St. Augustinegrass

Learn how St. Augustinegrass grows in warm, humid climates, where shade and cold matter, and what NTEP evidence PoaIndex indexes.

St. Augustinegrass is a warm-season lawn grass adapted to warm, humid regions. It spreads by stolons, is often chosen for shade, and is established vegetatively rather than from seed.

Quick facts

| Topic | Reviewed context |

| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |

| Season | Warm-season |

| Growth habit | Stoloniferous (aboveground stems) |

| Climate | Warm, humid / subtropical lawns |

| Shade | Among the most shade-tolerant warm-season lawn grasses |

| Cold | Least cold-tolerant common lawn grass in several southern guides |

| Traffic | Poor wear tolerance in Florida Extension |

| Establishment | Sod, plugs, or sprigs — not seed |

Where it generally fits

UF/IFAS describes St. Augustinegrass as widely adapted to warm, humid subtropical regions and as the most commonly used lawn grass in Florida. NC State says it is a fast-growing, coarse-textured grass best adapted to the coastal plain, very shade and salt tolerant, and the least cold-tolerant lawn grass in that guide.

It is not a general-purpose national lawn. University of Georgia county guidance notes cold sensitivity farther north in Georgia. Texas A&M AgriLife says it can be grown in much of Texas but may be killed by severe winters in the northern third of the state, and that it is less drought tolerant than bermudagrass or zoysiagrass.

PoaIndex keeps that geographic filter. A ZIP in a cool-season zone will not be told to plant St. Augustinegrass just because a cultivar ranked well somewhere warm.

Growth and lawn characteristics

St. Augustinegrass spreads by stolons—aboveground stems with nodes that can produce new shoots and roots. UF/IFAS is explicit that it is established by vegetative propagation only: sod, plugs, or sprigs. There is no seed option in that Florida lawn guide.

Shade is the trait most people cite. NC State’s shade publication ranks St. Augustinegrass as the most shade-tolerant warm-season lawn grass. UF/IFAS is more careful: _certain cultivars_ have better shade tolerance than other warm-season species, and cultivars differ. Floratam, the most widely used Florida cultivar in that publication, has poor shade tolerance relative to other St. Augustines and does not persist well with less than about six hours of sun. Cultivar choice is not optional in shade.

Cold is the matching limit. NC State calls it the least cold-tolerant lawn grass and notes ‘Raleigh’ as a more cold-tolerant cultivar for the eastern Piedmont and western coastal plain. UF/IFAS likewise treats Raleigh as a northern-Florida option because of lower-temperature tolerance.

Traffic is a weakness. UF/IFAS lists poor wear tolerance and says the grass does not hold up to repeated foot or vehicle traffic. Georgia county guidance is similarly blunt about wear and compaction. This is a lawn grass, not a sports-field grass.

UF/IFAS also notes relatively good salt tolerance, a need for water to stay green in extended dry periods, winter dormancy and tan color in parts of Florida, thatch under high fertility and irrigation, and a coarse leaf texture. Cultivars differ in color, density, disease, and insect response. Those differences are why NTEP tests entries separately.

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Why cultivar choice matters

Floratam, Raleigh, Palmetto, CitraBlue, and dwarf types are not interchangeable in shade, cold, or mowing height. UF/IFAS groups cultivars by standard versus dwarf mowing heights and warns that some marketed claims (for example extra drought tolerance) are not always supported by university research.

PoaIndex ranks St. Augustinegrass entries against other St. Augustinegrass entries. AOSCA identity may affect display names when confirmed. Historical NTEP commercial markers are not a sod catalog.

See Cultivar vs. Variety and NTEP Commercial Availability.

Can I buy the cultivars shown in NTEP?

St. Augustinegrass is sold as sod or plugs, not as a typical seed-rack species. Some trial entries never become widely produced. PoaIndex does not claim current availability.

If the species fits your ZIP, use the shortlist as names to ask a sod producer.

Common questions

Does St. Augustinegrass tolerate shade?

Often better than other warm-season lawn grasses, but not equally across cultivars. NC State ranks the species high for shade. UF/IFAS says certain cultivars are better, and Floratam is a poor shade choice.

Does St. Augustinegrass spread?

Yes, by stolons. That lateral growth is how plugs and sprigs fill in.

Can St. Augustinegrass tolerate cold?

Less than most common lawn grasses. NC State and Texas A&M both treat cold as a primary limit. Some cultivars, such as Raleigh in Extension discussions, are used farther north than others.

How is St. Augustinegrass established?

Vegetatively: sod, plugs, or sprigs. UF/IFAS states that planting uses plant parts with growing points, not seed.

Why compare St. Augustinegrass cultivars?

Shade, cold, texture, disease, and insect response differ. A species-level recommendation is not enough in a grass this cultivar-sensitive.

Sources