Low Maintenance

Our centipede seed is a slow-growing turf grass but aggressive enough that it can be depended upon to produce a good, dense turf at low maintenance levels. In spite of its spreading growth habit, Centipede grass is easily controlled and usually requires edging only once a year around walks and flower beds.

Slow Growth Rate

With a naturally slow growth rate, this grass is perfect for those who want less frequent mowing and maintenance. It creates a dense, resilient lawn that remains attractive with minimal care. Plant centipede grass seeds for southern lawns and enjoy a beautiful, hassle-free lawn that stays green and vibrant with little effort.

Drought Tolerant

This grass is exceptionally drought-tolerant, making it ideal for regions prone to dry conditions. It maintains its lush, green appearance even with infrequent watering. By planting centipede grass seeds for southern lawns, you can achieve a beautiful, drought-resistant lawn that conserves water and thrives in various climates.

Acidic Soil Preference

Thriving in acidic soils with a pH range of 5.0 to 6.5, centipede grass is perfect for areas with naturally acidic conditions. It establishes well in such environments, creating a dense, green lawn. Use centipede grass seeds for lawn areas with acidic soil and enjoy a low-maintenance, lush landscape.

Centipede Grass: a slow growing, apple-green, coarse leaved turf grass that is used for a low maintenance, general purpose turf. It requires little fertilizer, infrequent mowing, and will tolerate moderate shade if it receives at least four hours of full sun a day. Over fertilizing to obtain an unnatural dark green color reduces its cold tolerance and usually increases long-term maintenance problems. Centipede grass is slow-growing grass but aggressive enough that it can be depended upon to produce a good, dense, relatively weed-free turf at low maintenance levels. In spite of its spreading growth habit, Centipede grass is easily controlled and usually requires edging only once a year around walks and flower beds.

Known by many as Lazy Man's Grass, Centipede grass seed usually produces a good turf at low fertility and with little management, but it responds nicely to good care. It is incapable of producing as high quality turf as the Bermuda and Zoysia grasses, but it frequently looks better than either because the "high-brow" grasses are not getting the more exacting care they need.

• Easiest of all the grasses to cut
• Reel or rotary mower, if sharp, does an easy and attractive cutting job
• Does not look scalped when cutting is delayed too long and excessive growth removed
• Greens up rapidly after a brief drought with irrigation or rainfall
• Suited to acid soils (pH range of 5.0 to 6.5)
• Should be fertilized very sparingly
• Generally more trouble-free than other grasses if watered properly and fertilized sparingly or not at all

With a worldwide reputation for providing attractive lawn cover with the lowest maintenance requirements of any grass grown, growing Centipede grass is the lazy man's grass of preference. This shade and drought tolerant pale green turf is the dominant turf grass in lawns of the mid-south.

When Centipede grass is healthy it can be dense enough to keep out weeds and other grasses. In the south this grass will remain green throughout the year. Although the roots are not as deep as Bahia or Bermuda, its close to the ground growth allows for better conservation of water and helps fight drought.

Fertilizer

Apply between 1 and 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq. feet annually, during the growing season. Select a fertilizer that is labeled for use on Centipede lawn grass and contains iron. Do not apply fertilizer to wet turf to avoid burning. Too much fertility will result in a thatch laden and unhealthy lawn. Do not apply lime without a soil test to see if your soil is too acidic.

Mowing

Mow between 1 to 2 inches high. Catch and remove clippings. Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf at any one cutting. Always use a sharp blade. Can be mowed with either reel or rotary mower.

Watering

Though drought tolerant, Centipedegrass prefers infrequent deep watering. Do not over-water (avoid standing water for any period of time). When planting Centipede lawn seed, ensure that the grass seed stays moist until germination.

Thatch Removal

Periodically it may be necessary to remove accumulated thatch and debris. This is best accomplished in the late winter - just before Centipede turf turns green. Scalp or rake heavily and remove debris.

Weed Control

Centipede grass has an open growth that can encourage the weed population to grow. Use of a pre-emergent herbicide, recommended for use on Centipede lawns on the label, is strongly recommended in the spring and fall.

Pest Control

Pests can become a problem, especially if Centipede grass is not growing in a healthy way - too much or too little fertilizer or water, etc. If pests persist, contact the local county agent or nursery owner and ask for assistance in identification of the problem and the recommended control.

