St. Augustine Seed Heads & Deer Pea: Lawn "Weeds" Explained

A lawn enthusiast spotted two concerning plants: one with prolific seed heads, another with flowers. The first is St. Augustine grass seed heads—normal seasonal flowering triggered by weather shifts (drought followed by rain, cool fronts). The second is deer pea (a legume/clover relative).

St. Augustine Seed Heads

• Follow a seed head down: if attached to a grass runner, it's your lawn flowering.
• Sporadic normally; prolific bloom under certain weather conditions.
• Seed germination is poor (~40%); not worth collecting for lawn repair.

Deer Pea Control

• Any "weed & feed" labeled for St. Augustine grass will control it.
• Hand-pull if vines are few.

Follow-Up: Reader's Realization

The gardener had been pulling seed heads thinking they were weeds! Instead, for bare spots, use St. Augustine plugs (cut 1-inch-deep squares from inconspicuous areas) — they fill in faster than sod.