St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Variety / Cultivar
'Floratam' (or similar common southern turf varieties, known for larger blades and bright green color)
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10. Highly sensitive to freezing temperatures and enters winter dormancy in the cooler range of its zone.
About This Grass
A coarse-textured, dense, low-growing warm-season turfgrass featuring flat blades with rounded tips. Color ranges from medium to dark bluish-green. It forms a thick carpet-like sod and produces spike-like seed heads on flattened stems.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse texture with wide blades (typically 4-10 mm wide), flat shape with blunt, rounded tips. Vernation is folded in the bud. Ligule is a fringe of hairs, and auricles are absent.
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from stolon nodes. Tends to build thatch easily if over-fertilized. Establishes relatively quickly from sod or plugs.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to the Gulf of Mexico region, West Indies, and tropical coastal areas worldwide; widely cultivated in the southeastern United States
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous, spreading aggressively by 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 most warm-season grasses, needing at least 4 hours of direct sun). High water needs during active growth, moderate drought tolerance by entering dormancy.
Mowing & Maintenance
Ideal mowing height is 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Mowing frequency is weekly during peak growing season. Requires moderate to high maintenance, including regular fertilization and occasional dethatching.
Special Characteristics
Good shade tolerance and salt tolerance for coastal environments. Moderate wear tolerance; slower to recover from heavy traffic compared to Bermuda grass due to coarser stolon growth.
Ecological Information
Introduced/cultivated across the American South. Provides good soil stabilization and erosion control in coastal sandy soils. Low invasive tendency outside cultivated lawns, but can spread into adjacent flower beds via stolons.