Seeding two acres of Centipede

[gphil12873]

May yard rough and real bad. I am gonna start disking it up now and hope to get a few showers, disk again to get it good and chopped up by the end of May or first of April when I want to start planting my grass. I am gonna use tires bolted together to get it good and smooth. Anyone with some experience with this? I think I am going to have to stagger about a 1/4 acre at the time to water. Can I plant a 1/4 acre at the time then water for 3 or 4 weeks then move to another 1/4 acre and start all over again. I can jump back and water the first 1/4 acre once or twice a week as needed...Im just thinking about watering it three times a day for 15 or 20 minutes for 3 weeks. Can I repeat this process up until about the end of August? To get it done. Seems to work in my head...just want some opinions.

 

[MacLawn]

I see ye're in Alabama, so I know centipede works great! Can't help with the leveling idea, but if ye place gets enough sun, when that centipede gets a toe hold, man, ye'll have some good tough grass. I love it at our Georgia place that's red clay soil. Also here in Mississippi place it does good, but a bit too much shade in some areas. In Deep South, it's centipede for sun, St. Augustine for more shady areas. Post some pics if ye place.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I've been in the lawn and turf business for years. I think you are starting out the right way. And I think you have the right idea about staggering your planting because of watering.

I would suggest that instead of watering for 15-20 minutes, that you flood the area each day until the seeds germinate and start to set roots. I tell customers to keep it wet enough so that they sink to their ankles for the first 10 days or so.

Also, I would suggest you consider bermuda grass seed instead of centipede. Bermuda will be much cheaper and will get established much faster. And in my opinion, bermuda makes a much nicer lawn than centipede. Just be sure you use a 'turf type' bermuda seed, instead of 'common' bermuda which is for pastures.

 

[MacLawn]

I bow to old Complete, except I disagree about Bermuda. I tried some, didn't work at all as good as the centipede. And due to our lifestyle of travel, sometimes for months away in hot dry weather with no one to water it, the centipede survived, nay, thrived. Bermuda nit so good.

 

[gphil12873]

I made the first few passes with the disk yesterday afternoon. It cut pretty good. Need to let it sit through a rain then do it again. A tiller would be great but I dotn have one. I am surprised at how the little disk did. You know we will probably be in for the biggest drought we have had in years because I am doing this...lol...I am in full sun with no shade. I pretty much like centipede grass. It make a durable lawn for me and where it will be. i hope it turnes out alright. If nothing else I wont be cutting much grass this year. My soil sample I sent off should be back in a few days and I will know what I need to put on it.

 

[EddieWalker]

The tire idea works good. I saw it done with ten tires connected like a triangle. One in front, then two, then three, then four at the back. I used a heavy oak log for years, then after it rotted away I built a drag out of angle iron with cement blocks on it that I like the best.

Centipede is very slow to get established, so you need another grass to cover the ground and hold it together. It might take two years to start seeing the centipede take hold. Here, they use Bermuda mixed with centipede. The Bermuda comes up quickly, then as the centipede gets going, it chokes out the Bermuda.

Eddie

 

[gphil12873]

Yea I am also going to get a roller from my brother in law. He used it when he did his yard and said it worked real good. I don't know what it came off of but its about a 12" roller and has a piece that looks like a blade on it. I think it was used to mount it to something. But he said he used it for a blade. Its really heavy and about 8 to 10 foot in length. Thats the only thing about centipede that i dont like is how long it takes to get going good. I hope all this pays off in 3 or 4 years. Where i can cruise across it with the mower without a kidney belt.

 

[JSanders10]

I have a cross-tie I often pull behind my disc harrow for the leveling, works pretty well.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

My soil sample I sent off should be back in a few days and I will know what I need to put on it.

This is a VERY good thing to do.

Centipede is very slow to get established, so you need another grass to cover the ground and hold it together. It might take two years to start seeing the centipede take hold. Here, they use Bermuda mixed with centipede. The Bermuda comes up quickly, then as the centipede gets going, it chokes out the Bermuda. Eddie

I agree that centipede is very slow to establish. I would be afraid that if you mixed bermuda with centipede, that the bermuda would never be completely choked out and you would have a 'mixed' lawn forever.

Centipede is not a bad lawn by any means, I just prefer the bermuda much more than centipede.

 

[EddieWalker]

Centipede is not a bad lawn by any means, I just prefer the bermuda much more than centipede.

I agree, centipede isn't as nice a shade of green and Bermuda and it turns brown and goes dormant a lot earlier then bermuda. Only advantage is how slow it grows, and rarely having.to mow it. Around here most golf courses use Bermuda and that's what I have in my yard. My pastures are mixed bermuda and bahia. In winter I through out rye grass before the bermuda turns brown and I think that is the very best shade of green

Eddie