Buffalo grass vs St. Augustine is frequently mistaken. They are totally different grasses. 

Buffalo Grass, one of the few native types of grass in North America, is rising in popularity as turfgrass because of its exceptional ability to thrive in environments with little rainfall and frequent droughts. 

St. Augustine is very well-liked in Florida and throughout the Gulf coast, has high maintenance requirements and needs care against pests and diseases. And those are only the most obvious differences. 

Keep reading to find out more and the differences between Buffalo grass vs St Augustine.

What is Buffalo Grass?

Buffalo Grass is a native of North America and has evolved specifically to deal with the challenging conditions of the Transition Zone. It can withstand extreme heat, chilly winters, and even protracted dry spells.

Even better, it requires virtually no upkeep and thrives on mild neglect. This grass won’t flourish if you try to treat it like Bermuda or St. Augustine. However, if you leave it alone and simply mow it once in a while, it will flourish. 

Seek for more recent cultivars that more accurately mimic grass. Older cultivars may have poor growth patterns that invite weed development. However, for an eco-friendly backyard, you might utilize those older varieties as the foundation for a prairie or plains meadow by seeding prairie wildflowers and other native grasses. 

When someone says that Buffalo Grass requires more water than Bermuda, they are talking about St. Augustine. St. Augustine is also known as “Buffalo Grass” or “Buffalo Turf” in Australia and South Africa. They are two very different types of grass. While searching for information, always seek the scientific name.

What is St Augustine? 

If you were a Florida resident decades ago, your options were St Augustine, St Augustine, or St Augustine. It can withstand the subtropical region’s heat, humidity, and salt, and unlike its nearest and most well-known rival Bermuda, it can tolerate moderate shade. 

But, when alternative grasses gained popularity, people recognized that St. Augustine has a long list of drawbacks. It is unpleasant to walk on because of its rough surface. It absolutely cannot handle the cold. Given that it requires twice as much water as Bermuda grass, it is not at all drought-tolerant. Moreover, it is quite vulnerable to pests and illnesses.

It’s not worth planting unless extremely particular circumstances apply. Another grass can better withstand the conditions in your yard, whatever you require. 

St. Augustine or Buffalo Grass: Which is Better?

1. Appearance and Texture 

You might anticipate this grass to be extremely harsh underfoot given its name, buffalo grass. Yet, just a few grasses have a finer texture than buffalo grass. The texture of St. Augustine is incredibly rough and unpleasant. Choose Buffalo Grass if you enjoy barefoot lawn mowing or have kids playing on it.

St. Augustine can be mowed short, at 2 to 3 inches tall, for a more manicured appearance, or let longer to minimize mowing. Buffalo Grass should be allowed to grow to a maximum height of 6 inches or at least 3 to 4 inches tall. The grass blades will bow in a lovely wavy appearance if left uncut. The no-mow grass buffalo grass is excellent. 

Mowing helps both types of grass since it promotes their spread. 

2. Growth and Establishment Rate 

Buffalo grass takes 14 to 30 days to develop from seed and up to 3 years to properly establish itself as a lawn. You may also use plugs, which will spread 8 to 12 weeks after planting, for a quicker start. During this time, it will require more water and weeding. But if you are patient, it will eventually become extremely low maintenance and nearly indestructible.

St. Augustine only offers plugs or sod as seed doesn’t germinate well and costs more to start than plugs. It quickly establishes itself once it is in place. To cover 32 square feet with plugs, you’ll need 18 of them. 

The optimum times to begin both are in the later spring and summer when it is warmer outside. 

3. Soil 

These grasses are opposed when it comes to soil. Buffalo Grass may grow effectively on loam-based soils as well as clay-based soils, such as silt-clay and loam-clay. Although it can thrive in slightly acidic soils as well, it favors alkaline soils. In sandy soils, it won’t grow.

Buffalo Grass struggles in sandy soils, although St. Augustine does well in them and likes acidic soils to match. The heavier clay-based soils and alkaline soils won’t support it either.

4. Climate and Sun 

A true transition zone grass that behaves like warm-season grass is buffalo grass. This means that it can withstand severe winters that would kill off many warm-season types of grass and thrive during lengthy, scorching summers. It behaves like a warm-season grass, thus its growth peaks in the summer’s heat and it hibernates in the spring and fall. 

The only place where St Augustine can grow as full-fledged warm-season grass is in subtropical climates (USDA Zone 9 and 10). It is better to avoid this grass in favor of something with a higher cold tolerance if you get mild winters or sporadic cold snaps.

Although it developed to thrive among other grasses, buffalo grass has very little tolerance for shade and requires full sun.

As long as it receives around 4 hours of direct sunlight each day, St. Augustine can tolerate partial shade but prefers full sun. 

It is a versatile grass because of this, although there are alternative warm-season grasses that like shade and don’t have as many disadvantages. 

5. Pests and Diseases

If you cultivate a Buffalo Grass lawn, you need not worry about insects and disease. It is very strong against both. 

