Last updated · Hunter's Creek, FL

St. Augustine sod in Hunter’s Creek is the grass nearly every village front already grows, so the real choice is which cultivar. Hunter’s Creek is an unincorporated, master-planned community in south Orange County, ZIP 32837, built mostly in the late 1980s and 1990s. Trees planted as saplings back then now shade large parts of many yards, which means a lawn that was full sun at install may be half shade today. Picking the cultivar by today’s light, not the original plan, is what keeps new St. Augustine alive. Questions: (407) 674-2841.

Map the sun first

Before choosing a pallet, watch the yard for a full day:

  • Six or more hours of direct sun — typical of open fronts facing the street — suits Floratam.
  • Four to six hours — under a young oak, beside a two-story wall — favors a shade-tolerant cultivar.
  • Less than about four hours under a dense, mature canopy is hard for any lawn grass. Mulch, a shade bed or pruning to raise the canopy can work better than repeated resodding.

Many Hunter’s Creek lots end up needing two cultivars: one for the sunny front strip and one for the shaded side yard or backyard.

Cultivars compared

  • Floratam. Coarse, blue-green and vigorous in full sun and heat. It thins quickly in shade and should not be mowed short.
  • Seville and Palmetto. Finer-textured and more shade tolerant, and they tolerate a slightly lower mowing height. Their color can read a little different from Floratam next door, so put them where the change is least visible.
  • CitraBlue. A newer University of Florida release that keeps a blue-green color closer to Floratam while handling more shade.

On a photographed village front, the cultivar the rest of the block grows is the safe default. Changing grass type may need Architectural Committee approval; check with the association before ordering.

Pests and disease by season

  • Chinch bugs, summer. They favor hot, sunny, drought-stressed St. Augustine — the sidewalk edge and driveway strip are typical first spots. Yellowing patches that spread outward and do not green up after watering are worth inspecting at the edge of the damage.
  • Large patch, cool months. From late fall into spring, circular orange-brown rings in St. Augustine often mean large patch fungus. Avoid evening watering and heavy nitrogen in fall.
  • Gray leaf spot, wet summers. Brown, diamond-shaped leaf spots show up on new, heavily fed turf during humid weather.

Care that suits St. Augustine here

  • Mowing. Keep Floratam at about 3.5–4 inches; shade cultivars can sit slightly lower. Scalping invites weeds and chinch bugs.
  • Watering. Orange County follows the St. Johns River Water Management District days: two days a week through October 31 and one day a week from November 1, never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. New sod has a limited establishment exception; check the district page for the current terms.
  • Fertilizer. Unincorporated Orange County restricts nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer from June 1 through September 30.

Nearby pages

Sod replacement in Hunter’s Creek, sod installation in Hunter’s Creek, and irrigation repair in Hunter’s Creek.

Quick answer

St. Augustine sod in Hunter’s Creek (32837) works best when the cultivar matches the light the yard gets now: Floratam in full sun, Seville, Palmetto or CitraBlue where the oaks have closed in. Match the block, watch for chinch bugs in summer and large patch in cool months, and keep the mower high. Questions: (407) 674-2841.