# Can't wrap my head around it



## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Hello everyone! I am brand new here as I'm sure you're able to tell to the left under my name. I've never really cared too much about our lawn until 3 years ago when we bought our first house. Many weeds come and go, and grass never really gets very full besides in some spots.

This year will be Year #3 that I've been using the Scotts Lawn app, and just been following everything it said to do, which equaled out to about 3-4 applications of something a year, but after 3 years, nothing really has changed. Now I am on a mission to figure this out, not follow just an App, and really get started to have a nice lawn. I am not looking for a Picture Perfect Magazine worthy yard, but something not taken over by Weeds and something actually nice and green would be awesome.

Now that the weather is starting to get warmer again here in South Carolina, there's plenty of Dandelion growing and many other weeds that I don't even know what they are with very minimal grass.

I've attached some pictures of my current situation and screenshots of what the Scotts Lawn App made me apply in 2017 and 2018. My biggest question to start is ..... where do I start?!?!?

THANK YOU!


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Oh and I'd also like to add, I've found Mole Crickets, and last year actually had 1 Mole, but it seemed to have disappeared a few weeks after applying GrubEX


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Welcome to TLF! I have no experience with Centipede, but maybe someone like @Brodgers88 will stop by.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Thank You! Just trying to find out where to start and learn as much as I can. I know nearly nothing when it comes to Lawn Care and Weeds, I've just been blindly following this Scotts Lawn App.

When I looked this morning to update "my current condition" it just said for this year I need 1 application of GrubEX and 2 applications of Turf Builder Southern Triple Action. It just at this point seems kind of sketch to me.

Thank you again!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Lawn maintenance calendars like this one from NC State are usually a good place to start for best practices for a particular turf type.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I use GrubEX in the spring. Here is a thread about application timing.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Ware said:


> Lawn maintenance calendars like this one from NC State are usually a good place to start for best practices for a particular turf type.


That link is awesome! Now I finally know what that other stuff is besides Dandelion .... "Henbit". Thank you for that link!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

These are all my opinions. First thing to note is most of the people here are smarter than me with this stuff. /disclaimer

That being said,

1.) Install irrigation
2.) Install new sod of literally anything that isn't centipede
3.) ditch the scotts and read up on what chems to put down when. Prodiamine 2-3 times a year being chief among them.

Centipede is absolute garbage grass. At its absolute best with no weeds and well fertilized, it looks mediocre.

You will spend more over a period of years trying to make that look decent then if you just replaced it. Plus, curb appeal, increased home value, and whatever else you need to sell it to the wife 

If you're handy you can absolutely do irrigation and sod yourself for 1/3-1/2 price of having a professional install it for you.


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

Welcome to TLF @Buyanet!

The grass definitely looks pretty thin. I can see a little up towards the left in the second picture. Centipede is a slow growing grass, but it will spread decently if it recieves plenty of sun, proper fertilization, and watering. How much sunlight does this area receive? Do you have any close up pictures of the grass?

To start getting rid of the weeds I would look into getting a sprayer if you don't already have one. Be careful when choosing an herbicide for centipede because it is a sensitive grass. Celsius is a great herbicide that is safe to use on centipede. There's lots of info here on the forum regarding Celsius, it's used pretty widely on a lot of warm season turf.

For fertilizer I would definitely ditch the weed and feed and find something like 15-0-15 or 16-4-8 which is usually the easiest to find at Lowe's or Home Depot or most feed and seed places. You'll want to spread these at a rate of 3lbs per 1000 square feet once a month from late April until late August. I would probably go a little heavier on the first application to get the grass going, like 6lbs per thousand.

