St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Commonly 'Floratam' or 'Palmetto', known for broad blades and coarse texture
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10; excellent heat tolerance, poor cold tolerance (susceptible to frost damage and winter kill below freezing); goes dormant in winter
About This Grass
Forms a dense, coarse-textured lawn with a blue-green to dark green color; grows rapidly in warm weather and goes into winter dormancy in cooler ranges; produces distinct flat seed spikes at maturity
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades (>4mm wide), flat with blunt, rounded tips; folded in the bud; collar is continuous with a fringe of hairs serving as the ligule; auricles are absent
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from stolon nodes; high thatch-forming tendency; rapid establishment from sod or plugs; moderate drought tolerance with poor wear recovery compared to Bermuda
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical and subtropical coastal regions around the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Western Africa; widely cultivated in the southern United States
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous, spreading aggressively via thick above-ground runners (stolons) to form a dense, coarse turf mat
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade tolerant than Bermuda or Zoysia); needs regular moisture and irrigation; moderate drought tolerance by entering dormancy; thrives in moist, well-draining soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5
Mowing & Maintenance
Mow at 2.5 to 4 inches high; weekly mowing during active growth; fertilization of 2 to 4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually; regular dethatching required due to thick stolon mat; medium to high maintenance level
Special Characteristics
Good shade tolerance for a warm-season grass, moderate salt spray tolerance, poor foot traffic/wear tolerance, susceptible to chinch bugs, take-all root rot, and sod webworms; excellent erosion control in coastal soils
Ecological Information
Introduced and naturalized in warm coastal regions; provides good soil stabilization and erosion control on coastal sites; moderate wildlife value; often managed with pre-emergent herbicides as it can be choked out by aggressive weeds if thin