Big Easy Sod Adds Palmetto St. Augustine to Its Grass Variety Lineup for Shade-Challenged Lawns
August 17, 2026 - PRESSADVANTAGE - Big Easy Sod has added Palmetto to its installation lineup, giving homeowners in
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August 17, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Big Easy Sod has added Palmetto to its installation lineup, giving homeowners in heavily shaded neighborhoods a grass variety bred specifically for the low-light conditions created by mature live oak canopy, the company announced this week. The addition expands the contractor’s offerings to five warm-season varieties and follows the launch of the company’s new website last week.
Palmetto is a semi-dwarf cultivar of St. Augustine grass developed for improved shade tolerance, a finer blade texture, and a slower growth habit than standard varieties. According to Big Easy Sod, the cultivar performs well with three to four hours of direct sun per day and tolerates filtered or dappled light for the remainder, while Floratam, the standard St. Augustine variety most commonly installed in the region, requires six or more hours of direct sun to maintain density. The company identifies that difference as the deciding factor for lawns in oak-lined neighborhoods such as Uptown, the Garden District, Mid-City, and Lakeview, where tree canopy defines the streetscape and conventional sod installations frequently thin out within a season or two.
“When a lawn fails under a live oak, homeowners usually blame their watering schedule or their fertilizer, but in most cases the wrong variety was installed for the light conditions,” said a spokesperson for Big Easy Sod. “Palmetto was bred for exactly this scenario. Adding it to our lineup means we can finally give shaded properties a St. Augustine option that holds its density instead of starving for light.”
The company reports that Palmetto’s semi-dwarf growth habit reduces mowing frequency across the region’s nine-month growing season and lowers fertilizer demand, with two to three applications per year typically sufficient in shaded conditions. The cultivar also handles brief cold snaps better than Floratam, an attribute the company notes is relevant for properties on the Northshore in communities such as Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, and Madisonville, where occasional hard freezes occur. The variety carries moderate flood tolerance comparable to standard St. Augustine and performs in the region’s clay soils when drainage is adequate.
Big Easy Sod states that Palmetto is not appropriate for every property. Yards receiving fewer than two hours of direct sun daily will challenge any warm-season grass, and the company conducts an on-site evaluation of sun exposure at different times of day before recommending the variety. The assessment also covers soil condition and drainage, since lawns that hold standing water for extended periods require correction before any sod installation regardless of grass type. The company identifies large patch fungus as the primary maintenance concern for the cultivar in shaded, high-humidity conditions and advises correct mowing height, morning watering, and restrained fertilization as the principal preventive measures.
The new offering joins St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia, and Centipede varieties already installed by the company. Big Easy Sod provides sod installation, sod maintenance and lawn care, sod replacement and reseeding, and sod delivery throughout the metro area, including Metairie, Kenner, Harahan, River Ridge, Gretna, Harvey, Marrero, and surrounding communities extending to Laplace, Destrehan, Belle Chasse, and Baton Rouge. The company completes most residential installations in a single day with a licensed and insured crew and provides free on-site assessments that match grass variety to each property’s soil, drainage, and sun exposure.
Establishment guidance for the new variety calls for three to four weeks of light foot traffic and six weeks of regular use, with consistent daily watering during the establishment phase. Full details on the Palmetto offering, including shade performance specifications and care recommendations, are available on the company’s website.
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For more information about Big Easy Sod, contact the company here:
Big Easy Sod
Leonard Lane
504-608-3321
info@bigeasysod.com
New Orleans, LA