• New turf: Sow Centipede turf grass seed at 1/2 - 1 pound per 1,000 square feet or 20 - 40 lbs/acre for broadcast seeding
• Plant warm climate grass seed when soil temperature reaches 70 degrees in spring up until a minimum of 10 weeks before frost in fall

Superior Seed Quality

Our Fireball/Hatrick Rye Grass Seed Blend ensures superior seed Poa-free quality, comparable to premium garden seeds. Meticulously curated for genetic purity and robust germination, this blend offers uniform growth for a lush, vibrant lawn. Ideal for those who value quality, this blend meets the highest standards of lawn care.

Excellent Wear Tolerance

Our Fireball/Hatrick Perennial Rye Grass seed boasts excellent wear tolerance. Perfect for high-traffic areas such as sports fields and recreational spaces, these perennial seeds maintains its integrity and appearance under constant use. Its exceptional resilience ensures a durable, attractive lawn that recovers quickly from stress.

Fine Leaf Texture

Our ryerass seed blend features a fine leaf texture with dark green color that enhances any landscape. The slender, soft blades create a dense, carpet-like surface, offering a smoother, more uniform appearance. This fine texture is perfect for both ornamental and functional use, providing an aesthetically pleasing lawn that stands out.

Endophyte-Enhanced

Our rye grass seed contains high levels of viable endophytes. It provides resistance to a large number of surface and crown feeding insects. The presence of endophytes promotes strong growth and long-term vitality, ensuring a lawn that thrives with less maintenance and greater resilience.

Fireball/Hattrick Ryegrass Seed Blend (Lolium perenne) - this perennial rye grass blend was developed for those wanting the darkest green lawn available.  This 50/50 blend of Fireball and Hattrick forms a lush, dark green, soft, carpet like lawn.  Fireball ranked #1 and Hattrick ranked #3 in the NTEP (Natialional Turfgrass Evaluation Program). In addition, this rye grass has superior seed quality, with a “Poa–free” tag based on extended seed testing so you are not planting your problems. The cultivars used exhibit rapid establishment, stress and disease tolerance, cool weather active growth, wear tolerance and recovery. They demonstrated high overall performance under various maintenance levels ranging from golf course fairways to residential lawns.

The range of performance of this ryegrass blend make it ideal for all perennial ryegrass uses. The components of this rye grass blend have been selected for excellent traffic tolerance which makes it superior for use on sports fields, as well as parks. The high summer performance due to its drought and stress tolerance make it ideal for permanent turf. Yet Fireball/Hattrick rye grass blend has also shown excellent performance as a grass for overseeding bermuda grass with superior winter growth. Excellent germination and growth with saline water enable this rye grass seed blend to be used in marginal sites.

Disease Resistance: The cultivars in this rye grass blend exhibit high levels of Gray Leaf Spot resistance and are also resistant to many other important turf diseases, including: Crown Rust, Winter Net Blotch, Dollar Spot, Red Thread and Brown Patch. The broad genetic base insures high resistance against a broad range of diseases for consistent performance.

Endophyte-Enhanced: This rye grass seed contains high levels of viable endophytes. This provides resistance to a large number of surface and crown feeding insects including billbugs, sod webworms, chinch bugs and armyworms. The presence of endophytes also contributes to increased stress tolerance with better summer survival and enhanced fall recovery.

Features:

• Superior seed quality "Poa Free"
• High Gray Leaf Spot resistance
• Excellent wear tolerance
• Fine leaf texture and dark green color
• Excellent seedling vigor
• Superior seedling and mature plant salt tolerance
• Excellent for permanent turf and overseeding warm-season grasses
• Uses: Golf courses, sports fields, parks, schools and commercial landscaping

Benefits:

• Rapid establishment to outcompete Poa annua and other weeds
• Disease resistance results in fewer fungicide applications
• High levels of viable endophyte for insect control
• Reduced inputs and lower maintenance costs
• Widely adapted due to broad genetic base
• Rapid tillering, spreading varieties for excellent wear tolerance

• New turf: Sow 8 - 10 pounds Rye grass lawn seed per 1,000 square feet or 320 - 400 lbs/acre for broadcast seeding
• Over-seeding: Sow 4 - 5 pounds Ryegrass seed per 1,000 square feet or 160 - 200 lbs per acre for broadcast over-seeding
• Plant this perennial Ryegrass seed blend when soil temperature reaches 55 degrees in spring up until a minimum of 6 weeks before frost in fall
• Germination: Rye grass turf seed will emerge in 3 - 10 days under proper conditions. First mowing is typically 2 - 3 weeks after emergence

The best practice for seeding RHb products for a perennial ground cover is to plant into a well-prepared (top 2 inches loosened but compact) soil bed in September thru November. Spread your RHb seed bulblets as evenly as possible with a Brillion-type seeder for best seed-to-soil contact; or a broadcast spreader, followed by a drag or roller.

