The following six grasses are most likely to flourish in shade: St. Augustine (warm season), especially such cultivars as Sapphire, Bitter Blue, Palmetto, and Seville, can do well with as little as four hours of direct sun daily. Augustine grass lawn is a compact blue-green color that grows well on a variety of soil types provided they are well drained. St. Augustine is most ideally suited for well drained, fertile soils but is easily adaptable to a range of soil profiles. Scotts 17520 EZ Seed Sun & Shade Patch for St. Augustine Grass (6 Pack) 2.9 out of 5 stars 6. Occasionally, it will be found in areas of California. The blades are broad and flat and form a thick, springy mat. Yes, St. Augustine grass has a dense growth pattern and spreads relatively fast in comparison to most types of warm-season turf-grasses. St. Augustine grasses in general are known for their shade tolerance, and Palmetto has exceptional shade tolerance, even when compared to the most shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine. This fast spread is facilitated by above-ground shoots (stolons). 'Floratam' is an improved St. Augustinegrass that was released jointly in 1973 by the University of Florida and Texas A & M. 'Floratam' is the most widely produced and used St. Augustinegrass in Florida. St. Augustine grass produces a green to blue-green dense turf that is well adapted to most soils and climatic regions in Florida. This grass spreads quickly through above ground runners but is easy to control. Floratam St. Augustine grass was released by the Florida and Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations in 1972 as a SAD virus and chinch bug resistant selection. St. Augustine in my opinion loves the summer heat, but with shade even more. Also, it features a darker shade of the blue-green color. How to Plant St. Augustine Grass The most shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine are Bitterblue, Deltashade, Captiva, Delmar and Seville. • St. Augustine is our most shade-tolerant turfgrass. With direct sun even with constant watering, is almost impossible to keep as green and the shaded area. Floratine, Classic, Jade and Raleigh varieties also do well in the shade. Even the most shade tolerant varieties can sometimes experience problems growing if shade is excessive, particularly when excessive shade is combined with other problematic growth factors such as compacted soils, over- or underwatering, improper mowing, traffic and high or low pH. Planting St Augustine Grass St. Augustine grass lawn is grown in coastal areas due to its salt tolerance. Classic St. Augustine Grass Sod has wide blades, a vibrant medium to dark green color, and performs well in both full sun and partial shade. Fescues are more active in the cold season. 6 Types of Grass That Grow in Shade iStock. When considering growing grass in shade, one factor to consider is your climate. St Augustine grass is the most widely used warm season turf grass in the southern United States. Although it does pretty well in our yards, it’s not the toughest grass on the block. This St. Augustine variety has a deep blue-green color and shows disease resistance where other grasses do not. • St. Augustine is our most shade-tolerant turfgrass. Note, however, that even the least shade tolerant St. Augustine cultivars typically do better in the shade than other species of grass. Save more with Subscribe & Save. A cultivar is a specific kind of grass within a species. Plant St. Augustine grass during summer. For example, Floratam and Palmetto® St. Augustine are both St. Augustinegrasses, but different cultivars. All of this is to be taken into consideration when deciding on the perfect grass for your lawn, but it is almost certain that the most deciding factor is the natural environment – sun, shade, and water. Palmetto St. Augustine grass is a grass that we’ve carried for we’ve been around 13 years and we’ve had it, Palmetto’s been around quite a long time, probably even before that. You may also want to consider that St. Augustine does tolerate shade better than Zoysia or Bermuda grass. 