# FF11's warm season journal



## Guest (Jul 25, 2017)

Hi all,
Looking to get started improving my lawn as soon as I can. In the front I have el toro zoysia and centipede competing it out. Ideally I would like to have all zoysia. 
In the back I have some zoysia and more fescue. I prefer the look and feel of the zoysia however it is pretty slow growing. I also have found some grassy weeds that look like sedges. Not sure though. Any critique or help is welcome 😊
Thanks 
don


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2017)

Is there a specific herbicide that will weaken or kill the centipede in the zoysia and let the zoysia overtake it? Or am I wasting my time. 
The local sod company said to wipe it all and start with tiftuf in the front and back however I only get about 5-6 hrs of full sun and not sure that's enough for tiftuf grass


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2017)

Bueller &#128064;


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Centipede normally likes acidic soils. Do you know what your soil PH is? The active ingredient Quinclorac is safe for Zoysia but it says not to spray on Centipede. Not sure if it would kill it but it would definitely hurt it.

This article shows herbicides that shouldn't be used on Centipede. I would start there and see which ones are safe to use on Zoysia


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2017)

Awesome thanks.

No I do not know
My soil ph. I guess that's my first step. I need to check that. Ive got a whole list of issues I'm working on and not sure where to start


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## Hambone79 (Jul 23, 2017)

First and foremost you need to commit to a grass variety that will suit you and your needs. Your biggest issue at the moment is that you have different types mixed in. In all honesty, especially with limited experience.... your best bet is gonna be to scrap it and start fresh. There are herbicides that can weaken one type and vice versa, but it complicates the strategy and even adds more work to get where you wanna be not to mention the time factor. From your limited description and my experience with many varieties, I would recommend you focus on zoysia. There are quite a few zoysia varieties and each are specific as to what conditions they will tolerate and how much management they require. I will say that of the many varieties Palisades and Jamur are terrific all around performers and pretty easy to manage without requiring a lot of input. That in itself is the beauty of these newer zoysia varieties is that they make a great lawn stand out with normal inputs. None of the other grass types really offer that with the exception being some new centipede varieties and they still lack a little of the curb appeal the zoysia's offer.


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2017)

Thanks,
Ideally I do like the zoysia a little better than the centipede that I do have. The previous owner said he had el toro was the cultivar and tifblair centipede. I can start over but from a fund stand point id have to do it all myself and not really sure where to start. 
The tiftuf keeps being suggested at a few sod companies in the North Carolina area, just not sure I want to do a whole renovation at his point.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

firefighter11 said:


> Thanks,
> Ideally I do like the zoysia a little better than the centipede that I do have. The previous owner said he had el toro was the cultivar and tifblair centipede. I can start over but from a fund stand point id have to do it all myself and not really sure where to start.
> The tiftuf keeps being suggested at a few sod companies in the North Carolina area, just not sure I want to do a whole renovation at his point.


Just know that if you decide to get the zoysia to spread and fill the lawn it will probably take 2-3 years to get full coverage so be ready for a marathon.

I think most of the sod companies are pushing TifTuf because it's new and are probably getting some kind of kick back for selling it. I remember when TifGrand came out and it was all the rage about being shade tolerant so I got some to put along my fence and sure enough, the same thing happen to it as did my 419 I had. So now I am leery of any new cultivar of grass that makes big claims like TifGrand did. Don't get me wrong, TifGrand is a very nice grass but it's just a hair more shade tolerant than 419.


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## Guest (May 4, 2018)

Mightyquinn said:


> firefighter11 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks,
> ...


MQ I got a few pieces of tifgrand to try and see how it does, I tried for latitude 36 but couldn't get it near Raleigh. What is your experience with tifgrand?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

firefighter11 said:


> Mightyquinn said:
> 
> 
> > firefighter11 said:
> ...


If I was to resod my lawn it would definitely be in the top 3 as it can be mowed a lot lower than 419 can and has a deeper green color too. I don't have too much of it left due to shade which is why I got it to begin with. If you ever want to go REEL LOW then you should definitely consider it. I'm still waiting on @Iriasj2009 to grow his in so I can get his thoughts.


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## Guest (May 10, 2018)

Well here is what's left of my centipede. 


I believe that's all winter kill. I'm trying a few small areas of tiftuf and tifgrand to see how I like it. If so I may spray and kill the centipede and put a Bermuda down while summer is still early


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## Guest (May 16, 2018)

So I was looking back at the pictures of the previous year and I had that large dead spot in the same place the previous year. What could that be? I'm kind of at a loss. I'm well into may and it's not even begun to green up in that area. The surrounding area looks fine. The top picture is what it looked like when I moved in late in the summer two years prior.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@firefighter11 Well, it could be several things. An easy theory would be large patch. Does the area show any decline in the fall prior to dormancy? The Summer pic you posted shows what appears to be the troubled area coincides with the shade. Shade can lower soil temps resulting in slower green up and can enhance fungal activity too. I also am not sure you can rule out winter kill based on this last Winter.


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## Guest (May 16, 2018)

@Spammage 
I've lived in this location for 3 years and 2 of them the centipede has looked like this after each winter where I lose a significant amount and then it greens back up towards end of summer and early fall. Yeah those pictures the area is always the same local spot on the lawn. I just am curious if it's a fungal issue or just winter killing it off.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

firefighter11 said:


> @Spammage
> I've lived in this location for 3 years and 2 of them the centipede has looked like this after each winter where I lose a significant amount and then it greens back up towards end of summer and early fall. Yeah those pictures the area is always the same local spot on the lawn. I just am curious if it's a fungal issue or just winter killing it off.


Does the area show any decline in the Fall prior to dormancy?


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## Guest (May 16, 2018)

@Spammage No late summer and fall is when it looks the best. Right before dormancy it still seems pretty thick with no decline.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Is it level there or could it hold rain/snow ?


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## Guest (May 27, 2018)

jayhawk said:


> Is it level there or could it hold rain/snow ?


It is fairly level as best I can tell. I'm not sure about the rain/snow comment I've honestly never thought to much about it. I don't really notice water standing there. @jayhawk


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2018)

Added a some tiftuf to the side of the house. Half pallet was all I needed. It's gonna be a true test of it's shade tolerance next to the neighbors fence.


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2018)




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## Guest (Aug 12, 2018)

Decided to kill all remaining centipede. I've begun to plug the rest of the tiftuf into the rest of the front. Hopefully if I'm lucky it can fill in before the season ends! We will see


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