Summary

St. Augustinegrass is a fast-growing warm-season lawn grass valued for heat tolerance and shade performance, but it has very limited cold hardiness, so only protected sites in parts of Tennessee can grow it reliably. This guide explains how it is established vegetatively, why it has poor wear tolerance and may need dethatching, and highlights chinch bugs as a key pest. It also compares common and turf type varieties such as Bitterblue, Floratine, Floratam, Seville, Raleigh, DelMar, Jade, and others, noting shade and cold tolerance differences.