3. CitraBlue St. Augustine is recognized for its deep blue-green color depicted in the second half of its name, Citra “Blue”. Scotts DiseaseEx Lawn Fungicide - Lawn Fungus Control & Treatment, Lawn Disease Control for Brown Patch, Powdery Mildew & More, Controls up to 4 Weeks, Fast Acting, Treats up to 5,000 sq. I have also noticed that my once… It is considered one of the most shade tolerant turf grass among the St Augustine grasses. For most of the country, fine fescues are the most tolerant of cool season grasses, but in the south where warm season grasses are the norm, St. Augustine grass seems to perform best. It produces a turf that is denser and finer when compared to the original. If your area is covered by trees, or your neighbors house is so tall it blocks sunlight into parts of your landscape, there is a specially grown turf that performs better in shady landscapes. The propagation of St. Augustine grass is usually vegetative through stolens, plugs and sod. Mercedes St Augustine grass has an appealing Bluegreen hue, creating a dark, relatively dense turf. Augustine (southern 80 percent of Texas) and fescue (Northwest Texas) are the most shade-tolerant grasses, but again, five or six hours of unfiltered sunlight is a minimum. However, this type of grass is not resistant to wear and tear or heavy traffic from an active family. What Else to Consider Before Choosing Between St. Augustine and Bermuda While both are shade tolerant, Palmetto has shown to be one of the most shade tolerant cultivars among all St. Augustinegrass. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service; St. Augustinegrass Lawns; Jeffery M. Higgins; December 1998, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; A Question About St. Augustinegrass Cultivars; John L. Cisar. The following six grasses are most likely to flourish in shade: St. Augustine (warm season), especially such cultivars as Sapphire, Bitter Blue, Palmetto, and Seville, can do well with as little as four hours of direct sun daily. Houston Grass, All Rights Reserved. Best Performer. Plant St. Augustine grass plugs or sod in full sun, at least 90 days before your region’s first estimated fall frost, to give the grass plenty of time to establish. However, even it requires 4 or 5 hours of sunlight to thrive in South Texas landscapes and 5 or 6 hours in North Texas. Happy Holidays! If you’ve had St. Augustine or Bermuda in the past, these vigorous grasses can overtake it. St. Augustine grass is generally regarded as one of the most shade-tolerant species of grass available to home owners, and grows healthily in shady areas that would be unsuitable for many other species of grass. St. Augustine is a good turf grass for hot, humid, coastal climates with sandy soil. If you suspect the symptoms are not due to shade intolerance, local university extension offices can often provide a remote diagnosis upon sending them a sample of the affected grass. Where I do get shade even 1/2 the day, the grass is very long, thick and a beautiful green. It will tolerate a wider range of temperatures than zoysia, but it must have good drainage and consistent irrigation in order to thrive. The grass is robust, fast-growing and … It is a medium- to high-maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike sod, crowding out most weeds and other grasses. Also known as Marathon, the ubiquitous lawn grass for Southern California landscapes. Of the eleven cultivars—cultivated varieties—of St. Augustine, the most shade tolerant are Seville, Sapphire, Palmetto, and Bitter Blue. To care for St. Augustine grass, you need certain kinds of the mower, fertilizer, and other aids. It forms a dense turf that grows well in most soils throughout the south. St. Augustine Common St. Augustine All these adaptive qualities taken together make St. Augustine an ideal choice for any homeowner, particularly those whose lawns have shaded areas that do not receive regular direct sunlight. The cultivars least suited to the shade are Common, Palmetto, Floratam and Floralawn. Like all plants, it has a dormant season, which is summer. St Augustine grass makes a beautiful light green to dark green turf. Get free shipping on qualified St. Augustine Grass Seed or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Outdoors Department. We carry a broad selection of shade tolerant St. Augustine grasses including; Palmetto, Classic, Seville, Bitter Blue, and Sapphire, each having excellent shade tolerance as well as a more refined look. You'll see instead a thin, spindly lawn. These are the Bitter-blue, Palmetto, and Floratam. Most would consider the Bitter-blue as one of the best types of St. Augustine grass. Advantages of St Augustine grass. Shade Loving St Augustine Grass - Palmetto Grass. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Being a warm-season turfgrass, St. Augustine grows best during summer. It is grown by vegetative means, including plugs, sod, or sprigs. Water it deeply to achieve the amount your grass needs and St. Augustine requires about ¾ inch of water twice a week or 1 ½ inch of water every week to revive it. Palmetto is generally considered one of the more shade tolerant cultivars of St. Augustine. 