St. Augustine in Atlanta

Jimmy Neighbors – posted 31 May 2001 10:31

After trying fescue, bermuda, and emerald zoysia, I’m going to give St. Augustine a try in Atlanta. I realize I may be too far north for perfect success, but I’m optimistic. Are there any methods I might use to trick my St. Augustine sod into believing it’s being installed 70 miles farther south? Any other ideas? Thanks.

lyndaval – posted 03 June 2001 11:21

I have had beautiful St. Augustine in Birmingham for 20 years until this season. I am open to opinions about whether it was damaged by the summer 2000 drought, the winter 2001 cold, a combination, or a broad leaf weed killer my new lawn service used in late winter 2001. Until now it has been reliably beautiful with minimal mowing and watering, except for occasional bouts with bermuda grass.

I don’t know what variety it is, as I sprigged it myself from pieces my father gave me 20 years ago. It has even “moved” across the driveway and established itself in the back.

Good luck!

KRansom – posted 22 June 2001 08:55

I can do one better. I have a perfect yard of St. Augustine in Charlotte, NC. My grass has been growing perfectly for about 15 years. The only problem is that it can not choke out Bermuda grass. I would say that St. Augustine would work perfect in Atlanta. It is 10 times better than most other grasses. The large blades harbor moisture close to the ground making it extremely drought tolerant. We have not had rain in 3 weeks and I have not watered my lawn once. I mowed my yard Tuesday a week ago and on Sunday I had to mow it twice on two separate levels beacuse it grown so much.

lyndaval – posted 22 June 2001 20:32

Yes, I am a St. Augustine believer. I can not understand why so many people think it is hard to grow. Even with the damage I mentioned above from last summer’s drought in Birmingham, It has almost recovered fully. Feels great underfoot, requires little mowing, chokes out most weeds. I’m glad you can grow in in Charlotte.

Jimmy Neighbors – posted 28 June 2001 16:16

I’m very encouraged to know St. Augustine is thriving in Birmingham and Charlotte. Do you experience any cold damage at all? And by the way, believe it or not, both Birmingham and Charlotte are slightly warmer than the northern suburbs of Atlanta (Marietta), where I reside. Atlanta’s mean temperature is three degrees warmer than Marietta’s.

lyndaval – posted 29 June 2001 19:11

How interesting! No, I didn’t know that. My son lives in Lawrenceville and gets a lot of stuff from my yard. The mean temperature here used to be 10 degrees, but has recently been lowered to 7 degrees, according to the Botanical Gardens. I understand a few degrees could make quite a difference.

If it helps any, we had 4 degrees once, briefly, about 8 years ago, and 7 degrees for a couple of days during our record-setting Blizzard of 1993. Our grass was not even set back by these extremes.

But last summer’s drought…

Good luck!

grassman75 – posted 02 July 2001 18:46

quote:Originally posted by Jimmy Neighbors:After trying fescue, bermuda, and emerald zoysia, I’m going to give St. Augustine a try in Atlanta. I realize I may be too far north for perfect success, but I’m optimistic. Are there any methods I might use to trick my St. Augustine sod into believing it’s being installed 70 miles farther south? Any other ideas? Thanks.

Jimmy, my name is Pate Kincaid, I am the turf manager at Peach State Turf in Ashburn, GA. St.Augustine will be tough to keep in Atlanta, however I have seen it done. Keep your stand of turf healthy, by fertilizing(not over fertilizing) about twice a growing season.(once in the middle of spring, then again, about the end of July). Also, if possible use soil samples to judge what fertilizers to apply and what rates. Your nearest Extension Office should be able to assist.

Sod Buster – posted 06 July 2001 05:45

I had several neighbors in Atlanta that had St. Augustine. Some of it was there for probably 20 years or more. It did fine without any maintenance once established. I don’t think I would waste the money on a bunch of sod since it spreads so fast.

Jimmy Neighbors – posted 11 July 2001 08:12

Thanks to everyone’s input, I now know that St. Augustine can survive in metro Atlanta, but it will take luck, patience, and attention. Speaking of attention, I was wondering: Is there a way to protect a small patch of St. Augustine (about 500 square feet) from the bitter cold? Perhaps a tarp on the really cold nights. Or, pine straw, which I would rake up in the morning? Or, maybe a combination of a tarp and pine straw, or something else? Any ideas would be tremendously appreciated.

SummerTyme – posted 23 April 2009 07:01

Had success with St. Augustine grass in my Atlanta yard—actually very pleased with it! I find it tolerant of the high summer temperatures and it also does well with the moist, mild winter temperatures. I do use a preemergence herbicide for the weeds and fertilize in late fall to keep the lovely color and density of the grass into the winter.

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[This message has been edited by SummerTyme (edited 25 April 2009).]

Sodman1 – posted 24 August 2009 09:02

I did have some success putting st. augustine in my yard in Atlanta. But had a real trouble with fungus from the farm. I did however fid a good source. His name is Adam 404-867-8501. His web is www.877getgrass.com. I think he is a broker, but he knows what he is doing.