Nick Konya – posted 17 April 2004 07:48
Just laid Centipede Sod last week 04/05/04 in Wilson NC zone 7Got it from reputable Sod farm in NC, dormant when delivered (golden brown!!) tilled soil to 6in, cleared all weeds and ground debris, laid sod, watered deeply, now 04/17/04 starting to turn green, watering every other day.
Questions:
1. Going to fertilize with 15-0-15, when should I do that??2. Should I continue to water every other day, unless it rains,throughout the year?3. Have read it is OK to seed with annual Rye in the fall to maintain green appearance, is this correct and what are the visual signs that it is time to do it or what month is the correct month to do it?
Thanks in advance for your advice,
Nick Konya
redbird – posted 20 April 2004 09:45
Wait till you are at least 75% greenup before fertilizing (IMHO – some people do it at the first sign of greenup, but you waste a lot of nutrients waiting for the grass to get ready to use them). Be careful fertilizing centipede – too much will produce a rich green growth, followed by a “die back” (centipede decline) the following year. It is usually best to fertlize lightly once in the spring/once in the fall (2-3 lbs. of nitrogen per 1000 sf. per year). In between, your centipede will yellow-out – this is iron chlorosis. Some people apply iron once every 4 – 6 weeks throughout a long growing season to keep it green and pretty.
Watering every other day throughout the year will screw up your lawn – big time. Leeches out nutrients, promotes fungi, bugs and shallow roots. After the establishment period (10-14 days when it is warm – pull on it, the roots should be attached to the ground) only water as needed. This is usually no more than one deep watering a week, 1 inch of water – forcing the grass to put down deep roots to get the most available water. Frequent waterings produce a weak, lazy lawn – no need to push down roots, water’s always available at the surface. A shallow rooted lawn will get killed in a drought or crisis. The best method is to water only as needed – when the blades begin to wilt/curl and you can see your foot imprints in the grass 5 – 10 minutes after walking on it.
Mike
certified-in-florida – posted 01 May 2004 19:38
WOW. Mike, I wish you could explain that to all my customers. Great explanation.
As far as the overseeding. You can do that with centipede. Timing varies with climate and year. I am in the panhandle of Florida and last fall, we overseed our properties in the first week of October. You may have needed to do it in mid september. You need to plan for the rye to be germinated and established before the first killing frost. So, contact your extension office and find out when the average first frost is, then count back about 6 weeks. That should give you time to get teh job done.
There is a downside to overseeding. It does seem to hinder the host grass (especially centipede) making it thinner. It will also mean cutting year round, fertilizing probably 2 times in the winter months, and watering more. I don’t know your climate, so it is hard for me to advise more than that.
Good luck.