Centipede grass lawn care: Pros & cons

by Judy Szablak 03/10/2024

Centipede grass is a variety of bright-green grass commonly grown in warm, wet climates. It tolerates high temperatures and most soil types, which make it a superb lawn choice for homes in warmer regions. But even if your home meets the climate requirements, how do you know if centipede grass is the right choice for your lawn or garden?

To help you learn more, here are some primary advantages and disadvantages of centipede grass:

Centipede grass pros

Centipede grass lawns have many benefits, including:

  • Easy care: Centipede grass is low maintenance once established in your outdoor space. It doesn’t grow as quickly as other types of grass, which means less mowing.
  • Weed control: Centipede grass grows thick enough to block out weeds from growing in your lawn. This means less time spent pulling weeds or using weed killers.
  • Heat-friendly: Centipede grass grows well in sunny, hot climates that might scorch and dry out other grass types.

Centipede grass cons

Despite its many advantages, centipede grass does have some drawbacks to consider, such as:

  • Not shade-friendly: While centipede grass can handle some light shade, it will die without proper sun exposure.
  • Delicate: Centipede grass is extremely susceptible to damage from foot traffic, making it a poor choice of lawn grass for active yards. Because it grows slowly, damaged grass can take a long time to recover.
  • Thirsty: Centipede grass requires frequent watering, especially if you live somewhere without much rainfall. While you’ll spend less time mowing and pulling weeds, you may need to water a centipede grass lawn more frequently than other grass types.

Is planting centipede grass the right choice for your lawn? If you’re searching for a warm season grass that loves high heat and full sun, it might be a great option. However, consider the disadvantages and advantages carefully to determine what’s best for your home.

About the Author
Author

Judy Szablak

With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.

She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.

 Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”

 Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com