9 Types of St. Augustine Grass (with Pictures)

A good lawn should have the ideal turf grass that thrives even underneath severe circumstances. A great case in point of this is the St. Augustine grass, which is quite popular in household and industrial settings.

St. Augustine grass has numerous cultivars and thrives in hotter climates however, you can increase the grass in colder locations. This grass is even shade tolerant.

This article seems into the different sorts of St. Augustine grass and its traits.

What is St. Augustine Grass?

St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a perennial grass that is quite dense. The blades of St. Augustine grass have a deep environmentally friendly shade and a coarse texture.

The grass thrives in areas with a hotter local weather, but it can also develop in places with shade. When you want to plant Sy. Augustine grass, you need to contemplate the soil because it only does nicely in well-draining. It’s ideal suited for USDA hardiness zones eight to 10.

You won’t have to be concerned about extensive skills to consider great care of it. On best of that, you can nevertheless enjoy it even following wintertime starts off since it requires time to go dormant.

Types of St. Augustine Grass (9 Types)

Just before obtaining some St. Augustine grass, it is important to learn about the various kinds you can plant. This grass has three species: Floratam, Raleigh, and Palmetto. In addition, there are 11 cultivars offered that make superb turf grass.

1. Floratam St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Dark green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 7 to 12
  • Mowing height: 3 to 4 inches

Among the native species that you can uncover of St. Augustine grass is Floratam. It’s available in several locations thanks to its extensive manufacturing. You can find it in professional regions the place garden grass tends to make up portion of the inventory.

Amongst the top traits of Floratam St. Augustine grass is that it’s easy to sustain. In addition, the grass is not expensive and thrives as soon as you plant it on a garden location. In comparison to all other St. Augustine grass kinds, this is by considerably the a single with the coarsest texture.

The major goal of making it was to have a range that isn’t susceptible to disease. In addition, the grass is drought-resistant and can tolerate prolonged intervals of continuous dry problems.

Some of the illnesses that Floratam St. Augustine isn’t inclined to include Unhappy virus, downy mildew, certain bugs, and environmentally friendly-leaf location.


2. Seville St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Bluish-green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 1 to 3 inches

Household areas demand top quality grass to produce the ideal landscape. Seville St. Augustine suits the bill, given its fantastic status as one particular of the dwarf cultivars.

There are many motives why this type of grass does so effectively in properties. It is simple to develop in any soil sort. It does well in acidic to alkaline soil and every thing in among. In addition, the grass can grow underneath a shade and keep its deep inexperienced colour even when it receives cold before likely dormant.

Seville St. Augustine is a drought-tolerant grass species that keeps increasing even with small watering. Plus, it’s a lower-maintenance variety, which is important when you want to be price-successful.


3. Mercedes St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Bluish-green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 7.0
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 3 to 4 inches

In the nineteen eighties, a study staff at the College of Florida made this cultivar of the St. Augustine grass.

The reason Mercedes St. Augustine is well identified is because of to its shade tolerating tendencies. It is also great to expand in an location that will get regular droughts. You can develop it and not lose the lovely look even in an location with moderate foot traffic.

In terms of put on, Mercedes St. Augustine has a higher use tolerance potential. Even if there’s damage, it won’t take prolonged to recuperate. It’s best for industrial and household regions because it retains its coloration even when it is cold exterior. But it’s really worth noting that the grass is susceptible to attacks by chin bugs.


4. Bitter-Blue St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Darker bluish-green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 2.5 inches

St. Augustine grass has gone through extensive enhancement above the several years. Some of the original final results of these enhancements contain the Bitter-Blue St. Augustine Grass. This grass has a deeper blue-green coloration, grows dense, and finer to the touch.

You can plant it in a business or residential location with average foot site visitors. It is a salt-tolerant variety that makes a fantastic lawn cover. With small maintenance, you can have a healthy and very attractive look.

But keep an eye out for chin bugs that really like attacking the grass. Also, it’s inclined to inexperienced-leafy spots so have some illness and pest handle actions in place when you plant it.


5. Raleigh St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Medium green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 2 to 3 inches

In 1980, this cultivar of St. Augustine grass was created in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s fairly popular in similar chilly regions considering that it is a cold hardy type of grass. It can tolerate temperatures of up to 10 levels. It usually retains its pale eco-friendly coloration and isn’t quick to go dormant.

Raleigh St. Augustine is drought and disease tolerant. It has a coarse texture and thrives in areas with large clay soil. The soil has to be medium to low pH. It grows effectively even underneath shade but does not do well in extremely large temperatures.

