ptarrant@peoplepc.com – posted 27 March 2002 10:20
Ijust bought some CENTI-SEED THE ORIGINAL CENTIPEDE GRASS SEED. My question is can I successfully grow it in the Kansas City, Mo. area? If so, how much water will it need once it is established.
james – posted 02 April 2002 13:37
it naturally will let you know when it needs water. when it gets thirsty the color has a definate paleness that rebounds within hours of watering. centipede likes to be watered about once a week except in very hot conditions where it may need a frequency approaching once per 5 days. each time, however, it is important to really soak it deeply, especially if you have a compaction issue as we do here in georgia. a good trick is to put a rain guage or tin can out for measurement. shoot for 1.5 inches for loose soil to 3 inches or more for hard compaction. (if your compaction is bad enough aerate twice a year and top dress with a 1:1 mix of lime and coarse sand. )if you don’t water deep enough the roots will have a tendancy to stay shallow and of course that is not desirable. if you do not have a well you may want to consider one, else water conservation issues may pose a challenge.water at or just before first light — never late — early enough where the water has a good chance to soak before evaporation coefficients begin to rise with the sun. good luck!
seed – posted 02 April 2002 15:26
ptarrant, Kansas City is farther north than I have heard of centipedegrass being grown. It probably won’t survive the winter. But don’t be discouraged, as this may be an interesting experiment. I hope I’m wrong.
I’m not sure whether James was talking about watering 3 inches, which is excessive, or watering to a depth of 3 inches, which is too shallow.
Phil