Fall care for centipede

Last September our new house got centipede sod put down. The landscape person put down a fertilizer and it did well for the spring and summer. What should I put down for the fall and winter seasons and then what should I put for the next spring and summer? I also have an natural area I am working on with a lot of clay soil. I have started on some raised beds with compost and topsoil. Any other recommendations with plants and soil conditioners? That area has some sun in the afternoon and one part has a lot of afternoon shade.

-- Robbie


Anne's Response:

Centipede is a warm season grass that turns brown in the fall and winter. It is preferred by gardeners who do not want to spend much time taking care of their lawn. No fall care is required. It does not need to be limed. The next routine care it will get is in late March or early April (after the danger of frost) when you will apply fertilizer. There are special fertilizer blends for Centipede lawns which usually do not contain phosphorus. In areas that have high traffic you may want to aerate a centipede lawn every other year. Early April is usually a good time but it should be done before the lawn has greened up in the spring.

My best advice on raised beds is to remember they do need a lot of organic material to hold moisture for plant roots. Plants need to be mulched for water retention and to keep the soil cool. You also need a good irrigation system because raised beds do dry out much quicker than ground level beds so plants will suffer from lack of water.