St. Augustine
Best for: Shaded south Louisiana yards, coastal alkaline clay, mature-oak neighborhoods, and any lot where Bermuda or Zoysia has already failed in the shade.
Louisiana Lawn Guide
St. Augustine vs Zoysia vs Bermuda: Which Louisiana Yard Wins?
Three grasses dominate Louisiana lawns. They do not all work the same, and picking wrong costs you a pallet. Todd Broussard, statewide delivery manager, breaks down which one fits your yard, your shade, and your parish.
Quick Answer
The Short Version Before You Read
Every yard in Louisiana is different. But if you need a starting point, here it is.
Zoysia
Best for: Newer subdivisions, family yards with kids and dogs, homeowners who want drought tolerance with a finer blade and a cleaner finished look.
Bermuda
Best for: Full-sun lots with zero shade, sports fields, rural acreage, and north Louisiana yards where cold hardiness matters alongside drought.
Not sure which fits your yard? Send us your zip and a few photos. We tell you straight.
Why These Three
Why St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda Dominate Louisiana
Louisiana runs from Zone 8b in Caddo Parish to Zone 9b on the coast near Houma. All three grasses handle that range. Nothing else comes close for statewide coverage.
Soil varies more than most homeowners expect. Coastal parishes carry heavy alkaline clay. Tangipahoa Parish and the Florida Parishes run sandier and more acidic. Central Louisiana mixes both. These three grasses cover that full range, which is why Louisiana sod farms grow them in the highest volume. You can get a pallet of St. Augustine, Zoysia, or Bermuda cut fresh and delivered same-week across most of the state. The LSU AgCenter turfgrass program has tested these varieties across Louisiana conditions for decades.
Grass Deep Dive
St. Augustine: The South Louisiana Standard
St. Augustine covers more Louisiana yards than any other grass. There are real reasons for that, and real situations where you should skip it.
Where St. Augustine Wins
Shaded yards are St. Augustine territory. No other warm-season grass comes close under mature oak canopy. East Houma, the Garden District in New Orleans, Uptown Baton Rouge, old Lafayette neighborhoods off Johnston Street: St. Augustine is what grows there.
Alkaline coastal clay is a second advantage. The heavy soil along the Gulf Coast stays at pH 7.0 to 8.0 in many spots. St. Augustine handles that range without the iron deficiency yellowing you see with Centipede. Terrebonne Parish and St. Tammany Parish yards confirm it year after year.
Salt influence is not a dealbreaker either. Coastal yards that see salt spray or salt-heavy irrigation tolerate St. Augustine better than Zoysia. Cameron Parish, Grand Isle, and Bayou Lafourche communities all confirm this every season.
Where St. Augustine Loses
Cold is the weakness. Above Interstate 20, St. Augustine takes winter damage in hard freeze years. Floratam is especially cold-sensitive. Raleigh holds better in north Louisiana but still risks die-back in rare hard winters.
St. Augustine also needs water. It is the thirstiest of the three. Full-sun rural property with no irrigation is a bad fit. One dry July can set it back two or three months. Heavy foot traffic thins it too. If you have kids and a dog running the same path every day, St. Augustine will not hold that area.
Floratam
The dominant St. Augustine cultivar in south Louisiana. Coarse blade, rapid spread, strong chinch bug resistance. Needs at least 6 hours of direct sun. Common in Metairie, Kenner, and Marrero yards.
Palmetto
The shade cultivar. Handles 4 to 5 hours of sun where Floratam gives up. Lower growth habit. Common under live oaks in the Garden District, Gentilly, and Uptown New Orleans. Softer blade than Floratam.
Raleigh
The cold-tolerant pick. Best option for St. Augustine in north Louisiana. More upright growth. Not as shade-tolerant as Palmetto but holds through occasional hard freezes better than Floratam.
CitraBlue
Newer cultivar from the University of Florida. Blue-green color, strong chinch bug tolerance, better shade performance than Floratam. Gaining traction in Lafayette Parish and Acadiana newer subdivisions.
