All Saint Augustine lawns have a tendency to lose a lot of their natural dark green color over the Winter months. It doesn't matter what the Saint Augustine grass type or brand is, there is hardly a Saint Augustine lawn which can maintain its normal color over Winter in most regions. So what causes Saint Augustine grass to lose its color in Winter?

And better yet, how can we maintain a greener Saint Augustine lawn over Winter?

From various Saint Augustine grass research studies, we can say that some St Augustine grass types can lose their color and turn brown more than other Saint Augustine lawn types can. So there are winners and losers amongst the different Saint Augustine types. Though we do not cover the different individual turf brands on this site.

When Nothing Can Be Done To Help Saint Augustine Winter Color

For the homeowner, most Saint Augustine grasses can look exactly the same and cannot be differentiated between each other. This does not mean that all Saint Augustine grasses grow the same or exhibit the same quality characteristics - they most certainly do not, and we've seen this proven in some Saint Augustine grass studies.

The point being made here is that most people who brought a home with Saint Augustine grass already instaled aren't going to know which brand of Saint Augustine they have growing, and because of this - some homeowners can struggle for years trying to get a greener Saint Augustine lawn in winter, but can never win the battle! Just because of the nature of the Saint Augustine lawn type they are growing which may be inherently prone to lose color over winter.

The other factor affecting Saint Augustine grass losing color in winter is climate, Saint Augustine grasses really don't like cooler climates and will lose their winter color more so in these regions than when the grass is grown in warmer climates.

So there may be nothing we can do to get our Saint Augustine lawns greener in winter if we live in a region with colder winters.

All Lawns Lose Color In Winter

All grass types have a tendency to lose their color in Winter months, with this in mind, we can alter our lawn care to prepare for Winter, and to help our Saint Augustine lawns to maintain as much color as possible over the coldest months of the year.

Lawns in warmer climates will go into a state of semi-dormancy in Winter, so there will be almost nothing that can be done over Winter to improve the color of the grass. Instead, we must look at a year round lawn care program which culminates in a very healthy lawn in the Fall, before Winter even arrives. This is the basis of all winter lawn care.

Important Lawn Care Tips To Maintain St Augustine Winter Color

The most important aspects of maintaining a healthy green St Augustine Winter color are as follows:

• fertilize throughout the year with a high quality lawn fertilizer which has Trace Elements
• use a Winter Fertilizer in Winter
• apply the winter fertilizer the month prior to winter arriving and then 2 months later
• apply an Iron supplement or Trace Elements supplement at least once per year, preferably in Fall
  (these are available very cheaply in gardening shops)
• mow lawns regularly throughout the year, mow in Winter if possible
• raise lawn mowing heights before and during Winter
• ensure the St Augustine lawn is in the best health possible in Fall (prior to Winter arriving).