Seed 150 - 200 lbs per Acre at 1/4 inch depth. Any deeper seeding will reduce establishment. Add 65 lbs. N per Acre of a time-released fertilizer blend such as 20-15-15. Your RHb will germinate when night temperatures drop to around 50, and there is adequate moisture. It will produce a low growing carpet of green. In the spring (mid-March to mid-April it will go comprehensively dormant with longer day length and warmer temperatures. It will stay dormant all summer and will only re-emerge around the fall equinox when cooler temperatures, shorter day lengths, and adequate moisture are available.

To maintain a healthy stand of RHb for years to come:

• Mow your stand in the spring at a height of 1inch before volunteer weeds have gone to seed. If there are many weeds competing in the establishment year, you may need to mow more frequently during the winter. In subsequent years it may only need to be mowed once a year, focusing mainly in the spring after the seed heads have emerged but before the RHb goes dormant (mid-late March).
• For best long-term performance, roll the seeded drive rows or understory once every mid-winter. Fertilize every fall after re-emergence of your RHb for strong, healthy re-emergence. Use time-released fertilizer such as 20-15-15 at the rate of 22 pounds per Acre
• Generally in February, if there are competing broadleaf weeds they can be sprayed out while the vines and trees are dormant in winter. If there are tall grass weeds they can be mowed during the winter at 1 inch height until they go dormant or die.

Winter overseeding with RHb products into dormant or transitioning bermudagrass will give you a perennial, cool-season turf stand. Ryegrasses have historically been the primary winter overseeding species, with the inconvenience of required re-seeding every fall and failure to fully transition out in the spring. Using RHb as your winter overseeder one time may result in minimal or no further overseeding needed for many years. RHb generates bulbs underground that go to sleep in the spring (similar to flower bulbs). These bulbs lie dormant in and among the active Bermuda grass roots during the warm season. In the fall, with cool temperatures, proper moisture, and shorter day lengths these bulbs re-emerge from their deep slumber. They will re-establish every winter and slowly grow more underground bulbs that naturally thicken your stand. This product is perfect for exclusive winter turf. You can leave it all up to the natural rainfall, without watering, in many places.

The best practice for overseeding RHb into bermudagrass for your winter lawn is to wait until October (or when night temperatures drop to around 50). Then mow the Bermuda grass down as short as possible to open up the stand and allow better seed-to-soil contact. You may also de-thatch to further improve contact with soil. Spread your RHb seed bulblets as evenly as possible. Plant 10-12 pounds of RHb seed bulblets per 1,000 square feet area. Add ½ pound Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet area of a complete fertilizer blend such as 10-10-10.

• Add 1/4 inch layer of any type mulch on top of the seeds. This helps hold moisture for better germination; it helps hold seeds in original place if excess rain comes during establishment; and reduces loss of seeds to birds. Do not mulch cover any deeper than 1/4 inch it will slow establishment.
• If you are watering it up, keep the seed level moist! Watering as needed each time, for the first 3 weeks to allow proper germination and establishment is recommended. After then, reduce the frequency of watering while increasing the watering time of each application for deeper, stronger roots. By mid-winter, adjust watering schedule lower, if evaporation and natural rainfall levels allow.

Maintain a healthy stand of RHb throughout the winter by scheduled fertilizations once a month. Use a balanced mix such as 10-10-10 at the rate of 1/2 pound Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet area. Keep mowing height at 1/2 - 2 inches. During the warm season when your RHb is dormant and your Bermuda grass is active, DO NOT overwater or over fertilize your Bermuda grass stand; use deeper, infrequent waterings. When the next October-November arrives, mow low (1 inch or less) or de-thatch your Bermuda grass, and irrigate your RHb stand out of dormancy if it has not already received ample rainwater to re-emerge.

• Newest Research Reveals RHb Benefits for Corn Production - Patrick Galland authors new research from Iowa State University compiling benefits of RHb in corn production: "The Effects of Perennial Groundcover on Soil-Water and Nutrient Dynamics in Maize Intercropping Systems." Iowa State
• Research from UC Davis Provides a Peek at RHb Benefits for Vineyard Production - UC Davis presents to the American Society for Horticultural Science: "Cover Crops and Tillage Effects on Grapevine Physiology." UC Davis
• Data From from Iowa State University on Corn Yield - RHb Increase Corn Height & Yield Under Drought: Iowa State University