Centipede grass fertilizer · prices checked 1 hour ago

The cheapest fertilizer for centipede grass

Centipede grass needs 1 to 2 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft a year.^[1] Nitrogen is the first number on the bag, so the cheapest fertilizer is the one with the lowest price per pound of nitrogen, not the cheapest bag. Here is that ranking from today's verified store prices, and what a year costs.

Cheapest right now

$3.98per lb of nitrogen

LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus, 50 lb for $47.77 at Seed World. A 5,000 sq ft centipede lawn uses $19.90 to $39.81 of it a year.

A year of nitrogen

1 lb of nitrogen on 5,000 sq ft

The low end of the centipede range. Each bar is the product you would actually spread, at the best store and size for that fertilizer.

LESCO 46-0-0 (stabilized urea)$19.12a year
$38.24 at 2 lb · 50 lb at Siteone · spray only
LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus$19.90a year
$39.81 at 2 lb · 50 lb at Seed World
LESCO 25-0-6 PolyPlus$20.00a year
$40.00 at 2 lb · 50 lb at Jerzey Lawns

The plan

How to feed centipede without wasting money

Nitrogen a year: 1 to 2 lbper 1,000 sq ft
The lowest ceiling of any grass here: Clemson warns more than 2 lb a year can harm centipede.^[1]
Each feeding: up to 1 lbof nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft
Clemson's centipede schedule never calls for more than 1 lb of nitrogen in one feeding.^[1] With LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus, 1 lb of nitrogen is 4.2 lb of product per 1,000 sq ft.^[2]
When: May to August
Feed in early May after full green-up. Make the last feeding before August 15 in the Upstate and before September 1 along the coast.^[1]

The centipede mistake

Too much fertilizer. More than 2 lb of nitrogen a year can build thatch and raise disease risk, and established centipede should get no phosphorus unless a soil test shows it is short. Centipede grows best at a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.0.^[1]

What you pay at the register

Bags to buy this year

You buy whole bags. For a 5,000 sq ft centipede lawn on LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus: 1 lb of nitrogen a year is 21 lb of product, 1 bag for $47.77; 2 lb is 42 lb of product, 1 bag for $47.77.

Every option

Fertilizers ranked for centipede

Sorted by cost per pound of nitrogen. Product per 1,000 sq ft for 1 lb of nitrogen is 1 divided by the nitrogen percent.^[8]

Cheapest nitrogen · 46-0-0

LESCO 46-0-0 (stabilized urea)

46% nitrogen by weight^[4]. To put down 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, spread 2.2 lb of product.
The label says this bag is for spray applications only: you dissolve it in water and spray it, so it is not a spreader product.
All of the nitrogen is quick-release (stabilized, not slow-release), so stay at or under 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per feeding.
No phosphorus.

Per lb of nitrogen: $3.82
A year at 1 lb N: $19.12
Best value bag: 50 lb for $87.95 at Siteone, holds 23 lb of nitrogen

$87.95 at Siteone Walmart: $104.99

24-0-11

LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus

24% nitrogen by weight^[2]. To put down 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, spread 4.2 lb of product.
Label rate 4.2 lb per 1,000 sq ft; a 50 lb bag covers 12,000 sq ft.
Part of the nitrogen is slow-release: half of it on the 50% version, and SiteOne also sells 56% and 75% versions under the same name.
No phosphorus.

Per lb of nitrogen: $3.98
A year at 1 lb N: $19.90
Best value bag: 50 lb for $47.77 at Seed World, holds 12 lb of nitrogen

$47.77 at Seed World

25-0-6

LESCO 25-0-6 PolyPlus

25% nitrogen by weight^[3]. To put down 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, spread 4.0 lb of product.
Label rate 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft; a 50 lb bag covers about 12,500 sq ft.
Half the nitrogen is slow-release. Contains iron, which can stain concrete.
No phosphorus.

Per lb of nitrogen: $4.00
A year at 1 lb N: $20.00
Best value bag: 50 lb for $50.00 at Jerzey Lawns, holds 12.5 lb of nitrogen

$50.00 at Jerzey Lawns

Left out for centipede because they contain phosphorus: The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8, The Andersons PGF Balanced 10-10-10, The Andersons Green Shocker 7-1-2. Use them only if a soil test shows phosphorus is low.

Also for your lawn

Preventing weeds in centipede

Crabgrass preventers that are labeled for centipede, ranked by cost per 1,000 sq ft.

Cheapest pre-emergent for centipede grass →

Other grasses

Fertilizer cost for another grass

Questions people ask

Straight answers

What is the cheapest fertilizer for centipede?

Per pound of nitrogen, the cheapest spreader fertilizer we track that suits centipede is LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus: $3.98 per pound of nitrogen (50 lb for $47.77 at Seed World, checked 10/17/2026). A 5,000 sq ft lawn at 1 to 2 lb of nitrogen a year uses $19.90 to $39.81 of it.

How much nitrogen does centipede need a year?

1 to 2 lb of actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per year. The lowest ceiling of any grass here: Clemson warns more than 2 lb a year can harm centipede.

When should I fertilize centipede?

Feed in early May after full green-up. Make the last feeding before August 15 in the Upstate and before September 1 along the coast.

How many times a year should I fertilize centipede?

It depends on the yearly total and the size of each feeding. Clemson's centipede schedule never calls for more than 1 lb of nitrogen in one feeding. At 2 lb a year and 1 lb per feeding, that is at least 2 feedings; at the low end of the range, fewer.

Sources

Where every rate and timing comes from

[1]HGIC 1215, Centipedegrass Yearly Maintenance Program, Clemson Cooperative Extension
[2]LESCO 24-0-11 PolyPlus bag label (PDF), SiteOne Landscape Supply
[3]LESCO 25-0-6 PolyPlus bag label (PDF), SiteOne Landscape Supply
[4]LESCO 46-0-0 100% NOS AM bag label (PDF), SiteOne Landscape Supply
[5]PGF Complete 16-4-8 40 lb bag label (PDF), The Andersons
[6]PGF Balanced 10-10-10 bag label (PDF), The Andersons
[7]Green Shocker 7-1-2 bag label (PDF), The Andersons
[8]HGIC 1201, Fertilizing Lawns, Clemson Cooperative Extension

Prices come from the Lawn Dominator price feed, which checks retailer listings automatically and publishes only prices that pass its verification audit. Labels are the law: if anything here disagrees with the label on the product you buy, follow the label.

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