Yard/Turf People

[msudawg12]

Preface: I know nothing


Bought a spec house a few years back. Guy that built the house put Centipede sod down. The sod didnt look that healthy when it got put down int he beginning and it never did very well but it didnt bother me too much at the time because I didnt have to cut much grass. Now, there is less grass than other stuff. See pics

What would you do? I'm about to just start guessing. can you just aerate and re-seed/fertilize at this point over and over and the centipede will take back over or does all this garbage have to be dug up and start over?

Looking for a little guidance.

Thanks in advance

 

[ShrubDog]

The first thing you need to do is get a soil test. If you live in MS go to your local county office and get a MSU extension service sample box. They will email and mail you the results with recommendations.

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

The best advice I can give

Is go ahead and call a yard guy.

i'm like you. I knew nothing about good lawn fertilization and weed destruction. I can mow like no one else though. Been doing that since I was 5.

i got on the Scott's yard maintenance plan, got advice from some people, did this, spent money there, even got to the point of actually taking a foam paintbrush with roundup on it to wipe roundup on very tough ugly weed sprouts.

i said the hell with it and called a yard guy.

im paying about the same as if I was putting down all of the Scott's related stuff for lawns and the yard is so far this year looking better than it has since I bought the home. I let him spray and put down fertilizer, I maintain the grass.

 

[Hoover Dawg]

Centipede is usually pretty low maintenance grass, and usually chokes out the other stuff. Do like Shrubdog said - first, get your soil test. Match that with what types of grass grow well in your climate vs what you want to do (foot traffic, looks, etc.). If you're in a very sandy area, it's hard to grow any grass at all without constant water. Things like that is what you need to know. I take it from the looks of the pic you are somewhere near the coast?

 

[aTotal360]

Can someone ID that stuff with the small, round leaves? It pops up in my bermuda from time to time. When it gets really hot it loses some of it leaves and becomes very wirey. Fortunately, it's easy to pull up at that point.

 

[skip dog]

Centipede, in full sun, is a very easy grass to maintain. The basics of Centipede are to water it regularly, and cut high with sharp mower blades (note: cut high). Aeration would not hurt, and if you fertilize it, use a time release, and back off of the suggested application rate. Centipede does not really care for alot of fertilizer. I would not pay someone to "restore" your lawn (i.e. scotts / truegreen) until you spend a season cutting it high, and regular routine watering. Thick centipede will over take bermuda, and will choke your weed growth out as well, you just need to do things that promote a thick and healthy centipede lawn (regular routine water, and cut high)

 

[Digging dog]

Most likely cause is compacted soil. Spec houses usually have very little allowed for landscape. Ground probably had all construction traffic on it then box bladed off and sod laid. My rec is to tear out grass till up and amend soil then reinstall sod. Try aerating first (might help a little).

 

[msudawg12]

I take it from the looks of the pic you are somewhere near the coast?

Meridian. Where I am, the soil is garbage, thats for sure. Had to do all kinds of things for my garden.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Meridian. Where I am, the soil is garbage, thats for sure. Had to do all kinds of things for my garden.

Meridian...Coast....Obviously Goat has the same expertise here he does with most other topics.

 

[DEEREdawg]

I would do the soil sample as suggested and aerate and too dress with sand.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

My centipede took off when I aerated, dressed with 4 parts coarse masonry sand to one part Black Kow composted manure. No fertilizer needed since. But, chickweed must now be sprayed each spring.

 

[Hoover Dawg]

You're trying too hard. We're talking about a picture, and not a bad eval based on it.

GOAT gun GOAT

 

[Hoover Dawg]

Aeration and fertilizer will probably do a world of good. Soil sample will tell you exactly what fertilizer to buy. I would dampen up the soil before aerating it.

 

[ShrubDog]

That is right. Fertilizing without a soil test is like pissing into the wind.

 

[The_Pylon]

Looks like prostrate spurge

Old guy peeing joke goes here

Can someone ID that stuff with the small, round leaves? It pops up in my bermuda from time to time. When it gets really hot it loses some of it leaves and becomes very wirey. Fortunately, it's easy to pull up at that point.

