St. Augustine Palmetto Grass Plugs | Drought, Salt & Shade Tolerant Sod

Palmetto grass, a native St. Augustine grass cultivar, has been increasingly accepted as a landscaping standard since 1994, with its usage in thousands of lawns across the southern United States. This versatile turfgrass demonstrates superior tolerance to shade, cold, frost, heat, and drought, making it the ideal choice for residential and commercial use under a wide range of climate and soil conditions, from the Carolinas to California.

Palmetto's exceptional characteristics include a semi-dwarf growth habit, giving it a plush appearance similar to Seville and Delmar, but with less tendency to become thatchy, even in full sunlight. The leaf blade width is comparable to Bitterblue and Raleigh, and finer than Floratam. When mowed high (3" - 4"), it is often mistaken for fescue, with soft, tapered leaf blades with rounded ends, unlike the prickly feel of Floratam.

In field tests, Palmetto grass has shown very good drought tolerance. Moreover, St. Augustine grasses in general are known for their shade tolerance, and Palmetto has exceptional shade tolerance, even when compared to the most shade-tolerant varieties of St. Augustine. Importantly, Palmetto grass will remain green longer than any other variety of St. Augustine, and will stay green much longer than Bermuda grass and Centipede grass. It will slowly become dormant after several heavy frosts, and remain evergreen in temperatures below freezing if there are no hard frosts.

While Palmetto St. Augustine grass is a living plant, not a "miracle grass," when properly maintained, it will deliver years of an aesthetically pleasing and functional lawn. It is important to note that, like all turfgrass, Palmetto St. Augustine grass requires appropriate care and attention to thrive.

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