# Brodgers88's Centipede Lawn 2018



## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

This season will be a bit different from what I've been doing the last few years as I have moved into a new home with my fiancee. Kind of a bitter sweet moment leaving behind my Bermuda lawn that I've had for the last 10 years but I am very excited to share my passion and love for turf with the love of my life  She's awesome and very supportive of my love for the lawn!

My new lawn is centipede which is ok for now but I definitely prefer Bermuda as I love all that is involved with maintaining Bermuda turf! I am excited about planning a future renovation of my new lawn but I definitely don't anticipate that happening this season. My time is going to be limited so my plan is to maintain the existing centipede(good thing I have centipede for now :lol: ). The grass is in decent shape but it does have thatch issues in some areas. I have been working on mowing it lower trying to get it down to about 3/4". I have also manually raked some of the areas where the thatch is bad. I need to do the whole yard. In these areas stolons are growing on top of the thatch layer with the roots basically growing in the thatch and not really reaching the soil. Last mow my bench hoc was at 7/8" so I plan to go down to 3/4" next mow. It is finally greening back up pretty nice after several cold weeks here in SC. It had greened up a lot in late February when it was unseasonably warm, then a pretty cold March set it back. I need to pull soil samples and see where I'm at and go ahead and come up with a fertilization plan for the season.

I also plan to work on leveling out some rough areas. When the sod was installed it did not cover the entire yard. On both side yards and back yard there is a big transition from where the edge of the sod was. The centipede has spread good but there's a big drop off at the edge of the existing sod down to where it has grown out onto the bare sand.

The irrigation system will also need work. I want to begin modifying the current system as it is far from where it needs to be in terms of coverage. The company that installed it when the house was built basically put just enough heads where some areas received very minimal water compared to others. I will be adding more heads and zones to get the proper head to head coverage. Right now there are 8 rotors for 8k of lawn :roll:

Here are a few pics of what I'm working with. Long way to go to get this yard where I'd like it to be but it'll be a lot of fun working on!





































Long way to go with this side and back yard. I'm going to cut down the three small pines growing in the backyard.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Brodgers88 said:


> ...I have moved into a new home with my fiancee.


Congrats!

She is going to be a good wife - as I recall she may or may not have secretly ordered you some TLF swag for Christmas.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks Ware! Yes she did! It was such a thoughtful and awesome gift and that's when I knew she was definitely a keeper :thumbup:


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

This will be reel interesting to see how you progress this year! I can't wait to see a reel mowed Centipede lawn


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

Congratulations to both of you!

I can't wait to see some perfectly manicured centipede grass!


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

:thumbup: Congrats. The buying TLF swag reminds me of the old adage; "The way to a man's heart is thru his lawn".


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Topcat said:


> :thumbup: Congrats. The buying TLF swag reminds me of the old adage; "The way to a man's heart is thru his lawn".


I usually say "Some say the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but the truth is it's through his sternum."

@Brodgers88 looks like you've got a fine starting point with the lawn. I agree, I'd like to see a reel mowed Centipede lawn!


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Subscribing to your post since you are local and have centipede also.

Do you have a treatment schedule yet for the year?


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks everyone! I'm past due for a little update, but I haven't had a lot of time to dive into things just yet but I think this coming weekend that might change :nod: These last couple weeks I have been working on hand raking aggressively then going over it with my snapper bagging all clipping/thatch. I removed about 5 - 39 gal bags from it. It was very spongy when walking on but now it's starting to feel more firm.



Mightyquinn said:


> This will be reel interesting to see how you progress this year! I can't wait to see a reel mowed Centipede lawn


@Mightyquinn I'm excited to see how this centipede is going to turn out too!


Redtenchu said:


> Congratulations to both of you!
> 
> I can't wait to see some perfectly manicured centipede grass!


@Redtenchu Thanks Red! Haha that is definitely the goal! We will see what happens!



Topcat said:


> :thumbup: Congrats. The buying TLF swag reminds me of the old adage; "The way to a man's heart is thru his lawn".


@Topcat Lol!



Colonel K0rn said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> > :thumbup: Congrats. The buying TLF swag reminds me of the old adage; "The way to a man's heart is thru his lawn".
> ...


