Is Zyosia Grass Right For Your Lawn?

Why is zyosia grass touted by some as a miracle turf? Let me tick of a few reasons for starters.

It is a warm season grass which thrives in all kinds of soils and once established requires low maintenance.

It can tolerate variations of temperature, sunlight and water and is quite drought tolerant.

It can resist diseases and stands up to traffic well.

You can expect to ultimately get a thick dense lawn like plush carpet once you sod or plug zyosia grass.

So what's not to like?

Well, you're right. Despite being hard to spell, technically it's "zoysia grass", there is a healthy list of why this is such a popular grass in some parts of the country. So lets lift up the turf and see what's supporting it.

The Pros of Zoysia Grass

These type of grasses are ideal for anyone looking for firm, dense, green turf. Being dense by nature it will naturally choke out weeds.

Care wise it requires less fertilizer and are less prone to insect attacks.

Being drought tolerant too, it can sustain themselves with less water under severely dry conditions. Their leaf blades roll under dry conditions to conserve moisture. Subsequent rainfalls or irrigation sees them get back on their feet very quickly.

It tend to be slow growing and so does not invade landscapes like Bermuda grasses are apt to do.

At best it's what you'd call average shade tolerance. But won't do nearly as well there as if planted in full sun.

The Problems with Zoysia Grass

This species does not thrive, if by thrive you mean stay green, in cooler climates.

Though it can handle foot traffic, being slow growing, it is slow to fill in damaged areas. The grass also requires a good mower with sharp blade to cut it to keep it healthy.

It do not really tolerate poorly drained soils well.

Let me repeat myself. It is not good for homeowners who expect to see their lawn green all year long. This is because the zoysia grass is the first to go brown after the first frost and the last to green up in spring. This tendency towards a short green season and long dormant season may not be to your liking if you don't like a straw colored lawn.

Also the zoysia lawns tend to need to be de-thatched every year. The thatch builds up fairly fast and if not cleared out will make you feel as if you are walking on spiky sponges. Not the desired affect.

Given the toughness of the blades you'll probably need some kind of reel mower to slice it off nice and clean. In other words if you don't maintain your mower's blade you'll won't be able to hack it. Even if you do you'll likely be mowing every five or six days to keep ahead of the growth. Which may be more often than you'd like.

Some varieties of zoysia grass are also notorious for poor germination. Sometimes it needs to be sodded or plugged to take hold.

Remember that planting techniques take on added importance for this slow growing grass. There are certain "rules of the lawn" and tricks to growing this variety. As well as things you must do to when it comes to seed bed preparation.

The seed bed has to be firm, smooth and free of weeds.

If using sod for sprigs it should be torn apart.

Sprigs Defined: Sod that has been broken up or chopped into short lengths of stems with two to four nodes (or above ground runners) for planting into a new lawn.

Typically sprigs need to be planted 2 or so inches apart in rows or can be broadcast. If you opt to broadcast then the soil needs to be rolled to get good soil contact. Once in, you have to do regular applications of nitrogen fertilizer to promote growth and to help it get established.

The soil needs to be kept moist for sprigging. One inch of water per week is required to sustain them during the hot summer months. Even during cooler winter months occasional irrigation is a must.

The typical method of planting however is by plugs.

After it's established close, frequent mowing is needed to produce fine healthy grass. You need to mow it to a height of 1-2 inches. Mulching the clippings helps with thatch prevention.

So if you are planning to buy zoysia for the first time it can't hurt to talk with your local country extension office. They are likely to be up on the various zyosia grass varieties that thrive in your area.