Once you’ve decided that St. Augustine is the best grass type for your future lawn, you have one more major choice to make: Should I choose St. Augustine plugs or sod? Choosing either option will, most likely and with proper care, end up with you having a nice, even St. Augustine lawn. However, there are some major differences in how you’ll get there.
St. Augustine Plugs vs. Sod – The Short Answer
If you’re on a tight budget or you plan on doing the installation work yourself, you’re better off going with St. Augustine plugs over sod. If you aren’t concerned with the cost and are planning to hire a professional service for installation and care, sod could be your ideal way to achieve an “instant” lawn.
Advantages of Using St. Augustine Plugs
St. Augustine plugs are what most people will choose. They have several compelling advantages and their greatest disadvantage is time. This is explained below.
Less Expensive
Choosing to install St. Augustine plugs, and installing them yourself, means that getting a complete St. Augustine lawn will cost between 3x and 7x less than choosing sod and either renting the tools or having it professionally installed. For many people, this is the deciding factor.
Easier to Install
Unlike grasses such as Zoysia or other non-stolon species, St. Augustine does exceptionally well in plug form. It will grow and spread quickly and with no encouragement. In plug form, St. Augustine comes in blocks of about 2″ to 4″ in diameter. These should weigh about 4 to 8 oz each. They’re light, transported on plastic or compostable trays, and require no heavy equipment to acquire or install. If you can lift a standard shovel, you can install St. Augustine plugs.
Easier to Isolate Issues
With plugs, you can easily see if you’re having drainage issues or issues with certain areas of the lawn. This is because you can see between and, if needed, under each grass plug. This can make it easier to spot-treat issues without ripping up and replacing a large section of heavy sod.
More Likely to Root Without Intervention
Sod is usually relatively happy to remain sod. Plugs, on the other hand, are much more likely to root quickly and begin to spread out. This is usually because they felt constrained in the small trays in which they were grown. However, you should always check the plugs you buy before bringing them home or upon delivery to ensure that they are not root-bound.
Drawbacks of Using St. Augustine Plugs
While usually a smart decision, using St. Augustine plugs can come with a drawback or two.
The Time it Takes to “Fill In”
Time is the primary complaint anyone that must use St. Augustine plugs has. Though this time can be as little as 4 months, if you can afford and install your plugs close together, the wait could be as long as 10 months to a little over a year if you space your plugs too far apart. Any outbreak of disease or run of bad weather could also increase the time it takes for your St. Augustine lawn to establish.
Digging and Planting Each St. Augustine Plug
Planting each St. Augustine plug, though less strenuous than hefting and rolling out sod or even laying hundreds of the heavy squares, still requires work. The work, however, is different. With plugs, you may need to dig as few as 40 or as many as 400 small holes every 6 to 14 inches in your yard. With the right tools, this job is made easier. The tools for planting plugs are also less expensive than those used to ensure that sod is correctly placed.
Advantages of Using St. Augustine Sod
Sod is ideal for anyone that wants an “instant” St. Augustine lawn, though it’s not the only option. With this in mind, consider these other advantages of St. Augustine sod.
Even Placement
Sod will need soil preparation to even out the underlying soil and even pressure to remove air pockets and ensure the roots of the sod have firm contact with the ground. This will result in an even lawn right off the bat.
“Instant St. Augustine Lawn”
Sod doesn’t have to “fill in”. It can be cut to nearly any shape and it can even be combed to look seamless. With St. Augustine sod, it could seem as if your lawn grew in fully within a day.
Less Damage to the Turf
Though this depends on the state of the plugs you’re using and where they’ve come from, choosing sod, especially large sheets or rolls of sod, can mean you’re getting turf that’s a little “happier” and less damaged than other options. This could result in an easier time adapting, especially in the hottest parts of summer.
Drawbacks of Using St. Augustine Sod
Nothing that sounds as good as an “instant St. Augustine lawn” can be without its potential drawbacks.
Cost of Sod
Sod is expensive. It can easily be 3x as expensive as plugs, not including the cost of installation or tool rental. This cost is comprised of the fact that you’re getting more material and that material is more difficult to move and keep alive.
Physical Work
Sod is much heavier and requires much more strength to move, manipulate and install than St. Augustine plugs do. Each sheet of sod can easily weigh 50 lbs and rolls can weigh well over a hundred. The large rollers and tamper you can rent to help you place the sod correctly also take a good amount of strength to control. More caution is needed when installing sod compared to plugs, too.
More Limited Choices
The logistics of growing and acquiring sod can limit the types of sod available to you or your area. This could mean your ideal St. Augustine cultivar could be harder to come by in sod form, or you may need to join a waiting list to get it.
Harder to Diagnose and Treat Issues
As an “instant lawn,” St. Augustine sod will cover up the soil, leaving no gaps or spaces. When you need to check the status of the sod’s roots or the soil beneath, in the case of a discolored patch of grass, you need to pry or pull up the sod.
Could Refuse to Root Without Intervention
Sod, unlike grass plugs, can choose to stay as a sheet of sod instead of rooting into your yard. While there are techniques and best practices that help prevent this, you may end up with a healthy “lawn” that isn’t attached to your yard at all for several seasons in the worst-case scenario.
St. Augustine Plugs vs. Sod (My Opinion)
As much as I like the idea of placing sod and having an “instant” lawn, I know that I would prefer to use plugs to create a St. Augustine lawn, especially if I’m on a budget or installing the lawn myself. St. Augustine is a grass that’s easy to work with and one that will fill in quickly. It may be the ideal variety to install from plugs. If, however, I had an unlimited budget and could get the type of sod I want and have it installed by a professional landscaping team, I would choose that option.
In short, neither option is purely superior but they are each superior in different situations. It all depends on what your budget is, how much physical work you are capable of, and what tools you already have on hand. For most people, plugs are simply the more accessible option and they will get you the lawn you want, with proper care and attention, in as little as one full growing season.
Thanks for this information. I bought St Augustine plugs and I think they are root bound. The roots are thick, solid & cover the entire dirt area that was in the plastic tray. Can you please comment on whether this is too root bound? What should the roots of plugs look like? Thank you.
This is a common sight with St. Augustine grass plugs or any other type of grass plug that could contain stolons/runners as well as typical roots. There are several ways to tackle the problem and get good results. To determine if the plants are severely root bound for certain, look at the very bottom of the plug. If severely root bound, there should be a noticeable circle of roots. In this situation, the best thing to do would be to loosen the bottom half of the roots before or as you plant them.
Typically, healthy grass plugs are sold when the root development is about 65/35 with the soil, visually speaking. This means you should see about 2x as many bright roots as you do dark soil, from the outside of the plug. More than this could mean older plugs. If well cared for, this shouldn’t be an issue and once they are planted you are unlikely to notice a difference from these or newer stock.
From what you have described, I would loosen the root system up to the top inch of the plug. If the roots are matted and too difficult to tear by hand, use a sharp knife to make several long, vertical cuts down the length of the mass and then loosen. Make sure that, once planted, the roots can reach down into the soil and that they do not curve or bend.
Hope this helps!