Is St. Augustine Grass Right for Your New Orleans Lawn?
Heat-tolerant, shade-friendly, and proven in Louisiana clay. The dominant lawn grass across the New Orleans metro for good reason.
4.9 on Google
Licensed & Insured
One-Day Installs
High
Heat Tolerance
High
Shade Tolerance
Medium
Maintenance Level
2 Wks
Foot Traffic Ready
About This Grass
Why St. Augustine Works in New Orleans Yards
St. Augustine is the dominant choice across New Orleans and the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The LSU AgCenter names it the most shade-tolerant warm-season turfgrass available, and in a city that gets 64 inches of rain per year, where live oak canopy shades most older neighborhoods, that attribute matters more than heat tolerance or growth rate. It is one of four warm-season grass varieties Big Easy Sod installs in the New Orleans market, and for most yards in the metro, it is the right one.
The grass establishes well in NOLA clay, roots deep enough to handle summer heat, and tolerates the partial shade that comes with mature neighborhoods in Lakeview, Uptown, Metairie, and the Northshore. It spreads via stolons, so bare spots fill in over time. Southern chinch bugs and large patch fungus are the main threats in NOLA conditions, and both are manageable with the right mowing height and fertilization schedule.
Where St. Augustine loses ground is in full shade and high-traffic situations. Yards under dense oak canopy with less than three hours of direct sun do better with Palmetto, a St. Augustine cultivar bred for low-light performance. High-traffic yards with kids, pets, and equipment often hold up better with Bermuda. Compare all grass types we install if your yard has multiple zones with different conditions.
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St. Augustine Varieties
What We Offer
Floratam
The most widely installed variety in Louisiana. Coarse blade, aggressive growth, strong heat tolerance. Best for full to partial sun yards.
Palmetto
Semi-dwarf cultivar with a finer blade and exceptional shade tolerance. Our recommendation for yards with significant oak canopy cover.
Raleigh
Better cold hardiness than Floratam. A smart choice for Northshore properties where winter temps dip lower than the metro.
Bitter Blue
Blue-green color, dense growth, strong shade performance. Common in older New Orleans neighborhoods with established tree cover.
The Process
The Big Easy Standard
No mystery. No runaround. Here's exactly what happens when you call Big Easy Sod.
Free Consultation
Tell us about your yard. Or we'll come out and look at it ourselves. We assess your soil, drainage, sun exposure, and give you an honest quote. No pressure, no mystery pricing.
We Prep and Install
Our crew handles everything: removing old turf, grading the soil, laying the sod correctly the first time. Most residential installs are done in a single day.
Enjoy Your Lawn
We walk you through care instructions, answer your questions, and leave the yard clean. Then we get out of your way and let the grass do its thing.
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FAQ
St. Augustine Sod: Common Questions
Yes. The LSU AgCenter identifies St. Augustine as the most shade-tolerant warm-season turfgrass, making it the right fit for New Orleans yards with live oak canopy and Louisiana clay soil. It handles the humidity, the heat, and the inconsistent drainage common across the metro better than any other warm-season grass.
Most St. Augustine sod roots within 14 days under proper care. Water daily for the first two weeks, twice daily in peak summer heat. You can test rooting by gently tugging a section. If it lifts easily, roots have not fully anchored yet. Most residential lawns can handle light foot traffic after two weeks and full traffic in four to six.
Floratam is the most widely installed variety across Louisiana due to its heat tolerance and aggressive growth. For yards with significant shade from mature oaks, Palmetto is the better choice, offering more shade tolerance with a finer blade. For Northshore properties where winter temperatures drop lower than the metro, Raleigh's cold hardiness is worth the switch.
St. Augustine has moderate flood tolerance and can handle short periods of standing water. Palmetto, a St. Augustine cultivar, performs above average in low-elevation lots that see occasional flooding. For properties that flood regularly, Big Easy Sod evaluates drainage before recommending any grass type.
Southern chinch bugs are the primary pest concern. They appear in summer, attack the base of grass stems, and create expanding patches of dead and yellowing turf. Mowing at 3 to 4 inches and avoiding over-fertilization are the two strongest preventive measures. Large patch fungus is the main disease threat, appearing in fall and early spring as circular brown patches with yellow edges.
St. Augustine performs best at 3 to 4 inches. During the nine-month NOLA growing season, plan to mow every seven to ten days in peak summer. Never cut more than one-third of the blade height in a single mowing. Cutting below 2.5 inches stresses the grass and increases chinch bug susceptibility.
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Get Your Free St. Augustine Sod Quote
Tell us about your yard and we will get back to you within 24 hours. Free assessment, honest quote, no runaround.
- Free, no-pressure assessment
- Soil and shade conditions evaluated
- NOLA-specific variety recommendation
- Response within 24 hours
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