The best time to plant centipede grass is between March 15 and August 15. In the early Spring two to four weeks are required for the seed to germinate. After May, if the soil is moist, your seed will germinate in 10 days to two weeks. The combination of warm weather and moist soil hastens germination.

A good seedbed will help you get a good stand of centipede grass and a good lawn. In fact, a good seedbed is vital to getting a good stand of grass. After you have tilled, harrowed, or broken the soil, smooth it with hand rakes or machine tools. Get rid of debris and stones. Just before the final smoothing operation FERTILIZE the seedbed with 10 lbs. per 1,000 square feet, using a mixed fertilizer containing about 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorous, and 15% potash.

Plant centipede grass seed at the rate of four ounces per 1,000 square feet. A lawn measuring 17 steps (50 feet) one way and 27 steps (80 feet) the other way, or 4,000 square feet, should be sowed with a minimum of one pound of centipede grass seed. Mix the seed with dry sand. About 10 pounds of sand to one pound of seed will assure even distribution of seed. Broadcast this mixture on the lawn area making sure you get an even distribution of seed. The seed should be mixed or firmed into the upper quarter inch of soil. You can do this by lightly raking the seedbed, dragging it with a board through which nails have been hammered, or by rolling with a regular lawn roller after the seed has been broadcast. We always drag our lawn with the "board-nail drag" and then roll the lawn with a lawn roller for best results. Steel doormats and other tools are also used to accomplish this light mixing of the seed into the soil.

If you are not going to water the lawn diligently, turn the entire job over to nature. Plants appreciate her inconsistency more than they will yours. Sooner or later a period of rainfall will come at a time when temperatures are above 70 degrees F, and this will germinate your seed. Unless a prolonged drought follows, a certain percentage of the seedlings will survive and give you a lawn. It's best though, and you will be better satisfied, if you plant between March 15 and August 15 and water with regular frequency until the seedlings are well rooted, which requires about six weeks.