St. Augustine Grass Adam Bray Landscape Design 3rd period

St. Augustine is a warm season, perennial grass that is widely used in areas with a warmer climate. A native grass of tropical origin that extends from water marshes (salty & fresh), lagoon fringes, and sandy beach ridges. Its bluish-green color persists longer into the fall than other warm season grasses, and St. Augustine thrives in high shade beneath tall pines.

Texture

St. Augustine is a coarse textured grass St. Augustine is a coarse textured grass. It is a very robust grass used for both lawns and pastures.

Color

Well watered St. Augustine grass has a luscious dark green appearance Well watered St. Augustine grass has a luscious dark green appearance. When St. Augustine doesn’t have enough water or has been exposed to direct sunlight during excessive dryness, the grass will turn an ugly yellow.

Soil Conditions For Best Growth

St. Augustine grass grows in a wide variety of soil St. Augustine grass grows in a wide variety of soil. Optimum pH is between 6.0 and 8.5, but above 7.5 it develops a chlorotic appearance. It does not tolerate compacted or waterlogged conditions. St. Augustine is highly tolerant of soil salinity producing satisfactory levels as high as 16 mmhos, it also grows well in sandy soil. This grass can grow on low fertility soil, which lessens the amount of fertilizer needed.

Climate

In the U.S., St. Augustine grass is found from the Carolinas to Florida and westward along the Gulf Coast to Texas and in Southern Central California. Because St. Augustine lacks winter hardiness, it is restricted to areas with mild winter temperatures. It will not survive in dry inland climates without irrigation. St. Augustine is one of the more cold and frost tolerant of the tropical and warm temperature grasses.

Uses

High quality popular turf grass Low quality pasture grass Erosion control Cover crop in plantations (coconuts, papaya, coffee)

Ways To Be Bought

Sod Plugs Stolons (sprigs) seeds are not available at the present time for St. Augustine Grasses

Varieties Common, Floratine, Bitter Blue, Floratam, Seville, Raleigh, Del Mar, Palmetto, & Dwarf/Variegated

Common- The common variety, a fertile diploid with a white stigma color, is native to the Gulf-Caribbean. Floratine- Floratine was released for its somewhat finer texture and darker green color than the common strain. It also retains its dark green color long into the fall and was reported to tolerate closer mowing than other St. Augustine grass selections. Bitter Blue- Bitter Blue was selected as an improvement over coarser textured types of St. Augustine grass used in Florida for lawns. It has a dense texture, good shade tolerance, cold tolerance, and grows well in full sun.

Floratam- Floratam is a vigorous coarse textured St Floratam- Floratam is a vigorous coarse textured St. Augustine grass variety. It has a purple stigma color and is sterile. Leaf blades are longer and wider than common St. Augustine grass. This type is not as cold tolerant as the common type found in Texas. Seville- Seville is dense with compact foliage, chinch bug resistant, fast spreading, grows well in full sun, has fair shade tolerance, has excellent salt tolerance, is the most recognized St. Augustine, and is a superb plugging grass. Raleigh- Raleigh is a dense turf grass, is more shade tolerant than Floratam, is cold hardy, and has a medium green color.

Del Mar- Del Mar is very cold tolerant, grows well in full sun, has best shade tolerance of any St. Augustine available, has a superior emerald green color, and maintains excellent winter color. Palmetto- Palmetto is a densely spreading variety, has aggressive growth habits, rich dark green color, is cold tolerant, and performs well in sun and shade. Dwarf/Variegated- Dwarf and variegated are more ornamental and novelty grasses than turf grasses. One of the dwarf types (Garretts 141) has been evaluated for its seed production potential, but lacks cold tolerance.

Advantages

St. Augustine grass forms a fairly dense turf for a bold, lush dark green look. It is the most shade-tolerant warm season grass and tolerates a wide variety of soil types. St. Augustine is known to be tolerant of high summer temperatures and also colder temperatures than other types of grasses. A healthy St. Augustine lawn effectively crowds out most weeds which would otherwise make the lawn look ugly.

Disadvantages

St. Augustine’s growth rate declines in winter and is susceptible to winter injury, especially if planted in the upper third of Georgia. The greatest disadvantage to this grass is its sensitivity to an insect called the chinch bug. Under densely shaded conditions, St. Augustine grass develops thin, spindly turf. It also does not tolerate traffic as well as other warm season grasses. St. Augustine is sensitive to iron deficiency and readily develops chlorotic symptoms in alkaline or iron deficient soils. No seeds are available at this time and it is not effectively propagated by stolons.

Prices

St. Augustine Sod $95.00 per pallet (400 Sq Ft) Bitter Blue Saint Augustine Plugs 36 Plugs @ 3" x 3" Price: $11.95 Del Mar Saint Augustine Plugs 36 Plugs @ 3" x 3" Price: $11.95 Palmetto Saint Augustine Plugs 36 Plugs @ 3" x 3" Price: $11.95

Raleigh Saint Augustine Plugs 36 Plugs @ 3" x 3" Price: $11.95 Seville Saint Augustine Plugs 36 Plugs @ 3" x 3" Price: $11.95 Sod Plugger / Plug Planter Price: $27.50