Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How Often Should You Water St. Augustine Grass?
How Often Should You Water St. Augustine Grass?. St. Augustine grass is a small family of warm season grass varietals that thrive in warm and humid climates and like to be kept moist. St. Augustine grasses are notable for their broader blades and a coarser growth than many lawn grasses such as Fescues and Bermuda grasses. It sports a deep green...
St. Augustine grass is a small family of warm season grass varietals that thrive in warm and humid climates and like to be kept moist. St. Augustine grasses are notable for their broader blades and a coarser growth than many lawn grasses such as Fescues and Bermuda grasses. It sports a deep green color with blue undertones and quickly forms a dense, deep carpet effect, spreading with shoots that run along the top of the soil surface.
Water Requirements
St. Augustine grass likes to be kept moist and should be watered deeply once each week to maintain the most attractive and lush appearance. When kept at a mowing height between 2 and 4 inches, weekly waterings should suffice in most conditions. During the hottest and sunniest at the peak of summer, you should shorten the watering interval to every four or five days to keep the lawn roots moist. As much as it loves moisture, St. Augustine grass will survive short periods of drought conditions.
Varietals of St. Augustine Grass
There are five main varietals of St. Augustine grass that are typically planted as sod or with grass plugs and each have some unique attributes that meet different environmental and appearance requirements. The five are: Bitter-Blue, which is best of the five for shade; Floratam, which is common in Florida and will thrive in direct sun and less-than-ideal soil conditions; Palmetto, which will survive in coastal and island climates, is better in cool weather and is often considered the standard varietal of St. Augustine grass; Sapphire, which has a thinner blade than most of the other varietals and sports a green-blue coloration and a softer feel; and Seville, which has a blue-green hue, is tolerant of salt from the air and water and will grow in shade.
Control Thatch Build-Up For Effective Watering
St. Augustine turf is a well known for producing heavy amounts of thatching, mainly from its aggressive stolons, that if allowed to build up can impede the percolation of applied water and nutrients down to the roots. This can quickly begin to compromise the health of the root system and result in less-than-optimal grass performance. Use a dethatching rake across the surface of the turf in a cross-hatching pattern at least once a year and twice a year if the thatch has already built up significantly.
