What Your Lawn Needs This Month: April
Your personalized April lawn care guide. Pick your grass type below and every recommendation updates — mowing height, products, rates, and timing — all tailored to your lawn.
Centipede
warm seasonCentipede is greening up as temperatures reach the 80s. This grass thrives on neglect — your job this month is to do just enough and not overdo it.
Mow Height
1.5 – 2 inches
Mow Frequency
Every 7 – 10 days
Water / Week
1 – 1.25 in / week
April tasks for Centipede
Apply a single light fertilizer application
Do this weekCentipede needs very little nitrogen — 0.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft for the entire spring. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer with no phosphorus. Over-fertilizing centipede causes centipede decline, a condition where the grass thins and dies from too much growth it cannot sustain.
Apply chelated iron for color
Do this weekInstead of pushing nitrogen for color, use iron. Chelated liquid iron gives centipede a deep green color without the excess growth and thatch that nitrogen causes. Apply every 4 to 6 weeks through the growing season.
Start preventive fungicide applications
Do this weekLarge patch disease is the biggest threat to centipede. A preventive fungicide application in April protects against outbreaks when the weather turns warm and humid. Apply when the lawn is dry and water in lightly.
Begin regular mowing
This monthMow at 1.5 to 2 inches every 7 to 10 days. Keep the height consistent year-round — centipede does not respond well to height changes. Use sharp blades; dull blades shred centipede's coarse leaf tips, leaving ragged brown edges.
Apply pre-emergent if not done in March
This monthIf you missed your March pre-emergent window, apply prodiamine now before soil temps pass 55 F consistently. Once crabgrass germinates, pre-emergent is useless. In most zones, early April is the last chance.
Pro tip for Centipede owners
Centipede is the "less is more" grass. If you are used to caring for bermuda and switch to centipede, cut your fertilizer in half and then cut it in half again. Iron gives you color. Patience gives you density.