Grass Deep Dive
Zoysia: The Subdivision Performer
Zoysia has taken serious market share from St. Augustine over the past decade in Louisiana. It earns it in the right yard type. But it is not universal.
Where Zoysia Wins
Newer subdivisions built after 2000 run Zoysia more than anything else in Louisiana. These yards get full sun or close to it. No mature tree canopy yet. Zoysia fills in dense, handles foot traffic, and cuts clean.
Family yards with active use are the best case. Empire and Palisades both handle daily wear that thins St. Augustine. The runners root tighter to the soil and hold up without patches along worn play paths.
Drought tolerance is real once it roots deep. After the first summer, Zoysia needs considerably less water than St. Augustine. Ascension Parish, Zachary, and Livingston Parish subdivisions all confirm this through summer dry spells. Sandy soil in Tangipahoa Parish, especially around Hammond and Ponchatoula, suits Zoysia particularly well.
Where Zoysia Loses
Deep shade is a hard stop. Zoysia needs 6 or more hours of direct sun. It will survive at 4 hours, but it will not look good. Under a mature live oak in Houma or a pecan grove in Breaux Bridge, Zoysia thins out and opens up within two seasons.
Alkaline coastal clay at high pH is the other problem. Coastal Louisiana soil above pH 7.5 causes Zoysia iron deficiency. You see it as a yellow cast across the lawn that does not respond to fertilizer. Cameron Parish yards and parts of the Terrebonne bayou communities do not suit Zoysia well.
Zoysia also spreads slower than St. Augustine. If you have a large bare area, it takes a full season longer to fill in completely.
Empire
The workhorse. Wide blade, fast growth for a Zoysia, strong disease resistance. Common across Louisiana newer neighborhoods and the go-to for contractors doing large residential installs. Handles wear.
Palisades
Medium blade, better shade tolerance than Empire. Popular in St. Tammany Parish and Northshore yards where neighborhoods have maturing tree lines but not full canopy yet.
Zeon
Fine blade, high-end residential look. Darker green than Empire. Slower to fill bare spots. Best in yards where appearance matters more than speed of establishment. Popular in Baton Rouge higher-end builds.
Innovation
The shade leader in Zoysia. Handles lower light than any other Zoysia on the market. If you want Zoysia but have a partially shaded yard, Innovation gives you the best shot. Available from select Louisiana farms.
We also supply Geo Zoysia for specialty applications.
Grass Deep Dive
Bermuda: Full Sun, High Performance
Bermuda is not for every Louisiana yard. But in the right yard, it outperforms everything else on durability, drought, and recovery speed.
Where Bermuda Wins
Full-sun lots with no tree cover are Bermuda's home. Rural acreage, open new-construction lots, properties along cleared corridors: Bermuda covers ground fast and holds it.
Sports fields and high-traffic commercial turf pick Bermuda for a reason. It recovers from damage faster than any warm-season grass. A Bermuda yard torn up by equipment or a heavy event heals in weeks where St. Augustine takes months.
North Louisiana is Bermuda territory. Caddo Parish, Bossier, and the piney woods toward Monroe and Ruston see real cold winters. Tahoma 31 and Latitude 36 handle those temperatures without the cold damage that knocks out St. Augustine. TifTuf uses less water than any sod-grade grass we deliver. If you have large property and no irrigation system, Bermuda outlasts St. Augustine and Zoysia through a dry stretch.
Where Bermuda Loses
Shade kills Bermuda. Period. Any yard with a significant tree canopy, a covered patio that blocks half the yard, or a fence line that shadows the back for four or more hours a day: do not plant Bermuda. It will thin to bare dirt under shade within two seasons.
The coast is marginal territory. Bermuda handles moderate salt but the shade from coastal vegetation and the salt-heavy soil chemistry can work against it. St. Augustine handles the coast better overall.
Bermuda also goes fully dormant and turns tan in winter. If a green winter lawn matters to you, Bermuda is not the answer unless you plan to overseed with ryegrass. Many north Louisiana homeowners do exactly that, but it adds a layer of annual work.
