St. Augustine Raleigh Sod
The St. Augustine grass we keep in stock every day
Raleigh is a proven choice for Houston area lawns, with coarse, medium green blades, good shade tolerance, and strong cold tolerance. It performs well in sunny and partially shaded yards across Spring, Klein, and The Woodlands, including lawns with filtered light from mature trees. Raleigh still needs about 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight for consistent growth and is not suited for deep shade. We keep Raleigh sod in stock every day we are open, making it easy to pick up the grass you need without waiting on a special order.
Growing conditions
- Sun
- 4 to 6 hours of direct sun minimum. Tolerates filtered shade under pines and oaks better than Bermuda or Zoysia.
- Water
- 1 inch per week established. New sod needs daily water for the first 10 to 14 days.
- Mowing
- Mow at 3 to 4 inches. Cutting Raleigh short is the fastest way to weaken it.
- Traffic
- Moderate. It recovers from normal family use but not from a daily path or heavy play.
Best for
- Yards with mature trees and filtered shade
- Standard residential lawns across Spring and Klein
- Fast repair of bare patches in an existing St. Augustine lawn
- Homeowners who want a thick, broad-bladed, classic Houston lawn
Watch out for
- Chinch bugs in hot, dry, full-sun strips near driveways and sidewalks
- Take-all root rot in low areas that stay wet — improve drainage before resodding
- Do not scalp it. Raleigh stores energy in the blade, not deep in the roots
Care after installation
Days 1 to 14
Water every morning, enough to keep the soil under the sod damp — roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch per day. Stay off the lawn. Do not mow.
Weeks 3 to 6
Cut back to every other day, then twice a week, watering deeper each time to pull roots down. First mow once the sod resists a gentle tug.
Ongoing
1 inch of water per week including rain. Fertilize in spring after full green-up and again in early fall. Skip heavy nitrogen in mid-summer heat.
Prepping the soil bed? Pick up enriched topsoil and read the sod installation steps before your pallet arrives.