Centipede grass is gaining popularity among lawn owners. This grass is native to china and certain parts of south East Asia.

Caring for centipede grass:

Centipede grass requires very less maintenance and can survive equally well on poor sandy soils or clay-based soils. There are two things to remember for centipede grass, firstly, they should not be over fertilized and secondly, they should not be over mowed as over mowing can kill the grass. It is also essential to remember that reseeding the grass is not necessary and rather than improving the quality of the grass, it can end up harming the existing grass. In the beginning, the grass should be well moist, but not too wet. Weed control is needed from time to time, specially in winter. There are certain conditions in centipede grass that you need to guard against. They are prone to certain diseases like 'brown patches' and 'dollar spot' also the grass can be tormented by certain pests like nematodes and ground pearls, grubs, mole crickets and caterpillars. Among these, nematodes are potentially dangerous and may cause heavy wilt in the grass, despite good management. They can be prevented by keeping the grass well moistened. Another problem related to this variety of grass is ' centipede decline.' This situation occurs when the centipede grass is old or is having some problems like over fertilization, attack of nematodes, excessive thatching and so on. Proper mowing and good all-round maintenance can prevent this problem.

Advantages of centipede grass:

This is the best grass for your turf if you have acidic or infertile soil. In terms of low maintenance, centipede tops the list. Therefore if you have a busy lifestyle, this is the ideal grass for you. It also has good shade and draught tolerance. It can be easily established from seeds and sods and can be spread by stolons. It is also cheap, as it requires fewer fertilizers and other expensive devises.

Disadvantages of centipede grass:

Centipede is prone to pest attack. Nematodes and ground pearls are specially damaging. Due to excess lignin content caused by stolons, centipede is prone to have heavy thatch layer. 'Centipede decline' can be disturbing and in this condition, intensive measures need to be taken.

However, if proper conditions are provided, then the advantages can overwhelm the disadvantages of centipede grass.

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