St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum [Walt.] Kuntze) grows well in tropical and subtropical climates. It's no wonder that St. Augustine grass is the most commonly sown grass in Florida. The grass is blue-green in color; certain cultivars are shade-tolerant. Gardeners wanting to seed St. Augustine grass should plant in spring or fall in northern Florida; or in fall, winter or spring in southern Florida.
Mow your existing lawn with your lawn mower to get it as short as possible. This helps the seeds get established and grow over the existing lawn.
Fill in bare or low spots in your lawn with topsoil to even out the grade. If you don't have any dips in your lawn's grade, skip this step.
Rake the top 1/4 inch of the soil with a small rake over any bare spots on your lawn. You do not need to rake the lawn in areas that have a healthy layer of grass growing.
Scatter St. Augustine grass seed over your lawn by hand or using a mechanical spreader. Add 16 seeds per square inch, per Greenview Fertilizer's recommendation.
Cover the grass seed with 1/4 inch of topsoil.
Water the newly planted grass seed until the soil becomes moist but not sopping. Continue to keep the grass seed moist until it germinates.