bermuda grass vs centipede grassbermuda grass vs centipede grass

Centipede grass is less demanding than bermuda in terms of fertilization, but it is also less heat and drought tolerant. It will begin to enter dormancy at 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius). When you want your lawn to look great . But by mowing it regularly, you can cut off the seed heads that help its propagation (This is of course helpful if youve already covered the lawn and dont want the grass to spread anymore). Please read our affiliatesdisclosurepage to find out more. Can You Mulch Centipede Grass? Bermuda grass is also known for its ability to tolerate heavy foot traffic and to recover from damage or stress quickly. However, f you dont want to use the gauges, you can always do a simple walk or sight test to determine if your grass is wilting. Its deep blue-green color and hardy drought tolerance make it an alluring turfgrass choice for homeowners. Additionally, it holds up well to heavy use. Hypothetically, if you mix them in your lawn and leave them unmaintained, Bermuda grass will definitely overtake the lawn. It is invasive in nature but presents a dense, lush lawn thats very appealing to the eye. Perennial in Zones 6 to 10. Dethatch your centipede lawn when the thatch is thicker than inch. Another feature of this type is its rough stolons that creep on the surface. This variety of grass thrives in soil that is mildly acidic to neutral. However, centipede grass can tolerate partial shade and needs significantly fewer nutrients. Should you go with centipede or bermuda? Never water the grass daily unless after seeding or when it's a young lawn. It also needs high fertilizer application when it is actively growing. Latitude 36 Bermudagrass. She is passionate about writing and enjoys digging into new, unique topics. I thought centipede would keep bermuda grass . Bermuda Grass vs. Centipede Grass: 5 Ways They Differ, Pennington Seeds, Available here: https://www.pennington.com/all-products/grass-seed/resources/all-you-need-to-know-about-bermudagrass, North Carolina State University, Available here: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cynodon-dactylon/, Pennington Seeds, Available here: https://www.pennington.com/all-products/grass-seed/resources/all-you-need-to-know-about-centipede-grass, iNaturalist, Available here: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/162425-Eremochloa-ophiuroides. Regarding water requirements, the grass being tolerant to heat does not equate to being drought resistant. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Centipede grass also copes better than Bermuda when the weather is cold, wet, or frosty. Its performance drops in colder climates and goes dormant in extremely low temperatures like during winter. Looking at distinct categories of characteristics makes it easier to see the differences between Bermuda grass and centipede grass. Centipede may be a slow grower, but it is aggressive to surrounding plants. Centipedegrass requires more than 40 inches of rainfall annually. This article breaks down the centipede vs bermuda grass debate. Its invasiveness becomes a problem when it grows in places where its not supposed to be such as walkways and garden beds. Want to collaborate with us? Bermuda is the fastest growing grass, but it has a tolerance limit in cold weather. Lets discuss how to plant and maintain a lawn planted with centipede grass. Despite their similarities, there are some key differences between these two types of grasses. It also tolerates heat and sunlight effectively, thus, it is very suitable for warm and sunny regions. States in which it is likely to thrive include Alabama, Arkansas, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Centipede grass does have a handful of natural enemies, such as chinch bugs and fungus. Keep in mind, however, that centipede grass isn't very tolerant of the cold. Centipede and Bermuda are hardy grasses suited for southern sunshine and tough weather conditions. The best length for Bermuda grass is 1 to 2 inches (2.54 to 5.08 cm). While Bermuda grass might be better for high traffic, centipede grass is easier to maintain. Additionally, it cannot survive in alkaline soil. Jennifer is a writer, Nutritionist, and Herbalist, and hobby gardener. Centipede grass does not like high-traffic areas, though. This is the reason it is the turf of choice for golf courses and sports grounds in the American South. If your grass gets full sun evenly across your lawn, you can aim for the shorter side of the spectrum, but grass that grows in the shade should be closer to 2 inches (5.08 cm) tall. Its slow growth means the grass takes a long time to regenerate after heavy use. There are so many forms of turf that are suitable for different uses and climates. This turf grass is commonly found on lawns, golf courses, and athletic fields. During summer, you should provide 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to keep it from drying. If theyre not full by watering day, I usually turn on the sprinklers until they fill up, then I dump them for the next week. However, it also has long rooting rhizomes that help the grass tolerate drought better than centipede grass. When the pH is lower, add lime to raise it. He specializes in lawn care and has helped hundreds of his clients get as close to the perfect lawn as possible. Centipedegrass is slow-growing and doesnt establish quickly in the lawn, thus allowing weeds to grow faster and set in the yard. Bermudagrass has high fertilizer requirements. Best Uses for Centipede Grass and Bermuda Grass Centipede grass is best for a lawn on terrain with a low pH and poor, sandy soil. The runners or stolons lie laterally close to the earth from the parent plant. These gauges are a real game-changer when it comes to monitoring the health of any outdoor plant, and they make measuring rainfall simple. The inflorescence is a purple spikelets raceme. On the other hand, Bermudagrass has deep fibrous roots that extend deeply into the soil to draw water from the water table when dry summers come. It was fully established as a popular lawn grass in the United States by 1807. Centipede has a low tolerance for shade. Apply nitrogen-rich fertilizer during these times and those times only! Bermuda grass holds up well to heavy use and high traffic. Like centipede grass, it is also suited to hardiness zones 7 to 10. Bermuda grass tolerance for heat is exceptional. Bermuda grass grows well in drier regions, especially in the southern part of the United States, under different soil types with pH ranges of 