It’s amongst the number of St. Augustine that yellow when there’s substantial temperature. This is regardless of the reality that it also wants total sunshine exposure to maintain increasing.


6. Sapphire St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Bluish-green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 7.0
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 3 to 4 inches

Great grass has a quick recuperation fee and can restore put on faster to fill up blank places. This is the specific point that Sapphire St. Augustine is properly-recognized for. It has a rapidly-lateral expansion fee that performs wonders when you have issues with foot site visitors.

Amid all the St. Augustine grass, Sapphire has the ideal blend of bluish-environmentally friendly that generates amazing lawns. The grass grows well beneath subtropical conditions and can stand up to prolonged durations of drought.

It’s vital to resod a garden with this grass since it’s susceptible to brown fungus. This kind calls for more maintenance than the relaxation.


7. Delmar St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Emerald green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 2 to 2.5 inches

When in search of grass with a medium coarse texture for a garden, Delmar St. Augustine checks all the boxes. You’ll be difficult pressed to uncover yet another sort of grass with the wonderful emerald eco-friendly colour. Even though it’s a wonderful kind, it is not the most shade or drought-tolerant of St. Augustine grass.

In winter, the grass grows golden brown as it enters its dormancy phase. Still, it’s amid the best St. Augustine grass that is perfect for colder climates. There’s minimal maintenance necessary to maintain it seeking clean for the duration of the expanding season.

When the grass establishes roots, it is reasonably condition-resistant. Nevertheless, it is a excellent selection for residential and industrial locations hunting for all-natural greenery.


8. Evergreen St. Augustine Grass

  • Color: Bluish-green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 7.0
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 2 to 2.5 inches

If you have an location that has lots of shade, take into account planting the Evergreen St. Augustine grass. It’s the most shade tolerant sort of grass with an evergreen blue-environmentally friendly color. The leaves are shorter and narrower.

Although it is a shade-tolerant sort, you can still grow it underneath total solar exposure. Evergreen St. Augustine retains its colour even when it’s way too sunny. It also restores its eco-friendly colour faster following winter season compared to the other kinds of St. Augustine.

The slender leaves of the grass are simple to preserve. Nevertheless, this is only suited for residential and professional areas with little to no foot site visitors.


9. Palmetto St. Augustine

  • Color: Emerald green
  • Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8 to 10
  • Mowing height: 2 to 2.5 inches

Palmetto St. Augustine has a much more strong green shade and a good texture. This is a dwarf sort of grass which is vulnerable to developing extensive thatch.

It is a popular type of St. Augustine because it is far more shade tolerant. The grass is also drought, salt and frost-tolerant.

You can plant it in soil with different pH and get pleasure from an even look in your lawn. This is the greatest St. Augustine grass for business and residential areas with high foot targeted traffic.

What are the Benefits of St. Augustine Grass?

As turf grass, St. Augustine grass is a preferred of numerous folks who want a green area close to their properties. There are several benefits that arrive with it as observed underneath:

1. It’s a Hardy Grass

Some varieties of grass can only tolerate certain climates. If you take them anyplace else, they won’t prosper. However, St. Augustine grass does really like warmer climates, but it also grows nicely in chilly regions. This signifies you can even develop it underneath a shade and have the identical deep greenish-blue hues.


2. Ideal for High Foot Traffic Areas

In commercial and household areas, it can be demanding to find grass that satisfies large foot visitors places. Some St. Augustine cultivars go well with such regions and have a better recuperation rate. The grass grows quicker, which signifies the put on won’t last prolonged.


3. Shade Tolerance

Obtaining locations with tons of shade, like below trees or at the side of a tall developing, can be difficult to develop grass. St. Augustine is among the handful of species whose cultivars can tolerate increasing underneath a shade. The grass retains its bluish-eco-friendly colour.


4. Drought and Disease-Resistant

St. Augustine grass cultivars have been produced to be drought and condition-resistant. Most develop well in warmer climates and can retain colour even with small watering. The minimal-upkeep grass is ailment and bug-resistant, but it is good to always have handle measures in spot.

Conclusion

St. Augustine grass is a favorite of many industrial and residential homes throughout the US. The grass has various sorts that share a greenish-blue visual appeal. In winter, the grass cultivars consider time to go into dormancy. Some even incorporate coloration more quickly as soon as the year is in excess of.

These diverse kinds of grass are drought and illness tolerant. You can develop them in different soils with distinct pH and not fret about in depth servicing needs.


Featured Picture Credit score: wasanajai, Shutterstock

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