I would also top dress the whole yard with a thin layer of compost to have some good soil for new stolons to root in. This will help it out a lot. If the yard isn't too thin all over it could possibly fill back in this coming season but if it is bad it could take several growing season's to fill in completely. Hopefully some of this helps out. Also check out my threadhttps://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2142 if you're interested in more extensive information regarding my centipede fertilization.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

It looks like it gets full sun most of the day? If it were mine, I'd spray it with glyphosate and kill what's there. I'd work it up with a tiller or something similar. If I had enough money laying around, I'd sod Zoysia or Bermuda. If I was on a tighter budget I'd seed or sprig Bermuda. But I don't know much about centipede grass. I do know it's more sensitive to chemicals and slow growing. Bermuda is easy if you have little shade


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Art_Vandelay said:


> It looks like it gets full sun most of the day? If it were mine, I'd spray it with glyphosate and kill what's there. I'd work it up with a tiller or something similar. If I had enough money laying around, I'd sod Zoysia or Bermuda. If I was on a tighter budget I'd seed or sprig Bermuda. But I don't know much about centipede grass. I do know it's more sensitive to chemicals and slow growing. Bermuda is easy if you have little shade


Yeah the backyard gets full sun all day. The only solution would be Sod I think as my yard is steep going downhill the draining isn't the best (which I need to tackle somehow first). After a lot of heavy rains, I'll have holes in the bottom by my fence where the water tends to come out at, so with that said, if I lay seed it'll just wash away. Reseeding or soding isn't in the budget quite yet unfortunately.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Brodgers88 said:


> Welcome to TLF @Buyanet!
> 
> The grass definitely looks pretty thin. I can see a little up towards the left in the second picture. Centipede is a slow growing grass, but it will spread decently if it recieves plenty of sun, proper fertilization, and watering. How much sunlight does this area receive? Do you have any close up pictures of the grass?
> 
> ...


Thank You for the reply! Yes, the area receives Full Sunlight all day. Fertilization and Irrigation is probably my biggest nemesis as I don't have an automatic irrigation system, so I constantly have to move hoses and Sprinklers. My yard being sloped the way it is with crappy drainage definitely doesn't help my cause. I will send a close-up of the grass in a little bit once it's nice and sunny.

I do have a sprayer, so I'll definitely be looking into Celcius. I was also planning on getting a Soil Sample Kit from *shrug* Clemson *shutter* for a Soil Test and kind of go from there.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

@Brodgers88 - Here is some close ups I've taken in a few spots in my backyard. The more I look at it, is it either dead or there's different kind of grasses?

Thanks!


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Everything that is green looks like a weed to me

But the brown looks like there is some Bermuda in there. I'd spray with msm turf and put down some preemerge today and see what greens up in the next couple of months


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Art_Vandelay said:


> Everything that is green looks like a weed to me


Maybe I just need to spray Celsius and see what survives? LOL. Do they have it in granules I can just throw in my spreader? Or will I have to walk the whole yard with my pump sprayer?

Thanks!


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Buyanet said:


> Art_Vandelay said:
> 
> 
> > Everything that is green looks like a weed to me
> ...


Celsius would work fine. It'll be slow this time of year, as will everything. I'd get a backpack sprayer and go to town with either msm or celcius and put out either granular or wettable barricade. The preemerge needs to go down today


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## bmw (Aug 29, 2018)

I'm going to keep this simple, because sometimes the information can be overwhelming:

1) The main thing you need to do is incorporate a good Pre-Em program, like apply every 4 months, a granular product with Dimension (chemical called Dithiopyr) or granular Barricade (chemical called Prodiamine) After a year, you will see huge improvement in your weeds and won't have to rely so heavily on killing weeds, you are preventing them

2) Mow properly and mow often in the growing season (Apr-Sept). Centipede likes to be cut at about 1.5-2 inches. The more you mow, the better it will grow! It will adapt to this frequent mowing and start spreading stolons (runners) laterally and filling in over time

3) It needs about 1" of water a week (rain or sprinkler). Most sprinklers have to run a solid couple of hours to achieve 1" water. If you aren't getting much rain, irrigate all at once, not at 15 min increments. We want all the water to penetrate deep into the root zone. Lightly watering promotes shallow roots.

4) Fertilize with some organics, which will promote soil and plant health. Let the lawn wake up a couple of weeks in April before you hit it. Since you are using Scott's this is purely synthetic fert with only macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phos, Potassium). Centipede doesn't like high doses of synthetic Nitrogen, it will cause thatch and other problems. If you use something like Purely Organic Lawn Food (check out Home Depot website, $18/bag covers 5,000 sq ft), this has a low 10-0-2 NPK, which is what Centipede likes. I have had great results with this stuff, the lawn looks so healthy in the spring/summer. I also incorporate a feeding or two that contains Iron. Centipede does need Iron for best green lush appearance.

