St. Augustine vs. Bermuda: How to Care for the Two Most Common Austin Lawns

Walk through any neighborhood in Austin, Pflugerville, or Round Rock and you'll see the same two grasses over and over: St. Augustine and Bermuda. Together they cover the vast majority of Central Texas lawns — and yet most property owners care for them exactly the same way.

That's a mistake. These two grasses have opposite personalities. What makes St. Augustine thrive can weaken Bermuda, and what keeps Bermuda healthy can stress St. Augustine. Here's how to tell which one you have and how to care for each the right way.

First: Which Grass Do You Have?

St. Augustine has wide, flat, coarse blades with rounded tips — it looks thick and carpet-like. It spreads by above-ground runners (stolons) you can see creeping across sidewalks and flower beds. Color is typically a rich, dark green.

Bermuda has fine, thin blades and a denser, lower-growing texture. It spreads aggressively by both above-ground and underground runners, and it's noticeably lighter green than St. Augustine. If your lawn feels wiry and turns brown fast in winter, it's likely Bermuda.

Many Central Texas lawns actually have both — St. Augustine dominating shaded areas and Bermuda taking over sunny, high-traffic spots.

Sunlight: The Biggest Difference

• St. Augustine tolerates shade better than any other warm-season grass — it's the go-to choice for lawns with mature oaks and filtered light. It still needs 4 to 6 hours of sun, but it survives where Bermuda can't.
• Bermuda demands full sun. In shade, it thins out, goes stringy, and eventually dies off. If Bermuda is struggling under a tree, no amount of water or fertilizer will fix it — it's a sunlight problem.



What this means: don't fight your conditions. Shaded lawns belong to St. Augustine; open, sunny lawns are where Bermuda dominates.

Mowing: Different Heights, Different Rules

This is where most Austin homeowners get it wrong:

• St. Augustine should be mowed high — 3 to 4 inches. Tall blades shade the soil, protect the shallow root system from Texas heat, and help crowd out weeds. Scalping St. Augustine is one of the fastest ways to kill it.
• Bermuda should be mowed low — 1 to 2 inches. Low, frequent mowing makes Bermuda spread sideways and thicken into that dense, golf-course look. Let it grow tall and it becomes stemmy and thin at the base.



Both grasses follow the one-third rule: never remove more than a third of the blade height in a single mow. During peak summer growth, that means weekly mowing — sometimes more for Bermuda.

Watering in Central Texas Heat

Both grasses do best with deep, infrequent watering rather than daily light sprinkling — but their drought behavior differs:

• St. Augustine has shallow roots and shows drought stress first: folded blades, a gray-green tint, and footprints that stay visible in the grass. It typically needs about 1 inch of water per week in summer, delivered in one or two deep sessions.
• Bermuda is far more drought-tolerant. It may brown out in extreme drought but usually recovers when rain returns. It can get by on less water than St. Augustine — around ¾ to 1 inch per week in summer.
• Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and fungal risk, and always follow current Austin-area watering restrictions.
  

Fertilizing & Feeding

• St. Augustine is a moderate feeder — typically 3 to 4 applications from spring green-up through early fall. Over-fertilizing pushes soft growth that invites chinch bugs and gray leaf spot.
• Bermuda is a heavy feeder — it rewards more frequent nitrogen through the growing season with dense, aggressive growth. Underfed Bermuda thins out and lets weeds move in.



Never fertilize either grass before it has fully greened up in spring — feeding dormant turf feeds the weeds instead.

Common Problems to Watch For

St. Augustine:

• Chinch bugs — expanding dry-looking patches in hot, sunny areas that don't respond to watering
• Gray leaf spot and brown patch — fungal issues from overwatering and excess nitrogen
• Take-all root rot — thinning, yellowing areas with weak roots

Bermuda:

• Shade thinning — bare, stringy areas under trees
• Thatch buildup — spongy layer that blocks water; needs periodic dethatching or aeration
• Invasiveness — Bermuda runners invade flower beds, St. Augustine areas, and sidewalk cracks relentlessly
  

The Bottom Line

Same city, same climate — two completely different care plans:

• St. Augustine: mow high, water consistently, feed moderately, and let it own the shade.
• Bermuda: mow low and often, feed it well, give it full sun, and keep its spreading in check.

Get the grass-specific details right, and either lawn can look excellent through a Central Texas summer. Get them backwards, and you'll fight a struggling lawn all year.

Let a Local Team Handle It

Not sure which grass you have — or tired of guessing at mowing heights and feeding schedules? Let a local crew that works with Central Texas lawns every day take it over.

LEAP Facility Services provides professional landscaping and lawn maintenance for homes, businesses, HOAs, and commercial properties throughout Pflugerville, Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Hutto, Cedar Park, and surrounding communities. From weekly mowing tuned to your grass type to fertilization, cleanups, and bed maintenance — one local team handles it all.

Call us today at (737) 412-1670 or request your free estimate online to get your lawn on the right care plan.