Easy Gardens Life

Marathon Grass VS St Augustine Grass

Marathon Grass VS St Augustine Grass

It’s tough to choose the best between Marathon grass vs. St Augustine. Both forms are appealing to your grass. To be sure, we’re here to learn about the comparison, not to choose which is the greatest.

So we’ll get started right away. But first, a little background on the Marathon and Augustine grass.

Marathon Grass:

Since 1983, Marathon has been the preferred grass option in Southern California homes. Marathon is a kind of grass that has been carefully cultivated. It’s a cross between Hubbard 87 and Baja, two tall fescues.

Marathon grass develops thickly and has a good feeling and look texture. It has a vibrant green hue and is disease resistant.

St. Augustine Grass:

Since 1565, it’s been the US’ longest populated deal of Europeans and African ethnicity. In Gulf states and Florida, St. Augustine grass is among the most preferred lawn grasses.

Its blue-green spikes make a thick grass that grows fast and is salt resistant. It’s an excellent option for coastal yards because of these features.

Let’s take a closer look at Marathon Grass vs. St Augustine now. Stay with us if you want to learn all there is to know about it.

Marathon grass vs. st Augustine grass | What is the difference

We’ve put up a table to help you get the differences between Marathon grass vs. St Augustine grass.

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Marathon Grass vs St Augustine Grass

                         Marathon grass                       St Augustine grass
Marathon is known for being green all year long. Because it has a root structure up to five times thicker than bluegrass. St. Augustine grass is known as warm-season grass with wide blades and dark green color.
Marathon grass is the best choice for your soil and climate if you live in Southern California. Only zones 8 to 10 are suitable for Augustine grass. So, if you reside around the warm Gulf Coast sections of the nation, St. Augustine grass is the best choice.
Marathon Sod requires little water and can tolerate high temperatures. Watering less regularly but more fully is the advised tactic. St. Augustine grass needs roughly 3/4 inches of water twice a week on average.
Marathon is attractive, but it develops slowly. St. Augustine’s large blades also hide weeds that may be unattractive on other lawns.
It is pest and resistant to disease. Certain types of St. Augustine are resistant to illness.
Marathon is also called Fescue, the popular lawn grass in Southern California. St Augustine is also called buffalo grass in Australia & buffalo lawn in South Africa. It’s a warm-season turfgrass widely grown in subtropical & tropical climates.
As with many plants, it goes into dormancy during the summer months. When soil temp falls below 55 (13C) degrees °F, St. Augustine grass goes into dormancy.
Tall Fescue can grow on sandy soils. It may grow in various soil types, even sandy soil, as it drains effectively.

How to Identify Marathon Grass

A Marathon grass has a lot of characteristics that might help you understand it. Most notably, a Marathon Grass may be identified by its gentle feel. Along with that, Marathon is bright green when it comes to color.

Marathon Grass has a finely leafed look and seems perfectly natural. It is incredibly thick as well. Marathon has a lot of appeals. However, It does develop slowly. We can quickly identify a Marathon Grass based on the features described above.

We discovered some pros and cons based on Internet INFO to understand better.

Advantage

  • It is pest and disease-resistant.
  • It has a high shade resistance.
  • Marathon offers a high wear tolerance to all types of foot usage.
  • It’s ideal for children’s households.
  • Captivating grass
  • Maintains itself well over the winter

Disadvantage

  • It may become brown over the hot, humid summertime.
  • Marathon grass is overseeding throughout the warmer months.

How to Identify St Augustine Grass

Augustine grasses contain a few distinguishing features. Floratam, on the other hand, is the most specific feature to recognize.

The blades of St. Augustine grass are broad, and the stolons, or stems, are purple. The grass blades are spaced at least 3 inches wide. In addition, St. Augustine grass has whitish roots and a blue-green tint.

Based on these features, we can readily tell whether the grass is Augustine grass. In addition, we’ve highlighted some of the pros and cons of St. Augustine grass below. We can identify more readily which is St. Augustine grass by reading them.

Advantage

  • Suitable for coastal locations
  • Tolerant of shade
  • It thrives on sandy soil
  • Weeds are choked out
  • Broad, dark-green blades hide weeds.

