How Good Is Zoysia Grass?

Description

• Zoysia grasses grow vigorously spring through fall in warmer climates with average seasonal temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures cool off during winter, zoysia turns brown and becomes dormant. There are many types of zoysia grasses, most of which form dense lawn areas in full sun to partial shade. Common zoysia types include Zoysia japonica -- Japanese or Korean lawn grass -- also called "common zoysia," Meyer zoysia or "Z-52," emerald zoysia, Zenith and El Toro.

Advantages

• Zoysia has an excellent tolerance for heat and a very good tolerance for cold. Compared to other warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, centipede and St. Augustine, zoysia has the best cold hardiness and one of the best ratings for heat tolerance. Zoysia also has one of the best ratings for both sun and shade tolerance among warm-season turf grasses. Additionally, zoysia has good drought-resistance and salt-tolerance. Once established, zoysia grasses form a dense lawn and require less fertilizer than many other turf grasses. Because zoysia grows slowly, it also requires less frequent mowing.

Disadvantages

• One of the main disadvantages of zoysia grass is that you can't usually establish a lawn by seeding. Although zoysia seeds are available, seeding doesn't reliably produce a quality lawn. Instead, you must establish zoysia grass using sod, sprigs or plugs. Zoysia grass also tends to build up thatch, especially if you fertilize the grass frequently. Zoysia turns brown early in autumn and greens again late in spring. Also, zoysia's slow growth habit can cause it to bounce back more slowly from damage and can delay lawn establishment for up to two years after sprigging and plugging. Zoysia has only a fair tolerance for wear and tear.

  Although zoysia requires less mowing than most other types of turf, mowing is more difficult due to the grass's tough, dense blades. Other disadvantages include zoysia's poor tolerances of wet and poorly draining soils, as well as its susceptibility to cool-season weeds while the grass is dormant.

Maintenance

• Mow your zoysia grass while it's actively growing, frequently enough that you don't remove more than one-third of the total grass-blade length at a time. If you're maintaining the grass at about 1.5 inches, you'll likely need to mow once a week or less. Because zoysia is drought-tolerant, you can water the grass only once every week or two during dry, hot weather, soaking the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. You can also fertilize zoysia grass infrequently, applying no more than 2 to 3 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet only during the late spring and summer. You can apply the fertilizer in 1-pound applications about one month or six weeks apart. One of the most important maintenance demands for zoysia is controlling thatch buildup. You may need to dethatch the lawn once every two or three years, when the thatch layer is up to a half inch thick.