TifTuf
The drought king. Uses 38% less water than Tifway 419 in head-to-head studies. Dense, fine blade. Best choice for Louisiana homeowners without irrigation on full-sun lots. Handles heat without summer burnout.
Tifway 419
The proven standard. Used on golf course fairways and athletic fields across Louisiana for 60 years. Fine-medium blade, tight growth. Common on commercial properties and sports complexes in Baton Rouge and Shreveport.
Tahoma 31
Cold tolerance leader. Tested to stay green at lower temperatures than Tifway 419. North Louisiana choice for homeowners in Zones 7b and 8a who want Bermuda performance without risking winter kill.
Latitude 36
High-traffic, cold-tolerant, fine-bladed. Named for the 36th parallel. Strong performer in the Ark-La-Tex region. Good pick for north Louisiana athletic fields and residential lots in Caddo and Bossier parishes.
We also supply Celebration Bermuda for select applications and shaded tolerance.
Side by Side
St. Augustine vs Zoysia vs Bermuda: Full Comparison
Every spec that matters for a Louisiana yard in one table.
| Feature | St. Augustine | Zoysia | Bermuda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blade width | Coarse (widest of 3) | Medium to fine | Fine (narrowest) |
| Mow height | 3.5 to 4 inches | 1.5 to 2.5 inches | 1 to 1.5 inches |
| Full sun need | 4 to 8 hrs (varies by cultivar) | 6 to 8 hrs | 8+ hrs (full sun required) |
| Shade tolerance | Best of 3 | Moderate | None |
| Drought tolerance | Moderate | Good | Best of 3 |
| Traffic/wear | Moderate | Good | Best of 3 |
| USDA zones | 8b to 10b (south LA primary) | 7b to 10b | 7a to 10b |
| Salt tolerance | Good | Low | Moderate |
| Soil pH range | 6.0 to 8.0 (wide range) | 6.0 to 7.0 | 6.0 to 7.0 |
| Mowing frequency (summer) | Every 7 to 10 days | Every 7 to 14 days | Every 5 to 7 days |
| Water need | High | Medium | Low |
| Cost tier | $ (most affordable) | $$ to $$$ | $$ to $$$ |
Pick By Yard Type
Which Grass Fits Your Specific Yard?
Six yard scenarios. One clear answer each. No hedging.
Family Yard with Kids and Dogs
Pick: Empire Zoysia or Palisades Zoysia
Zoysia roots tighter and holds traffic without the bare patches St. Augustine shows along play paths. Empire fills in fast. Palisades works if part of the yard sits in partial shade. St. Augustine thins under daily use. Bermuda only works if the full yard gets unobstructed sun.
Older Yard with Mature Oak Shade
Pick: Palmetto St. Augustine
Nothing else works here. Palmetto handles 4 to 5 hours of filtered sun under live oak canopy. Floratam needs more light. Zoysia holds for a year then opens up. Bermuda is gone in one season. Palmetto in an old-growth neighborhood in Houma, the Garden District, or Opelousas is the only real answer.
Full-Sun New Subdivision
Pick: Zoysia or TifTuf Bermuda
Zoysia for a yard with family use. TifTuf Bermuda for a low-maintenance owner who wants drought tolerance and mows often. TifTuf needs full sun across the whole yard. If trees will mature in the next five years, Zoysia is the safer long-term choice as shade develops.
Coastal Salt-Influenced Yard
Pick: Floratam St. Augustine
Coastal parishes from Terrebonne to Cameron deal with salt spray, saline groundwater intrusion, and alkaline clay that runs pH 7.5 or higher. Zoysia shows iron deficiency chlorosis in those conditions. Bermuda handles moderate salt but needs sun the coastal tree line may not provide. St. Augustine, especially Floratam, is the coastal default for good reason.
