St. Augustine Palmetto
Handles shade
$310/pallet
- Covers
- 450 sq ft
- Per sq ft
- $0.69
- 16+ pallets
- $250
1
Sod variety · Shade
St. Augustine Palmetto sod for shady yards in Dallas–Fort Worth
St. Augustine is the most shade-tolerant of the warm-season turfgrasses (Texas A&M AgriLife), and Palmetto is a semi-dwarf St. Augustine that is often chosen for its improved shade tolerance (Sod Solutions). It forms a dense, broad-leaf lawn for yards with trees or a shady side, as long as the spot still gets about 4 to 6 hours of sun.
- Sun and shade
- Part shade (4–6 h of sun)
- Foot traffic
- Light
- Mowing height
- 2½–3½ in
- Leaf
- Broad blade
Price and order
Live prices from our store catalog
How to buy St. Augustine Palmetto sod
Add pallets to your order right here, or call and we put the price in writing. Every figure comes live from our store catalog.
- Half pallet225 sq ft · for patches and small yards
Sale price: $205, regular price
$250 - Quarter pallet112.5 sq ft · for patches and small yards
Sale price: $150, regular price
$200 - By the truckload16+ pallets, price per pallet
$250/pallet
Wholesale sod for landscapers and builders - Installed by our own crew$500 per pallet installation · sod priced separately · old-lawn removal includedSee the installed total for your yard
Delivery or pickup
We deliver across Dallas–Fort Worth on our truck, with delivery priced from your ZIP code at checkout. Or pick it up at our yard, 13380 Tischler Rd, Pilot Point, TX 76258, with no delivery charge. Book at least 48 hours ahead (72 for a full truckload).
Is it right for your yard?
What St. Augustine Palmetto is like
- Sun and shade
- The most shade-tolerant warm-season grass (Texas A&M), but it still needs 4 to 6 hours of sun to thrive (Clemson). Clemson also notes that Palmetto takes light shade and thins out under heavy shade.
- Foot traffic
- Light. Texas A&M describes St. Augustine as a dense lawn that can tolerate light traffic, not a play field: where a sunny yard takes a beating every day, Bermuda 419 recovers faster.
- Water and drought
- It tolerates heat and, to some degree, drought (Texas A&M), but less prolonged drought than bermuda or zoysia. In the shade, don’t overwater it: soggy Palmetto invites disease (Sod Solutions).
- Mowing height
- Texas A&M recommends 2½ to 3 inches, and 3 to 3½ inches in shady lawns. Mowing St. Augustine too short stresses it and thins it out (Clemson).
- Winter
- Brown and dormant in winter (Clemson). Palmetto handles cold better than Floratam St. Augustine (Sod Solutions), but no warm-season grass stays green through a DFW winter.
- Look and feel
- Broad leaves on large, flat stems (Clemson). Palmetto is a semi-dwarf with a narrower blade than most St. Augustines (Sod Solutions).
A good fit for
- Yards with trees, or a side of the house that gets sun only part of the day
- A spot that still gets about 4 to 6 hours of direct sun
- A dense, broad-leaf lawn for light everyday use
Look elsewhere if
- Deep shade with only an hour or two of sun: no warm-season sod does well there
- A sunny yard that takes heavy daily play: Bermuda 419 recovers faster
- Long dry spells with little water: bermuda and zoysia handle prolonged drought better
Compare
St. Augustine Palmetto next to our other varieties
St. Augustine Palmetto is our pick for shade. In full sun with heavy use, Bermuda 419 is tougher and recovers faster. Zoysia Palisade and Zoysia Zeon also take some shade and handle drought better, but they spread and fill in more slowly.
| Variety | Sun and shade | Foot traffic | Mowing height | Leaf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermuda 419 | Full sun | Heavy use | 1–2 in | Fine blade |
| St. Augustine Palmetto (this page) | Part shade (4–6 h of sun) | Light | 2½–3½ in | Broad blade |
| Zoysia Palisade | Sun to part shade | Moderate | 1–2½ in | Medium-coarse |
| Zoysia Zeon | Sun to part shade | Moderate | 1–2 in | Fine, dense |
After it is laid
Caring for new St. Augustine Palmetto sod
The first weeks: water
- Right after it goes down, water until the soil under the sod is wet about 4 inches deep.
- Then water every 2 to 3 days, often enough to keep the soil moist, not soggy, 3 to 4 inches down.
- Above 80 °F, new sod may need water every day until it roots.
- Sod laid in late fall or winter may not root until spring: check on it in dry spells.
Watering steps from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Follow your city’s watering schedule.
Once it has rooted
- Keep it at 2½ to 3 inches, and at 3 to 3½ inches in the shady parts (Texas A&M).
- Once it has rooted, don’t keep it soggy: overwatering in the shade invites disease (Sod Solutions).
- Watch for chinch bugs and white grubs, the two most serious insect pests of St. Augustine lawns (Texas A&M).
St. Augustine Palmetto sod: questions people ask
More than any other warm-season grass, but not deep shade. Clemson Extension says St. Augustine still needs 4 to 6 hours of sun to thrive, and that Palmetto thins out under heavy shade. We look at your light when we come out to measure.
St. Augustine is planted vegetatively, with sod, sprigs or plugs (Clemson), which is why it is sold as sod, by the pallet.
Texas A&M recommends 2½ to 3 inches, and 3 to 3½ inches in shady lawns. Cutting it shorter stresses the grass and thins it out.
For light everyday use, yes: Texas A&M describes it as a dense lawn that can tolerate light traffic. For a sunny yard that takes heavy daily play, Bermuda 419 recovers faster.
A full pallet covers 450 sq ft. Measure each part of the lawn (length × width), add them up, divide by 450 and round up. We confirm the number when we come out to measure, for free.
Yes. Choose Pickup at checkout and collect it at our pickup yard, 13380 Tischler Rd, Pilot Point, TX 76258, with no delivery charge. Book at least 48 hours ahead, and call (214) 702-0622 to confirm your day and time.
Sources
What this page says about the grass comes from these sources. Our crew confirms what fits your yard on site.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Maintaining St. Augustine Grass Lawns (Chalmers, McAfee and Havlak)
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: How to Select and Install Sod (Chalmers and McAfee)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension (HGIC): St. Augustinegrass
- Sod Solutions (Sod University): Palmetto vs. Floratam St. Augustine Grass
Free estimate
Get your St. Augustine Palmetto price in writing
We measure, check that this grass fits your light and the way you use the yard, and put the price in writing. Free, with a same-day response.