 @Colonel K0rn Thanks man it's certainly not a bad starting point. Lol I can't wait to see what reel mowed centipede looks like myself and show everyone else too! Need this weather to warm up...Low of 35 this morning 

@Gibby Nice to see someone else local! I intended to take soil samples and come up with a defined fertilizer plan based on that but I haven't done it. I'm dealing with pretty much straight sand for my soil. So far I have applied 1/2lb N/k using 21-0-0. I need to get some potassium down but haven't yet. It's hard to find potassium sulfate locally. I've also made a foliar app of FAS, manganese sulfate, and kelp. I've noticed a little response after the foliar app and some irrigation/rain. Here's a pic of how it currently looks and a pic from last mow on Friday and that is also when I sprayed.

Friday post mow

















Sunday









Today

























I need to break out the Celsius and take care of those weeds in the side and more in the back yard. Mainly just in the bare areas though.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

https://carolinafreshfarms.com/ on Clemson Rd does free soil samples, just stop in and they will give you some bags to use to submit samples with. My centipede is still quite dormant, probably from the celsius/msm apps.

I like seeing the stripes on the centipede!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks for the tip! I've been using Clemson and just taking my samples over to their extension office in Lexington. The charge $6 but sometimes it takes several weeks for results.

I love the stripes too! They show up well on the side yards cause I've mowed it the same way so those are kind of burned in for now.


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Oooooh, centipede! Now that's not something we see a ton of here on TLF. I will be monitoring very closely!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Looks like it's responded well from your small N input, and I've got to agree, stripes look good on your lawn


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Last weekend I accomplished a few things I have been wanting to get to. In the corner of the front yard there was a pretty big hump that I've had to avoid with my reel mower. I dug up all the grass and removed about a whole wheel barrow load of sand then put the grass back. On the front side yard adjacent to the garage was another hump in the unsodded area that consisted of sand, lots of rocks, some slag, and a few weeds. I leveled this area and removed the debris. In the back yard my fiancee and I planted 7 azelas in all along the house on each side of the patio. I had about three wheel barrow loads of sand left over so I used it to begin leveling out the transition from the original sodded area to where the grass has spread over. I didn't get pictures of everything but I do have a few.




























Like a few other members over this weekend I also had a slight mower disaster but with my snapper rotary not my reel. I hit a large piece of slag or a rock that was hidden under sand. It busted out a chunk of the aluminum deck about the size of my fist. I ended up putting duct tape over the hole to finish what I was doing lol. I'm pretty bummed about it. The mower is a 1978 model that my dad gave to me. He bought it new back then and used it for like 35 years. Hopefully I can find someone that can weld it back together. I love that mower too much not to get it fixed!


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## TC2 (Sep 15, 2017)

I inherited a similar state centipede lawn last year. It's looking better this year, but still has thatch issues holding it back. Looking forward to seeing how yours comes out!

Don't forget you can seed if required. Faster for fixing bare areas than waiting for it to fill in!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Today I mowed at 7/8" and sprayed some FAS, kelp, and manganese. It's starting to come around now that the weather is finally warming up. A few spots still a little thin but starting to fill in.




























Planted this starlight express lily last weekend. I thought it looks pretty awesome.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Mowed this morning and irrigated. It's been pretty hot and dry but the centipede is finally starting to take off a bit. I'm feeling pretty happy with how it's looking so far.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Got in a quick mow this afternoon. We've been getting some much needed rain. I fertilized earlier this week at 1/2lbN/k and 1lbK/k with some granular 21-0-0 and 0-0-50. The centipede seems to be doing pretty well so far. It's definitely getting thicker. I bumped hoc up to 1".


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## daviddsims (Apr 15, 2018)

That's starting to fill in nicely! Have you used any herbicides on your centipede?


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks! I'm using prodiamine at quarter rate for my pre emergent and Celsius for my post emergent.


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## daviddsims (Apr 15, 2018)

I'm about to use Celsius for the first time on mine. I'm having a tough time with Virginia buttonweed and cudweed. I have never used pre-emergent but I'm definitely looking into it.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Brodgers88 said:


> Planted this starlight express lily last weekend. I thought it looks pretty awesome.


That is an awesome looking lilly. How long did the blooms last?


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

daviddsims said:


> I'm about to use Celsius for the first time on mine. I'm having a tough time with Virginia buttonweed and cudweed. I have never used pre-emergent but I'm definitely looking into it.


