Spring is almost here! The birds are chirping, bees are buzzing and life begins to return to outdoor lawns and gardens. As temperatures start to slowly warm up again, it’s important for us lawn and garden lovers to provide our tender love and care to our beloved centipede grass lawns.
When it comes to seasonal centipede grass maintenance, spring lawn care slightly differs from the summer or fall seasons. Temperatures rise and soil conditions change. Centipede grass is just starting to come out of dormancy and turn green again.
Depending on where you may be located, your centipede grass lawn may not have even gone dormant at all!
Spring Centipede Grass Care Tips
1. Proper Spring Centipede Grass Mowing
Blade Care:
Keep mower blades sharp to ensure clean cuts, which help prevent disease.
Timing:
Begin mowing when the grass shows active growth, typically by mid-March in warmer regions.
Height:
Start the season with a slightly lower cut to remove winter thatch, setting your mower to about 1.5–2 inches. Maintain this height throughout spring to encourage a thick, healthy turf.
2. Choosing the Best Lawn Fertilizer for Spring
Timing is Key:
Wait until after the last frost to apply spring lawn fertilizer. This timing helps avoid re-dormancy from unexpected cold snaps.
Product Recommendations:
We suggest the Lawnifi Spring Fertilizer Box as the best lawn fertilizer for spring, which provides tailored nutrition to help your grass recover from winter and thrive in spring. Each application covers 5,000 sq. ft. and is designed for easy use with a hose-end sprayer.
3. Setting Up Your Spring Irrigation Schedule
Water Requirements:
Gradually increase watering as your grass resumes active growth. Aim for about 1 inch per week, considering rainfall.
Efficiency Tips:
Conduct an irrigation audit to ensure even water distribution and prevent wastage. Learn how to perform an irrigation audit.
4. Fixing Bare or Damaged Spots
Using Centipede Seeds
For bare spots, consider using centipede grass seed in the spring.
Soil Preparation:
Before planting, prepare the soil by loosening it and adding a light layer of compost to provide nutrients. Do a soil test to make proper amendments to your soil to set it up for success this season.
5. Aerate Your Lawn
Why Aerate?
Aeration helps relieve soil compaction, allowing roots to breathe and absorb nutrients more effectively.
Best Practices:
Aerating is best done during your lawn’s peak growing season. For cool-season grasses, early spring or fall is ideal, while warm-season grasses benefit most from late spring aeration.
Spring Lawn Treatment
6. Weed Control Strategies
Preventive Care:
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide when soil temperatures consistently reach about 55 degrees Fahrenheit to stop weed seeds from germinating. Learn more here.
Active Management:
Use post-emergent herbicides to tackle visible weeds like dandelions and crabgrass. Ensure selective herbicide use, as non-selectives will kill any and all vegetation it comes into contact with
Apply post-emergent weed contrl throughout the spring as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like:
- Crabgrass
- Goosegrass
- Sandspur
- Dallisgrass
- Dandelion
- Chickweed
- White Clover
- Knotweed
- Spurge
- Dollarweed
- Doveweed
- Lespedeze
If you notice weeds and you aren’t sure which type of weed it is, check out our Identifying Common Lawn Weeds blog.
Note: St. Augustine and centipede lawns are sensitive to active ingredients like 2,4-D, MSMA or Mecroprop. Apply an Atrazine-based weed control product like Hi-Yield Atrazine to control weeds. Atrazine products serve as both pre- and post-emergent herbicides.
Pictured above from left to right: Crabgrass, goosegrass and clover.
7. Insect Monitoring and Control
Treatment:
Use appropriate insecticides, ensuring they are suitable for St. Augustine to prevent damage.
Common Pests:
Keep an eye out for pests such as spittlebugs and white grub worms that commonly affect St. Augustine in the spring.
Dylox 6.2 is often used to treat currently existing grub worm infestations that may show up in the summer whereas Imidacloprid-based products like Imidacloprid granular insecticide prevent them as it begins to warm up in the spring.
Bifen L/P can treat a spittlebug infestation.
If the insect control product you use is a granular product, be sure to water it in so that it soaks into your soil. On the other hand, if it’s a liquid product, you will either need to attach it to the end of your garden hose or tank mix it.
You can read more about these insects in our Insect Identification blog. Be sure to follow product label instructions before application.
Pictured above from left to right: White grub worms and a spittlebug.
8. Prevent Disease as Temperatures Begin to Warm Up
Disease outbreaks may start to show up as centipede grass comes out of dormancy. This is a sign of disease and you may need to make applications of a systemic fungicide.
Systemic fungicide applications with fungicides like Heritage G or Propiconazole should take place before you apply any spring fertilizer. If you have disease in your lawn, the nitrogen found in fertilizers oftentimes feeds it and helps it spread. Apply a systemic fungicide and wait a few weeks before applying any fertilizer.
Pictured above: A turfgrass disease.
What Should I Do for My Centipede Grass Lawn This Spring? - Answered
- Mowing: Start mowing when the grass begins active growth, setting your mower to about 1.5 inches. This promotes a dense and healthy lawn.
- Fertilization: Apply a light fertilizer after the last frost has passed, tailored specifically for the low nutrient needs of centipede grass.
- Watering: Provide about 1 inch of water per week, adjusting based on rainfall and temperature to avoid overwatering this drought-tolerant grass.
- Weed and Disease Control: Use pre-emergent herbicides early in the season and apply fungicides only if there are signs of disease, ensuring they are safe for centipede grass.
- Insect Management: Monitor for and manage pests like spittlebugs and grub worms with appropriate insecticides.
- Repairing Bare Spots: Overseed or use sod to repair bare spots, ensuring good soil contact and preparation for best growth.
By carefully following these steps, your centipede grass will remain healthy and vibrant, ready to grow and full as the season progresses.
