Florida lawns need warm-season grasses. Fescue, ryegrass, and Kentucky bluegrass, the grasses sold in most of the country, go dormant or die in a Florida summer, and none of the varieties Bayside Sod grows in Bradenton is one of them. The three families that work here are St. Augustine, zoysia, and Bermuda, and each one fits a different kind of yard.
How to Choose Between Them
Three questions decide the grass before any brand name comes up.
How many hours of sun does the lawn get? Every lawn grass needs at least four hours of good sunlight a day. Above that, the grasses separate: Bermuda wants full sun, most St. Augustine wants about 80 percent sun, and the shade-tolerant St. Augustines handle up to 60 percent shade.
Is there an irrigation system? St. Augustine, zoysia, and Bermuda all need permanent irrigation to look like a lawn. If the yard has no sprinklers and you are not adding them, none of the three is the answer; Bahia is the only grass we grow that establishes with hose watering and then lives on rain.
How much traffic does it take? Kids, dogs, and a path to the dock wear a lawn differently from a front yard nobody walks on. Bermuda rates highest for wear, zoysia and St. Augustine rate good for moderate traffic.
If you can answer those three, you can usually name the grass. If not, call the farm with a photo of the yard and we will.
St. Augustine Grass
St. Augustine is the most common lawn grass in Florida and the one most Bradenton and Sarasota yards already have. It is broad-bladed and coarse, dark green, and it spreads by above-ground runners, so it fills in and recovers from wear. It needs permanent irrigation and rates moderate for drought.
Bayside Sod grows four St. Augustines, and the main difference between them is shade:
- Floratam is the standard. It wants about 80 percent sun and holds up to pets and regular activity. If the yard is open and irrigated, this is the grass.
- Bitterblue handles up to 60 percent shade and has a darker blue-green color. Under oaks or on the north side of the house, it keeps its density where Floratam thins.
- ProVista has Bitterblue’s shade tolerance, tolerates glyphosate so weeds can be spot-sprayed without harming the grass, and grows slowly enough to be mowed about half as often.
- Fusion is new for 2026: Bayside Sod’s patent-pending blend of four St. Augustine genotypes, for yards in full sun to moderate shade, and an alternative to Floratam for homeowners concerned about LVN.
St. Augustine’s Florida problems are predictable: chinch bugs and sod webworms in the heat, large patch when nights cool. Our guides on sod webworms and large patch cover the signs.
Zoysia Grass
Zoysia is the grass people choose when they want a lawn that feels like carpet. Its blade is fine to medium, its growth is dense enough to crowd out most weeds, and it is soft underfoot in a way St. Augustine is not. It is good for full sun and limited for shade, rates good for moderate traffic, and needs permanent irrigation.
The variety we grow is EMPIRE Zoysia, a medium-bladed, dark green zoysia bred for southern home lawns. It is known for wear tolerance and for needing less mowing than most lawn grasses, and it is chinch bug resistant. Its one trade-off is establishment: EMPIRE is moderate to slow to root in, so it takes more patience than St. Augustine in the first two months.
Bermuda Grass
Bermuda is the grass of golf courses, football fields, baseball fields, and soccer fields, and it earns that on a home lawn that takes a beating. Its blade is fine, narrow, and pointed, it is excellent in full sun and limited in shade, and it rates good wear for moderate to heavy foot traffic. It establishes faster than any other grass we grow.
The variety we grow is Bimini Bermuda, an improved hybrid that forms a dense, dark green turf. Choose it for a sunny yard with kids and dogs, or a play area, and skip it for a shaded lot; Bermuda thins fast without sun. Permanent irrigation is recommended.
The Three Side by Side
| Trait | St. Augustine (Floratam) | Zoysia (EMPIRE) | Bermuda (Bimini) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | About 80 percent sun; Bitterblue and ProVista take up to 60 percent shade | Full sun, limited shade | Full sun, limited shade |
| Irrigation | Required | Required | Recommended |
| Drought | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| Foot traffic | Good wear, moderate traffic | Good wear, moderate traffic | Good wear, moderate to heavy traffic |
| Maintenance | Moderate (ProVista lower) | Moderate | Moderate |
| Establishment | Moderate | Moderate to slow | Moderate to fast |
The ratings are Bayside’s own, from the same comparison we print on every variety page. The full six-variety table adds Bahia and the two shade St. Augustines.
Which One for Your Yard
A sunny, irrigated front yard in an HOA community: Floratam, because it matches the neighbors and holds up. A shaded lot under live oaks: Bitterblue or ProVista. A back yard with two dogs and a trampoline in full sun: Bimini Bermuda. A lawn you want to look like a putting green and are willing to wait for: EMPIRE Zoysia. No sprinklers and no plans for them: Bahia, and none of the three above.
Bayside Sod has grown all of these on our farm in Bradenton since 1987, and we cut every order the day it ships. If you are in Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, or anywhere on the Gulf Coast between St. Pete and North Port, request a quote with your square footage and a note about the sun, or come see the varieties growing at the farm.