Best Time To Plant St Augustine Grass: All 4 Seasons Covered

Last Updated on April 4, 2023 by Mattias

Saint Augustine grass is one of the most desirable warm-season grasses. Its rich color and beautiful appearance make up for a pleasant-looking house lawn. Since this grass can resist high levels of heat and excruciatingly high temperatures, it is a great choice for Texas and Florida lawns. If you’re thinking of planting this grass, you should know a few things.

Adequate research on the subject and correct timing not only speed up the growth but also encourages a healthy lawn. Keep reading this article to learn all about the best time to plant st Augustine grass

Best Time To Plant St Augustine Grass

Since st augustine is a warm season grass, its optimum growth takes place when the temperatures are high. This grass should be planted when temperatures are between 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally speaking, this level of warmth is available during late spring and summer. Make sure to remember that St Augustine’s growth slows down in the early fall and completely stops in winter which is why it shouldn’t be planted close to the first frost. Even though it is tolerant to partial shade, this grass should be planted at a time when full sun is predicted for the growth-appropriate period. 

Climatic conditions are hard to determine individually which is why the best time to plant st. Augustinegrass varies from region to region. Rather than focusing on the month-based approximations, you should take temperatures into consideration. As soon as your region starts experiencing warm weather between 80 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s your cue to buy your st augustine sods/plugs and get to work.

Considering the fact that this grass is used chiefly in Gulf states, southern regions, and coastal areas, we can conclude that the best time to plant st augustine grass starts in spring and lasts until late summer. However, soil tests should be conducted and soil conditions should be adjusted before early spring so that no time is wasted when the right time arrives. Adopting a time frame that’ll enable the grass to be fully established by the time fall arrives is recommended for all the other regions.

St augustine grass should be planted after the last frost of winter has passed and there are at least 90 days left before the first frost of fall.

Why Is Planting St Augustine Grass At The Best Time Important

If you are an experienced lawn owner, then you’d already know the importance and benefits of planting the grass at its recommended time. However, if you are new to the gardening world, you should know that each grass has its essential needs. Since they all have different origins, their needs, and suitable growth conditions vary from one another. While some grasses prefer warmer temperatures, others thrive in winter temperatures and even though your grass may be able to grow under diversified circumstances, planting it under its suitable surroundings will lead to much better growth.

Some of the most common advantages of planting st augustine grass at its best time are listed below.

• Accelerates the growth and development process
• Encourages a healthy lawn
• St augustine thrives in hot weather
• Planting seeds in your new lawn at the best time promotes a quickened germination process because heat is a main requirement for st augustine grass 
• The grass needs full sun to develop a deep root system
• Keeps weed problems, fungal diseases, and insects such as chinch bugs away
• Ensures that the grass grows within a single season

Seasonal Breakdown For St Augustine Grass

Even though we already discussed the best time to plant the st augustine grass, you should remember that this grass can be planted at any time of the year. Planting at the best time most certainly has some additional benefits but as long as the winter months aren’t too cool, this grass will survive just fine.

St augustine is one of the grasses that have terrible cold tolerance, which is why it’s best to keep it away from cooler regions. Take a look below and see how each season i.e time of the year will affect st augustine’s growth in your lawn.

Planting St augustine grass in the spring season

If you are planning on establishing a new st augustine lawn then spring is undoubtedly the best time to do so. As we discussed in detail above, st augustine naturally loves warm weather and appreciates direct heat. When you plant grass during this season, natural weather conditions will aid your grass’s growth and encourage its roots to be deep and strong. 

Spring is also the best time because the previously planted grass is just coming out of winter dormancy and it is the perfect time for new sods to blend in with them. New st. Augustine plugs and sods will take less time to establish their roots in the soil which means that the entire process will be sped up. 

Since the weather isn’t too hot during this stage, the young grass will be safe and it won’t be at risk of frying off. If anything, it’ll have plenty of time to take root before temperatures get sharper. Essentially, the grass will progress along with the advancing seasons and increasing heat. Its strength, heat resistance, and drought tolerance will also improve, making it capable of surviving the upcoming summer.

The general weather conditions during spring are good enough that the grass doesn’t need much water. Hence, if you plant new seeds during this time then your burden and grass’ maintenance requirements will decrease.

Planting St augustine grass in the summer season

Even though it is a good idea to plant st augustine grass during the summer season, it comes with its own inconveniences. It is much more preferred to plant the seeds during spring but in case you fell behind on your schedule, let’s see how the summer season will affect your lawn.

