If you’re looking for the best fertilizer for your St Augustine warm-season grass, it can be a bit of a struggle as there are so many fertilizers for St Augustine.
You can choose a liquid fertilizer to improve your soil quality or a granular slow-release nitrogen variety to revive your grass back to life.
In our reviews, we have a great range of lawn fertilizers to cover all your St Augustine fertilizing.
Maintaining lush, dark green lawns is overwhelming when you consider the number of fertilizers for grass there is. (Learn What Causes Brown Spots in My Lawn)
Contents
By the end of our reviews and buying guide, you’ll know which is the best St Augustine grass fertilizer for your lawn.
Why You Need a Good Fertilizer For St Augustine Grass
St. Augustine makes a beautiful lawn yet as with any grass; it will need regular fertilization to keep it healthy and green.
Choosing the best St Augustine grass fertilizers isn’t rocket science, yet it’s also not as easy as picking up a bag of any from the garden center.
Understanding your St Augustine grass care is vital to knowing which fertilizer you will choose and how you will use it.
The quantity you use is vital, and using too little won’t deliver the lush, green color or fast growth a St. Augustine lawn is known for. Too much and you can create the ideal are for pests and other nasties.
The best fertilizer for St Augustine grass will be any fertilizer that delivers 1 pound of nitrogen for every 1, 000 square feet of sod.
Additionally, fertilizing every two months, it will deliver the best results unless applying slow-release fertilizer which you can apply every 10 weeks.
Every bag of fertilizer comes with a nutrient analysis.
The calculation is straightforward. If you have a lawn that is 2, 000 square feet and you select a 15-5-10 bag fertilizer.
Divide 100 by the first number. This gives the total amount of nitrogen you need. 100/15 = 6.6
Each number of the fertilizer analysis equals the total percentages of the nutrient. Here, you need 6.6 pounds of nitrogen per 1, 000 square feet.
You can quickly calculate how much fertilizer you need. Take your lawn’s square footage then divide by 1,000. (2,000/1,000) x 6.6 = 13.2 pounds of fertilizer
St Augustine grass should be fertilized three times per year. Fertilize in the early spring, late spring, late summer growing season and fall. (Read What Fertilizer To Use In Spring)
Top Fertilizer For St Augustine Grass Reviews
1. Advanced 16-4-8 Balanced NPK – Lawn Food Quality Liquid Fertilizer – Spring & Summer Concentrated Spray – Any Grass Type – Simple Lawn Solutions
The precise formulation is an ideal 16-4-8 blend that, rather than using chemical additives to get results, rejuvenates your lawn with organic and natural ingredients.
A primary blend of nutrients and also seaweed and fish are included in this Easy Lawn Solutions fertilizer. For keeping your grass lush and green whilst promoting strong root growth, the NPK ratio is ideal.
On lawns that are infested with weeds, fungi, disease, or insect infestations, this blend will not work. This fertilizer is intended to encourage existing lawns to develop healthy and vibrant.
This fertilizer also works with, among others, Bermuda, Florida Palmetto, Fescue, and Kentucky Bluegrass, in addition to St. Augustine grass.
The fertilizer comes in an easy-to-apply formula, and the bottle has a hose attachment right on top, so it is ready to use, and no special sprayers or spreaders are needed.
Pros
- Easy to use – spray attachment on the bottle
- Concentrated formula
- Comes from a company with 25 years of experience
- Great value for money
Cons
- Nozzle may not work correctly
- The sprayer can seize with repeat use
With a guide price of just over $24, this fertilizer is ideal for use to give your lawn the best natural ingredients possible. The concentrated formula covers up to 3,200 square feet of St Augustine lawn.
2. Super Juice All in One Soluble Supplement Lawn Fertilizer
This all-in-one fertilizer, named Super Juice, is next. The name does fertilizer justice. What is very interesting with this product is the fine dry mix is to be dissolved and then applied by sprayer. One bag is sufficient to cover one acre.
For a 7-1-2 blend, you can half the 14-2-4 NPK ratio it delivers at maximum strength.
It comes in a resealable bag lined that is lined with foil for freshness so that you can store any unused without worry.
You can use this as a primary treatment or complement to growing grass. Nutrients are rapidly consumed through the grass blades, and you can see the effects in as little as one to four hours.
Pros
- Suitable for iron deficiency in grass
- Delivers extensive coverage
- Fast-acting
- Used by pro grass care on golf courses
Cons
- Expensive
- Needs dissolving in water
With a guide price of just under $80, this is an expensive fertilizer to purchase in one go. Keep in mind, it delivers extensive coverage and has the addition to solving iron deficiency problems.
3. Simple Lawn Solutions Extreme Grass Growth Lawn Booster- Quality Liquid Spray Concentrated Fertilizer with Fulvic & Humic Acid- Any Grass Type
The extreme grass growth blend is another Simple Lawn Solutions. This fertilizer, like other products, is produced and manufactured in the US by the same company with more than 25 years of experience in the lawn care industry.
This fertilizer is perfect for Buffalo, Palmetto, Zoysia, and Bluegrass, as well as St. Augustine grass.
