Centipede Grass Seed

Benefits And Characteristics Of Centipede Grass

Centipede grass is often referred to as “lazy man’s grass,” because it requires far less work than other turf grasses to keep manicured and looking healthy.  If you live in the right climate, centipede grass might be perfect for your yard or anywhere low-maintenance grass might be beneficial.

Centipede grass is:

• Low growing
• Medium textured
• Yellow-green in color, similar to a green apple
• Well adapted to the climate and soil in coastal plains and lower areas of the south and infertile soil
• Fairly shade and drought tolerance
• Best in full sun
• Limited to mild winter temperatures since it does not actually go dormant
• Can be established from seed or sod

Maintenance of Centipede Grass

Although centipedegrass is fairly easy to take care of, it does have some care requirements and precautions.

• Centipede grass is highly susceptible to nematodes and ground pearl insects
• Often, people will over fertilize this type of turf in order to achieve a deeper green color. However, this leads to other maintenance problems. Fertilization rates should not exceed two pounds of nitrogen per a thousand square feet each year in normal soils, and three pounds each year on sandy soils.
• When mowing, maintain a blade height of 1 ½ to 2 inches
• Prevent thatch accumulation or remove thatch when it gets to ½ inch
• Weed control is important in this type of turf, because broadleaf weeds grow much faster than the centipede grass, and you might have to trim the weeds much more often than the grass needs to be cut.
• This type of grass cannot sustain heavy foot traffic and is not well suited for athletic fields or any areas that will experience heavy use. It is often used on lawns, parks, golf course roughs, utility turf, and anywhere a low-maintenance turf is desired.
• Centipede grass is drought tolerant, but can experience water stress like any grass. Water deeply (about 4 inches) only when grass shows signs of stress.