Growing Emerald Zoysia Grass
in Austin/Central Texas
... tips on watering, fertilizing, mowing and more
After many people asked how I am able to maintain such a rockin
lawn, I decided to write this article for the benefit of those
with Emerald Zoysia grass. We reside in Round Rock, Texas (just
north of Austin). We have Emerald Zoysia and our lawn is the envy of
the neighborhood. In fact, people in the neighborhood call it "the
golf course yard".
After having a significantly shorter article
posted for a number of years, I have edited the article to expand
and detail my yearly maintenance routine, which has changed and
been refined over the years ... and, continues to be refined. For your
convenience, I've separated my routine into major categories.
Zoysia loves the sun and is drought tolerant. Emerald Zoysia is a hybrid and does not come in seed. It only comes
in sod. Good luck finding it. Not many sod farms carry Emerald
Zoysia ... they usually carry the cheaper species of Zoysia. It's more expensive
and known as the 'Cadillac of Zoysias'.
We have two small dogs and you would never know it by looking at our lawn.
The lawn supports foot and paw traffic, as well as dog wiz and poo very well.
I've followed other routine maintenance directions from so called "experts" but have
never had the success that I am now having using the following common
sense approaches to growing Zoysia. Now, our Zoysia is so thick
that it's like walking on carpet ... and, weeds don't have a chance
... they are completely choked out by the thick grass.
There is a lot of information out there about
"maintenance free Zoysia". That's just a bunch of bull crap and
marketing hype. Yes, Zoysia is easier to maintain than other grasses
and does not require as much work if you want just an average, decent looking lawn. But, I don't. Rather, I want a golf course looking
pristine lawn. If
you do too, then follow these recommendations and you too will be "The Smiths" that
everyone in your neighborhood tries to keep up with!
INSECTS, DISEASE, & SPECIALIZED WEEDS:
If you water properly and keep thatch low,
insects and disease will not be a problem. But, the following are
some things that I do and also some recommended actions if you find
that your encountering problems:
In
early April, treat for Fire Ants with
Spectracide Triazicide Granules.
In early spring through early summer, watch for
Take-All Root Rot and, if present, treat with
Actinovate. Also, if
present, be careful not to over-water during the entire spring,
summer, and fall. As well, look for thatch and get rid of it if it is
present.
In mid to late May, if you see any plants in your planting
beds that have yellow leaves, make sure that you are not
over-watering. If you are sure that you not overwatering, you most likely have
iron chlorosis (iron deficiency). To fix,
spray your entire lawn and planting beds with
Seaweed Emulsion with Iron and apply
Green Sand to the same.
At any time of the year, if you see
Nutsedge, treat with
SedgeHammer.
Throughout June, check for
Chinch
Bug damage and, if present, treat with
Spectracide Triazicide Granules.
In late July, check for
Grubs
and, if more than 4 or 5 are present in a good shovel full of soil, treat with
Bayer
Grub Control or
Scotts Grub
Ex.
In late
September, check for
Brown Patch and
Take-All Root Rot, if present, treat with
fungicide like
Green Light Fung-Away
or
Scotts Lawn Fungus Control. If
present, be careful not to over-water during the fall and winter.
If you're not sure what the problem is, cut a 6"
x 6" x 3" section of your lawn (cutting it from a section of your lawn
where a problem area meets a healthy portion of your lawn) and take
it to
Natural Gardener. They will place it under a microscope and give
you a diagnosis.
While I'm on the subject of Natural Gardener,
I highly recommend them for all your gardening needs. The place is
well laid out, they have amazing products, and the staff is
incredibly knowledgeable. And no, I am not getting paid or receiving
discounts to
recommend their products. I simply have found them to be the best in
Austin at providing salient information and superior products and I am happy to
give them their due plug. That said, they do offer natural solutions
... and, I try to reduce chemicals whenever possible. But, sometimes
I just need some good ole chemicals to get the job done. So, you
will find a mixture of both a natural and a chemical approach to my
lawn care throughout these recommendations.
FERTILIZATION & MICRONUTRIENTS:
Be VERY careful not to over-fertilize your Zoysia. I cannot stress
this enough ... DO NOT over fertilize! It will cause thatch, which
in turn will cause other problems. And do
not fertilize to early in the spring or it may cause Zoysia Patch (a
soil borne fungal disease).
In mid February, apply a pre-emergent herbicide
to control weeds, such as
Scotts Halts.
In mid to late April, fertilize with 1-0-0 at 1 pound
per 1000 feet (slow release), or 5 pounds of 21-0-0, or 7 pounds of
15-0-0.
In mid May, spray the entire lawn and planting
beds with
Seaweed in the late evening on a night that your irrigation
system will be rotating.
In mid July, spray the
entire lawn and planting beds with
Lady Bug Terra Tonic Super Soil Activator in the late evening on
a night that your irrigation system will be rotating.
In mid August, spray the
entire lawn and planting beds with
Compost Tea in the late evening on a night that your irrigation
system will be rotating. Also, make sure to apply the product within 8 hours of
purchase. Natural Gardener has a fresh batch for sale each Friday through
Sunday.
