The Advantages and Disadvantages of St. Augustine Grass

Lawns are important to provide your home a more comfortable and natural look and atmosphere. And choosing the beautiful and perfect turfgrass for it may be difficult and your selected choice among the types of grass available is St. Augustine Grass. It is the favorite of many people because of its growth rate, ease of maintenance, and robustness.

Keeping your lawn green and healthy surely takes up a challenge but surely there are ways to do it. According to gardenandgrass.com, there are fertilizers to make it possible and it should be imperative that it is your option to apply it to your grass. Furthermore, St. Augustine doesn’t really need that much fertilizer as it can grow on it’s own.

Speaking of the popularity of St. Augustine Grass among the people, let us identify the factors that make this grass a famous one.

The Basics of St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine Grass is commonly used as a turfgrass in lawns and is found throughout southern and coastal areas or regions of the United States. This grass is native in the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies and Western Africa that gives it the ability to tolerate salty soils or environment. The grass, like Bermuda Grass, has the ability to tolerate high temperatures, but has better growth and development stages in cold coastal places.

It does not require expensive maintenance as it is a low-maintenance grass that can also perform well with extra care. You just need to water the substantial and recommended amount of water as it grows to avoid killing the grass. And after 2-3 weeks, it can grow up to 1 to 3 inches.

The Advantages of this Grass

Shade Tolerance

One of the common problems of having turfgrass is the intolerance of the grass to shades. However, if you have trees that cast shadows to your lawns, it is not really a problem since the grass can thrive in moderate shades in comparison with warm seasonal or tropical grasses.

Salt Tolerance

For those who have Saline Soils or live in coastal regions, this grass is beneficial for you as it can tolerate the salinity of the soil. It grows close to the shore for this reason due to the thriving of the grass regardless of the salinity.

Moderate Foot Traffic Tolerance

St. Augustine Grass cannot tolerate heavy or repeated foot traffic, in comparison with other grass like Bermuda Grass. However, given that the grass received proper care and management, it can permit an average or moderate amount of traffic.

The Disadvantages of this Grass

Poor Traffic Tolerance

If the grass is not properly taken care of and maintained, there is a high possibility that even an average amount of traffic imposes a threat or harm to the grass. It can only hold up normal lawn traffic and would not thrive in areas where there is heavy and repeated foot traffic.

Deep Shade Affects the Growth

Although the grass can tolerate shades, it can affect the growth and development of the turfgrass when exposed to deep shade. It would not be able to grow thick and beautiful that can lead to a thin and spindly lawn. As a plant, it still requires sunlight to do well. And given the fact that it does need sunlight, it will not do well in places where winter exists for a long period.

Can cause Overpopulation

This grass can spread rapidly and aggressively via stolons. Stolons are stems that grow a clone of the original plant and establish itself as an independent one. By this, it sometimes requires maintenance that is costly but if you will take proper care, it can minimize the probability of it happening.

Prone to Pest

Blissus insularis or the southern clinch bug attacks and pests St. Augustine Grass that can cause damage to the turfgrass. It can lead to an uncontrollable situation when not resolved or treated immediately and can destroy the lawn quickly.

Conclusion

St. Augustine Grass might be a better option to other grasses and might be the suitable or ideal grass to your place. But it is vital to take proper care and management of the grass given that there are significant and multiple disadvantages around the corner when you fail to maintain its safety and health. Furthermore, make sure to look over your lawns and plants as it is beneficial to the environment and oneself.