Common Carpetgrass cut fresh from a Louisiana sod farm. The wet-soil specialist for bayou-edge property, drainage areas, and chronic flood zones.
| Botanical name | Axonopus fissifolius and Axonopus compressus |
| Cultivars we supply | Common Carpetgrass |
| USDA Zones | 8 through 10 |
| Sun requirement | Full sun to medium shade |
| Soil preference | Acidic, wet, heavy clay or saturated ground |
| Mow height | 1 to 2 inches |
| Watering once rooted | Tolerates standing water, struggles in dry stretches |
| Drought tolerance | Low (worst in catalog) |
| Wet ground tolerance | Very high (best in catalog) |
| Pallet coverage | Approximately 450 square feet |
| Best install windows | April-July |
| Establishment time | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Pricing tier | Low to middle (niche, occasional sourcing lead time) |
Carpetgrass (Axonopus fissifolius and Axonopus compressus) is a warm-season grass native to tropical Americas, naturalized across the Gulf South. It is a niche variety with one specific job: handling Louisiana ground that holds water. The LSU AgCenter turfgrass guide recommends Carpetgrass for low-lying wet sites where other varieties drown.
Louisiana sits in USDA Zones 8b and 9a with 60+ inches of annual rainfall, hurricane events, drainage challenges across most of South Louisiana, and a high water table from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain. Carpetgrass thrives where standing water kills St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda, Centipede, and Bahia.
You will find Carpetgrass on bayou-edge property across Lafourche and Terrebonne, on river parish wet ground in St. James, St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard, in drainage canal areas across Jefferson Parish and the Westbank, and on Atchafalaya Basin wet acreage.
Carpetgrass does not have widely-named US sod trade cultivars the way St. Augustine has Floratam or Bermuda has TifTuf. Most Louisiana Carpetgrass is grown as Common Carpetgrass.
Carpetgrass is the right pick for one specific yard problem: chronic wet ground. It is the wrong pick for almost everything else.
Skip Carpetgrass if your yard drains well (almost any other variety will look better), you have meaningful drought stretches (Bermuda and Bahia thrive there), heavy foot traffic (Zoysia), or you want a manicured residential look.
Weaker fit: North Louisiana (drier, better-draining soil). Northshore well-drained subdivisions. Coastal salt-spray properties (St. Augustine handles salt better). Premium residential statewide.
Lead time on Carpetgrass is occasionally longer than other varieties because it is a niche grass.
Call (985) 206-8585 or send your zip code, square footage, and a brief description of why you are looking at Carpetgrass (typically a wet-ground problem).
We confirm pricing, availability, and a delivery window. Most Carpetgrass comes from Bayou Region and river parish growers. Lead time is occasionally 5 to 10 days versus same-week for St. Augustine or Bermuda.
Fresh pallets arrive the morning you scheduled. Cut from the farm that day.
Carpetgrass has fewer pest issues than other varieties because most Louisiana lawn pests prefer drier conditions.
| Trait | Carpetgrass | St. Augustine | Centipede | Bahia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet ground tolerance | Very High (best) | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Drought tolerance | Low (worst) | Medium | Medium | Very High |
| Foot traffic | Low | Low to medium | Low | Medium |
| Establishment | 4-6 weeks | 2-3 weeks | 4-6 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
| Cost tier | Low to middle | Middle | Low to middle | Lowest |
| Lead time | Occasionally longer | Same-week standard | Same-week standard | Same-week standard |
Carpetgrass (Axonopus fissifolius and Axonopus compressus) is the wet-ground specialty pick for Louisiana yards with chronic standing water. Performs best across the Bayou Region, river parishes, the Atchafalaya Basin, and drainage canal areas across Jefferson Parish and the Westbank.
Use Carpetgrass when your yard has chronic standing water that drowns St. Augustine. For typical Louisiana residential yards with normal drainage, St. Augustine is the better pick.
Low-to-middle pricing tier. Lead time can be slightly longer than St. Augustine or Bermuda since fewer farms grow it. Call for an exact quote.
Honestly, not as well as the dryland-preferring varieties. Carpetgrass has the lowest drought tolerance in our catalog. Bermuda or Bahia are the right picks for dry stretches.
Both have a coarse blade and prolific seedheads. The difference is water tolerance. Carpetgrass thrives in wet ground that drowns Bahia. Bahia thrives in dry stretches that damage Carpetgrass.
Yes. Contractor and builder pricing on five or more pallets. Common use is large drainage area projects, river parish low-lying installs, and specialty wet-ground sections of larger jobs. Plan ahead since lead time is occasionally longer.
Common Carpetgrass cut fresh from a Louisiana sod farm. The wet-ground specialty pick for bayou-edge and drainage areas.
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7 AM to 6 PM · Statewide delivery · Lead time varies for niche varieties