When to Plant Centipede Grass Seed in North Carolina

When living in the Southeast part of the country, then you will want to use centipede grass on your lawn. This is a low maintenance and heat tolerant grass that prefers growing in acidic and sandy soil. It would tolerate a bit of shade and require less fertilizer and mowing compared to other warm-season grasses.

If you would like to have centipede grass on your lawn in North Carolina, you might be wondering when you should start planting it. Read on as I show you when to plant centipede grass seed in North Carolina!

When to Plant Centipede Grass Seed in North Carolina

This seasonal grass will be best planted during the late spring to early summer every year. The best planting date, based on turf experts, is during the early summersimmer since the summer temperature and rainfall will help the seeds germinate faster and experience rapid grass establishment.

You can also plant it during the late spring or early fall, only after soil temperatures remain over 70 degrees F and there will be no more risk of frost or freeze. This would take over 80 days of consistent day highs to achieve such temperatures.

You should never plant centipede grass any time later than August during the fall season, or later than 90 days before the location’s first expected frost. This is because it is dangerous for the seeds to germinate if they don’t reach maturity before winter arrives. As a result, it won’t survive the winter.

What about dormant seeding?

Dormant seeding is when gardeners wait until after the cooler season arrives and when there isn’t the risk of temperatures going above 60-65 degrees F. They will then plant seeds, expecting them to stay dormant until the warm temperatures arrive come springtime.

This method may work, but only in some cases. It’s not recommended to follow as it’s riskier compared to waiting until spring to plant grass seeds.

Seeds that lie in soil throughout the winter may end up experiencing premature germination when a warm snap comes, which ends up in death when cold weather arrives. Or, they would end up rotting during periods of wet weather.

As you can see, it’s a gamble that is best NOT to take!

Wrapping It Up

Centipede grass seeds are one of the most affordable, though it will take some effort into making it into an established lawn. That said, you first have to start by planning when to plant the seeds for successful germination and growth. Ideally, you will want to begin planting during the early summer, and to avoid dormant seeding.

I hope that this article helped you learn more about planting centipede grass seed efficiently so you can grow beautiful grass. Follow the information above so you can begin the process of growing centipede grass soon. Have fun!