Q: I’ve heard of centipede decline…….but this is ridiculous! Our fourteen year-old centipedegrass yard began developing bare patches about four years ago. Now almost a third of my yard is bare and looks horrible.
A: It turns out that a lot of centipedegrass decline can be traced to mowing too high.
As you know, the grass spreads by sending out stolons across the ground. If the runners are allowed to climb on top of each other as they multiply, their roots do not engage the soil very deeply. This leads to great damage from drought and cold. Large and small dead patches appear throughout. Centipede lawns should always be mowed between one and one and a half inches high.
Centipedegrass also shouldn’t be given much fertilizer, since lush growth exacerbates the situation described above. High phosphorus levels can likewise lead to problems. Centipede fertilizer is typically sold in a 15-0-15 nutrient ratio. In the absence of a soil test, apply three pounds per 1000 square feet in May and again in July.
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Tags For This Article: centipede, centipede decline, drought, fertilizing, mowing
