Pests & Disease Despite their similarities, as we have seen, Buffalo grass and St Augustine are two very different types of grass. The first thing youll notice about these two types of grass is their appearance. Two of these opinions are which type of grass is best (Buffalo or St Augustine), and if theres any difference between them at all. Zoysia grass costs twice the price of St. Augustine grass on average and it has thinner blades and a deeper green appearance. Bahia Grass vs. St Augustine Grass: Leaves The leaves of Bahia grass are tough, flat, in-rolled, and typically hairless. Given that ones a warm season grass and the other a cool season species, I wouldnt advise it. I like to think of myself as the Bond of the backyard, that is if yard work ever became sexy. In fact, it thrives best in areas that get less than 25 inches of rainfall per year. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as you might not notice that St. Augustine actually has a problem. Buffalo Grass needs full sun and has very little shade tolerance as it evolved to grow among other grasses. It withstands high heat, it withstands cold winters, and it even can withstand long dry spells. To keep your lawn green, youll only need to provide 1 inch of water per month. A prominent tropical and subtropical species, you will also find it planted and growing healthily in many countries south of the equator. Best Lawn Care Tools for Beginners (What You Need and How to Use Them). Types of Gardening Tools The Essential Guide to What You Need in Your Shed! Buffalo Grass is a true transition zone grass that acts like a warm-season grass. The grass is known for its rich, bluish-green tint, which is most prominent during the warmer seasons. If you love Buffalo grass, youll be happy to know that there are many varieties. Centipedegrass requires minimal fertilizer and generally does not require pesticides, as it is not prone to pests or disease. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates. Centipede grass costs around $0.80 per square foot or $365 per pallet. Please feel free to call us with any further questions at 1-800-831-8163. Plugs can help speed up the process. St. Augustine Grass A wider blade than Bermuda grass, it can tolerate a good amount of Shade. Buffalo grass is a good choice for people who live in hot, dry climates. Welcome to Sod and Seed, Inc! Pros and cons aside, its safe to say that centipede grass and St. Augustine grass have qualities that could make them the right fit for a home in a warm-season zone. Bahia grass is relatively low maintenance with the lowest rate of disease and pest issues compared to other warm season grasses. This makes it a versatile grass, but there's other warm-season grasses that like shade without so many drawbacks. Also, Kikuyu needs more mowing than Buffalo. This type of grass is a good choice for people who live near the ocean or in other areas where there is a lot of salt in the air. High amounts of fertilizer cost more money and take more time, while exacerbating other conditions like thatch or worsening its insect and disease resistance. Bahia grass can be grown through either sod or seed and requires little attention as it is usually very self-sufficient. Zoysia grass has the most shade tolerance after St. Augustine grass. Key Differences Between Fescue and St Augustine Grass, Characteristics, Growing Conditions, and Appearance. Different Types of Lawn Mowers Which One is Right for You? A popular warm season grass, St. Augustine is best suited to hotter climes, in places such as Florida, Southern California, and the Gulf states. Buffalo Grass has finely textured, rolled, green or blue-green color leaves with pointed blades that bow over when left to grow long (growing a max of 6 inches). St. Augustine and Bahia grass are both great lawn choices if you live in hotter climates and want a low maintenance yard, which, lets be real, dont we all? Buffalo grass is a blue-green colour while St Augustine is a dark green colour. St Augustine Grass Vs. Centipede Grass. Since Seville can survive and endure in lawn areas with only 6 to 7 hours of sunshine, it is considered a favored choice among landscapers for moderately shaded lawns. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. St. Augustine sod and Buffalo grass offer an array of benefits to lawn owners. St Augustine prefers full sun but can tolerate part shade, so long as it gets about 4 hours of sun per day. As for appearance, theyre recognizable for their fine, hair-like aesthetic, with thin blades that are no more than 1/16-inch or less and that taper into a pronounced tip. And be sure to keep your mower blade in top condition with one of these lawnmower blade sharpeners. While centipede grass is more attractive, one of its downfalls is its susceptibility to foot traffic. Quick tip: Unlike many warm season grasses such as Bermuda, St. Augustine can grow in areas of as little as 40% sunlight exposure, allowing it to survive in the cooler seasons. And if youre looking for a low-maintenance type of grass, Buffalo grass is your best option. This is because it grows quickly and will need to be mowed more often. It also has a beautiful texture thats soft underfoot but doesnt get matted down by foot traffic or rainstorms like some other types of grass do. Yes, Buffalo grass is a perennial grass, which means that it will come back every year. Its unique blue-green shade is an attraction to those who want a fresh and healthy looking lawn for long periods of time, but in winter this grass does have the risk of running into a certain level of dormancy when growth slows down, and the grass color fades. In order to speed up the process, you can take some steps to encourage the growth of Buffalo grass. The biggest properties that make this grass a winner for southeastern lawns include its salt, heat, humidity, and shade tolerance. Phone: As a home owner and as someone with garden centre experience, I know plenty about backyard and lawn care products. In Australia, it is popularly known as buffalo grass while in the USA buffalo grass is a different species. St. Augustine grass thrives in full sun and shade, making