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Zoysia Lawns
Lawns Intro
Bermuda
Zoysia
Fescue
Back to Landscape 101
 Zoysia
is a slow growing but extremely thick turf
grass. Zoysia does best in full sun with a few varieties
having good shade tolerance. A minimum of five hours of
sunlight is required. The grass remains green spring
through fall, and then changes to a golden-brown in winter.
Because Zoysia roots grow slowly, establishment is
recommended using
sod. Due to slow growth, good shade tolerance, and a turf so
dense that weed invasion is resisted, it sounds like the
perfect grass. However, its strengths are
also its weaknesses. Its slow growth means it is slow to
recover from abuse or neglect, such as irregular mowing
practices, a dull mowing blade, and freezes during winter
months, especially on newly sodded lawns. For the best
appearance, most Zoysias require periodic de-thatching and
more frequent irrigation than other warm season turf
grasses. Heavy fertilization increases thatch buildup,
which is damaging to Zoysia grass. Zoysia is now
available in several varieties. Zoysia benefits from
an underground irrigation system which provides adequate
water during periods of drought. This is because
Zoysia doesn't root as deeply as Bermuda. Zeon and El
Toro Zoysia are the most shade tolerant varieties.
Typical uses: Affluent golf courses and landscapes
(residential and commercial). Artistic Landscapes purchases
sod from North Georgia Turf. You can visit them at
www.ngturf.com.
Zeon is a new
variety that is fast becoming one of the most popular
zoysias on the market. Zeon is similar to Emerald in
appearance with a fine bladed leaf texture. It is also very
shade tolerant and unlike Emerald, Zeon does not have a
prickly feel. Zeon Zoysia produces less thatch than other
Zoysia varieties except JaMur.
JaMur is a medium to coarse textured Zoysia with an
attractive blue-green color. JaMur is characterized as an
extremely compact turf with a superior rate of spread. It
has excellent recovery characteristics and is the most
drought tolerant Zoysia grass. JaMur has shown to produce
less thatch than all other Zoysia varieties.
Medium to coarse textured. 'El Toro' grows well in both sun
and shade and is very resistant to traffic. 'El Toro' has
been tested to be very drought tolerant. It also is very
easy to mow with a rotary mower. 'El Toro' also produces
little or no thatch and is disease resistant. 'El Toro' is
excellent for home lawns and golf courses.
Meyers Zoysia is medium in texture, has wider grass blades
than emerald, with good color, good disease resistance, and
excellent cold tolerance. Meyers Zoysia can survive
temperatures below zero degrees, and is better suited north
of Atlanta.
This is the
Zoysia often advertised as the "super" grass in newspapers
and magazines and is used more often than any other Zoysia
grass.
Meyers Zoysia not only has a wider blade, but is coarser in
appearance than Emerald. Both grasses do best in full sun.
Emerald Zoysia is considered one of the finest lawn grasses.
Emerald Zoysia is an extremely dense, fine textured turf of
true emerald green color. Emerald is more shade tolerant
than Meyers, but it is more susceptible to winter freeze
damage. While all the hot climate grasses turn brown after
killing frosts, small plots of Emerald will maintain their
green color throughout most winters. This can be seen as far
north as Atlanta in commercial areas where it is well
protected and benefits from radiation heating from buildings
and asphalt paving. Emerald simply cannot be neglected for
long periods of time, but if fertilized once or twice
annually, watered as needed, and cut regularly, it makes a
lawn in full sun or partial shade that is the envy of any in
the neighborhood.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Zoysia does better with less, rather than more, fertilizer.
It tends to form a layer of thatch under the green grass if
too much fertilizer and water are used. Fertilize Zoysia
after it has turned mostly green in the spring, and repeat
in midsummer. Use any brand of turf fertilizer that contains
"slow release" nitrogen, at the rate recommended on the bag.
For the best appearance, Zoysias require cutting with a
bagging mower, periodic thinning or dethatching, and
frequent irrigation. Mow the turf no lower than 1 1/2" to
help prevent thatch and cold injury. Zoysia will go semi
dormant during a drought, but will green up when the rain
returns.
Lawns Intro
Bermuda
Zoysia
Fescue
Back to Landscape 101
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