Disadvantage

  • Seeds cannot be sown reliably.
  • Dethatching may be required more often than with other grasses.

Marathon Grass Vs St Augustine Grass | Which Is Best For Lawn

The authentic Marathon grass is renowned for its versatility and year-round green hue. This grass is ideal for orange county households. House with small children who spend more time outdoors playing. The dormant season of Marathon grass is Summer. When it’s wintertime, they become more active.

It’s tough grass that bounces back rapidly from the wear and suffering of frequent usage. Also, Marathon does not require a lot of water; it just needs a little bit of water.

St. Augustine grass is beautiful warm-weather lawn grass. It’s a summer-active grass that becomes dormant in the wintertime.

Even when it’s a bit brown, it still seems neat. Weeds have no chance. It is unsafe for dogs, and that’s why they can’t touch it. According to the authors, St. Augustine demands a lot of water. However, this is not the case.

Chinch bugs in St. Augustine may cause brown patches. Set a slip of white sheet near your brown patches for a diagnosis. Prepare yourself since the pests will swarm the area. You’ll have to apply pesticides to kill chinch bugs to get rid of them.

We’ve put together a quick guide table to assist you in figuring out which one is best for your lawn.

                        Marathon Grass                  St. Augustine Grass
Well-suited to the soils and conditions of Southern California. It’s ideal for a Florida lawn.
It can withstand extreme temperatures. It can endure a wide variety of soil pH, beneficial to your lawn.
Marathon is best done in the winter. Augustine is a grass that thrives in the summer heat.
It was initially set off in 1983 and has since become relatively famous. It’s popular since it thrives in both the sun and the shade. It also germinates and establishes itself more rapidly than other cool-season cultivars. Around 1816, Augustine arrived on the islands. It is very salt-tolerant, which makes it quite popular.

How To Take Care Of Marathon Grass Vs. St Augustine

You must correctly maintain your grass to keep it looking great. There are many things you may do to look after Marathon.

  • Water your lawn twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Water your yard over the second week at 7 a.m.
  • Continue to flood your grass every week over the third week.
  • Throughout the fourth week, water once each two to three days.
  • Water your sod once a week throughout the winter after six weeks.
  • Throughout the summer, 2 to 3 times a week is recommended.

Once your new sod has been planted for a month. You can begin applying a monthly application of an all-season sod fertilizer. In July and August, don’t fertilize your grass.

Like Marathon, you can also take some actions to take care of your St Augustine. Experts suggest focusing on your St. Augustine grass care in three primary areas. If you want to maintain your yard green from spring through fall. They are:

  • Mowing
  • Fertilization

To describe

  • Apply a water-soluble fertilizer to give your lawn the nutrients it requires now.
  • Mow extra mostly and leave grass trimmings on the lawn for nutrients.
  • Fill bare spots with plugs or sod.
  • Controlling weeds.
  • Controlling insects.
  • Fungus Reduction.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Marathon is what kind of grass?

Marathon, commonly known as Fescue, is a popular lawn grass in Southern California. It goes dormant in the summer, like other plants.

Is it simple to manage St Augustine grass?

Augustine thrives in humid climates and can endure droughts with ease. Because it grows fast. It develops a thick thatch cover along with the soil.  Although aggressive, St. Augustine grass is virtually durable.

When should I plant marathon grass?

Tall fescue seeds should be planted in the late summer to early autumn. Fall has several benefits that aren’t accessible at any time of year. Even when the air temperature drops in the fall, the soil maintains some summer warming.

Conclusion

Finally, which would you select amongst Marathon Grass vs. St Augustine? Both are useful and have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. When choosing one, you must pay close attention.

Marathon is appealing, but Augustine is unappealing. Marathon requires very little water, while Augustine needs 3/4 inches of water.

We’ve addressed all there is to learn about Marathon and Augustine. It’s now up to you to figure out what’s ideal for you.

William Kirkwood

William Kirkwood

Hi, I'm William K, an avid gardener, and outdoor enthusiast. I help busy people get into gardening, create natural and good-looking home decorations, and suggest outdoor activities and tools explore nature.