St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustinegrass is a coarse to very coarse turf that is quick to establish and recover from injury due to aggressive stolon growth. It is not unusual to have St. Augustinegrass stolons grow right over the top of established centipedegrass turf. The grass has only fair wear tolerance and will not tolerate long periods of water stress.

Most problems with St. Augustinegrass are caused by disease and insect pressure made worse by heavy fertilization. Chinch bugs are a serious insect problem, and brown patch is a major disease. Both of these problems are encouraged by the application of too much nitrogen fertilizer and too much water. Although St. Augustinegrass grows rapidly, it requires only a moderate level of fertility.