How to Care for a Seashore Paspalum Lawn: Pro Tips for Coastal Turf Domination

If you live by the beach or deal with salty, sandy soil, you've probably realized that not every grass species is up for the challenge. That’s where Seashore Paspalum comes in. With its gorgeous dark green color, fine texture, and incredible salt tolerance, it’s no wonder golf courses, sports fields, and high-end lawns love this grass.

But here’s the deal — just like any premium turf, Seashore Paspalum lawn care takes the right plan and a few dialed-in strategies. So if you're wondering how to care for Seashore Paspalum, you're in the right place. I will walk you through mowing, watering, fertilizing, weed control, and everything in between to help your lawn look like it belongs on the fairway at Pebble Beach.

What Makes Seashore Paspalum Special?

Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) isn’t your average warm-season turf. This stuff was built for the beach — literally. It thrives where others fail, including salty coastal environments and places with reclaimed or brackish irrigation water. Here’s why people love it:

• Unmatched salt tolerance — It can handle irrigation water that most grasses can't. In fact, it’s one of the only turfgrasses that can be irrigated with up to 50% seawater.

• Dark green color — Even with low nitrogen input, it holds a rich color. A little foliar iron, and it looks like it's been spoon-fed.

• Flexible mowing heights — Looks sharp whether you’re reel mowing low or cutting higher with a rotary mower.

• Dense, weed-resistant canopy — Once established, it naturally suppresses many weeds.

• Naturally eco-friendly — Paspalum is a favorite for environmentally conscious golf courses and sports fields because it thrives on low fertility and can even use reclaimed wastewater.

• Clonal installation — You don’t seed this grass. It’s installed as sod, sprigs, or plugs, ensuring uniformity and elite performance.

But to keep paspalum at peak performance, you have to treat it right.

How to Identify Seashore Paspalum

✅ 1. Leaf Texture and Color

• Fine to medium texture — It feels softer and thinner than Bahiagrass or St. Augustine, but a bit thicker than Bermuda.
  

• Dark green color — Naturally rich in appearance, especially when given light nitrogen or iron foliar sprays.

✅ 2. Growth Habit

• Spreads by stolons and rhizomes — It forms a dense mat over time, making it great for erosion control and weed resistance.
  

• Low-growing, prostrate habit — It hugs the ground and responds well to low mowing, unlike upright grasses like bahiagrass.

✅ 3. Salt Tolerance

• One of the few turfgrasses that can thrive on brackish or reclaimed water. If you’re on a coastal site and the grass is thriving without supplemental freshwater, paspalum is a strong candidate.

✅ 4. Seed Head (if visible)

• Short, paired racemes (spikes) on thin stalks.
  

• Less prominent than Bahiagrass seed heads (which stand tall and look like “V” shaped deer antlers).
  

• Usually appears only if the grass is unmowed for a while.

✅ 5. Ligule (for turf nerds)

• Membranous ligule with a fringe of hairs.
  

• Located where the leaf blade meets the sheath — this helps distinguish paspalum from similar grasses if you’re looking under a loupe.

✅ 6. Where It’s Commonly Found

• Golf courses (especially seaside), sports fields, and premium coastal lawns.
  

• If you're near a beach or marshy area and the lawn is tight, green, and soft to walk on, it could be Seashore Paspalum.

Related: Coastal Lawn Care: Tips for Maintaining a Lush Lawn by the Sea 

Mowing: Setting the Stage for Greatness

Alright, let’s talk mowing. One of the biggest mistakes I see is mowing too infrequently or at the wrong height. When it comes to Seashore Paspalum grass care, mowing is where the rubber meets the road.

🟢 Best Mowing Height for Seashore Paspalum:

• Putting green vibes? Go super low: 0.125" to 0.5" (reel mower required).
  

• Golf fairway or residential pro-look? Stay between 0.5" and 1.5."
  

• Casual weekend cut? Up to 2," especially with a rotary mower.

And yes, reel mowers give the cleanest cut. If you're committed to that golf course look, it’s worth the investment.

Pro Tip: Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. This keeps the lawn stress-free and looking sharp.

Fertilizer for Paspalum Grass: Less Is More

Here’s something that surprises a lot of folks — Seashore Paspalum doesn’t need much nitrogen. It actually performs better with lighter, more strategic feedings. Too much and you’ll get thatchy, spongy turf.

🔍 What to Use:

• Complete 14-7-14 — A fantastic base fertilizer with iron, manganese and magnesium, plus sea kelp and humic acid It feeds the turf and improves soil health.

lebanon-country-club-complete-fertilizer-14-7-14-sgn-80

• CarbonizPN-G — One of my favorite all-around biostimulant products. It has compost, biochar, and microbes to level up your soil biology. It reduces soil compaction, drives root growth, increases fertility, and improves water absorption.

essential-g™-granular-carbon-free-shipping

📆 Application Plan:

• Start feeding when temps are consistently in the 70s (soil and air).
  

• Apply a slow-release product like Country Club Complete 14-7-14 every 4–6 weeks from late spring to early fall.
  

• Use foliar iron between granular apps if you want that deep, rich color without extra mowing.

Pro Tip: Go light, go slow. You’ll get better color, better root growth, and fewer problems down the line.

Related: Top Tips for Fertilizing Your Lawn: Choosing the Right Lawn Fertilizer 

Watering Schedule for Seashore Paspalum: Salt Smart Strategy

This grass was practically made for coastal life. It’s often used on golf courses and athletic fields in salty or reclaimed water zones.

💧 Watering Guidelines:

• Deep and infrequent: 2–3 times a week, depending on temperatures and rainfall.
  

