OT: For the lawn gurus - dead spots in centipede lawn

[Independent George]

I’ve got several spots in my front yard where the grass appears completely dead. I can even take the edge of my shoe, drag it across the dead areas and the dead grass will pull away almost completely cleanly from the dirt underneath. My yard is centipede and I’m used to having some weak spots that come back slowly during the spring and early summer, but never like it is this year. My first thought was some kind of lawn fungus but admittedly I’m just guessing. I am far from the turf grass whisperers that I know many of you are. What does this look like and more importantly what should I do about it?

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I'm pretty sure the COVID vax caused that.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Not an expert, but I have centipede also. Hard to diagnose with pics on a message board but it could be grubs. Check a test area for active grubs as they eat the grass roots and make your sod loose. It could be an irrigation issue also. I would manually water the "dead" areas several times a day and also apply a nitrogen feed as high as 28-0-0 just don't over do it. Grass greens up quickly in a nitrogen environment. Depending on your soil, you may need to use a lawn aerator. Pythium is another problem but I don't have the knowledge on it. Good luck.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

I'm pretty sure the COVID vax caused that.

For a donation my crew can come over and vaccinate you and your lawn.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

For a donation my crew can come over and vaccinate you and your lawn.

I'd be happy to let them poke me.

 

[Old Dawg]

Not an expert, but I have centipede also. Hard to diagnose with pics on a message board but it could be grubs. Check a test area for active grubs as they eat the grass roots and make your sod loose. It could be an irrigation issue also. I would manually water the "dead" areas several times a day and also apply a nitrogen feed as high as 28-0-0 just don't over do it. Grass greens up quickly in a nitrogen environment. Depending on your soil, you may need to use a lawn aerator. Pythium is another problem but I don't have the knowledge on it. Good luck.

This is pretty good advice. My dad was a county extension agent. He would advise pretty much the same. De Thatch it too.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

Is your yard recently sodded (within past 3 years)?

This looks like every sodded job I’ve had. It tends to die out on me over the 2nd and 3rd year. I get better results with seed over the long haul. I’d try a thin layer of red clay/sand mix and overseed the dead spots if you figure out your problem. I also prefer 15-0-15 with iron for centipede. A super high nitrogen may green up quickly, but without root structure to support that growth, it’s a fools errand.

Also, heavy armadillo activity could suggest grubs as mentioned.

Hard to tell from pics, but your soil looks either very sandy or chalky clay.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

How old is your lawn? I had centipede at my last house, I'll not do that again. Every year it looked worse and worse and by year 10, I had to re-sod. Centipede doesn't recovery well from injury, so kids and pets lightly playing on it does a ton of damage compared to Bermuda and St Augustine.

 

[turkish]

I have different spots in my yard that do that every year. I’m trying to let Bermuda take over. I hate centipede.

 

[Independent George]

Thanks for the tips. For those that asked, the lawn isn’t new or newly sodded. We’ve been in the house for 12 years now and the turf was established for about 2 years before we moved in. I’m almost of the opinion to use this as an opportunity to try and establish Bermuda in my yard in these spots. I’ve never loved centipede and Bermuda seems to be much easier to care for.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Good round of aeration would do wonders for that yard.

 

[Podgy]

I have different spots in my yard that do that every year. I’m trying to let Bermuda take over. I hate centipede.

I have centipede and I'm trying to kill the Bermuda that's taking over. Well, I'm killing a lot of it. I might just give up though and let the Bermuda win. I also wish I had zoysia instead of centipede or that pioneer Bermuda that wants to take over.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Could be dealing with some sort of fungus or blight. I don’t know much about centipede grass but I do know you have to baby it.

Bermudagrass would survive a nuclear blast.

 

[HotMop]

Mole Crickets

 

[aTotal360]

Same thing happened to my lawn last year, but I managed to green it up in just 3 weeks. The fix was pretty obvious. I took my backpack sprayer and applied a low concentration of Dale’s.

 

[turkish]

I have centipede and I'm trying to kill the Bermuda that's taking over. Well, I'm killing a lot of it. I might just give up though and let the Bermuda win. I also wish I had zoysia instead of centipede or that pioneer Bermuda that wants to take over.

I think one of the greatest lies ever told was that centipede is a superior and trouble free turf in the South. Mow short, fertilize a little and watch that Bermuda thrive.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Could be dealing with some sort of fungus or blight. I don’t know much about centipede grass but I do know you have to baby it.

Bermudagrass would survive a nuclear blast.

Not arguing here, but I always heard centipede was low maintenance once you got it going. Bermuda is what people use to get a lawn going fast, but not great for longevity.

I really don’t know. I guess most football fields are Bermuda, so there’s that. I have Bermuda in my current house, and previous owners had a weed service. I didn’t continue it because I was cheap and busy, and the weeds have taken hold in just a month or so.

When I think of grass you have to baby, I think of fescue. Have to overseed that shlt every year, fertilize, etc.

One thing about Bermuda is that you can find weed and feed anywhere and not 17 with soil tests and all that shlt.

 

[ETK99]

 

[Spotdawg]

Looks a lot like mine. It could be all the things described above, but I'm crediting 21/2 months of summer drought and a harsh cold snap in February for the damage as much as anything. My formerly established centipede lawn is in tough shape - I'm going to let the Bermuda rip. Done with it.

 

[TurfDawg08]

Much of the south east had an extreme drought last Fall followed by a winter with ice and single digit temperatures. This has hammered a lot of grass. Also if your lawn faces the north it will be even slower to come out. Centipede doesn’t like heavy nitrogen. Check to see if you see any live tissue at soil level. Fertilize lightly with a slow release nitrogen. Topdress bad areas with sand. Treat with a fungicide if possible. Centipede is a very weak grass that is slow to move. Also lightly rake out thatch/ dead leaf matter to help it breathe.

 

[garddog]

Drought and cold got you as the previous poster stated.

 

[MS-halfstep]

Could be chinch bugs. How much manganese is in your soil? I prefer featherbed bent or northern sinsemilla

 

[Awwhellnaw]

Much of the south east had an extreme drought last Fall followed by a winter with ice and single digit temperatures. This has hammered a lot of grass. Also if your lawn faces the north it will be even slower to come out. Centipede doesn’t like heavy nitrogen. Check to see if you see any live tissue at soil level. Fertilize lightly with a slow release nitrogen. Topdress bad areas with sand. Treat with a fungicide if possible. Centipede is a very weak grass that is slow to move. Also lightly rake out thatch/ dead leaf matter to help it breathe.

I feel like this is what has practically wiped out the centipede in my yard. There is spotty Bermuda I would like to take hold and flourish. I tried seeding it over last year with Bermuda seed but didn’t get a good return. What advice would you give on promoting the existing Bermuda? Specific fertilizer? Other tactics?

 

[GloryDawg]

Go buy a sheet of Johnson Grass sod put out there and let it grow and take over. Bermuda and centipede are the pussies of grass. Johonson will kick its ***. It is tough.****

 

[TurfDawg08]

I feel like this is what has practically wiped out the centipede in my yard. There is spotty Bermuda I would like to take hold and flourish. I tried seeding it over last year with Bermuda seed but didn’t get a good return. What advice would you give on promoting the existing Bermuda? Specific fertilizer? Other tactics?

Make sure you have as much sun as possible. Limb up trees if needed. Fertilize with a slow release nitrogen 1.5#s of N every 6 weeks during growing season. For example 32-0-0 I’d put out 5 bags to an acre. During hot summer months water deep and infrequent. 2 times per week until saturated.