Carpetgrass/Centipedegrass- Growth

Q: Last summer I planted a grass mixture in our newly graded lawn. It had carpetgrass to fill in quickly and centipedegrass to establish more slowly. Now I have mostly carpetgrass, quite a few blobs of centipedegrass, and a moderate amount of weeds. Will the carpetgrass ever go away on its own?

A: It’s not likely that carpetgrass will survive the year. It requires constant soil moisture and will probably fade away during the summer. That’s good news, because carpetgrass produces big, ugly seedheads every five days. They make a lawn look really messy. Carpetgrass also has poor cold hardiness, turning brown with the first cold spell, and is really slow to green-up in the spring. It’s only recommended in wet, shady areas where ease of maintenance is more important than good looks. To encourage the centipedegrass to take over, fertilize with 15-0-15 after spring greenup and then again in mid summer. Do not apply fertilizer in fall.