5.8 to 7.0. In fact, if persistent temperatures below freezing kills centipede grass. Being a warm-season grass, it has thick and sturdy roots which can withstand varying soil pH. Centipede grass is also considered a coarse grass type, but it's still much finer than Bermuda grass. Both are great grass options and are easy to care for. Centipedegrass thrives in sandy, acidic soil of pH 5.0 to 6.0. When youre deciding what grass to create your lawn with, there are two main things to consider: traffic and climate. Thats because centipede grass grows on a stolon. Though centipedegrass needs full sun to survive, it can still thrive in partially shaded areas. As a result, its ability to tolerate foot traffic is rather low. So while they thrive in similar climates, they do not work well side by side. Its not suitable for cold climatic conditions that go below 10 F. The best way to overseed centipede grass is by St. Augustine ( since it has a similar color, mowing height, and is best for shade), Dwarf Fescue, and Annual Ryegrass (both remain green in winter). I like to think of myself as the Bond of the backyard, that is if yard work ever became sexy. Finally, bermuda requires at least 1 inch of water per week and thrives in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. It holds well and is resistant to high foot traffic, with just about 20 inches of annual rainfall. Bermuda grass requires more attention compared to centipede grass. Doing so will prevent it from taking root in the thatch rather than the soil and being deprived of essential nutrients and minerals. Centipedegrass is common in golf courses, lawns, and parks. This means that if you hate watering your lawn or live somewhere where the humidity is low, Bermuda grass is an ideal choice for your yard. If you are looking for primarily decorative grass that is not used consistently, then Centipede grass is an ideal choice. Once planted, this thick-bladed, lush green grass takes solid root and spreads easily, covering a large landscape evenly with ease. For more information, check out our Bermuda Grass Pros and Cons Article. Celebration Bermudagrass. Read More . Bermudagrass advantages include: Widely adapted Tolerant to a wide variety of growing sites Heat and drought tolerant Aggressive growth Very few pest issues High-quality turfgrass that performs very well Moderate level of maintenance to achieve best results Tall Fescue advantages include: Grows well in shaded areas Required fields are marked *. But perhaps more important is that this grass species is an aggressive grower. In some homes, your lawn may be purely decorative with the occasional light use by people. If allowed to grow unchecked, Bermuda grass will overtake (or choke off) Centipede grass. During this time, one distinct feature it has is the seed-head sitting at the top of the leaf which looks like a bird foot. Growing it in the shade exposes it to premature plant death. However, it resists them moderately after establishing. We narrowed your choices into two really good types and we will let you decide which is better. It also doesn't need to be watered every day. All product reviews and recommendations are made independently by our editorial team and our panel of experts. These signs of water stress can show as the fading of the color of grass or it appearing wilted. If your grass turns yellow at any time, this is a sign of an iron deficiency in your soil. Also, centipedegrass and bermudagrass spread through stolons or runners. How do I know if I have Centipede or Bermuda grass? Will Centipede grass take over Bermuda? Celebration Bermudagrass easily stands out from other popular bermuda grasses on the market. Because it easily breaks, its mostly decorative grass in low-traffic areas. Theres a lot of choices out there. LawnMowerGuru.com, All Rights Reserved. Bermuda grass is a dark green species of grass that thrives in warmer regions of the United States and is often featured on golf courses throughout the region. Once you plant Bermuda grass, you're committed to this type of sod. Once established in the lawn, Bermuda grass can endure heavy foot traffic while Centipede can only take lighter as it can be harmed easily. For this type of grass, apply 0.5 to 1 lb (226.8 to 454 g) of actual nitrogen per 1,00 square feet (92 square meters) of lawn once in May and once in August. Centipede and Bermuda grass are two popular perennial lawn grass types for warm climates, but they have some key differences. Bermuda grass is fast to cultivate because it can be planted via seeds. Bermuda requires little attention, whereas centipede grass requires little. It can take one to two weeks for Bermuda grass seeds to germinate, so you will have to be patient. It can overrun other plants on the lawn which is why it is important to keep an eye on it. If youre replacing another type of grass with centipede grass, be sure to kill all of the existing grass with weed killer or cover it with tarps for two to four weeks. As the cycle continues, new shoots and roots develop at their nodes to form daughter plants. Which begs the question: Bermuda vs centipede grass? If your yard is home to pets, children, or large amounts of foot traffic, bermuda grass may be an excellent grass for you. Not drought tolerant. Each of these factors as well as additional criteria are examined in detail below. When we talk about traffic, we are really asking what your lawn is used for. Centipedegrass spreads by stolons, while bermudagrass spreads by rhizomes, stolons, and seeds. Here Are The Facts. Lets look at these differences in detail. Bermuda grass requires more attention than centipede. While the exact dates are uncertain, it is said to have been brought to the US in the 1800s. When using seeds, spread 1 lb (0.45 kg) of seeds over 3,000 square feet (915 square meters) of lawn. What is the best grass to overseed centipede? But Bermuda grass has the greatest reputation for this due to its rapid growth rate. If it looks bare or scalped, reset it to the previous height. A beautiful, lush green lawn is a source of pride for homeowners. Bermuda grass is a medium to dark green grass with broad, coarse blades. Light to medium-colored green leaves that grow up to 5 inches long. Bermuda grass is a dark green species of grass that thrives in warmer regions of the United States and is often featured on golf courses throughout the region. It should be provided with 6 inches of water to drench the entire root system. As a result, it is capable of resisting drought to a far more impressive degree. 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