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daaw1

centipede

17 years ago

After 3 years of wondering why my centipeded grass will not grow, I bought a soil test kit and the results were that my PH was 7.0, Nitrogen was high, Phosphorus LOW and Potassium high.

Symptoms include light green, thin blades of grass that would not get thick. When I cut my lawn I would be cutting mostly thin "shoots".

I guess I need to add phosphorus, but I cannot find much information about what to use online.

Any thoughts?

Comments (3)

  • 17 years ago

    If you're N and K numbers are high, then you probably want to go as unbalanced as you can toward the P number. The simple, traditional answer for this situation is Triple-phosphate, which is something like 0-46-0. It depends on where you live - Triple-phosphate is easy to get in 5 lb bags some places, but that's not going to go very far if you have a large lawn. The big-box stores don't typically have large bags of it.

  • 17 years ago

    Centipede grass is considered the lazy mans grass. It's best adapted to sandy, acid soils. It tolerates very low soil fertility levels and thrives on moderately fertile soils.

    Your NPK results are near perfect for most lawns, but not for centipede. First- You do not need phosphorus. Feed your Centipede only Once or Twice during the growing season, just after it greens up in the spring and again in early fall(if needed). The fertilizer should be slow release and have moderate amounts of nitrogen and potassium, but no phosphorous, such as a 15-0-15 or and 18-0-18. Only apply 1lb N per 1000sqft. Over fertilizing can weaken Centipede.

    How often, and with what have you been fertilizing.
    How often are you watering and with how much water?

  • 17 years ago

    my PH is 7.0, Nitrogen was high.

    Mystery solved, Centipede hates perfect soil and will not grow in it. Centipede soil has to be very poor, lacking nutrients, and be hot enough acid to burn every living organism to toast. You may think I am joking, but I am not.

    Centiped soil PH needs to be 5.5 or lower, that is 200 times more acidic than what you have now, you are not even close. As for nitrogen, you have way too much for Centipede. The recommended fertilizer rate for Centipeded is buy one bag, dump the contents in the garbage, and drag the empty bag around the yard once in year in spring.

    So right now you have wonderful fertile soil and can grow any type of warm season grass you want except Centipede. If you insist on Centiweed, you will need to destroy your soil first with tons of sulfur to acidify the soil so it kills everything off so nothing can grow but Centipede and Blueberries

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