St. Augustine vs. Bermuda: choosing grass for your Texas yard
Most Texas lawn decisions come down to these two — and they want opposite things. Choose by your yard's conditions, not by what the neighbor has.
The head-to-head
| St. Augustine | Bermuda | |
|---|---|---|
| Shade | Best warm-season option — handles filtered shade | Terrible — thins out under any real shade |
| Sun & heat | Good with water | Outstanding — thrives in brutal full sun |
| Mow height | Tall: 3.5–4 in | Short: 1.5–2 in |
| Traffic recovery | Slow | Fast — self-repairs aggressively |
| Water appetite | Higher | Lower once established |
| Containment | Stays put reasonably | Invades beds, sidewalks, your dreams |
The simple decision rule
Trees or afternoon shade? St. Augustine — it's basically the only warm-season grass that tolerates it, which is why it owns Houston's oak-canopied neighborhoods. Full blazing sun, kids, dogs? Bermuda — it recovers from traffic like nothing else and sips water by comparison, which matters under watering restrictions in DFW and Austin.
Whichever you pick, mow it right
These grasses fail fastest when mowed like each other — Bermuda cut tall gets puffy and scalps; St. Augustine cut short burns out in a week of July. Homigo crews set height by grass type on every visit, and our Texas summer guide covers the rest of the heat playbook.