@daviddsims you will like the results from Celsius. Just be sure to spray carefully! A quick spray over each weed is all it takes. It's powerful stuff. Pre emergent is definitely effective at keeping the weed population down.

@Colonel K0rn Thanks! I think the blooms lasted about 5 days or so. They are very aromatic!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

The centipede has been loving all the abundant rain it's received over the last couple of weeks and I have been enjoying not having to irrigate! It was hot and dry leading up to the rainy weather so I had increased my hoc to 1" but ended up not being happy with that height lol. Today I dropped hoc down to 0.75" and I it looks much better. It was probably about 1.5" before the mow.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Looking great! Don't forget the quarter in the grass, lest you find it with the reel.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks man! Haha I couldn't resist getting a photo of quarter down in the grass like that.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Man that looks good, I tried mowing my centipede low with my reel and it did not like it. Also could have been the pumping it with too much nitrogen in an attempt to weaken it for bermuda to take over.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@Jacob_S thanks man! This centipede lawn was mowed around 2" last season and had pretty bad thatch. In March I did somewhat of a manual dethatching just by raking it aggressively by hand and going over it with the bagger. I removed a lot of the thatch this way, then I began working it down with my reel mower. I was thinking of trying to do what you did and get Bermuda to over take the centipede lawn by plugging it in and fertilizing and maintaining in favor of the Bermuda, but I'm now starting to feel a little differently about the centipede lol.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I hear ya, centipede can look good, mine looked great before I messed it up. I also did a dethatch this year, hoping to get it looking better again. Currently concentrating most of my effort in my back yard with is all bermuda and weeds. But again, hard looks amazing, keep up the good work.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Made the first modification on my irrigation system today. The front yard had a dry spot due to poor coverage. I added a rotor in the front yard to create a triangle pattern and better coverage over the area. I also swapped out 3/4" rotors to smaller 1/2" ones on the side yard. This is all on one zone, 5 rotors in all for a total of 16gpm. With the addition of the head in the front yard and downsizing heads on the side yard, coupled with correct nozzles, the water distribution in this zone is now more balanced. Overall the irrigation system needs more improvements to get better coverage but it's something I'm doing a little at a time.

Dry Spot









Side Yard where rotors were downsized









New 1/2" Rainbird rotor in place


















3/4" K-rain rotor for front yard









Testing Sprinklers


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Sprayed some micronutrients yesterday evening and had a nice shower of rain this afternoon so things are looking decent. Almost time for another mow!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Mowed yesterday evening, 0.75" hoc. Applied fertilizer this afternoon and watered it in. I used some 34-0-0 and 0-0-50 for 0.5lb/k of N & K.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Are you burning those stripes in or do you change the mowing pattern? I've never seen centipede look so good.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@J_nick I do change mowing patterns each time but I double cut whichever pattern I'm mowing. Thanks man.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Got in a quick mow this evening after a nice rain shower cooled things down a bit.










I can't wait for these tiger lilies to bloom. They're getting really close now


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## Paulsprimecuts (Jun 13, 2018)

Wow I read through this that was awesome thanks for putting all that up very nice work!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Brodgers88 said:


> I can't wait for these tiger lilies to bloom. They're getting really close now


I see you've joined the flamingo crew...


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@Colonel K0rn :lol: I need to place it out on the lawn after my next mow for a photo. It was a Christmas gift from my brother. He got a whole bunch of them on clearance and painted them orange and stenciled tiger paws on to make Clemson flamingos :thumbup:


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Mowed this evening, planning to spray micronutrients tomorrow.



















First tiger lilie to bloom. I love these, they are awesome.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

I might have to come get an up close look, that looks amazing!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Lots of rain has made the centipede pretty happy lol. I haven't had time to do much the last few days due to afternoon storms so I got up early this morning to mow.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

How often are you mowing to maintain at this height? You are making me want to try reeling my centipede again next season. I'm mowing my bermuda 3 times a week at 1" but figure centipede shouldn't need that much frequency.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@Jacob_S I'm only having to mow it about once a week for 0.75" hoc. I mow twice in a week for fun if I have the time lol. I was used to mowing my bermuda 2-3 times a week so sometimes I just gotta satisfy the urge. You should reel mow your centipede too!


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## tigers89 (Nov 27, 2017)

Brodgers88 said:


> ...moved into a new home with my fiancee.