Good luck and have fun with it. I love it.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

bmw said:


> I'm going to keep this simple, because sometimes the information can be overwhelming:
> 
> 1) The main thing you need to do is incorporate a good Pre-Em program, like apply every 4 months, a granular product with Dimension (chemical called Dithiopyr) or granular Barricade (chemical called Prodiamine) After a year, you will see huge improvement in your weeds and won't have to rely so heavily on killing weeds, you are preventing them
> 
> ...


Thank You! I like keeping it easy as I basically don't know a thing and have a lot to learn here, so I definitely appreciate it. Here is what I think I'll start out with.

1) Spray Celsius WG on every inch of my yard. (Ans possibly repeat 7-10 days later)
2) Apply Prodiamine (can I do this 2 or so weeks after Celsius?) to start a pre-merg regimen
3) Wait for results from Soil Test and go from there in regards to Fertilizer
4) Mix of 50/50 topsoil/mushroom compost on a thin layer all over
5) Spread bifenthrin granules for the mole crickets / pests.
6) Make sure I water minimum of 1" a week
7) Wait
8) If all else fails after 2 years, tear up my whole yard, re-grade, and sod Bermuda :lol:


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

1. Apply prodiamine. 
2. Apply Celsius 
3. See what greens up
4. Put out dimension April 15
5. Fertilize based on soil test. (Although I'd push Nitrogen to it pretty heavy and keep it watered.) I bet you have more Bermuda there than you think you have


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

You can do Celsius and Prodiamine together but you for sure want to get the Prodiamine down quickly depending on what your weather looks like where you are.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> You can do Celsius and Prodiamine together but you for sure want to get the Prodiamine down quickly depending on what your weather looks like where you are.


Seconded. I'd do Prodiamine, Celsius, Speedzone Southern, and MSM all with surfactant and marker dye mixed in. None of those are rated for Poa though, and you have a lot of that, so you might skip MSM and do Negate instead which has MSM and Rimsulfuron in it.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Art_Vandelay said:


> 1. Apply prodiamine.
> 2. Apply Celsius
> 3. See what greens up
> 4. Put out dimension April 15
> 5. Fertilize based on soil test. (Although I'd push Nitrogen to it pretty heavy and keep it watered.) I bet you have more Bermuda there than you think you have


Prodiamine and Dimension? Aren't they both pre-emergent? Why not just use one?

Thank You!


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Buyanet said:


> Art_Vandelay said:
> 
> 
> > 1. Apply prodiamine.
> ...


They are both preemergent. Soil temps where I live in Mid southern TN hit 60 degrees today. I'm afraid if someone didn't have preemerge out before this week some crab will germinate. Dimension has some post emergent qualities to it if you missed some of the germination. That's why i would do prodiamine now and hopefully get most of it. If you missed some, dimension later. I might even skip the prodiamine and just use dimension


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Art_Vandelay said:


> Buyanet said:
> 
> 
> > Art_Vandelay said:
> ...


Thanks for the clarification! We had 70 yesterday, and 75 today. It'll stay in the mid to high 70s through Friday, when it'll dip back down to 54 and then low 60 for the foreseeable future (10 day forecast). So temperamental.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

With temps that high I would stick with dimension. Get it out though. That would be in my plans this weekend


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

I don't see any centipede or Bermuda but it could be dormant.

The fact it's warm today or this week won't really matter. Any crabgrass that pops up will get smoked with a frost in the next few months. Both prodiamine and dithiopyr are fine. Prodiamine tends to be cheaper and can be applied less frequently. As a ball park hired,You likely have a window of now through st patty's day for your pre-em.

I'd be inclined to avoid Celsius and wait, so you can do two medium strength blanket applications and not hit the annual limit.

I know ortho weed b gone isn't exactly centipede friendly, otherwise I'd sugges that for broadleaf until it warms up.

Do you care what type of grass you have? Centipede vs Bermuda. Bermuda needs sunlight and nitrogen. Give it those two things in large doses and it will take over.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Thanks for everything so far yall! Will get the Prodiamine quickly and spray it with a surfectant (and blue dye). My understanding is it will not help with the existing Dandelion, Henbit, and bluegrass all over the place, but it'll get started on pre-emergence.

