Your going to remove the st Augustine you have?? The reason I ask is because this variety probably won't produce the same color as your turf now. They're selling it online also.

https://sodsolutions.com/product/citrablue-st-augustine-plugs/

 

I don't have St. Augustine. I had Bahia, then killed it and planted Rye for the winter. Now I've killed off the Rye and need to put down a warm season grass. Because other areas of the yard are more shaded, it makes sense to put St. augustine down versus the bermuda I was going to do, so I can have the same throughout the yard. (rest of the yard is Bahia and dirt/weeds)

 

If I were installing St. Augustine in Florida I'd go with Floratam.

 

If I were installing St. Augustine in Florida I'd go with Floratam.

That was my original plan, but the disease resistance of the CitraBlue is very very tempting. And it was designed by UF, so local, and tested in local areas. So many lawns battle fungus that something more resistant would be great. (not to mention the whole viral whatever it is that kills floratam).

It supposedly is more shade tolerant than Palmetto as well, from what I'm hearing.

 

I haven't seen it yet, but the information put out by UF looks really good. I was thinking ProVista but having second thoughts.

 

If I were installing St. Augustine in Florida I'd go with Floratam.

That was my original plan, but the disease resistance of the CitraBlue is very very tempting. And it was designed by UF, so local, and tested in local areas. So many lawns battle fungus that something more resistant would be great. (not to mention the whole viral whatever it is that kills floratam).

It supposedly is more shade tolerant than Palmetto as well, from what I'm hearing.

Looks interesting. Hopefully it will prove to be as good as advertised.

 

I want to say Floratam is the only other St. Augustine designed at least in part by UF, but can that be right? If so, Floratam sure stood the test of time, even if it didn't hold on to its chinch bug resistance, etc.

 

Being resistance to disease is a really good thing. Interesting....

It's sold in plugs so we already have an example of how to grow it in thanks to Allyn Hane. How much area are you going to plug @ktgrok

 

I haven't seen it yet, but the information put out by UF looks really good. I was thinking ProVista but having second thoughts.

Are you planning on removing what you have or just plugging bare areas??

 

I am going to get a pallet of sod, not plugs...don't want to deal with the weeds while waiting for plugs to grow in, and it's only a smallish area. I've already killed everything off - just need to put something down. I have bermdua seed, but that would mean keeping the kids off of the area even longer, and with the whole stay at home thing with the pandemic I'd like them to be able to get out there to play ASAP. Plus, the rest of the yard has more shade than bermuda will tolerate, so I'd have to do two different things if I put bermuda in the play area.

 

I haven't seen it yet, but the information put out by UF looks really good. I was thinking ProVista but having second thoughts.

Are you planning on removing what you have or just plugging bare areas??

If I can't beat this bermuda, I'm going to renovate with something else.

 

I haven't seen it yet, but the information put out by UF looks really good. I was thinking ProVista but having second thoughts.

Are you planning on removing what you have or just plugging bare areas??

If I can't beat this bermuda, I'm going to renovate with something else.

Bermuda definitely can be overtaken. The question is how much time and money are you willing to put into it

 

I ordered CitraBlue plugs tonight. I'll get them in the ground and provide updates going forward.

 

Congrats! I just installed Citrablue sod on the 11th and loving it so far. Noticeably darker green/blue tint than my neighbors st Augustine. It also grows considerably slower

 

@turbopenguin thanks, I'm just doing a test at this time, not a full reno. Can you give us some photos of your CitraBlue from the street from time to time?

I am under the impression that CitraBlue is a very stable, consistent-looking grass throughout the year, even if not the absolute best looking grass at certain points in time.

 

I ordered CitraBlue plugs tonight. I'll get them in the ground and provide updates going forward.

Good send some pics and information because I'm curious about this

 

They always say it's improved when they come out with a new type. Palmetto was supposed to be amazing. Floratam is better hands down

 

@Greyleafspot I have to disagree with you a little bit there. Palmetto has its particular advantages over Floratam. My lawn will look awesome over the winter in comparison to my neighbors who have Floratam. It is more shade tolerant too. On the flip side, Palmetto doesn't seem to be as robust as Floratam when it comes to disease and stress. Its color isn't deep green over the summer. So I would say there are certainly reasons why a person might choose one over the other.

As for CitraBlue, I think it's too soon to dismiss as marketing hype. The data I've seen is pretty impressive.

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0PZAyzbfWQ[/media]

 

Should have a good idea what you are dealing with after 2 months after sod install.

From the stress from harvest, transport, laying, growing of the new roots and stolons. And with the added weather involved.

I wonder if its along the strain of buffalo like Buffalo - Shademaster - Matilda

https://www.turffinder.com/varieties/shademaster

https://www.turffinder.com/varieties/matilda

https://buffaloreview.com.au/compare-turf

 

How is the densitity compared to floratam and palmetto?

 

They always say it's improved when they come out with a new type. Palmetto was supposed to be amazing. Floratam is better hands down

If you had an area with dogs and shade..say between the fence and the house, side yard, with some oaks at one end - would you still do floratam vs palmetto? The zoysia I put in the backyard is great on the side fenced off for the kids - but in the dog area is getting destroyed. It just can't grow fast enough to overtake the damage, and it is so dense that the urine scalds it fast, versus trickling through like seems to happen in st. augustine. (that's the theory I've read, as to why st. augustine handles dog pee better than bermuda and zoysia anyway).

Plus, if I have to replace patches here and there it is cheaper and easier to grab a few pieces of st. augustine sod than to get my hands on a few pieces of palisades sod around here. So thinking I may replace that area with st. augustine, and do the side of the yard in the front of the house as well, as I planted bermuda there but it doesn't get enough sun for bermuda.

 

@ktgrok I don't know. Slide 21 of this presentation says "Increased canopy density" but it's not clear how that is determined.

My Palmetto loves the shade under my oak; I wouldn't expect it to do well with dogs; but I don't have have any to know for sure.

 

Here's some pics of mine. Sod was installed on 9/11. First pic is 7 days after install. The rest were taken yesterday/today.
Looking at the last 3 pictures, I think I'm definitely having some issues with fungus/insects. Any help would be appreciated.

#4 and #5 are in the front, near the garage. Does this look like insect damage? Sod webworms?

Picure #6 is on the side of the house that does not get much sunlight. It has also been raining a ton here lately so it's getting real nasty. No idea what it is but I'm guessing a fungus of some sort.

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Firstly, I think it looks gorgeous. I love that deep green color.

I don't see signs of webworm. I'm not sure what's going on with those spots. I hope we get some answers!