@Brodgers88 Thank you for making the yard so beautiful!! I never thought it could ever look this good lol


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

I didn't have time to spray micronutrients last weekend as planned so I decided to get up early this morning to finally make an application. It was nice and peaceful out.












tigers89 said:


> Brodgers88 said:
> 
> 
> > ...moved into a new home with my fiancee.
> ...


 :thumbup: It's only going to get better :nod:


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

Brodgers88 said:


> Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!


Wow! Nice centipede lawn! Love the Clemson flag in the background. @Brodgers88. What was your recent HOC?


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@BakerGreenLawnMaker thanks! My fiancée is a Clemson alum and I'm a tigers fan :thumbup: Go tigers! Bench hoc is 0.75"


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## starkus (Mar 12, 2018)

I'm in Columbia as well. Amazing how much different our soils are. I have red clay.

Centipede looks great. I like the reel cut look compared to my 1.5-2. inch lowest setting on the rotary. Maybe I'll get a push reel mower and test it out.

Did you get much response from your micros app? I applied some Feature a couple weeks ago and really couldn't tell a difference.

Go Tigers!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

starkus said:


> I'm in Columbia as well. Amazing how much different our soils are. I have red clay.
> 
> Centipede looks great. I like the reel cut look compared to my 1.5-2. inch lowest setting on the rotary. Maybe I'll get a push reel mower and test it out.
> 
> ...


@starkus Thanks! It's awesome to see more people from the midlands on TLF! Yes it is amazing how the soil differs around this region of the state. My last home and now current home is straight sand for soil (both located in West Columbia).

Reel mowing centipede is definitely the way to go even if it's just a manual push reel. I have a great states 7 blade push reel that I use to trim around obstacles that are hard to get close to with my greensmaster. The manual mower works very well.

I do see a response when I apply micros. I am not currently using FEature. What I use is 3oz ferrous sulfate, 3.4 oz Ammonium sulfate, 0.32 oz manganese sulfate, 1/2 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, 1/2 tablespoon of kelp extract, and 1/2 teaspoon of non ionic surfactant per gallon of water per 1000 sq ft. I usually get a darker color for about two weeks from that app.

Yes! Go tigers!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

I was away on vacation so the lawn got kind of tall and full of seed heads. I mowed over it with the rotary first to knock it down to a manageable level for the reel. I also decided to increase my hoc to 7/8" to help reduce some stress on the grass while this hot weather is around.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Just amazing. Would love to see it in person, I'm sure it's even better.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

jayhawk said:


> Just amazing. Would love to see it in person, I'm sure it's even better.


@jayhawk Thanks!

Mowed some double wides today. I definitely like the look of the wider stripes. I have a few spots showing drought stress. I think the soil is becoming hydrophobic in some areas as it's been a couple weeks since I've had any rain.


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## Brianr (Jul 23, 2018)

I wanted to get rid of my Centipede, but you make it look AMAZING! How in the world!?


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@Brianr


Brianr said:


> I wanted to get rid of my Centipede...


 Ha I know the feeling! I'm a bermuda guy at heart so I'm not sure how long I'm going to keep this centipede :lol: The grass has definitely exceeded my expectations for the season though. I wasn't sure what to expect mowing it lower with the GM 1000 but it has drastically improved the appearance of the lawn. The mower coupled with closely managing irrigation and proper fertilizer input has turned this centipede around from where it was a year ago.

Here are a few pics from today, mowed yesterday evening at 7/8" hoc.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Man that's looking good, you've got me looking forward to mowing mine with my reel next season.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Jacob_S said:


> Man that's looking good, you've got me looking forward to mowing mine with my reel next season.


@Jacob_S thanks!

Mowed yesterday evening after work and then I decided to mow it again today :lol: I'm still at 7/8" but now that the grass isn't so heat and drought stressed I'm thinking about going back down to 3/4". It's been raining almost every day and the centipede loves that :nod:


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Post these in the voting thread!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Gibby said:


> Post these in the voting thread!


@Gibby Done! :thumbup:


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Mowed today, lowered hoc from 7/8" to 3/4" since the grass is no longer drought stressed. It has been raining almost daily for the last couple weeks. I had increased hoc several weeks back during a dry period to help reduce stress.



