I'll also get some Celsius and apply that within the next month/month and a half I guess.

Seems like getting rid of all the weeds is definitely a first, and then fertilizing correctly to see what I even have to work with.

Phew, all this stuff is pricey!


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Buyanet said:


> Thanks for everything so far yall! Will get the Prodiamine quickly and spray it with a surfectant (and blue dye). My understanding is it will not help with the existing Dandelion, Henbit, and bluegrass all over the place, but it'll get started on pre-emergence.
> 
> I'll also get some Celsius and apply that within the next month/month and a half I guess.
> 
> ...


No need for a surfactant. The goal is to get it to the dirt, not the leaf blade. The prodiamine isn't going to kill anything currently growing.

Concerning the post-em Celsius timing, you don't want to spray during green-up, so either do it sooner, or wait, but not in the middle of green-up.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

The surfactant was for the 2,4D and other chems


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

The only thing I would say about loading the soil up with pre emergent in this situation is that if you want to attempt to grow your yard back in from the existing stand of grass that is present I would hold off on pre emergent herbicides because it can inhibit the roots of the new stolons from tacking down in the soil. I would only use post emergent until you get the grass to thicken up especially if this is Centipede grass.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Brodgers88 said:


> The only thing I would say about loading the soil up with pre emergent in this situation is that if you want to attempt to grow your yard back in from the existing stand of grass that is present I would hold off on pre emergent herbicides because it can inhibit the roots of the new stolons from tacking down in the soil. I would only use post emergent until you get the grass to thicken up especially if this is Centipede grass.


I would disagree. The benefits of keeping crab out and not competing with the grass spreading would greatly outweigh the possibility of root damage from pre em. I've never seen this root damage or root inhibition. I've sprayed barricade in March and layed sod over the untouched ground one month later. Had zero effect on the new sod. Is it possible? Must be, I've read about it. The crabgrass will be a far greater competitor to new grass


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

The Prodiamine label states...

_To avoid turfgrass injury, do not apply to newly set sod until the sod has rooted and exposed edges have filled in._


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Ware said:


> The Prodiamine label states...
> 
> _To avoid turfgrass injury, do not apply to newly set sod until the sod has rooted and exposed edges have filled in._


Exactly. If he were going to lay sod, I wouldn't suggest pre em


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Well I'm not laying any Sod. At this point I just want to get rid of all the Dandelion and Henbit all over my yard, wait for the test results of the Soil Sample (sending it off today to Clemson), and then fertilize accordingly and see what grows and see what I even really have. I know theres a bunch of POA in there too, but at this point I'm more concerned of getting rid of all the weeds.

I do remember from years past, at one point in the year I also have a bunch of Bahiagrass .... it grows like crazy, so something that'll even keep that from growing would be awesome.

I think im at a stage where I just need to find out what kind of grass I have all over. I'm under the impression it's Centipede, but someone said I may have more Bermuda than I may think.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Or maybe I just spray Glysophate (which I already have), then Fertilize according to Soil Sample to get my soil in shape, and reseed


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Art_Vandelay said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> > The Prodiamine label states...
> ...


Yep, sorry, didn't read the whole discussion.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Ware said:


> Art_Vandelay said:
> 
> 
> > Ware said:
> ...


No worries


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Buyanet said:


> Or maybe I just spray Glysophate (which I already have), then Fertilize according to Soil Sample to get my soil in shape, and reseed


Honestly, if you do have Bermudagrass under there, gly will stunt it, but it'll be back


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## Brodgers88 (Feb 26, 2017)

I would make the decision whether you want to grow the grass back in from it's current state or just hit the reset button and completely renovate. It is possible you have a southern mix which is usually centipede, common bermuda, and bahia. If you want to renovate with something nicer then spray it with glyphosate and resod. If you want to keep it and just have green grass that is mostly weed free, I would work on growing the yard back in with all the grass currently existing. Try to examine the area and figure out which grass type is more dominant. Like 70% centipede, 30% bermuda or whatever it may be and treat the yard for that grass type.

