Centipede grass basics:
Centipede grass is a warm-season turfgrass that can be planted and maintained easily. It is sometimes called “lady’s fingers” or “Lily Turf.” This type of grass is very resistant to heat, insects, and heavy traffic. Centipede Grass grows best in full sun exposure to partial shade.
It prefers well-drained soil with an acidic pH between 5.0 and 6.5, making it very easy to maintain in most country regions.
The plant itself has a fine texture that is soft and velvety to touch, ranging from 2-4 inches high and spreading approximately 2 feet wide when planted in rows.
When maintenance needs are taken care of properly, this grass can be grown for many years without needing any major efforts or upkeeps.
Where To Buy:
Centipede Grass Maintenance:
The most important part about maintaining a nice-looking centipede lawn all year round while avoiding costly water bills is by mowing your grass correctly during each season change itself (i.e., late summer to fall and winter).
Mow your grass at about 2 1/4 inches in height for the fall and winter months to help maintain its color all year round while cutting down on water consumption.
The best way to maintain a centipede lawn is by keeping up with its regular mowing practices—the type of grass can get away from you if left un-mowed for too long, especially during the fall and winter months.
If unsightly weeds begin to pop up around your lawn, don’t worry—it’s not much harder than pulling them out by hand or using a herbicide like Roundup to contain any unwanted guests as they come through.
Centipede Grass Growing:
The best time to plant a centipede lawn is in the fall or summer, at least three months before your last frost date.
It is usually recommended that you should aerate and fertilize your new grass before planting it on-site, as this improves its chances of survival and makes sure it has every advantage possible.
When growing a new centipede lawn, remember to give enough room (i.e., distance) between each seedling during planting time to allow greater growth later down the road. You should have too much grass than not enough!
Grass Care:
Mow your yard at about 2 inches for spring and summer seasons to help the grass grow thicker. To avoid an overgrowth of weeds, it is best not to let your lawn go past 3 inches in height unless you plan on cutting it yourself or use a weed-whacker.
Centipede grass does not require any special care once it has been planted.
Just keep an eye on it throughout the summer months since centipede grass is often attacked by grubs and other insects that like to feed off of its roots and stems.
Fertilize every month with a broadleaf fertilizer for optimum growth that will last all season long while also keeping up its resistance against most insects and disease attacks.
Growing Centipede Grass from Seed:
Centipede grass seeds are elementary to grow and have a higher germination rate than other grass types. To start growing your own centipede lawn, you must first acquire the right amount of seeds for your yard size.
When planting these seeds in the spring or summer seasons, be sure to give each seedling plenty of room (i.e., distance) between each one so that they can reach their full potential later on down the road.
Maintain a mowing schedule by cutting off any taller stems with shears until they reach about 1 inch high in height—this will help discourage unwanted weeds from popping up around your yard while also providing ample sunlight for your newly planted seeds!
Soil:
Centipede grass can grow easily on most types of soil. However, the best way to maintain a healthy-looking centipede lawn throughout the season is by incorporating plenty of compost into your yard’s existing dirt. This will help both you and your grass resist disease attacks that come with too much watering or poor care.
Fertilizer:
Centipede grass requires about 1 pound of fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn, which is usually best applied in the early spring before planting your seeds or about a month after you’ve planted them if you want to maintain healthy growth throughout the entire year.
Keep in mind that Centipede Grass doesn’t grow well in wet environments!
Soil pH:
A centipede’s ideal soil pH range is between 6.2 and 7.0, so be sure to test out your yard’s soil conditions before planting it at home—this will help give your new lawn every chance possible to resist disease attacks and other insect infestations later on down the road.
Watering:
Watering frequency can vary depending on the amount of rainfall you get each month. To be safe, however, it is best to water your new centipede lawn every day if there has been no rainfall within the last 3 days, as this will help keep your grass thick and full while also preventing dry spots from showing up near its roots or damaged soil conditions due to over-watering.
Be sure not to overwater your yard during the winter months, as doing so can destroy much of your centipede’s root system unless proper drainage holes are placed into the ground beforehand.
If you want a healthy-looking yard all year long without any issue, then be sure to incorporate plenty of compost into your yard’s existing dirt beforehand! This will help both you and your grass resist disease attacks that come with too much watering or poor care.
Temperature and humidity:
Centipede grass is a heat-tolerant type of grass and can withstand an average temperature range between 20 degrees in the winter months to about 100 degrees during the summer season.
Average humidity levels should be kept low so that your new centipede lawn doesn’t fall victim to disease or pest infestations—about 40 – 50% should work just fine for most people living in warmer regions where temperatures don’t spike. Too high during the summer months!
Lighting:
Centipede grass grows best if you keep it outdoors under direct sunlight during the day. However, these types of grass can also survive well when placed indoors under artificial lighting as long as few hours of sunlight are available every day.
However, if you plan to place your centipede grass indoors, be sure to water it every day, as this will help keep the soil moist enough to survive under artificial lighting all year long.
Acclimate:
Centipede grass requires at least a couple of days worth of warm temperatures before you can plant them outdoors—this is important because it allows them to acclimate to their new environment before being placed in the ground!
You should also ensure that all of the seeds have sprouted before planting, which generally takes about 3 – 4 weeks, depending on temperature levels and watering schedules.
If you want to find out whether or not your germination rate has improved ever since you planted your centipede seedlings over a month ago, then feel about testing the center of each plant’s stem using your thumb to feel for any signs of life.
Any plant that isn’t firm or feels spongy rather than hard when pressed against it is more than likely dead and should be removed from your yard before its decaying roots spread out into nearby grass blades!
After a new centipede lawn has been established, then it will require about 2 – 3 hours of water per day to maintain healthy growth throughout the entire year.
Suppose you have two separate watering schedules—one for in the morning and one for in the evening so that they can be kept watered twice within each 24-hour time period without drying out. This will help keep mold from growing on your centipede grass during low-water periods and will also encourage your grass to be more disease-resistant in the long run.
Be sure not to over-water centipede grass, however! Doing so can decay roots and cause diseases to spread out into nearby blades of grass, which can permanently damage your yard’s healthy growth.
Centipede Grass Diseases and Pests:
Centipede grass is known for its disease and pest resistance after it has been planted into the ground. Most varieties of centipede lawns only require a moderate amount of watering along with regular mowing—they generally do not suffer from any diseases during their early stages when being placed outdoors, so long as you keep your yard healthy!
If you notice patches of browning out within your existing centipedegrass, then this may indicate that your blades are suffering from dry soil or lower than normal levels of moisture in general.
Some centipede grasses can also fall prey to infestations of pests such as webworms if they aren’t kept under full sunlight all hours of the day—webworm larva feed on centipede grass during the early stages of its life and can cause serious damage to your lawn during these periods if left untreated!
If you notice any signs of pests or disease, then be sure to treat them immediately using environmentally friendly pesticides such as seaweed emulsions.
Be sure to rinse off any pesticide solutions that you spray on your centipede lawn before it’s allowed to dry—doing so will ensure that there are no chemical residues left behind when you begin watering your lawn again.
