St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Variety / Cultivar
'Floratam' (most common wide-bladed cultivar with good drought and disease resistance)
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10. Excellent heat tolerance, poor cold tolerance (susceptible to frost damage and enters winter dormancy in cooler parts of its range), not suitable for cold northern zones.
About This Grass
Forms a thick, lush, carpet-like turf with coarse, flat blades. Color ranges from light to dark green depending on fertilization and watering. Unmowed height reaches 6 to 12 inches, while maintained lawns are kept at 2.5 to 4 inches. Produces flat, spike-like seed heads at maturity.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blade width (>4mm), flat shape, rounded to slightly pointed tips, bright to blue-green color, folded vernation in the bud, prominent veins, membranous ligule with a fringe of hairs, and continuous, broad collars.
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from thick nodes along the stolons. Forms a moderate to heavy thatch layer, establishes relatively quickly from sod, and provides fair wear recovery via stolon growth.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical and subtropical regions along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean; widely cultivated in the Southern United States.
Growth Habit
Aggressively stoloniferous, forming a dense, coarse-textured mat by spreading above ground via stolons (runners).
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade-tolerant than most warm-season grasses, needing at least 4 hours of direct sun). High water requirement during active growth, moderate drought tolerance with dormancy in extreme dry spells, prefers moist, well-draining soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 2.5 to 4 inches using a rotary mower with sharp blades to prevent tearing. Requires weekly mowing in summer, moderate to high fertilization (2 to 5 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually), regular dethatching, and medium-high overall maintenance.
Special Characteristics
Moderate traffic and wear tolerance (lower than Bermuda or Zoysia), susceptible to chinch bugs and take-all root rot, good salt tolerance making it popular for coastal areas, poor shade tolerance compared to fine fescues but best among warm-season grasses, excellent erosion control.
Ecological Information
Introduced/cultivated across southern regions, provides limited wildlife food value primarily serving as ground cover, highly effective for soil stabilization and runoff reduction, forms monocultures and does not mix well in seed blends.