Centipede grass is a little tricky but if treated properly can be a nice turf. It naturally has a weaker and shallow root system compared to bermuda and zoysia grass because it only grows by stolons which are the above ground runners. After spreading out the stolons send down fibrous roots into the top layer of soil. If the soil has a high level of pre emergent herbicide in it then the roots won't develop properly causing the grass to be much more susceptible to drought, fungus, etc. That's why I would recommend not using a pre emergent until the grass is thick and healthy again. Once it is thick using a pre emergent would be ok. I would focus on proper fertility, mowing, irrigation, and weed control through an initial blanket application of Celsius followed by spot applications only as needed through the growing season. The best type of nitrogen for centipede is ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) and best type of potassium is sulfate of potash (0-0-50). The 21-0-0 goes down at a rate of 3lbs/M and the 0-0-50 at 1lb to 2lb/M depending on soil report. I would apply the 21-0-0 begining in late April and continue monthly applications up until late August. Do the same with the 0-0-50, late April and then monthly until 30 days before frost. I recommended the 15-0-15 and 16-4-8 just due to being easy to obtain at almost any place. For the 21-0-0 and 0-0-50 you'll have to go to a turf supply store like site one, Ewing, farm feed and seed stores, etc.

You definitely started off right by taking soil samples. :thumbup:


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Brodgers88 said:


> I would make the decision whether you want to grow the grass back in from it's current state or just hit the reset button and completely renovate. It is possible you have a southern mix which is usually centipede, common bermuda, and bahia. If you want to renovate with something nicer then spray it with glyphosate and resod. If you want to keep it and just have green grass that is mostly weed free, I would work on growing the yard back in with all the grass currently existing. Try to examine the area and figure out which grass type is more dominant. Like 70% centipede, 30% bermuda or whatever it may be and treat the yard for that grass type.
> 
> Centipede grass is a little tricky but if treated properly can be a nice turf. It naturally has a weaker and shallow root system compared to bermuda and zoysia grass because it only grows by stolons which are the above ground runners. After spreading out the stolons send down fibrous roots into the top layer of soil. If the soil has a high level of pre emergent herbicide in it then the roots won't develop properly causing the grass to be much more susceptible to drought, fungus, etc. That's why I would recommend not using a pre emergent until the grass is thick and healthy again. Once it is thick using a pre emergent would be ok. I would focus on proper fertility, mowing, irrigation, and weed control through an initial blanket application of Celsius followed by spot applications only as needed through the growing season. The best type of nitrogen for centipede is ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) and best type of potassium is sulfate of potash (0-0-50). The 21-0-0 goes down at a rate of 3lbs/M and the 0-0-50 at 1lb to 2lb/M depending on soil report. I would apply the 21-0-0 begining in late April and continue monthly applications up until late August. Do the same with the 0-0-50, late April and then monthly until 30 days before frost. I recommended the 15-0-15 and 16-4-8 just due to being easy to obtain at almost any place. For the 21-0-0 and 0-0-50 you'll have to go to a turf supply store like site one, Ewing, farm feed and seed stores, etc.
> 
> You definitely started off right by taking soil samples. :thumbup:


You da man! I appreciate your insight.

Since I have 2 dogs (labs), I know I'll never have a picture perfect lawn (maybe in the front!), so I'd really just love for it to be full and green, not bare spots and weeds. Since Centipede is definitely not very tolerable to stress when walked on etc., I am considering reseeding something more worthwhile (but what?). OR, I keep what's there (You're probably right, a Southern Mix), and just let it do it's thing while doing my best with herbicide and fertilizer.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

If you want something traffic tolerant I might consider St Augustine, just because it fills in so aggressively.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

So I went by my local Palmetto Home Store today just to check what all they have in terms of products and see about finding Prodiamine etc. locally, but no luck. Can't think of any other store that would carry such things around here, so I guess I'll be limited to Online Shopping.

They did have a bunch of products with Atrazine in it, also "Dimethylamine Salt of 2,4-D". 2-4D I've heard isn't the best for Centipede, and I wanted to do more research on Atrazine.

At this point in time, I'll see what I can get out of this backyard after treating it with a post emergent and fertiziling according to what the Soil Sample says.

Sorry for all my questions etc., I am very thankful for you guys! May have found a new hobby. Gotta start somewhere, right?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Buyanet Do you have a SiteOne or Ewing around where you are?