it suitable for yards with varying levels of sunlight. As we have seen, Buffalo grass is a very slow-growing type of grass. However, there are some key differences between these two grasses: Buffalo grass generally has a relatively brighter green color with wide blades. St. Augustine is a thirsty plant, and it needs regular watering to maintain a healthy appearance. Once it has taken hold, you can cut that right back and let nature do her thing. This actually makes it relatively easy to start a lawn with this grass, as plugs of St. Augustine will spread quickly to cover bare spots and form a nice, even surface. Low. Also, if you live in an area with heavy winters, st. Augustine may not be a good choice for you; it tends to die back in cold weather, leaving bare patches where snow collects. However, these grasses are both pretty top-notch and depending on what youre looking for in a grass these can both offer some great advantages. Originally used as a pasture grass when first introduced to America, this species of lawn is now widely used in agriculture, conservation, and erosion control programs as it can sustain itself when grown in compromising conditions. Medium. However, it will dominate if its optimum conditions are met, while other grasses needs arent being fulfilled but the same can be said for almost all grass types. Additionally, its roots dont grow as deep into the ground, making it easier for weeds to compete for resources. It is soft, dense and has that really great green color that shows health in a lawn. 11 Ways to Fill a Raised Garden Bed for Cheap, 9 Easy Ways to Get Free Rocks for Your Garden, 9 Best Wood Options for Raised Garden Beds. There are plenty of other types of grass seed to choose from. Before we jump into the difference between these two types of grass, one thing Buffalo grass and St. Augustine grass have in common is that they are two of the most popular sod blends. Buffalo is fast-growing, but not as vigorous as Kikuyu. Most cost-friendly upfront: St. Augustine Sun Tolerance When it comes to lawns, people have very strong opinions on what makes a great lawn, and what it takes to make a lawn thrive. I like to think of myself as the Bond of the backyard, that is if yard work ever became sexy. This means that if you want your lawn to grow quickly, then buffalo grass may be a better choice for you. Just a few of these problems include Take-All Root Rot, chinch bugs, Brown Patch, Gray Leaf Spot, and Lethal Viral Necrosis. Zoysia and Buffalo grass are two of the most popular grasses used for both small and large scale lawns. This leads many people to wonder which grass types are better at keeping weeds at bay. While Buffalo Grass is often confused with St Augustine, theyre very different grasses. link to Signs of Lawn Heat Stress & How to Treat It? The coarseness of the grass also has the ability to crowd out weeds, undesirable plants, and trouble spots. (Answered!). This species of grass creates a dense mat due to its stolons that allow it to grow low and close to the soil. The soil in which St. Augustine thrives best is obviously preferred to be fertile, however, can actually also grow well in sandy soils as well as clay soils with a high range of pH levels ranging from 5 to 8.5, talk about versatility! Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.5. We hope to hear from you soon! That being said, Buffalo Grass leaves more room for weeds so if youre trying to replace a St Augustine lawn with Buffalo Grass, its best to remove St Augustine beforehand. For more information, read full disclosure here. My name's Gibson. Depending on the variety of Buffalo you have the colour of the blade could be anything from bright green to dark green. But what if you have a lawn that is already mostly St Augustine? This is down to its close and tight growth habit basically creates no room left for any other unwanted plants to sprout. Other than that, caring for St. Augustine grass is pretty straight forward and doesnt require a lot of effort. (+ Pros & Cons). It is, however, a native plant to southern North America, unlike centipede grass. check out our complete guide to St Augustine. This is not a grass for a non-irrigated lawn or a place with frequent droughts or water shortages. If left to grow, centipede grass will top out at 4 to 5". Differences Between Buffalo Grass and St Augustine. If your lawn is Kikuyu, you will need to mow it every week during summer to keep it looking its best. Please feel free to comment, ask questions or reach out to us with any concerns at 1-800-831-8163. Buffalo grass and St. Augustine have stems above the soil surface, also referred to as stolons, as well as rhizomes growing under the surface. In this blog post, we will compare and contrast Buffalo Grass vs St Augustine so that you can make an informed decision about which type of grass is best for your needs! Centipede grass, also known as Eremochloa buse, is a medium-textured, low growing grass that produces a dense and weed-free turf.It is an aggressively growing grass that is fairly attractive and requires little care. Although we all want the best-looking lawn, budgets can be tight. For example, if the weather is particularly cold or dry, the grass may turn brown and stop growing. Among the native species that you can find of St. Augustine grass is Floratam. St Augustine grass comes in many varieties. Propagation of St. Augustine is through stolons, plugs or sods and when in its early establishment around 7 to 10 days after planting it does require some help in terms of care and maintenance, however, once it have matured and created stability in the soil, it can spread and propagate via its stolons on its own. Theres a reason why centipede grass is also called the lazy mans grass. The differences start with color: St Augustine is a medium green or blue-green, while Kikuyu is a bright green. St. Augustine has many variations; however, they all have similar characteristics in terms of behavior and maintenance requirements. Bermuda grass requires about 1 to 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet per year, vs. St. Augustine grass, which needs 3 to 