Zoysia -- any experience?
 

My lawn has turned into the lawn that people talk about (not in the good way). I am planing on tilling up the yard and mixing in some peat moss (I'm told that is quite good organtic matter).

As far as grass is concerned, I'd like low maint/drought resistant grass. I have seen ads for this stuff for several years (maybe 10) so I figure there might be something to it since they have not gone under.

Has anyone had any experience with this stuff?

Thanks

If you believe the ads for it, it's the best thing since sliced bread. I used to contemplate getting that stuff, but I've pretty much lost interest in my lawn. I do just enough to it now to keep the HOA off my back.

That would be a question for SwampYankee.....he's the grass man.

A guy here at work planted some with a degree of success and I think we have a whole lawn of it here at one of the buildings. Seems to do OK but it turns totally brown in the winter. I tried planting some at home with no results because my soil is so crappy... I also understand that it's a runner and it may overtake your landscaping.

Astro-turf might be the way to go.

Actually, I think you plant Zoysia grass in plugs in your exisiting lawn. Then it just gradually takes over the whole lawn. I'm sure Swamp will have the difinitive answer about this.

Zoysia - is green in the summer, turns very brown in the winter. So the neighbors still might be talking about your 'dead' lawn until the springtime miracle happens.

When I lived in Oklahoma, I noticed a lot of people would spray paint their lawns green in the winter. I've never seen that anywhere else! Oh, once I saw a laawn in Arkansas that was all rocks which were spray painted green. Weird!

Up here it's dormant (read brown) for 6 months out of the year which is one of the reasons we sell turf paint. :) But during the summer it greens right up, is real drought resistant and grows slowly. I'm more of a cool season grass guy so I'm not sure what your best bet would be in TX. You can buy it in plugs and the stuff does spread pretty quickly. As you might imagine it does stand out when dormant when compared to the other grasses that might be in the lawn. It might not go dormant in your area.

If you still want that "bluegrass look" but want a far hardier and less needy grass turf-type tall fescue might work. They tend to be slower growing than common/K31 tall fescue but still give you the heat and drought tolerance with that medium blade, dark green color.

Fine leaf fescues (creeping, chewings, sheeps, hard) are popular in our area for their heat and drought tolerance and used a lot in low maintenance or organic leaning lawns but they are a much finer, almost wire-like, texture which some people don't like.

Bermudagrass may be your best best which you can get in sprigs or seed.

I'll PM you some contact info. from a fellow turf co-op member in Amarillo who might be better able to help.

I put in a Zoysia lawn 17 years ago and absolutely love it. My lawn is the envy of the neighborhood. Keep in mind there are many varieties and they differ in appearance and characteristics. I planted Zoysia Meyer which has thin blades and is very soft on your bare feet.

I put in an irrigation system before laying sod and I water it twice a week for about an hour per zone. (I live on a large lake so my only recurring irrigation cost is a little electricity).

I chose Zoysia mainly because of it's tolerance to foot traffic. It rated excellent for that characteristic in a guide put out by our extension service. I had two big dogs at the time and I wanted something that would hold up to their activities.

My lawn thrives in full sun and is weaker in partial shade. It does very well in our hot humid summers (Midlands of SC) and it goes completely dormant and turns an ugly shade of taupe in our cool winters (with daily lows in the twenties). But all the Centipede lawns (which are the most common lawns in this area) go dormant and brown at the same time so my yard does not stick out.

Contrary to what many told me, Zoysia is not a high maintenance turf. I cut it once a week with a rotary mower and I mulch the clippings. Aerate it once every year or so. Put down weed and feed usually twice a year (costs $15 and takes15 minutes using a broadcast spreader). I power raked it (dethatched) one time a few years ago and probably need to do that again this summer. It does send out runners, but it is not overly invasive into planting beds. Like any grass, you have to keep up with the borders on your beds.

That's my memory of the one neighbor who had Zoysia grass. As a kid , I would walk barefooted (I grea up in NC and rarely ever wore shoes) through their yard. It felt like walking on plush carpet. maybe one day I will have a lawn like that.