For fast and simple use, it comes in an easy-to-use bottle. What you need to do is plug in your garden hose, and it’s all right to go. The fertilizer is child-friendly as well as pet-friendly, so it is safe to use at home.
The NPK ratio of 6-19-0 provides nitrogen and phosphorous and also some humic and fulvic acid to the lawn. It’s non-toxic and performs well with both freshly seeded areas and lawns that have already become established.
The solution is produced with high-quality food-grade natural and organic ingredients to promote vertical as well as lateral development.
Pros
- Delivers fast and great results
- Ready to use bottle
- No dilution necessary
- Can be used on new or established lawns
Cons
- Some users report sprayer issues
- May not cover the full area quoted
With a guide price of just over $23, this is a highly effective fertilizer for St Augustine grass as well as many others. The main issue being the nozzle sticking or not working properly.
4. Ultimate 3-18-18 NPK- Lawn Food Quality Liquid Fertilizer- Concentrated Spray- Any Grass Type- Summer & Fall Nutrients- Simple Lawn Solutions, 32-Ounce- Green, Grow, Root Growth, Health & Strength
Simple Lawn Solutions present the ultimate 3-18-18 NPK fertilizer. It is for use on lawns displaying symptoms of potassium and phosphorous deficiencies.
These can manifest in purple, red, or dark edges, weak root growth, yellowing, or low extreme temperature resistance.
This will increase root growth and improve the fertilizer’s ability to spread across your lawn.
With St. Augustine grass as well as Buffalo, Palmetto, Bluegrass, and more, this product works well. To effectively resist disease, fungus, and insect infestations, it keeps grass healthy and strong.
Ultimate Lawn Food Natural Liquid Fertilizer is produced from natural and organic ingredients of high quality.
It’s all food-grade and does not include harmful chemicals, so kids and pets are safe.
It’s easy to apply, just add the incorporated nozzle to your garden hose, and you’re all set.
Pros
- Treats up to 3,200 square feet of lawn
- Fast-acting
- Easy to use bottle
- Natural ingredients
Cons
- The nozzle may not dispense the right amount of fertilizer
- The handle can stick on the sprayer
With a guide price of just over $22, this is a great alternative for lawns that are showing signs of deficiencies in phosphorous and potassium. It is easy to use and helps deliver strong root growth.
5. Scotts 21814 Turf Builder Starter Food for New Grass, 14,000 sq. ft
If you are planting a new lawn, this Scotts fertilizer is the ideal starter food to start your lawn off in the best way possible
It promotes rapid growth and helps to deliver up to 70% thicker grass which can grow up to 35% faster than grass that has no treatment.
The NPK ratio of 24-25-4 is ideal for promoting rapid, strong root growth with thick health blades. It is also ideal for all forms of grass, St. Augustine included.
The fertilizer provides a means of fertilizing new growth and also developed lawns, so it can cover all options and is highly efficient.
For quick application, this fertilizer comes as granules and requires a spreader. All you need is to water the lawn to make sure it gets to the roots.
The tiny granules soak rapidly into the ground to get to work. (Read Scotts Turf Builder Weed And Feed)
Pros
- Great for new grass
- Promotes fast root development
- Can be used on all grass types
- Contains no harsh chemicals
Cons
- Needs a spreader to apply
- Can burn young grass
With a guide price of a little under $50, it is a good solution if you have a large area of a new lawn. One bag covers up to 14,000 square feet, so it does deliver lots of efficient coverage.
Fertilizer For St Augustine Grass Buying guide
When buying any fertilizer for St Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and sometimes referred to as Charleston grass, you can choose organic versus synthetic. These are some considerations when buying.
Additionally, you can find them in liquid form or granular pellets. No matter which you choose, they will come in different concentrations of key nutrients.
Organic vs. Synthetic
Organic fertilizer comes from manure, crab meal, seaweed and cottonseed meal, among others. It can be animal-based, plant-based, or a combination. Synthetic fertilizers are man-made.
Liquid vs. Pellet
Liquids, are known as soluble fertilizers are sprayed over your lawn, and pellets offer slow-release nitrogen yet need to be delivered from a spreader then activated by watering
There is an additional option, which is the slow-release granular fertilizers where they break down slowly to deliver slow-release nitrogen
Weeds are not much of an issue with St Augustine grass, yet you can have pests, and some lawn fertilizer will deal with this as well.
Soil deficiencies can be another thing to consider as you do need to know your soil pH and nutrient content. A soil test can be expensive, yet you can purchase a soil test kit to do this yourself before you choose the best fertilizers for St Augustine grass.
Final Verdict
When compiling these reviews, we saw a difference in the way they act to deliver a dark green lawn. Granular fertilizers are slow to use, yet the liquid fertilizers are a hose snap-on, and you are ready.
The fertilizer to offer the best was the Advanced 16-4-8 Balanced NPK – Lawn Food Quality Liquid Fertilizer – Spring & Summer Concentrated Spray – Any Grass Type – Simple Lawn Solutions.
It is concentrated, comes with the ideal blend of nutrients and contains organic ingredients. When growing St Augustine, you just need to apply in the indicated period of time, and you will have the best Saint Augustine grass care possible.
Read more: Best Fertilizer For Trees And Shrubs
