Guides
St. Augustine Grass Seed: Why Tampa Bay Lawns Go In as Sod
What a bag sold as St. Augustine seed holds, how plugs, sprigs and sod compare, and the watering catch when you patch a Tampa Bay lawn.
There is no St. Augustine grass seed to buy. UF/IFAS says St. Augustine “is not available in seed” and goes in as sod, plugs or sprigs (UF/IFAS LH005). For a whole Tampa Bay lawn that means sod, which covers bare ground the day it goes down; a few thin spots can fill in from plugs if you can wait for the runners. Medscapes lays St. Augustine as sod. Before you buy a bag sold under that name, read its seed tag.
Can you buy real St. Augustine grass seed?
You cannot buy seed that grows into a St. Augustine lawn. A UF/IFAS Extension agent in Clay County writes that in stores or online “this product simply does not exist,” because St. Augustine varieties “do not produce enough seed heads to be a viable option” (UF/IFAS Extension Clay County).
UF/IFAS’s St. Augustine guide says the grass is “established by vegetative propagation only, which includes sod, plugs, or sprigs” (UF/IFAS LH010). It spreads by stolons, runners whose nodes grow new roots and shoots. A few gardening sites still print a seeding rate for it; the UF/IFAS seeding table lists bahia, Bermuda and centipede, and no St. Augustine (UF/IFAS LH013).
What is in a bag sold as St. Augustine seed?
The tag on the bag tells you. UF/IFAS says federal and state laws require every container of seed to carry a tag listing the grass species and cultivar, the purity, the percent germination and the weed seed content (LH013). Read the species line first: the grass it names is the grass that will come up.
LH013 also warns that retail seed often carries a large share of cool-season grass, such as ryegrass or fescue, blended with warm-season seed. Those grasses “will germinate quickly but will also die quickly in Florida’s warm climate.”
For a grass that does grow from seed, UF/IFAS suggests a tag showing at least 90% purity and 85% germination (LH013).
Sod, plugs or sprigs: which one fits your lawn?
Sod fits a whole lawn or a large bare area you want covered now; plugs fit scattered thin spots you can water and wait on. UF/IFAS calls sodding “the fastest way to establish a lawn because it provides complete ground cover” (LH010), and LH013 ranks it the most expensive.
| Method | Best for | Cover | Cost | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | Nothing: none is sold | None | No seed to buy | Read the tag’s species line |
| Sod | Whole lawns, large bare areas | Complete on day one | Highest of the three | Lasts under 48 hours on a summer pallet |
| Plugs | Scattered thin spots | Slowest; runners close the gaps | Lower than sod | Weeds in the bare soil between |
| Sprigs | Large bare areas on a budget | Slower than sod | Lowest | Dry out faster than plugs |
When are plugs enough for thin St. Augustine?
Plugs are enough when the thin areas are small and scattered, the cause is fixed and you can keep the soil moist until runners knit the plugs together. UF/IFAS asks whether more than 50% of a lawn needs renovation before you replant it all (LH013). Below that line, a few thin spots do not need new sod: the Clay County agent’s tip for thin areas is plugs cut from sod or from your own lawn.
A plug is a 2-to-4-inch piece of sod with its roots, planted at spaced intervals so its runners grow together (UF/IFAS LH013).
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Fix the cause
A spot that thinned under a tree, on a worn path or beside a dry sprinkler zone thins again unless that changes.
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Cut the plugs
Cut 2-to-4-inch pieces from a slab of sod, or from a healthy, out-of-sight part of your lawn, with enough roots on each.
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Space them
Set them 6 to 12 inches apart in loosened soil, roots buried; the farther apart, the longer they take to fill in (UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions).
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Firm and water
Tamp each plug into its hole and water the patch in (LH010).
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Hold the mower
Keep the soil moist until runners develop, and wait to mow until the plugs have rooted.
Do the math before you buy trays. LH013 says one square yard of sod cut into 2-inch plugs gives 324 of them, and a St. Augustine planting at 12-inch spacing uses 30 to 50 square feet of sod per 1,000 square feet.
Why does a whole Tampa Bay lawn go in as sod?
Sod covers the ground on day one, and bare ground between plugs grows weeds while it waits. UF/IFAS LH005 calls sod the preferred way to establish any lawn grass, an “instant” lawn “with fewer chances of weed invasion or other grow-in problems.”
UF/IFAS defines central Florida as Ocala south to State Road 60, which takes in Pasco and north Hillsborough, and puts the best planting time there in spring and in late summer to early fall, away from the cold winter and the hot, dry summer (UF/IFAS Homeowners Guide to St. Augustinegrass). For a full lawn, see how Medscapes handles sod installation in Tampa.
Not sure whether your thin patch is a plug job or a new lawn? Doug Wilson walks the yard and writes every quote himself.
Do new plugs get extra watering days in Tampa Bay?