North Louisiana Cold-Prone Yard
Pick: Tahoma 31 Bermuda or Latitude 36 Bermuda
Above Interstate 20, cold snaps hit hard enough to damage St. Augustine in bad years and push Zoysia into extended dormancy. Tahoma 31 and Latitude 36 both tested well in Zone 7b conditions across the Ark-La-Tex. If you want Bermuda's full-sun drought performance plus cold security in Caddo or Bossier Parish, these are the cultivars to ask about.
Rural Acreage
Pick: Bermuda if full sun, St. Augustine if partial shade
Rural acreage usually means no irrigation system and open sky. Bermuda covers ground fast, survives on rainfall alone better than the others, and costs less per pallet than most Zoysia. If you have timber or tree lines casting shade on portions of the acreage, plant St. Augustine in those sections and Bermuda in the open areas. Mixing is common and works well.
One More Option
When Centipede Is the Right Answer
There is a fourth grass that sometimes wins in Louisiana. Centipede is not in the top three statewide. But in specific conditions, it beats all three.
Centipede is built for acidic sandy soil. Tangipahoa Parish, Washington Parish, and the piney woods around Bogalusa have the right chemistry: pH between 5.0 and 6.0, good drainage, acidic organic matter. That is where Centipede stays green and low-maintenance without the iron deficiency that kills it on coastal clay.
The other advantage is low input. Centipede does not need much fertilizer and declines when overfed with nitrogen. For a homeowner who wants to plant and mostly leave it alone, Centipede in the right soil beats St. Augustine on maintenance.
The warning: do not plant Centipede on alkaline clay. It yellows, thins, and dies over two or three years. Houma, Lafayette, and coastal parishes are not Centipede territory. The Florida Parishes are.
Learn About Centipede Sod
Common Questions
Louisiana Grass FAQ
St. Augustine wins the shade category by a wide margin. Palmetto handles the deepest shade under live oaks. Floratam handles mixed sun-and-shade. Zoysia is acceptable with 6 hours of sun. Bermuda fails in any shade. If your yard is under heavy tree canopy, Palmetto St. Augustine is the answer.
Zoysia wins for family yards with active daily use. Empire Zoysia and Palisades Zoysia root tighter and hold up to kids and dogs without developing the bare patches St. Augustine shows along worn paths. St. Augustine looks great on low-traffic decorative lawns but thins where daily use is heavy.
Yes. South Louisiana winters are mild enough that Bermuda survives in most years. It goes dormant and turns tan from November through February. The bigger issue in south Louisiana is shade, not cold. Any tree canopy will cause Bermuda to thin and patch out within two to three seasons. Shade is a harder constraint than winter.
Bermuda is the most drought-tolerant. TifTuf Bermuda uses about 38 percent less water than standard Tifway 419 in head-to-head testing. Zoysia runs second once it roots deep through summer. St. Augustine needs the most consistent moisture and shows stress fastest in July and August dry stretches.
St. Augustine tolerates coastal salt conditions better than Zoysia or Bermuda in Louisiana. It handles the alkaline, salt-influenced clay in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Cameron parishes where Zoysia develops iron deficiency chlorosis. Bermuda has moderate salt tolerance but needs full sun that coastal shade may not provide.
Go Deeper
Read More About Each Grass
Each grass type has its own full guide with cultivar details, planting windows, and parish-specific notes.
St. Augustine Sod Guide
Full cultivar breakdown, planting windows, soil prep, and which Louisiana parishes see the best results. Floratam, Palmetto, Raleigh, CitraBlue all covered.
View St. Augustine GuideZoysia Sod Guide
Empire, Palisades, Zeon, Innovation, and Geo Zoysia compared. Subdivision-by-subdivision notes and the soil conditions where Zoysia excels across Louisiana.
View Zoysia GuideBermuda Sod Guide
TifTuf, Tifway 419, Tahoma 31, Latitude 36, and Celebration compared. North Louisiana cold data included. Sports field and acreage specs.
View Bermuda GuideReady to Order the Right Grass for Your Louisiana Yard?
Tell us your zip code, your shade situation, and how you use the yard. We match you to the right cultivar and get it cut fresh and delivered from a Louisiana sod farm to your driveway.
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