St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10. Sensitive to hard frosts and freezes, going dormant below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Variety / Cultivar
Floratam
About This Grass
Forms a coarse-textured, dense, blue-green to dark green carpet of turf. Height reaches 2 to 3 inches when maintained, but can grow much taller if left unmowed. Shows severe winter dormancy in cooler climates, turning brown until spring.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades (>4mm wide), flat with blunt, rounded tips. Rolled vernation in the bud. Ligule is a fringe of hairs. Auricles are absent. Smooth texture with broad leaf blades.
Root System
Shallow to moderately deep fibrous root system originating from nodes on the thick stolons. Establishes rapidly from sod, forms a dense sod, and exhibits a moderate tendency to produce thatch.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical regions along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean; widely cultivated in the southern United States.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous, spreading rapidly via aggressive, thick surface stolons to form a dense turf mat.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade-tolerant than most warm-season grasses). High water needs during active growth; moderate drought tolerance by entering dormancy. Prefers well-drained soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0.
Mowing & Maintenance
Mow at 2.5 to 3.5 inches height, frequency of every 5-7 days during peak season. Requires medium to high maintenance, including 2-4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually, regular irrigation, and periodic dethatching.
Special Characteristics
Fair to poor traffic tolerance due to spongy stolons; excellent shade tolerance compared to other warm-season turfgrasses; susceptible to chinch bugs and Take-All Root Rot; moderate salt tolerance; poor cold tolerance.
Ecological Information
Introduced and widely cultivated in warm coastal regions. Provides low wildlife value as a managed turf, but effectively controls erosion on coastal sandy soils due to its dense stolon network.