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Provista St. Augustine Grass Texas Version-Freeze resistance #852496

Asked October 07, 2023, 4:39 PM EDT

At https://soilcrop.tamu.edu/new-st-augustinegrass-hybrids-highlighted-at-annual-turfgrass-field-day/ in 2019 it mentions that a new variety of Provista is being developed for Texas that will be more freeze tolerant than the original Florida version. The best thing about Provista is that it's resistant to glyphosate herbicide, but I'd also like to know how the Texas version stacks up to Floratam, Palmetto, Raleigh for freeze resistance. Thanks.

Fort Bend County Texas

Expert Response


Thank you for reaching out in reference to St Augustine Grass and its cold hardiness.  The Provista that you reference is actually promoted by Scott's and does not boast of the cold hardiness.
Scott's Provista St. Augustine™ – Turfco Grass Co, Inc (turfcograssfarms.com)
Texas has worked on a variety called cobalt which is cold hardy to zone 8a 
Introducing Cobalt™ St. Augustinegrass – Turfgrass Producers of Florida (floridaturf.com)All_states_halfzones_poster_300dpi2.jpg (2700×1800) (onegreenworld.com)

We have Colbalt here as we are in the middle of a turf trail on our campus.  It is available for you to come and look at.  
Fort Bend County Master Gardeners – Trained volunteers assisting Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in educating the community using research-based horticultural information. (fbmg.org)

Let us know at the contact information below if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you again for reaching our to us.


Regards,

Lynn

Volunteer
Fort Bend County Master Gardeners
Research and Gardening Help Desk Team
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https://fbmg.org/


An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 13, 2023, 11:43 AM EDT

Thanks for the information, I hadn't heard of the Cobalt variety.  Do you know of anyone other than Kubicek Farms that grows it in this area?

The Question Asker Replied October 16, 2023, 3:06 PM EDT
Hi. Other than the Kubicek farms, the best place to start would be to call around the local nurseries near you and see if anyone is selling cobalt variety. Stock can change, so it's hard to say who exactly will it at any given time. You can also purchase it online such as a site like this one: https://sodsolutions.com/shop/plugs/cobalt-st-augustine-grass-plugs/

Regards,
Jerry and Beesan


 
An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 17, 2023, 12:03 PM EDT

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