Lawn care in Melbourne is a full time occupation in our warmer climate. Grass can suffer a lot with the constant sunshine and heat making lawn care a difficult task. One answer is Centipede Grass which originated in china but made its way over here in the early 20th century. As it is very low maintenance and adapts well to a warm climate it is becoming more and more popular. It is currently in use around Florida as lawn grass and in parks and on golf courses.
If looked after properly it will give you no problems whatsoever. It is highly resistant to pests and moss on the rare occasions water logging is an issue. It thrives in acidic-sandy soils like we have round Naples and can grown almost anywhere warm. It is slow growing and not as soft as St. Augustine grass for example, but this is offset by the hardiness and low maintenance properties. The main benefit is that it can tolerate heat and direct sunlight for a long period of time without suffering any ill effects.
Centipede grass does need good old Melbourne lawn care with plenty of water once a week and infrequent feeding with a nitrogen based food. Don’t overfeed it though as it can cause more problems than it solves.
For homeowners who live in our beautiful state Centipede grass is an ideal alternative to standard lawns if they aren’t living up to your expectations, or suffer in the heat.
Most family lawns have to cope with a lot. They get walked on, played on, rolled on as well as pecked and tunnelled through, especially with the weather we have here in Naples. Soil compaction is a big problem for your lawn, and although it happens through use, it can be addressed fairly simply in an overall lawn care plan.
Compaction is where the soil within 4 inches of the surface gets compressed and squashed. This blocks the flow of air, nutrients and moisture through the soil, which in turn leads of poor quality grass. Unfortunately, even though grass can’t grow very well in these conditions, weeds and moss can. Therefore another problem with compaction is the following explosion of weed and moss growth.
There is one simple technique that can alleviate this problem within days: aerating. Aerating is where you punch holes into the ground to add ventilation and space to move. The easiest way to do it is with a garden fork. Poke the fork into the ground at least 4 inches deep and repeat all along your lawn spacing them out. You should do this at least a couple of times a year anyway, but certainly is your grass is beginning to suffer.
The effect of aerating is the loosening of the soil and provides space for water and nutrients to reach root level. It also adds oxygen to the soil which will stimulate growth and allow the helpful bacteria to grow. As a side effect it also increases drainage which should be the end of any moss that grows on the lawn.
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