Grass Sod for Shade

St. Augustine Grass Characteristics

• St. Augustine grass is a dark green, wide-bladed, coarse grass grown in warmer areas such as the gulf states of the southeastern United States, Australia, Mexico and Africa. This perennial grass is of tropical origin and can be found growing along water marshes, beaches and lagoons. It is one of the oldest types of coastal grasses but now has been developed for use in lawn and pasture coverage.

  St, Augustine grass is shade tolerant and thrives in heat and humidity. It is relatively drought tolerant but does require weekly watering in drier, inland areas in order to remain lush. The growth rate of this grass is medium to fast. St. Augustine grass is planted almost exclusively by way of sod, plugs or sprigs as seed propagation has not been very successful.

Palmetto, Raleigh and Delmar

• Palmetto is a standard St. Augustine grass that has been a successful variety for over 16 years. It has a resistance to cinch bugs and does well in partial shade or full sun. It is also more cold tolerant than other varieties of St. Augustine.

  As with palmetto, Raleigh also deals with colder temperatures well. It does not like extremely hot weather; Raleigh can grow in heavy, clay soils.

  Delmar is another type of St. Augustine grass that has excellent shade tolerance but also takes full sun. It is a dwarf variety. Delmar does have a tendency to develop heavy thatch.

Bitter Blue, Delta Shade, Sapphire and Seville

• Bitter blue is a slow-growing type of St. Augustine grass that is an excellent choice for shady locations. It also has a better cold tolerance than some other varieties.

  Despite the name, delta shade has a good shade tolerance but not as good as the dwarf varieties.

  Sapphire is one of the prettier varieties of St. Augustine grass. It has finer blades and a softer texture than other types and the color is bluish green. Sapphire holds up to wear and tear very well and can handle drought, shade and salt. This variety also needs less fertilizing and weed control.

  Similar in color to sapphire, Seville is a long-leaf grass that also tolerates salt, shade and drought well.

Planting and Care of St. Augustine Grass

• Prior to planting St. Augustine grass, apply a good starter fertilizer to your soil per the product's instruction. Once you have planted your plugs, sprigs or sod, water well and fertilize monthly until grass is established. Regular maintenance includes weekly watering and mowing.

  As far as problems, pests and diseases are concerned, St. Augustine grass is affected by common ones such as cutworms, chinch bugs, grubs, mole crickets, sod webworms and army worms. This grass also is a heavy thatch producer.
  On the disease front, the virus St. Augustine grass decline affects the areas of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. There is no control for this disease, which causes the grass to look mottled. In states affected by St. Augustine grass decline, choose the floratam, floralawn, Raleigh and Seville varieties because they are resistant to this disease.

  It is also worth mentioning that St. Augustine grass can be killed by common weed and feed products used to get rid of Bermuda or Bahia grass. Be sure to read the packaging if you plan to use any of these products to make sure it is safe for St. Augustine grass.