St. Augustine is afflicted by diseases and vermin, many of which are uncontrollable. St. Augustine Decline, a disease, is even named after it. Take-All Root Rot, chinch bugs, Brown Patches, Gray Leaf Spots, and Deadly Viral Necrosis are just a few examples of these issues. 

This implies that maintaining your lawn may take up more time and money than actually using it, and disease may still wipe it out.

6. Watering 

Watering buffalo grass vs St Augustine, which needs more water? 

Buffalo Grass is drought-resistant, which means it can endure protracted dry spells. It grows the healthiest in regions with less than 25 inches of annual precipitation. 

That is hardly surprising given the area where it is native. You simply need to offer 1 inch of water every month to keep your lawn green. Buffalo Grass can be the solution if your location has water constraints. 

However, if you receive more rain, you’d be better off considering other grasses because Buffalo Grass won’t do well. 

St. Augustine requires more than an inch of water per week and is not at all drought resistant. It often requires twice as much water as a Bermuda lawn would. 

This is partially due to St. Augustine’s shallow root system and partially because it grows best in sandy soils, which require more frequent and shallower watering than other soil types do. 

This grass is not suitable for an unirrigated lawn, a region with regular droughts, or an area with a lack of water. 

7. Weeds 

Like with all lawns, using excellent management practices to promote a healthy lawn is your best line of defense against weeds. Thick, healthy lawns are better able to outcompete weeds. The best approach is always to manually remove weeds; chemical spot treatments should only be used as a last resort.

Legacy is one of the more recent Buffalo Grass cultivars that grows much more densely and can crowd out weeds better than older cultivars. Due to the lengthy time needed for seed germination and establishment, buffalo grass is more susceptible to weeds. 

Plugs can facilitate a quicker process. Many weed species will become extinct if irrigation and fertilizer usage is kept to a minimum. Buffalo Grass is sensitive to pesticides, therefore you should avoid applying herbicides. 

If you’re starting from either plugs or sod, St. Augustine will be less susceptible to weeds in these early phases. Due to St Augustine’s sensitivity to 2,4-D, avoid using herbicides that include this substance. The weed and your grass can both die. 

8. Fertilizing 

Buffalo grass also has the advantage of requiring only 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year, which is a negligibly small amount of fertilizer. It’s possible that you won’t need to fertilize at all, but if you do, applying a layer of compost in the early fall is a simple solution. 

For St. Augustine to remain content, much fertilizer is required. This means that you’ll need to fertilize fairly frequently, either by applying synthetic fertilizers every 8 to 10 weeks or by topdressing your lawn with compost and giving it compost tea boosts every month. 

If you choose to go the organic route, it would be much simpler to start with grass that requires less maintenance and is more resilient.

Synthetic fertilizer spikes in nitrogen levels will worsen thatch issues and reduce your grass’ resistance to pests and disease by destroying the helpful soil bacteria that would otherwise assist keep your grass healthy. 

9. Take Extra Care 

St. Augustine and Buffalo Grass are both spread by stolons, however, St Augustine is far more vulnerable to thatch issues than Buffalo Grass. Buffalo Grass just doesn’t grow as thick, and since it doesn’t require fertilization, there aren’t any nitrogen surges causing thatch to worsen. 

St. Augustine’s high fertilizer requirements essentially eliminate any helpful microbes that would help you, but healthier soil with lots of microorganisms would also break down thatch before it becomes a problem.

If you’re planting St. Augustine in any other type of soil beside sandy, loose, and hard-to-compact soil, you might need to aerate the soil. Clay soils are preferred for buffalo grass because they are more compaction resistant. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Does St Augustine Resemble Buffalo? 

Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides) and St. Augustine (Stenotaphrum secundatum) are not the same grasses; in fact, they are highly unlike. St. Augustine is known as Buffalo Grass (or Buffalo Turf) in Australia and South Africa, which has led to confusion. 

Be careful to reference the correct scientific term and the nation the information is from whenever you look something up.

Will Buffalo Grass Surpass A St Augustine Lawn? 

Depending on who the circumstances favor, Buffalo Grass may surpass St. Augustine. Buffalo Grass will lose out against St. Augustine if the grass receives lots of water, has some shade, and is fertilized heavily. 

Buffalo Grass will outcompete St. Augustine if the lawn receives minimal water, receives full sunlight, and receives little fertilization.

How Can I Tell If I Have St. Augustine or Buffalo Grass? 

When allowed to grow long, the pointed, curled, green or blue-green leaves of buffalo grass will bow over (growing a max of 6 inches). St. Augustine grows low and has rough, flat leaves with rounded tips. 

Conclusion 

Since Buffalo grass vs St Augustine grass both grow by stolons and go dormant in the winter, there isn’t much difference between them. However, if you live in a region with a milder or colder winter, Buffalo Grass is more likely to be present. 

It’s probably buffalo grass if it retains its green color with very little water and grows well with very little fertilizer.