Centipede was introduced by seed from China in 1919. Medium in texture with a pale to medium green color, Centipede is slow growing but highly aggressive grass that can be depended upon to produce a good, dense, relatively weed-free turf at low maintenance levels. In spite of its aggressiveness, Centipede is easily controlled and usually requires edging only once a year around walks and flowerbeds.

Although Centipede usually produces a good turf at low fertility and with little management, it responds nicely to good care. It is incapable of producing as high quality turf as the Bermudas and Zoysias, but it frequently looks better than either because the "high-brow" grasses are not getting the more exacting care they need.

Characteristics

• easiest of all the grasses to cut
• reel or rotary mower, if sharp, does an easy and attractive cutting job
• does not look scalped when cutting is delayed too long and excessive growth removed
• greens up rapidly after a brief drought with irrigation or rainfall
• suited to acid soils (pH range of 5.0 to 6.5)
• should be fertilized very sparingly
• generally more trouble-free than other grasses if watered properly and fertilized sparingly or not at all
• Can be installed when sod is dormant

Super-Sod produces TifBlair™ Certified Centipede as well as common centipede. TifBlair™ centipede stays green longer, is more drought tolerant and (as seed) germinates faster than common centipede.

With a worldwide reputation for providing attractive lawn cover with the lowest maintenance requirements of any grass grown, Centipede is the lazy mans grass of preference.

This shade and drought tolerant crab apple green turf is the dominant turf grass in lawns of the mid-South. It can be grown from seed or quickly installed as sod.

More comparison information on grasses is available in The Encyclopedia of Lawn Grasses by W. A. Roquemore and the Turfgrass Chart.

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