YELLOWING CENTEPEDE

HART209 – posted 07 October 2003 19:17

JUST SODDED MY YARD THIS SPRING IN SOUTH CAROLINA WITH TIFF-CENTEPEDE. I HAD SPITTLE BUGS EARLIER BUT IS UNDER CONTROL. NOW, LARGE AREAS OF LAWN IS TURNING YELLOW AND SOME SMALLER AREAS ARE DYING. I HAVE NOT HAD THE SOIL TESTED. HELP!!

redbird – posted 08 October 2003 05:29

Without seeing the lawn or knowing anything else, here are two things that can be potential problems for centipede:

1) The grass is very subject to iron chlorosis. This causes a continuing increase in yellowing throughout the growing season (from green, to yellow-green, to yellow) unless you apply an iron treatment. This is mainly an appearance issue and usually does not affect the vitality of the lawn.

2) Overfertilizing is a common problem for centipede – it requires very little nitrogen and responds negatively to overfertilizing. Large and/or frequent applications of fertilizer (amounts which would be normal and beneficial for other grasses) will result in an initial greening and growth spurt, followed by a later decline (dying back, thinning).

*Note – mole crickets are a big problem with centipede in my area also.

Mike