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> @Buyanet Do you have a SiteOne or Ewing around where you are?


Holy cow I have both actually! "Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply" and a "SiteOne Landscape Supply". They should have this kind of stuff?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Buyanet said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> > @Buyanet Do you have a SiteOne or Ewing around where you are?
> ...


I got my Celsius at SiteOne. They had to ship it from another of their stores but they had it. I'd call both places and see.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Was planning on putting down Prodiamine and Celsius on Monday ..... ugh.


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with putting prodiamine down in the rain. It needs to be watered in anyway.

You might get a bit wet and cold, and your neighbors will think you are crazy, but stick around here long enough and your neighbors will think you are a bit crazy anyway. They will also likely envy your lawn.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Wes said:


> Honestly, there's nothing wrong with putting prodiamine down in the rain. It needs to be watered in anyway.
> 
> You might get a bit wet and cold, and your neighbors will think you are crazy, but stick around here long enough and your neighbors will think you are a bit crazy anyway. They will also likely envy your lawn.


Haha I may just do that if I get bored enough on Monday. You're right, I'd be a lot less moving sprinklers around


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Hey guys, real quick, wasn't sure about starting a new thread for this, but I leveled my backyard some over the past 2 days to hopefully keep water from pooling around my back porch. Anyways, this morning I clearly see mole cricket tunnels already where I was digging.

With that said, I need to get Bifenthrin down, but not sure in which form.

Granules? 0.2% AI
Or the liquid? Bifen I/T is 7.9% and Bifen XTS is 25.1%. What's the different in the 2?

I'd prefer granules for simplicity sake, does it work as good?

Thanks!!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Granules unless you're spraying the whole lawn anyway


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

SCGrassMan said:


> Granules unless you're spraying the whole lawn anyway


Good deal. Thanks.

I will be spraying my whole yard with Prodiamine and Celsius, but don't have Bifen yet so don't want to repeat that process.

On a funny side note, I got some Mark it Blue and did a test run with water yesterday. Long Pants, Long Shirt, Closed Toe shoes, Socks, gloves ......

My Feet are still blue, LOL. What a mess that stuff is!! And I found out the hard way it WILL soak through my raggidy "yard shoes". Time for Rubber Boots lol


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Buyanet said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Granules unless you're spraying the whole lawn anyway
> ...


To me personally, the value of turf marker is seeing where I'm getting chemicals on myself. You definitely learn quick to wear gloves for sure


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## LawnDrummer (Jan 16, 2019)

Welcome to the forum! I wouldn't say centipede is garbage grass. I've had it for three of my houses and it's done great. Follow the advice of the folks on here and it will revive...slowly. As for mole crickets and other insects, I use Bifen I/T (liquid) and spray my lawn and flower beds. I use between 1oz - 2oz/1000. There is also Dominion that works well against grubs and mole crickets. It's also a liquid and I think only requires half an ounce per 1000. Just remember Centipede doesn't like much nitrogen and little or no phosphorus. Last year I used organic fertilizer from May - October and it worked great. I had no fungus issues and was mowing every 5 days. I would spot spray weeds with Atrazine or just hand pull as I didn't have many to deal with. As others have said - Pre-emergent is your friend. Use it and you'll definitely see a decrease in the weeds from year to year.


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## jonthepain (May 5, 2018)

I like centipedegrass.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Got the Prodiamine in the mail today. Am I reading this label correctly? For centipede, yearly max of 0.36 - 0.83 oz per 1k sq ft? Why such a big difference, what am I missing?

I plan on spraying 3 times a year (every 4 months), so I plan on using 0.233 oz / 1k sq ft per application.

Is my math right? That should equal 0.7 oz per calendar year total per 1k sq ft.

I plan on applying it tomorrow as Sunday has 90% chance of rain ..... I won't have to move sprinklers around, lol.

Thanks!


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Your math is right. I would actually concentrate Prodiamine applications for during the time of the year Centipede is not growing anyway. Atrazine and Gallery is what I prefer for growing season Pre. Centipede wants a low P, moderate N, high K and high micronutrient fertilizer. It is a little different from other grasses in that it prefers a soil with a ph under 6. Higher than 6 and it can be hard to keep. With a pH under 6 that can often become the only ground cover that thrives. With higher pH, weeds and contaminating grasses do better.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Thanks! Why is there such a large difference in the yearly max though?