09. It has since been observed to be the most drought tolerant St. Augustine & brown patch tolerant. Best Choice - #4 Best Saint Augustine Grass For Shade Checked on 15/11/2020; Based on 49 Reviews; Warranty: If you, the consumer, are not satisfied with this product after use in accordance with packaging instructions, you may be eligible for a refund. During extended periods of dry and hot weather, your St. Augustine grass may start to die and the best way to bring it back is to water it at least 3 times a week. All Rights Reserved. While at Texas State, McCloskey worked as a writing tutor at the Texas State Writing Center, proofreading and editing everything from freshman book reports to graduate theses. It spreads over long runners or stolons. Quote Price of Grass Sod for Your Project, Why Choose Palmetto St. Augustine Grass Sod, but it is less susceptible to this gray leaf spot, Open a PDF Copy of Our Tipsheet for Download, https://houstonturfgrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Quality-Sets-Us-Apart-Houston-Grass-South-1.mp4, Click to download the Houston Grass Tip Sheet. If brown patches break out on your lawn, don't immediately assume that your St. Augustine grass is suffering from shade-related problems; the symptoms that normally indicate a lack of sunlight exposure mirror those of many other common lawn problems, including over- or underwatering, over- or underfertilization, drought stress, fungal or bacterial disease, insect pest damage and improper use of herbicides, fungicides or insecticides. This turf is called Palmetto. This is unlike most of the other weed and feeds that are only suitable for summer. Choosing the right shade tolerant grasses is the first step to successfully growing grass in shade. Bitter-blue. $75.09 $ 75. St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), also known as buffalo turf in Australia and buffalo grass in South Africa, is a warm-season lawn grass that is popular for cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions. It can tolerate wide pH ranges, from the acidic soils often found inland to the high pH soils of the coastal areas. • The farther north you go in Texas, the harder our winter cold is on St. Augustine, so the more difficult it is for it … Shady areas of the lawn require less fertilizer than sun-bathed areas, so adjust fertilization rates for the entire lawn to account for this. Sunniland St. Augustine Weed And Feed product is perfect for applying all year through. St Augustine grass is native to the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. St. Augustine is most ideally suited for well drained, fertile soils but is easily adaptable to a range of soil profiles. As you decide what grass to use for your lawn, consider how well adapted each species is to your climate and the growing conditions in your yard. St. Augustine grass cultivars vary in their shade tolerance, and choosing one of the most shade-tolerant varieties can help ensure that your grass grows healthily. It is used along the coastal ranges because of its good salt tolerance. The most shade tolerant warm-season grass, St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is rarely propagated from seed. Oaklawn and Tennessee Hardy tend to be the most shade-tolerant cultivars. St. Augustine establishes quickly and easily. It is a very coarse-textured type that grows via above-ground stolons that can reach several feet. Eoghan McCloskey is a technical support representative and part-time musician who holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and political science from Texas State University. Whether you're looking for a grass to blanket your yard or you need a versatile option for commercial use, St. Augustine is a prime contender. • The farther north you go in Texas, the harder our winter cold is on St. Augustine, so the more difficult it is for it to rev up and start growing in spring. As you decide what grass to use for your lawn, consider how well adapted each species is to your climate and the growing conditions in your yard. MonkeyPigDog – posted 10 July 2002 21:30 I have recently noticed some large areas on my lawn that have started growning very light colored, almost lime green colored blades of St. Augustine grass. A newer St. Augustine variety that has been released called CitraBlue TM St. Augustine also demonstrates superior shade tolerance. When it comes to St. Augustine grass, there are actually three sub-types that are popular. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Palmetto demonstrates superior shade, cold, frost, heat and drought tolerance. St. Augustine is a warmer season grass native to the tropical and subtropical regions. Even the most shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine will struggle to grow well if proper management practices are not observed. Shade tolerance, or the degree to which a species of grass will grow when not exposed to full sunlight, is a critical consideration. We kind of shake our head, but we do carry, we carry two grasses that are more shade tolerant than the regular Raleigh St. Augustine. However, even it requires 4 or 5 hours of sunlight to thrive in South Texas landscapes and 5 or 6 hours in North Texas. Centipede (warm season) grass can make do with about six hours of partial sun daily. St. Augustine grass seed has not traditionally been easy to establish but new methods have made seeding a viable option. It is a low to medium profile-dwarf which has better disease and insect tolerance than Floratam. All these adaptive qualities taken together make St. Augustine an ideal choice for any homeowner, particularly those whose lawns have shaded areas that do not receive regular direct sunlight. St. Augustine grass is a traditional and popular choice among homeowners for its beautiful, lush appearance. St. Augustine grass is generally regarded as one of the most shade-tolerant species of grass available to home owners, and grows healthily in shady areas that would be unsuitable for many other species of grass. Like most grasses, St. Augustine grass prefers to be in the sun, but unlike other grasses, it grows well in shady locations. With grass so distinctive, an investment in the right tools is a must. St. Augustine grass is usually dormant during the colder winter and fall seasons. St. Augustine is broad-bladed and medium green in color. St. Augustine grass renovates the garden to make it an aesthetically pleasing sight. St. Augustine needs more frequent mowing, irrigation, and fertilization than zoysia. Classic can thrive on 4 – 6 hours of filtered sunlight, and is more cold tolerant than other varieties of St. Augustine. St. Augustine grass grows best in the warmth of spring and summer, when high temperatures are normally 80-100 °F. It has relatively good salt tolerance, and certain cultivars have better shade tolerance than other warm-season grass species. I have noticed that anywhere the grass does not have shade, it is drier and shorter. Palmetto® St. Augustine is the most sold patented turfgrass in the world with more than one billion square feet sold. It is a coarse-textured cultivar that has poor cold and shade tolerance relative … Floratam is a vigorous, coarse textured St. Augustine grass variety. St. Augustine grass is best suited to warm-arid regions such as Florida and the Gulf Coast region. Remember that both types of grass come in several varieties, which may hold slightly differing characteristics. Selected for better color and finer texture. Try sodding this grass in the shady area. Mercedes is a shade-tolerant warm-season grass, although it … Still, some cultivars of St. Augustine grass tolerate shade better than others. Regardless of the variety, Shade tolerant St. Augustine grasses make for lush, beautiful lawns, and give you the versatility you need. Raleigh is a medium coarse, vigorous lawn grass and is the most widely adapted St. Augustine to the Southern U.S. with the exception of Florida. Shade Tolerant St. Augustinegrass Varieties. We're closed from December 24 through January 3, 2021. My St. Augustine LOVES the shade! Generally speaking, patches of St. Augustine growing in shade should not be mowed as closely as those patches growing in sunlight. In cool-season climates … You should, therefore, establish your lawn in mid-summer when conditions are great for the growth and spread of this grass species all over your lawn. FREE Shipping by Amazon. St. Augustine Grass. These shade-tolerant cultivars also do well in direct sunlight, flourishing in only five to six hours of sunlight. It is not at all tolerant of cold temperatures, and requires plenty of moisture for survival. Although St. Augustine grass tolerates some shade, it won't grow thick and beautiful in deep shade. For warm-season climates (optimum growth temperatures between 80 and 95 F) The Lawn Institute recommends the following varieties, starting with the most shade tolerant: St. Augustine, centipedegrass, zoysia, bahiagrass, carpetgrass and Bermudagrass. By far the most shade-tolerant warm-season grass is St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). The product comes with a 50% slow release mix to control weed and enhance grass growth for a period of up to 90 days. 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