If you're looking for a dense, low-maintenance, cold-tolerant turf, which can be established by either seed or sod, you'll want to specify TifBlair Centipede. This new certified centipede, developed by renowned USDA/ARS genteicist Dr. Wayne Hanna, was bred to give landscape professionals, highway departments and home owners a superior centipede variety with a patented pedigree. TifBlair is a product of the internationally recognized turfgrass breeding program at Tifton, Georgia and is available at Wilson Bros. Nursery.

Centipede grass needs to be mowed to a height of 2.5 to 3.5 inches for best results. In the hottest part of summer, raise the mowing height and don't mow at all if you're experiencing a season of drought. Centipede grass will knit itself into a tight turf that naturally resists weeds if you fertilize properly. It actually smothers weeds, as the grass grows so thick. The grass has aggressive aboveground runners called stolons. In addition, iron in a fertilizer or broadcast alone will give you the maximum green color that lawn enthusiasts desire. Fertilization is best done in late Spring, Summer and Fall. SEE: Fertilizing a Centipede Lawn

Maintenance will depend on the temperature of the soil, water levels, and your mowing and fertilization schedule. If temperatures are cool, the grass will grow slower and less mowing is required. If it does go dormant due to lack of water or rain, it will green right up again as soon as it receives the moisture it needs. The root-growing season starts in April and goes through October.

It is seldom that we hear of a pest problem with Centipede and when we do it is usually spittlebug or grubs. Spittlebugs are small, triangular-shaped black insects with two red stripes across the sides. Grubs live underground and can be identified when patches of grass begin to die and the patches grow in size.