It does get thick and does a pretty good job with keeping weeds out.

Absolutely true! Fortunately I had relegated the zoysia to the back yard when I lived in KC....started turning green around until late May, and stayed green until late September. Stuff grows thick too...your mower will complain when you get to the zoysia patch in your yard! :o

While zoysia is drought resistant, it won't tolerate Texas heat. You are pretty much limited to Bermuda and St. Augustine. Both do well with little water, and if healthy, grow thick enough to crowd out most weeds.

Bermuda will not thrive in shade at all, while St. Augustine can be plagued with fungus problems, especially in early Spring. Left unchecked, St. Augustine will crowd out a Bermuda lawn though.

All I ever see is St. Augustine or Bahia. I prefer the St. Augustine.

I think my dad used to throw some Rye grass seed out in the Fall so the lawn would be green during the Winter. He was a lawn maniac! I guess I got some of his "lawn genes."

As for it going dormant that's not a problem since everyone else's does also.

As for the TX heat, their web site shows me in the "green" zone which is optimum.

I think I might try it as soon as I get some work related issues cleared up.

thats all we can have in fl unless you own a golf course



we tried the zoysia stuff and it didnt work out well... so we re sodded the front lawn

There is a house near South Bend where they poured concrete on the front yard and painted the "yard" area green.

Tom W

Ditto what sunedog said except I would not mulch the clippings. I have Bermuda and my next door neighbor has Meyer Zoysia. That grass is so thick, where would the clippings go! It does choke out the weeds... and is beginning to take over my Bermuda!

You can plug Zoysia, but it is available in sod as well.

I would be sure it can take the Texas heat. If not, then Bermuda would be a good second.

We had some when I was a teen. It took some time for it to get going. This was in PA. As said before it doesn't grow as fast height wise, so less mowing. Also, try to put some lime down on your lawn and some gypsum. Also, there are lwan restore products. I forget wich one I used some years back. It really helped green the lawn and reduce thach.
Tom

I have a problem with moss in some areas. That will expand during wet times and gradually kills off the grass. I have tried raking it away but it seems to have roots or spores that regrow the patch quickly.

Is there something that will destroy the moss without killing grass? Or do I need to nuke the area with RoundUp and replant after the radiation dissipates.....?

Ken300D

Ken, Roundup doesn't always have to be a "nuke" approach. Sometimes I need to selectively get rid of things like weeds and crabgrass among my "good" grass. I simply adjust the spray down to a narrow stream and shoot individual areas. Since Roundup is a contact herbicide, it only kills what you spray it on. If you're carefull, you will minimize the collateral damage. When the offending plants die, just replant with the good stuff.

My parents' yard is Zoysia and it's brown as long as it's green. It looks great and is very thick, but it creeps very fast. You need to dig a trench to slow it down from entering your flower beds. Their zoysia is even taking over the neighbors' yards.

If moss is growing, the PH of the soil is probably wrong for grass. Lime, for example, will lower the PH, weaken the moss and promote the grass. You should consult your agricultrual service or a lawncare professional for the best approach. I have also noted that weed killers seem to weaken the moss as well.

The moss that I have is welcomed because it keeps my back yard green under the oak trees. It seems oaks not only make lots of shade, but they cause the soil PH to be acedic to the point that grass pretty much won't grow under an oak...

Moss is generally going to be a persistant problem as long as there is soil moisture available at the surface, generally in compacted soils which then to be on the heavy or clayey side but it can be a result of excess organic matter, also.

Roundup won't touch moss. There are some moss killers on the market or you can try an herbicical soap. They work to varying degrees of success but as long as soil conditions are right it'll be back. What happens is that in the heavier, moist soils the turfgrass essentially suffocates and thins out giving the moss the opportunity it's waiting for. Soil pH can be a factor (especially under evergreens and oaks), but more so in keeping turfgrass alive in that if it's acidic the plants get the double whammy of lack of oxygen plus the inability to obtain nutrients out of the soil so it starts to thin out or die.