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet annually. Consider your budget, the amount of maintenance youre willing to do, and the climate you live in before choosing which one is right for you. St. Augustine grass is a warm-season grass that is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. Because of this preference, the location range of St. Augustine grass decreases as it reaches further north as it struggles to cope in cold weather. So if youre looking for a low-maintenance option that you wont have to mow very often, Buffalo grass is a good choice. For those interested in creating a more native, wildlife friendly landscape, buffalograss is the natural choice. Catering to a lawn that has mixed needs is going to be a real challenge. Feb 15, 2023, Kurapia Ground Cover Stress Testing Vlog Regular lawnmowing and care of Bahia grass, using the correct method, improves forage quality as well as stimulates growth, though it is known that mowing this grass can be difficult due to its woody stems. Choose. This type of grass is known for being very tough and durable. St. Augustine will need the application of a suitable fertilizer, and if the soil has a higher pH, then iron supplements might need to be applied. St Augustine is often a thinner grass, which makes it easier for weeds to take over. Discover what makes these two grasses so desirable. Thats probably due to the fact that theyre so different, and thrive in polar opposite regions. Both buffalo grass and St. Augustine grass are popular lawn varieties that can be planted in warmer climates like those found in Florida, Texas, and California. While both spread to create new blades of grass, rhizomes are underground while stolons are above ground. Buffalo (St Augustine) and Kikuyu look very similar, as they both have a flattened leaf sheath, a fringe of hairs on the ligules, and no auricles. Heres what you need to know about the great grass debate between buffalo grass vs St. Augustine grass. It is important to water St. Augustine grass deeply and infrequently, allowing the water to penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 inches. The tall fescue species is well-adapted to all types of soil and it can easily tolerate pH levels ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 with ease. Buffalo Grass prefers clay soils and can withstand compaction better. The main difference between Bahia grass and St. Augustine grass is the color and shape of leaves. I have a particular liking towards Bahia grass as I find that it has all the great aspects of St. Augustine and other warm-season grasses such as Zoysia plus more! how many dogs can you have in henderson, nv. Different Types of Lawn Aerators Explained Holy Lawns, Batman! Its rough texture is terrible to walk upon. The seeds can self-propagate when dropped onto the soil and although it is a slow process from there, the grass can easily sustain itself into maturity. Its blades are also narrower than St. Augustine grass. Best for Shaded Areas with Sprinkler Systems. Is Buffalo Grass the Same as St Augustine? This is because it is a slow-growing type of grass, so you wont have to mow it as often. Rough/coarse texture thats prickly underfoot. Lawn-care experts Scotts offer some practical advice on how best to plant St. Augustine. If youre choosing based on which one is cheaper Bahia grass or St. Augustine the average cost between them differs by around $115 per pallet of sod, with Bahia grass being cheaper. How to Protect Grass From Frost & What to Do, top tips on how to properly mow your lawn, best chemical free weed solutions for your lawn. You can rest at ease if you are planning to grow this grass on your lawn. The Beginner-Friendly Guide to Growing the Greenest Grass. Its also known to thrive in sandy soils which is convenient for sea-front locations. Also, ensure that the lawn is getting at least 1" to 1 " of water per week. Different Types of Lawn Mowers Which One is Right for You? But dont confuse fine fescue with tall fescue here which is a stiffer grass with not as much give. Sometimes clover will fade out after a few years and will need to be reseeded. Buffalo Grass just doesnt grow as thick and if you dont need to fertilize it, theres no nitrogen spikes exacerbating thatch. On top of this, certain things can cause Buffalo grass to go dormant during the winter. As with all lawns, your best defense against weeds is to use good management techniques to encourage a healthy lawn. As we mentioned above, Buffalo grass is native to North America while St Augustine is native to Africa and Asia. They both grow by stolons and turn dormant during the winter, so thats not a key difference, but if youre in an area with a mild or colder winter, then its more likely Buffalo Grass. Theyre both so similar in terms of usefulness that deciding is definitely difficult, but youll have to consider the pros and cons of each to decide what you like best. Add a suitable fertilizer around two to three days after your initial seed, so as not to crowd the lawn with too much material right away. This allows it to be aggressive in its environment as some plant species arent able to cultivate once Bahia grass has established itself. However, in colder areas, it is possible for the grass to die off and stop growing. Which is the best St Augustine grass variety? Sitemap | About Us | Affiliate Disclosure | Contact Me | Privacy Policy. However, if you choose Zoysia for your lawn over St. Augustine, keep your lawn mower well-oiled. St. Augustine is very popular due to its vibrant and fresh color that can last for months. Always check the scientific name when looking for information. St. Augustine grass adapts to drought conditions, making it a great drought tolerant lawn option. link to Dormant Grass vs Dead Grass How to Tell the Difference & What to Do? Take a look at this article for more help with yellow grass in general. While St Augustine can also survive in hot weather, it is a better choice for people who live near the ocean or in other areas where there is a lot of salt in the air as this particular type of grass is salt-tolerant. 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