Centipede grass killed by frost

kaddiddle

kaddiddle

Member
For the second time this year my centipede lawn while starting to green-up has been hit by frost. After the first late frost it browned but had finally started to regrow. Then yesterday morning we had a very light frost, one swipe of the windshield wiper and the frost was gone. However, upon getting home i could clearly see the damage.

This is a 4 yr old seeded lawn of 3 acres that was part of a 25 acre ag field. I weed control in early march and fertilize late April with 15-0-15 every year.

My questions are: do I need to reseed or will it bounce back? Do I need to go ahead and fertilize? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Flash

Flash

Actually I Am QAnon
IMO it will bounce back and I'd wait until May to fertilize. You had frost yesterday in SE GA??
 
kaddiddle

kaddiddle

Member
Yes Sir, i am about 30 miles wnw of Savannah. i am practically in the middle of a 25 acre field. It was a lite frost and the grass was young and tender.
 
J

JohnK

Senior Member
All the centipede yards I've had we sprigged and never, ever fertilized it. If it got weeds then I watered it. I don't claim to know about the seed stuff but I had some beautiful yards. You get it started it will likely take over the whole field.
 
kaddiddle

kaddiddle

Member
ok, thanks for the info. Ya i have to stay on top of it to keep it out my garden and the wife's floor beds. Do i understand you correctly that I do not need to apply weed killer? Just water and let it choke the weeds?
 
DAWG1419

DAWG1419

Senior Member
Don’t do anything while it’s in transition. I been using 0-0-7 atrazine to rid centipede of weeds. A couple of bags of tiger 90(sulfer) and straight nitrogen. All mine we treat look great.
 
Bob Shaw

Bob Shaw

Senior Member
Do not put regular Weed and Feed on Centipede. You must use the Weed and Feed for Southern Lawns, that contains Atrazine. Regular Weed and Feed will injure your Centipede. I live just south of Atlanta and my Centipede has been going for 22 years, and through many frosts. You're in what is probably the perfect zone for Centipede. My biggest problem is Two-line Spittle bugs whose larvae eat the roots, and cause brown/dead spots.
 
chevypro1

chevypro1

Member
DAWG1419 said:
Don’t do anything while it’s in transition. I been using 0-0-7 atrazine to rid centipede of weeds. A couple of bags of tiger 90(sulfer) and straight nitrogen. All mine we treat look great.
Click to expand...

What does the sulfer and nitrogen do for it? I have been using 15-0-15 fertilizer. I'm still trying to figure out this stuff
 
Jim Baker

Jim Baker

Moderator
Staff member
chevypro1 said:
What does the sulfer and nitrogen do for it? I have been using 15-0-15 fertilizer. I'm still trying to figure out this stuff
Click to expand...

Sulphur will lower the pH of your soil. Nitrogen will green up the leaf blades.

This is from UGA.

"The nutrient requirements of centipedegrass are different from most other turfgrasses. An acid soil pH of 5.0 to 6.0 is preferred by this turfgrass species. As the pH goes above 6.0, Iron (Fe) availability decreases. Iron deficiency causes the grass to become chlorotic or yellow. A high phosphorous level also renders iron unavailable in the soil, resulting in chlorotic symptoms. Centipedegrass has a lighter green foliage than most other turfgrasses. It will become dark green with excessive nitrogen applications, which can be a primary cause of centipedegrass decline. Additionally, unwarranted nitrogen can lead to thatch build-up and disease problems."

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1003&title=Centipedegrass Decline

Something to consider before applying nitrogen and/or sulphur. Best to get a soil analysis to determent what nutrients are needed and what the pH level of your lawn is.

What works on one side of the street may not on the other side.
 
DAWG1419

DAWG1419

Senior Member
jimbo4116 said:
Sulphur will lower the pH of your soil. Nitrogen will green up the leaf blades.

This is from UGA.

"The nutrient requirements of centipedegrass are different from most other turfgrasses. An acid soil pH of 5.0 to 6.0 is preferred by this turfgrass species. As the pH goes above 6.0, Iron (Fe) availability decreases. Iron deficiency causes the grass to become chlorotic or yellow. A high phosphorous level also renders iron unavailable in the soil, resulting in chlorotic symptoms. Centipedegrass has a lighter green foliage than most other turfgrasses. It will become dark green with excessive nitrogen applications, which can be a primary cause of centipedegrass decline. Additionally, unwarranted nitrogen can lead to thatch build-up and disease problems."

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1003&title=Centipedegrass Decline

Something to consider before applying nitrogen and/or sulphur. Best to get a soil analysis to determent what nutrients are needed and what the pH level of your lawn is.

What works on one side of the street may not on the other side.
Click to expand...

Winner winner chicken dinner. Get a soil test and report back. Best $20 you can spend. Then we can get you an exact program to follow going forward. We have time because you don’t want to do anything during transition

To answer the op’s question. Sulfer will lower your ph. I use straight nitrogen as centipede doesn’t want/need any phosphorus. Get a soil test to see where your ph is. We want it between 4.5-6. It will also tell us your nitrogen/ phosphorus levels.
 
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