St. Augustine grasses are some of the most popular & widely used in our area. As a whole, it is very tolerant of the heat, humidity & salt air that we know and love. It is known for its durability, quick establishment, blue-green coloring, and thick, sharp blades.
Some of the main differences between the more popular types of St. Augustine include:
- Floratam: the most basic, well known & affordable St. Augustine available. Floratam thrives in direct sunlight and will not tolerate shade. It boasts the typical St. Augustine features – quick establishment, blue green coloring, and thick, sharp blades.
- Bitter Blue: it is very similar in looks to Floratam, but is one of the most shade tolerant varieties on the market. While it does tolerate shade, it will always thrive best in full sun. Additionally, Bitter Blue is a little more of a slow grower which will reduce mowing frequency.
- Scotts ProVista: developed & backed by Scotts, the makers of Miracle-Gro, ProVista offers a new type of Floratam St. Augustine that is tolerant of weed killers so you can easily treat for pesky weeds without harming your sod. It’s a slow growing, lush sod that offers some shade tolerance and easy maintenance.
- Citrablue: a new variety of St. Augustine that was developed in late 2019 at the University of Florida, it shares many characteristics with other St. Augustine varieties while offering drought tolerance, slow vertical growth, limited shade tolerance, and extensive disease tolerance.