In unincorporated Hillsborough County, only when they make up enough of the sprinkler zone. Under the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s one-day order, in effect through March 31, 2027, the county lets new sod and landscaping be watered any day for 30 days and three days a week for days 31 to 60, inside the allowed hours (Hillsborough County, Find My Watering Days and Times).
Unincorporated Hillsborough County: “An irrigation system zone can only be operated if the new sod or plant material covers at least 50 percent of that zone.” A dozen plugs in a front-lawn zone fall far short, so that zone keeps its one day a week.
LH010 wants new plugs kept moist “with light, frequent irrigations several times daily until runners develop,” which one day a week cannot give. LH013 advises against planting without irrigation during dry months or drought. Pasco County and the City of Tampa set their own new-lawn schedules; our guide to how often to water new sod lays them out.
This is general information about the county watering rules, not legal advice. Check the current order or ordinance, or ask your HOA or county, before you rely on it.
Which Florida lawn grasses can you start from seed?
Bahia and centipede grow from seed, as do some Bermuda and zoysia cultivars; St. Augustine does not. LH013’s seeding rates run from 0.25 to 1 pound per 1,000 square feet for centipede to 5 to 10 pounds for bahia. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions names bahia and Bermuda as the best choices for a seeded lawn, sown between April and July in most of Florida.
Seed has its own catch: LH013 says it takes longer than sod to reach complete cover, and that improper watering is the most common cause of seeding failure. To pick between the grasses Medscapes lays, see our comparison of zoysia vs St. Augustine. Medscapes does not lay bahia.
What does Medscapes lay, and when is sod the wrong call?
Medscapes lays St. Augustine, zoysia and Bermuda as sod. On a sod job the crew runs the sprinklers before any sod goes down, cuts out the old grass and roots, and lays fresh sod as soon as it arrives, seams staggered and tight, then rolled and watered in. You get a written watering schedule for your address and a date for the tug test that shows sod has rooted.
Sod is the wrong call for a few thin spots in an otherwise healthy lawn, and for any patch whose cause has not changed. If you suspect chinch bugs or disease, have the lawn diagnosed first. In Florida, lawn maintenance companies may not apply pesticides to turf (FDACS), so insect, weed and disease treatment is a job for a licensed pest control company. Medscapes does not apply fertilizer or pesticides.
The one thing to do this week: walk the lawn and sketch the thin areas against the whole. Scattered spots under half the lawn are a plug job you can do yourself; past half, the UF/IFAS renovation questions point to replanting the whole lawn.
Frequently asked questions
Can you overseed St. Augustine to thicken it?
You cannot overseed St. Augustine with St. Augustine, because no seed exists. Seed of another grass grows into that grass, and the ryegrass and fescue common in store blends “die quickly in Florida’s warm climate,” UF/IFAS says. Thicken a thin St. Augustine lawn with plugs once you have fixed what thinned it.
How far apart should St. Augustine plugs go?
Plant St. Augustine plugs 6 to 12 inches apart, center to center, as UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions and LH013 advise. LH010 allows up to 24 inches but says closer spacing covers faster and keeps weeds out.
Is it cheaper to plug or sod a St. Augustine lawn?
Plugs cost less than sod for the same area, and sprigs cost less still, UF/IFAS LH013 says. The saving buys time with bare soil, and weeds use that time. Medscapes publishes no prices; our guide to what sod installation costs depend on covers the factors.
When can I mow new St. Augustine plugs?
Mow once the plugs are “firmly rooted,” which UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says may take two weeks to a month, or more in winter. Cut at your cultivar’s height, 3.5 to 4 inches for standard cultivars such as ‘Floratam’ (LH010).
Sources
- UF/IFAS Extension. Selecting a Turfgrass for Florida Lawns (LH005), revised August 2025. Checked November 10, 2026. ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- UF/IFAS Extension Clay County. St. Augustinegrass Seed? Can’t buy that. Checked November 10, 2026. blogs.ifas.ufl.edu
- UF/IFAS Extension. St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns (LH010), revised July 2024. Checked November 10, 2026. ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- UF/IFAS Extension. Establishing Your Florida Lawn (LH013), revised August 2025. Checked November 10, 2026. ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Planting Your Florida Lawn. Checked November 10, 2026. gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
- UF/IFAS. Homeowners Guide to St. Augustinegrass Management in Florida. Checked November 10, 2026. agronomy.ifas.ufl.edu
- Hillsborough County. Find My Watering Days and Times. Checked November 10, 2026. hcfl.gov
- FDACS. Pest Control FAQ, lawn maintenance companies. Checked November 10, 2026. fdacs.gov
Plugs for a patch, or a new lawn?
Call (813) 382-5801 or send the estimate form. Doug Wilson walks the yard and writes every quote himself.
- 1Call or book online
- 2Doug walks the yard with you
- 3You get a written quote