In the center photograph above Dr. M. ii. 
Thompson, former Governor of Georgia, examines his 
Centipede lawn at his Valdosta, Ga. home. In the spring of 
1951 Dr. Thompson sprigged his front yard with stolons. A year 
later, Dr. Thompson seeded his rear lawn with Centi-Seed according 
to the recommendations in this folder. He gave both the sprigged and 
seeded areas the best of care. The above photographs made September 
8, 1952, show the seeded rear lawn in the center and on the left, while 
the sprigged front lawn is at the right. This is but one of thousands of 
Centipede lawns planted with Centi-Seed. 
ESTABLISHING A NEW LAWN 
Establishing a permanent lawn is easier with Centi- 
Seed and there are a number of practices which can 
insure success, but there is no formula that has all the 
work taken out. Those who make common sense appli- 
cation of the following suggestions get the best possible 
lawn in the least possible time: 
1. Prepare a good, soft, loamy seedbed. Grade and 
level your lawn exactly as you wish it to be forevermore, 
crushing all large lumps of earth and removing ll 
sticks and stones. If topsoil was removed in preparing 
your lot for house construction, two to four inches of 
topsoil should be added to insure good performance of 
any grass. If you have compacted clay or thirsty sand, 
you will get better results to add peat moss or steriliz- 
ed stable manure to “condition” your soil. Several new 
Dae soil conditioners may be used successfully on 
clay. 
2. During seedbed preparation mix in 10 to 20 lbs. 
of any complete fertilizer (Vigoro, Vertagreen, Cross 
Country lawn fertilizer, or commercial field fertilizer) 
per thousand square feet. 
3. Mix Centi-Seed with an adequate amount of dry 
sand to insure uniform distribution (roughly 3 ounces 
of Centi-Seed per bushel of sand). Broadcast on the 
seedbed by hand, sowing the area in one direction and 
then crossing it at right angles. Rake lightly but 
thoroughly with a steel garden rake to get the seed 
well mixed with the top quarter inch of soil. Do not 
cover more than three-eighths of an inch, 
4. Firm the soil by rolling, or by walking if you do 
not have a roller. Do not attempt heavy packing. 
5. Mulch steep slopes with any type straw available 
to prevent washing. 
6. Wet thoroughly, and continue to water as often as 
necessary to keep the soil moist at least until the Cen- 
tipede seedlings have three leaves. Continued water- 
ing will hasten coverage, and care should be taken to 
prevent the soil drying out below the root structure of 
your seedlings during droughts. 
7. Do not fertilize until the seedlings have at least 
four leaves because the seedlings may be killed by fer- 
tilizer until several weeks old. Coverage may be speed- 
ed up by a light topdressing of nitrate of soda (maxi- 
mum of 2 to 4 lbs. per thousand square feet) every four 
to six weeks AFTER seedlings reach the four leaf stage. 
CAUTION: Apply nitrogen or fertilizer only in mid-day 
when the grass is perfectly dry, then water grass well to 
wash all particles from the leaves. 
8. As soon as there is anything to mow, including 
weeds, which will be present in every lawn, begin mowing 
to a height of two inches. Mowing will not damage the 
Centipede seedlings, but will cause them to make a sod 
quicker. 
9. To be sure you know what you are doing and just 
which of the many plants that are sure to come up in 
your lawn are Centipede seedlings, plant a dash of Cen- 
ti-Seed one-fourth inch deep in a cup of soil the same 
day that you sow your lawn. Keep the cup of soil moist 
and observe results. 
10. Be patient. Other than the nine suggestions 
above, time is the only thing that is needed for your 
planting to produce the lawn you dream of. With fa- 
vorable conditions your life-time lawn may be perfected 
in as little as four months of warm weather. The time 
required for making a perfect sod varys greatly, depend- 
ing on many factors. A few thinly scattered Centipede 
seedlings will give coverage in a surprisingly short time. 
Many buyers never identify their seedlings until they 
begin sending out long runners, which is just a few 
weeks before complete coverage where a fair stand is 