Yeah my soil is probably all skrewy too. I am still waiting to get my Soil Test back. Just want to get started on a good pre-em regiment


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Different grasses tolerate it differently. Bermuda, Zoysia and Cool season grasses tolerate Prodiamine rather well. Bent, Centipede, and St Augustine are not as tolerant. I speak from personal experience that the lower rate suggested is a good idea on Centipede and St Augustine.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Put Bifenthrin down 2 days ago in granular form. Followed label directions. Adult Mole Crickets are still active. I actually dig one out earlier (was only sitting about 3/4 inch below surface) and it just laid there. Thought it was dead. Drew a ring around it with my shovel and came back 5 minutes later and it was gone. Great. Lol. Not sure how long it takes Bifen to work.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

So I am starting to really think due to using a crappy $20 pump sprayer, the Celsius just wasn't as effective coverage wise. I did 2 test runs to cover 1k sq ft. with 1 gallon, and my application was like that too. But after 16 days, this is where I stand. Even some Dandelion and Henbit (which should be killed with low rate, I used medium) are still standing, albeit looking hurt.

Guess we'll see what it'll look like in 7 more days. Just going a LOT slower than expected. Some things do seem dead.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Hey guys ..... theoretically speaking, if I just decided to up and kill my whole backyard to seed Bermuda ..... what's in your opinion the best concoction to kill literally everything.

I've been off today staring at my backyard all day and am almost leaning towards a total nuke and redo. The reasoning I tell myself is 1) so many weeds 2) so many dead spots 3) I don't even know what grass there is besides Centipede.

Obviously I'd have to nuke everything, which at that point would be an awesome time to smooth out my backyard (there's so many bumps and humps and dips it's not even funny) and reseed. I have mostly sandy soil as in when it's dry and I run over it (or the dogs) dust flies up.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

I just read this whole thread for the first time. It's amazing the good advice you can get on here. Have you seen better kill off from the Celsius? It is a very slow kill even in warm weather but during early spring it can be very slow. Just my two cents on the Reno vs working with what you have... since this is your first year starting to care for the lawn beyond the Scotts app I would take this season to really learn your land and your techniques. A complete Reno is not a task to rush into. I have never done it but reading all the journals on here it looks like something for a more seasoned person. I really believe if you get your soil in check, mow frequently, use good techniques on your post em sprays, and keep the water right you will see a major improvement. A year from now you will be more experienced and more knowledgeable. If at that point you want to kill it all then you will be much better prepared to do it.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

TN Hawkeye said:


> I just read this whole thread for the first time. It's amazing the good advice you can get on here. Have you seen better kill off from the Celsius? It is a very slow kill even in warm weather but during early spring it can be very slow. Just my two cents on the Reno vs working with what you have... since this is your first year starting to care for the lawn beyond the Scotts app I would take this season to really learn your land and your techniques. A complete Reno is not a task to rush into. I have never done it but reading all the journals on here it looks like something for a more seasoned person. I really believe if you get your soil in check, mow frequently, use good techniques on your post em sprays, and keep the water right you will see a major improvement. A year from now you will be more experienced and more knowledgeable. If at that point you want to kill it all then you will be much better prepared to do it.


Hey! Thanks for the reply. YES! The Celsius did finally start working. Took about 21-25 days. It really is good stuff.

I'm definitely not thrilled to even entertain the nuke button, and I may not, but I just don't think this backyard even has a good foundation to not be aggravating even IF it somehow fills in. Like I've said it's so uneven everywhere.

The wealth of information on this forum really is mind blowing. A month ago I had no clue there was this much to it haha.


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## Bbq freakshow (Mar 9, 2019)

Don't be scared to nuke and start over especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. It's just growing grass but some guys wanna turn it into rocket science.


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## Buyanet (Feb 4, 2019)

Bbq freakshow said:


> Don't be scared to nuke and start over especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. It's just growing grass but some guys wanna turn it into rocket science.


Haha true, but there really is more to it than just mowing.

So anyways .... still curious .... what concoction is the "Kill everything" spray?


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