St. Augustine grass, a popular warm-season turf known for its lush, blue-green blades, is the preferred choice for lawns across the southern United States. Homeowners often look for seed to establish or repair their turf. For common, high-quality cultivars, commercial seed is virtually non-existent for the average consumer. This grass is primarily established through vegetative means, such as sod and plugs, because the seed of the most desirable varieties is not a viable option for creating a uniform, healthy lawn.
The Commercial Reality of St. Augustine Seed
The market for St. Augustine grass seed is essentially empty because the grass does not produce a sufficient quantity of viable seed for commercial harvesting and packaging. While the plant does produce seed heads, the seeds often have very low germination rates, making them impractical for use in lawn establishment. This low viability means that even if a specialized seed were available, the resulting lawn would be patchy and highly inconsistent.
Searching for a bag of seed for common cultivars like Floratam or Palmetto St. Augustine at a garden center will be a fruitless endeavor for the homeowner. The only seeds that might exist are those developed for research purposes or for very specialized, limited commercial use, which are not accessible to the general public.
Why Vegetative Propagation is the Standard
St. Augustine grass is established using sod, plugs, or sprigs due to inherent biological limitations of its seed production. Many of the most popular and genetically stable cultivars, such as Floratam, are sterile or highly infertile, meaning they do not produce viable seeds at all. This sterility is often a result of the breeding process that creates superior, consistent turf varieties.
Even when a variety does produce fertile seed, the resulting seedlings exhibit highly inconsistent genetic outcomes. Planting these seeds would result in a non-uniform lawn with blades of different colors, textures, and growth rates, which defeats the purpose of selecting a specific cultivar. Vegetative methods ensure genetic purity because the new growth is a clone of the parent plant, guaranteeing a uniform, carpet-like lawn.
Establishing a Lawn with Sod and Plugs
Establishing a St. Augustine lawn requires planting live vegetative material, with sod and plugs being the two primary methods. Sod involves laying strips of pre-grown turf over the entire prepared area, offering an instant lawn with immediate full coverage. The soil should be prepared by tilling and leveling, and the sod strips must be laid tightly together, ensuring good contact with the soil underneath.
Plugs and sprigs offer a more cost-effective alternative for smaller areas or for patching existing turf, though they require more patience. Plugs are small sections of sod, typically two to four inches in diameter, planted in a grid pattern 12 to 24 inches apart. The grass spreads via above-ground runners, called stolons, to fill in the gaps over a period of one growing season. Site preparation for plugs involves removing any existing vegetation and lightly loosening the soil to encourage the stolons to root quickly.
Initial care focuses on ensuring the live material establishes a deep root system. Immediately after installation, the new turf requires frequent, shallow watering to keep the sod or plugs moist without oversaturating the soil. This initial daily watering should continue for the first two weeks, gradually transitioning to less frequent, deeper watering to encourage the roots to grow downward into the native soil. Planting should occur during the active growing season, typically late spring through summer, to give the grass ample time to establish before cooler weather arrives.