Irrigating centipede grass

Centipede grass lawns will need to be watered during the growing season. They are not as drought resistant as centipede grass or St Augustine lawns and will thin and become infested with weeds if not irrigated. This is not to say, however, that a centipede grass lawn will wilt and die in modestly dry weather. Just be careful and keep your lawn watered with about an inch per week if there has been no significant rainfall.

The best way to water a centipede grass lawn is deeply and infrequently. For example, apply an inch of water on a single day rather than .25 inches a day for four days. Deep and infrequent watering will encourage Centipede grass roots to grow deep into the soil where there is more moisture. Stop watering, however, if water begins to pool or run on the surface. Wait about an hour until all the water is absorbed and begin again.

If you have an automatic sprinkler system, take a moment to investigate your control box and settings. Place a rain gauge or straight-sided jar on the lawn and turn on the sprinklers. Monitor how much water is applied in a given time period. Most systems will have several different types of sprinkler heads, so you might have to test each irrigation zone. Do not be shy about increasing the pre-set cycles during droughts or turning off the entire system after a heavy rainfall. While lack of water will affect your lawn's color and growth, excess water can kill a poorly drained Centipede Grass lawn.

It you water your lawn with a manual sprinkler, use your gauge to make sure that you done apply more, or less, than 1 inch at a time. Again, stop watering if water begins to run on the surface.

Centipede lawns do not enter a deep dormancy during the winter months. In areas of the lower South, they might not even loose all of their color. Be aware of dry spells and apply only .25 - .5 inches of water to prevent stolons near the soil surface from drying out. In addition water dormant centipede lawns when temperatures are expected to drop below 20 degrees. Wet soil will freeze and keep soil temperatures close to 32 degrees, while dry soils allow damaging sub 20 degree air to penetrate the root zone.