St. Augustine grass care
Stenotaphrum secundatum dominates lawns across the Gulf Coast, Florida, and Hawaii -- and for good reason in those climates. It handles more shade than any other common warm-season grass, spreads aggressively by stolons, and produces a thick, coarse carpet that crowds out weeds. The trade-offs are.
Stenotaphrum secundatum dominates lawns across the Gulf Coast, Florida, and Hawaii — and for good reason in those climates. It handles more shade than any other common warm-season grass, spreads aggressively by stolons, and produces a thick, coarse carpet that crowds out weeds. The trade-offs are real: it requires consistent moisture, is magnetically attractive to chinch bugs and grey leaf spot, and is highly susceptible to St. Augustine Decline (SAD) virus.
Species and cultivar background
Several cultivars of Stenotaphrum secundatum are in commercial use. Per UF IFAS Extension:
| Cultivar | Notes |
|---|---|
| Floratam | Most common; chinch bug and SAD resistance was lost due to biotype changes |
| Palmetto | Semi-dwarf; SAD resistant; better shade tolerance |
| CitraBlue | Fine texture; good shade and cold tolerance; released 2019 |
| ProVista | Herbicide-tolerant; reduced mowing frequency |
| Seville | Fine-textured; good shade tolerance |
| Bitterblue | Dense; winter color retention; better cold tolerance |
Floratam was developed in the 1970s partly for chinch bug resistance. Per Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, that resistance has broken down as southern chinch bug populations evolved. All Floratam lawns are now essentially as susceptible as older cultivars.