St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10, sensitive to hard freezes, goes dormant in cooler winters, poorly suited for the northern transition zone.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Variety / Cultivar
Palmetto or Floratam (common turf cultivars showing coarse, blue-green to bright green color)
About This Grass
Forms a dense, coarse-textured lawn with wide, flat blades and blunt tips. Maintains a bright green to blue-green color during the active growing season and goes dormant (turns brown) with frost. Unmowed height can reach 6 to 12 inches, but typically maintained at 2.5 to 4 inches.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are coarse, greater than 4mm wide, flat, with rounded or blunt tips. Vernation is folded in the bud. Ligule is a fringe of hairs. Auricles are absent. The collar region is continuous.
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from stolon nodes. Forms a moderate to heavy thatch layer. Fast to moderate establishment from sod or plugs. Moderate drought tolerance, relies on stolons for wear recovery.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical and subtropical regions along the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Mediterranean; widely cultivated throughout the Southern United States and warm coastal regions globally.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous, spreading aggressively via above-ground runners (stolons) to form a dense, coarse turf mat.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Performs best in full sun but has the best shade tolerance among warm-season turfgrasses (requires a minimum of 4 hours of direct sunlight). High water needs during establishment; moderate ongoing water needs with fair drought tolerance, going into dormancy under severe drought.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 2.5 to 4 inches using a rotary mower with sharp blades to prevent tearing the coarse leaves. High maintenance level requiring regular fertilization (2 to 4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually), periodic dethatching, and supplemental watering.
Special Characteristics
Moderate wear tolerance (lower than Bermuda or Zoysia), poor cold tolerance, excellent shade tolerance for a warm-season grass, good salt spray tolerance, aggressive weed crowding when healthy.
Ecological Information
Introduced and naturalized in coastal warm regions, provides standard turf ecosystem benefits such as soil stabilization, heat island reduction, and limited urban wildlife support.