• Water early in the morning to minimize disease risk.
  

• 1" to 1.25"/week total, including rainfall.

🌊 Low-Salinity Irrigation for Paspalum:

The high salt tolerance of Seashore Paspalum is one reason why it is so popular in the Middle East, Caribbean, and coastal U.S. It can be watered using sea water, or by using reclaimed, well, or brackish water. Paspalum can take it. But even salt-tolerant grass needs a reset every now and then. Try to flush the soil with fresh water once a month if possible. It helps prevent salt buildup in the root zone.

Pro Tip: Watch for leaf burn or patchy growth — it could be a sign that salts are stacking up. If your lawn has salt damage, we recommend using Na-X 5-0-0 Soil Salt Flush. Na-X is a soluble electrolyte solution which reduces excess sodium salt levels and stimulates biological activity in soils. It is also an excellent source of calcium for turf.

na-x-soil-salt-flush-5-0-0-salt-damage-recovery

Weed and Disease Control: Keep It Clean

No one likes weeds. Or turf diseases. The good news? A healthy Seashore Paspalum lawn is naturally good at crowding them out. But a little help never hurts.

🌱 Paspalum Weed and Disease Control:

Pre-Emergent:

• Prodiamine 0-0-7 — This is my go-to. It stops crabgrass, Poa annua, spurge, and more before they even show up.

prodiamine-38-pre-emergent-herbicide-with-fertilizer-0-0-7-50lb

• Specticle FLO — If you want elite, long-lasting pre-emergent protection, this is it. Just make sure you only apply it in the fall, not in spring.

specticle-flo-pre-emergent-herbicide

Post-Emergent:

• Triad Select™ Broadleaf Herbicide — Triad Select™ Herbicide uses a blend of three weed killers to control a wide range of broadleaf weeds. This weed killer is among the best for getting rid of dandelions.

broadleaf-weed-control-triad-select-3-way-herbicide

• Certainty — Great for sedges and other grassy weeds that slip through the cracks.

certainty-herbicide-1-25-oz-sedge-and-poa-annua-control

Avoid: Tenacity. It’s a cool product, but not for paspalum. It can damage this turf. Likewise, do not use Celsius WG, so avoid our Celsius & Certainty kit on this grass type, and just use Certainty.

🍄 Disease Prevention:

While Seashore Paspalum is generally more disease-resistant than many other warm-season grasses, it's not immune. Under certain conditions — especially high humidity, poor drainage, overwatering, or excessive nitrogen — it can fall prey to several turf diseases.

Here are the most common ones to watch for:

1. Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa)

• Symptoms: Small, sunken, bleached-out patches (about the size of a silver dollar). Spots may merge into larger dead areas if left untreated.
  

• Triggers: Low nitrogen, high humidity, poor airflow, and moisture lingering on the leaf surface overnight.

2. Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia solani)

• Symptoms: Circular brown patches with a darker outer ring (sometimes looks like a "smoke ring").
  

• Triggers: High night temperatures, excessive nitrogen, and wet soil.

3. Pythium Blight

• Symptoms: Greasy-looking, rapidly spreading patches. Infected grass may collapse or appear matted.
  

• Triggers: Very high humidity and poorly draining soils, especially with overwatering.
  

Pillar SC Intrinsic® Brand is an excellent fungicide that will eliminate all these lawn diseases and is safe to use on Seashore Paspalum.

pillar-sc-fungicide-liquid-brown-patch-and-dollar-spot-control

Pro Tip: The best defense is a healthy, dense lawn. Stick with a solid mowing, feeding, and watering schedule, and weeds won’t stand a chance.

Thatch and Aeration: Breathe Easy

Even though paspalum doesn’t thatch as aggressively as Bermuda, you still want to keep an eye on it — especially if you’ve been feeding it heavily or mowing tall.

🛠️ What to Do:

• Dethatch: If the lawn feels spongy or you see brown runners sitting on top of the soil, it’s time. Do it in late spring or early summer.
  

• Core Aerate: Once a year is plenty. Do it when the grass is actively growing so it recovers quickly.

Follow up with a product like CarbonizPN-G™ after aeration to boost soil life and turf response.

Seasonal Maintenance: Seashore Paspalum Through the Year

Here’s how to keep things running smoothly year-round:

🌱 Spring:

• Pre-emergent + first light fertilizer.
  

• Start mowing regularly.
  

• Water deeply to wake things up.
  

☀️ Summer:

• This is the peak growing season.
  

• Mow frequently (2–3x/week if reel mowing).
  

• Light, regular fertilizer applications.
  

• Watch for insects and disease.
  

🍂 Fall:

• Drop your last fertilizer application.
  

• Apply fall pre-emergent.
  

• Ease off mowing as growth slows.
  

❄️ Winter:

• Dormant time. Chill out.
  

• No feeding or mowing unless you’re in a very warm climate.
  

• Plan for spring: clean gear, get your fertilizer stocked.
  
  

Related: Winter Lawn Care for Coastal Soils: Dealing with Sandy, Acidic Soil Challenges

The Right Lawn for Coastal Champions

Seashore Paspalum isn’t just tough — it’s beautiful. It’s a go-to for golf courses, athletic fields, home lawns that demand durability and aesthetics in tough environments.

So mow it right, feed it light, water it smart, and control weeds early. With the right gear and a bit of patience, you’ll have a lawn that looks like a million bucks — even if it’s just steps from the ocean.

Want that golf course look at home? Shop pro-grade lawn care products for Seashore Paspalum or any type of turf grass at the Golf Course Lawn store!

Your lawn deserves the good stuff. Now let’s go make it happen!