Question
I live in Madison, MS and has centipede lawn in the front yard. we had multiple patches of crabgrass which we wanted to get rid off. My friend gave a chemical he had purchased from the internet and said it will guranteed kill the weed and not harm the lawn. He was wrong!!. the weeds are gone and so is the grass. Now I have multiple patches of dead grass which really looks ugly. ( weeds were atleast green!!). What should I do?. If i just water and wait, will the surrounding good grass take over.?

Answer
Centipedegrass can grow into a dense turf in about 3 months from sprigs or sod plugs.

The easiest would be to dig up a few 1x1 foot sections in an area which is out of the way and cut these mats into 3" x 3" sections (one 1-sq foot mat produce 16 plugs). Make sure you retain enough soil to produce a good root net.

Plant the sod plugs in rows on 1-foot spacings. Sod plugs  must be watered regularly for the first several weeks. With proper a full cover will be ready in about three months.

This means that one 1x1 sq foot "mat" cut out of your lawn somewhere out of sight can be used to propagate 16 sq feet of lawn area. If you have several large patches which are brown/dead then you can place a few plugs in these spots.

Best result is had if you remove the brown/dead grass and loosen the soil with a spade so it is very loose (pulverized).

Remember to water regularily during the first couple of weeks. Centipede grass will then spread via above ground runners. These runners will create new plants where the runners touch the ground. Moisture is required for these runners to take root.

General care:
Fertilize your centipede in spring and fall (use about 3 lbs of commercial fertilizer per 1000 sq feet lawn area). Buy so-called "Winterizers" such as Scott's Turfbuilder Winterizer 22-3-14 for the fall application. Mow the lawn at 1"-1.5 height consistenly. Do not let grass get above 2-3" tall.

Controlling weeds in future:
Crabgrass and other summer annuals are most effectively controlled with pre-emergence herbicides applied in early spring before the weeds emerge. Products containing benefin, DCPA, or bensulide can be used for crabgrass control (apply according to label).

Winter weeds are particularly unsightly since they contrast harply with the dormant grass. Herbicides containing active ingredients such as 2,4-D and MCPP can be used to control most broadleaved weeds including clover, chickweed, henbit and thistle. Herbicides should be applied in the fall or winter before weeds mature.

Good luck