Everyone knows the old saying that centipede is the "lazy man's grass" but I think it could also be coined the "busy man's grass" lol. I have been busy and on the go this summer traveling with my fiancee and I've realized sometimes (but not often lol) there are things that will come before the lawn :roll: ...which is why there are a few things about centipede grass that have impressed me...a little :lol: The biggest two are mowing frequency and fertilizer requirements.

For most of this growing season I've only had to mow once a week even to maintain a low hoc of 3/4". I've increased only to decrease hoc twice this season so I also think it is pretty amazing that the centipede can tolerate an increase for several weeks then decrease without it looking scalped.

Nitrogen input has been low (1.5lbN/k season total) potassium a little more (2lbK/k season total) and no phosphorus. My last fertilizer application was almost 2 months ago (6/15).


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

:thumbup: I'm over here trying to think the best way to take mine down to start next spring between 3/4-1". Like hearing you have typically been still mowing once weekly, though I dont mind if I have to do twice a week.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Have you used any PGR? I have noticed I have been getting seed heads every 4 days or so and it could use a cut at the 3 day mark.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@Jacob_S yeah it's nice that centipede won't get away from you the way bermuda will if it isn't mowed frequently enough. When I took mine down this past spring it was around 2". I mowed it down with rotary and bagged a lot of debris. I also dethatched lightly with a hand rake, scalped it down to 3/4" and that was it. I had lots of thatch in this lawn, it was like a sponge before and now it's nice and firm :nod:

@Gibby I have not used any pgr, although I did consider trying it but never did. I have been getting seed heads after a few days also. They seem to be worse on the backyard that is rotary mowed at 1.5". There's been a few times this season I've had to take the rotary over the front lawn to mow down the seed heads then take the reel out to mow the grass lol.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Awesome, thanks for the feedback.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

:thumbup:


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Brodgers88 said:


> @Gibby I have not used any pgr, although I did consider trying it but never did. I have been getting seed heads after a few days also. They seem to be worse on the backyard that is rotary mowed at 1.5". There's been a few times this season I've had to take the rotary over the front lawn to mow down the seed heads then take the reel out to mow the grass lol.


I ordered some PGR and a tow behind sprayer, plan on putting it down next week or weekend.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Gibby said:


> Brodgers88 said:
> 
> 
> > @Gibby I have not used any pgr, although I did consider trying it but never did. I have been getting seed heads after a few days also. They seem to be worse on the backyard that is rotary mowed at 1.5". There's been a few times this season I've had to take the rotary over the front lawn to mow down the seed heads then take the reel out to mow the grass lol.
> ...


Nice! Let us know what kind of results you get. I have been on the fence about applying pgr all season but ultimately I decided against it due to being able to keep up with mowing. I was also a little apprehensive about regulating the centipede since it is already a slow grower and slow to recover if damaged. Those are the main reasons I decided not to use pgr but I also kind of wished I would have to see if the pgr would enhance the aesthetics of centipede grass.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Brodgers88 said:


> Gibby said:
> 
> 
> > Brodgers88 said:
> ...


Mine has not been a slow vertical grower this season at all. It has been slow to fill in some spots and I am hoping the PGR will promote the lateral growth. I got 1 gallon on amazon for $135 and should give me 21 applications of PGR which 3 weeks apart, should last almost 2 years.

That is, if I can get my tow behind calibrated... I might be a rebel and just spray and pray


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

@Gibby no posts in awhile...how's the lawn doing?


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

ctrav said:


> @Gibby no posts in awhile...how's the lawn doing?


Check some of my updates here...

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2285


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Brodgers88 said:


> Mowed today, lowered hoc from 7/8" to 3/4" since the grass is no longer drought stressed. It has been raining almost daily for the last couple weeks. I had increased hoc several weeks back during a dry period to help reduce stress.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@Brodgers88 any recent posts on the lawn? Older ones looked fantastic!


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Gibby said:


> ctrav said:
> 
> 
> > @Gibby no posts in awhile...how's the lawn doing?
> ...


Thanks Gibby I did see the tree you took down for the storm. Hope all went well...considering!


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

@ctrav thanks!

I have actually decided to part ways with the centipede grass and will be planting bermuda next spring. Centipede is not a bad grass but I was just unsatisfied with the coarse blade compared to bermuda. I had 419 at my last house and I loved it. This post will pretty much be the last updates on my 2018 centipede lawn journal. I will be starting a new journal very soon with the renovation process and will document progress there.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Look forward to seeing the new lawn...


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