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 2.5 to 4 inches; needs frequent mowing during peak growing season; fertilization of 2 to 4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually; high maintenance level due to thatch management and pest susceptibility
Special Characteristics
Poor to moderate wear recovery due to above-ground stolons; susceptible to chinch bugs, sod webworms, and take-all root rot; good salt tolerance making it popular in coastal areas; excellent weed crowding capacity once established
Ecological Information
Introduced/cultivated across southern coastal regions; provides limited wildlife habitat compared to native prairie grasses; excellent for soil stabilization and coastal erosion control; typically grown as a monoculture turf rather than in blends