Since the temperatures will be much higher by this time, grass maintenance won’t be as effortless as before. The water will dry out quickly and you’ll need to ensure that your new sods have an essential water supply at all times. The evaporation rates will be much higher but you can’t let the turf dry out.

Constant moisture is one of the most important things that st augustine grass needs during its growth period, and when it’s not provided, adverse effects occur. Your grass develops a shallow root system that is vulnerable to environmental stress and susceptible to various diseases. 

It may sound stressful at the time, but we assure you that this disturbance only lasts for a short period. After your new st. Augustine Lawn has received additional attention for the first few weeks, establishing enough to reduce your responsibilities. As long as you ensure that newly planted sods have taken root and they have started spreading, you can cut back on the water supply and reduce it gradually.

Besides that, the summer months are considered the peak growing time and the grass’ development will be fastest during this period.  Simply put, the only difference between planting in spring and planting in summer lies in water requirements. Where the grass won’t need much water during the former, the latter is quite the opposite. Due to the high heat and increasing temperatures, water dries out quicker in summer and weak roots don’t get a chance to absorb the necessary supply.

Planting St augustine grass in the fall season

Planting st augustine grass in fall mainly depends on the duration of that season, temperature range, and intensity of the upcoming winter. Depending on your location, if you live in a region where early fall isn’t that cold and summer heat still lingers then it’s completely safe to plant your new seeds.

One of the main benefits would be that water requirements will be less and you won’t need to worry about the evaporation rates. Fall is fairly cooler than summer in all regions which means that the grass won’t be under environmental stress either. As long as other necessities are accessible, st augustine will be able to grow in the fall season.

However, you need to ensure the grass is fully grown before winter arrives. St augustine is not known for its cold tolerance but should be established enough to survive the cold temperature. 

Fall can’t be considered the best time, but if you want to plant st augustine grass seeds during this season nonetheless, then we recommend you to jump ahead and plant as early on in the season as possible.

It’s best to estimate beforehand how long the grass would take to grow and plant accordingly. 

Planting St augustine grass in the winter season 

Now for the most anticipated question; can st augustine grass grow in the winter season? A lot of you wonder whether grass seeds can take root when winter isn’t too cold. For instance, southern regions rarely experience harsh winters, so is it safe to plant during this time? Let’s find out.

The standard answer would be “no.” Since St Augustine grass has poor cold tolerance, planting new growth during winter is risky. However, there is an exception to this rule. As mentioned above, the best time to plant st augustine depends on temperature rather than the month or season.

If you are living in a cooler region, then you most certainly can not plant new sod during winter. The weather is so harsh that even the fully established warm-season grass goes into dormancy during this time. New sods won’t stand a chance, and germination will be near impossible. 

As for the warmer regions, if temperatures do not fall much during the winter, then you can definitely plant and grow st augustine grass all throughout fall and winter. Just make sure to check upcoming forecasts. If rare and unexpected winter breezes are predicted then refrain from planting new seeds, sods, or plugs.

How Long Does It Take For St Augustine Grass To Grow

When you plant new grass in your lawn, the first question that comes to mind is when you can see the results. The good news is that st. Augustine grass spreads rather quickly than other grass varieties and doesn’t keep you waiting long. If you plant this grass at the best time i.e the right time then the growth will be even more sped up.

You can expect newly planted st augustine grass to spread in 7 to 14 days. If your site has access to warm temperatures then the grass will establish a dense turf within a single growing season. If new sods and plugs are planted properly on the right soil type and recommended spacing, results will be fruitful.

With proper lawn care and maintenance, you can have a fully covered and aesthetic lawn in a short time.

Best Time To Plant St Augustine Grass Summary

In this article, we talked about the best time to plant st augustine grass. Choosing the best time of year is extremely important because it encourages the growth and health of the grass. As we comprehensively explained above, the best time to plant st augustine is when temperatures are warm. Depending on your location, spring may arrive in different months, so it’s best to measure time on a climatic basis.

Since this grass thrives in hot weather and establishes quickly under direct sunlight, it’s best to plant it a little before early summer. This will ensure that the seeds have germinated enough to use the increasing heat. 

We also discussed the advantages of planting the grass at the right time and how long it takes for the grass to establish. We hope this article covered everything that you need to know before starting your very own st augustine lawn. Make sure to plant at the recommended time to enjoy the best results.

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