 

[turkish]

That is right. Fertilizing without a soil test is like pissing into the wind.

That definitely seems like the trendy thing to say, with both yards and food plots, these days. I don't need a soil test to tell me when a little N would help, though.

 

[ShrubDog]

That definitely seems like the trendy thing to say, with both yards and food plots, these days. I don't need a soil test to tell me when a little N would help, though.

Its been trendy since the 1990's.

 

[turkish]

Its been trendy since the 1990's.

I worded that poorly. Too many are afraid to fertilize without one.

 

[ShrubDog]

Meridian. Where I am, the soil is garbage, thats for sure. Had to do all kinds of things for my garden.

Here is a report I got back last month for a centipede yard. This shows you what to expect to get back from them. Centipede can be sensitive to over-fertilization.

Aeration like the other guys said can help as well.

 

[qball.sixpack]

Meridian...Coast....Obviously Goat has the same expertise here he does with most other topics.

If you're in Meridian, call Trent Hale with All Star Turf. PHD in turf grass Mgt. He'll get you fixed up.

 

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

1st off, Centipede is a ****** grass to begin with. Zero wear tolerance, slow growing and covering and it's sensitive to more herbicides than bermuda or zoysia. What has more than likely happened with your centipede is that the drought we had last fall has taken some or all of it out. Not saying some of it won't come back but I don't think much will. You can raise the height of mow and wait it out for the summer and see what happens. If you're not satisfied come next May then you can decide what you want to do then. I'd personally take a couple of rounds of Finale herbicide to it, disc it up and sprig in bermuda or lay zoysia down.

Yes, get a soil test but DO NOT send it to MSU. They'll give you the same recommendation they give everyone whether you have centipede, bermuda, zoysia or St. Augustine. I'd send the sample to A&L labs in Memphis Address: 2790 Whitten Rd, Memphis, TN 38133
Phone: (901) 213-2400. Call before sending your sample and tell them the sample is from a centipede yard. Ask A&L to do an S3M soil test. 10 years ago this test would run you about $20. S3M will give you a complete analysis of your soil. pH, Base Saturation and all Macro and Micronutrients (except N). N fluctuates too much for them to test for it.

What ever you do, DON'T put 34-0-0 on your centipede. It's the wrong type of Nitrogen and at 3# per 1000 you're putting on double what is needed. Centipede only needs about 1/2# of N per 1000 sq ft. per year. I'd go with Nitroform, Polyon or SCU as my N source after you know what your soil looks like from the test.

Good Luck

Edit: Scratch the SCU....it'll run out in 6 weeks and then you'll have nothing....Polyon will give you about 9-10 weeks...Nitroform is the best, slowest release N of the 3 and it'll help build the soil micro population and over time will build a nice medium for growing your turf.

 

[T-45fixer]

That stuff in the pics is Common Lespedeza. Real bad hombre. I know cause I'm in the same area, and get it bad. Looks to me you've over cut the grass to much. I cut mine high and water a lot. Sucks but it is what it is. Try using Scotts weed and feed from lowes to get the grass back to growing then treat the Lespedeza later.

 

[Dawg1976]

I agree with the drought from last summer doing most of the damage around here. I put out some weed and feed not long ago and bought a few squares of centipede for the bad areas. Also raked out some of the dead grass in smaller areas that I didn't sod. Watering the crap out of it now. I have a patio home on the golf course and some bermuda has worked it's way into my backyard. Not going to worry about that tho......just want good overall coverage on my front.

 

[ShrubDog]

You sound like a turf guy so you know more about that type of stuff than me, but they don't give everyone the same recommendations regardless of the type of grass. I have numerous tests and none of them are even close to being the same.

Thanks for the info, I will check these Memphis folks out.

 

[Hoover Dawg]

Yeah, that IttaBena dude is full of crap. I know people who work in the extension, they don't do that.

 

[MaroonNation]

1. Fence in yard
2. Buy dog
3. Feed him a lot
4. Don't water

One year after doing this you will be cutting a lush green carpet of centipede 2 times a 17'ing week in the rainy season.