Lime applications will help get the soil closer to the ideal range that the turfgrass is looking for, allowing the roots to absorb the nutrients it needs and giving it a fighting chance against the otherwise detrimental soil conditions. Lime does take anywhere from 3-6 months to break down and get the pH heading in the right direction.

The only permanent way to get rid of moisture is to open up the soil with regular aeration, preferably by pulling plugs rather than just poking holes. If it's a heavy, clayey soil topdressing with sand or calcified clay/porous ceramic (at possibly heavy rates) can help alleviate those compaction issues.

I used a vitrified lime from a Gardening center. It is a lot more expensive. I remember $10 or more for a bag to treat 5000 sq feet. It breaks down faster than regular lime. It really made the grass green, almost emerald.
Tom

I sometimes use pulverized line. Is Vitirfied lime different from pulverized?

I don't know if there is a difference between vitrified lime and pulverized lime. Might be the same just different wording.
Tom

Vitrified has been kiln fired as a means of trying to cut down on dust. I don't know much about it other than a lot of nurseries and garden centers around here use it for their soil mixes when needed. Pelletized, as opposed to granular, generally breaks down the fastest as they actually grind pulverized lime again before gluing it back into the pellets. Pulverized lime is generally a pain to handle and spread since it blows around so easily. We switched over to pelletized about 10 years ago and even at 2-3 bucks extra per 50 lb. bag we've never had anyone complain that we didn't have pulverized.

Outside of a soil test it's just a guessing game, but if you need to fertilize every 3-4 weeks because the grass won't hold it's color chances are your soil is on the acidic side and the little grass plants just aren't able to utilize all of those nutrients before they leach through the soil.

Wow Swamp, you keep offering such great advice. You should change the description under your screen name to "Lord of the Turf":D

You've given me hope with my yard. I had our yard "aerated", but cores weren't removed, they just stabbed a bunch of holes. I will make sure it's done the right way next time. We also have a "moss" problem that you've addressed in an earlier post too.:cool:

That's the downside to spike or knife aerators, the don't physically remove anything, the holes eventually close up again and the soil structure hasn't changed. In some soils it doesn't matter if you spike or core but if they're on the heavier side it definitely will. If you've got real problem areas, topdressing with calcified clay (you could probably make some yourself :)) or diatomaceous earth will make huge improvements.

I've really got to start putting some effort into my lawn. It really does look like $h!t. If any of our retail customers saw what it looked like they'd probably ignore my advice despite how great their lawns look. What's that saying about the shoemakers kids? I've got a lot of great organic ferts and amendments but it's generally the last thing I feel like doing after work. Although my oldest is creeping towards that "useful" age. :D

I had to re-read that to get your intended meaning. Hey even a lawn care thread can go there.:D

Peeing in the shower has been covered pretty well. Maybe now we should start a "Do You Poop In The Yard" thread, eh?

Speaking of poop in the yard ...

http://petbutlermontgomeryco-pa.com/?keyphrase=dog%20poop%20removal&lid=23141027&provider=google&

I recently got a flier in the mail from this company. Apparently there's money to be made in picking up dog poop.:D

There is $hitload of money in pet waste removal. In the real affluent (effluent :P) suburbs to the northwest of us there are a couple of companies who specialize in it. There was even an article in a lawncare trade magazine about making it an add-on service. Too bad the wife doesn't have the stomach for it :). They even go so far as completely exchanging cat boxes with sanitized clean ones on a bi-weekly basis (used ones are removed, sanitized, re-littered).

My question is on the disposal end, what the heck do you do with it? I wonder if dog and cat doody could be composted into anything? But, oh the smell of hundred of pounds of it after a week of collecting... :sick3:

Perhaps it could be burned as a fuel.:)

One man's poop is another man's gold mine . . . . Boy, how's that for optimism? Anybody who can generate a fortune for themselves out of poop!

Another "Turds-to-Riches" story . . .

And even a good day is a $h!tty day.