In early October, fertilize with 2-0-1 ratio at
1.0 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet using slow release, or 5
pounds of 20-0-10 per 1,000 feet. Apply iron if necessary.
In late October to early November, apply a pre-emergent
herbicide to control winter weeds, such as
Scotts Halts.
So, that's my fertilization program. If you choose to hire a lawn service, DO NOT have them fertilize
your Zoysia more than 2 or 3
times a year even though they will jump up and down and get red in
the face while telling you that you must fertilize at least 4 to 6 times
per year. Zoysia DOES NOT need to be fertilized that much and, in
fact, fertilizing that much can be a detriment to its health because
doing so will increase thatch which may cause all kinds of problems. They are just trying to sell you more than what
you need. That said, I do recommend applying micronutrients. If you're going to
hire a lawn service to fertilize and take care of lawn disease and
insects, I recommend
Real Green
Lawns.
DETHATCH, AERATION, and TOP DRESSING:
De-thatch your Zoysia every year, without fail.
Do it in late-March after you have scalped it down to 1".
If your lawn is uneven, then get some good quality
top soil and do
what is necessary to level the lawn. Apply it in May after your lawn
begins to grow vigorously. Your lawn needs to be level for
a number of reason. Holes and valleys in lawns are a collection point
for standing water and Zoysia does not like standing water. Also,
your mower will be able to better maintain proper grass height as it
has a nice smooth surface to mow. Subsequently, top dress your lawn with
1/4" to 1/2" of
Lady Bug Revitalizer,
Farm Style Compost, or
Dillo Dirt once every other year. Here's a formula to help you
figure out how much you need: Length (in feet) x Width (in ft.) x
Depth (in inches, 0.25" to 0.5") / 324 = # Cubic Yards. Be careful to not put
too much amendment on top of the grass or you will kill it. Zoysia needs
a good amount of oxygen and sunlight.
Core aerate your lawn once yearly sometime in the
early fall ... around mid to late September.
WATERING:
After you install the Emerald Zoysia sod, water
it every day until it is established. Once established, you can get away with watering your lawn once
weekly even during the heat of summer. However, if you desire a thick, deep green lawn, you
will need to water more
frequently. Here's what I do:
Starting in late March/early April, I water our
lawn once a week, 20 minutes per zone starting the rotations to
begin after we have taken our morning showers and are
not using the water service (shower usage may adversely reduce the
water output of your irrigation system). For us, that is about 7am. Always
water in the early morning hours.
Starting in early May, I begin watering twice
weekly, 15 minutes per zone, adjusting the start time to begin the
rotation as late as possible in the early morning to finish
before we wake up in the morning and take our morning showers. For us, that is about
4am. Watering earlier
helps the grass utilize the water before the heat of the day begins
without allowing the grass to stay wet too long which invites
disease.
Starting in early June, and continuing through
July and August, I water three times a
week, 20 minutes per zone. Watering three
times per week also helps to ensure that your lawn is getting
sufficient water, especially if you have a rain gauge. Sometimes, I
have seen my rain gauge shut off my irrigation system just because
of a short, light sprinkle of rain. In those cases, the lawn still needed
water, but was denied because of the rain gauge. Having more
opportunities to apply water to your lawn reduces these problems and
also reduces problems of uneven water distribution because of windy
nights.
June through August, I also rotate my irrigation system 4 to 5
minutes per zone directly after I mow the grass to reduce the stress from
cutting. Also, if my grass is stressed in any way (recovering from
any issue), I will also rotate my irrigation system 4 to 5 minutes
per zone in the mid afternoon heat, around 2pm or so until the grass
is fully recovered. Some
call this a "syringe cycle". It is designed to cool the grass, not
water it. Many so-called
"experts" will tell you not to do such a cycle. They
usually say that doing so is a waste of water because of evaporation, will not promote deep root
growth, and/or may cause Zoysia
Patch, blah, blah, blah. But, I have not found that to be true. Just
be careful not to schedule your afternoon cycle too late in the
afternoon. You will want the sun of the day to fully dry things out again
before the evening hours.
If you cannot
set that type of split rotation up on your irrigation controller, then contact
your favorite irrigation install/repair company and see what they
can do for you.
In early September, I reduce the cycle to water twice
weekly at 15 minutes per zone, beginning at 3am or so and I also stop the afternoon cool-off.
In early October through the end of
November, I water once weekly at 20 minutes per zone, starting the
rotations to begin after we take our morning showers
and are not using the water service.
During the winter (December through early March),
I water
once ever 4 to 5 weeks and only if needed.
For your chosen watering schedule, the question
really is ... how green and lush do you want your lawn? If you're a
penny pincher or water conservationist, then the a once weekly deep
watering will keep your Zoysia looking just fine and relatively healthy.
However, if you want a lush, thick, golf-course green lawn, then you're going to
have to water more often.
Times for each zone may need to be adjusted a
little depending on shade and/or the water output of your nozzles. I do not recommend watering more
often than what I've listed above. By the way,
all these times are for pop-ups. For sprinklers that rotate, you're
going to have to adjust accordingly.
Be careful not to water too much. Get out and
frequently walk your lawn looking for dry spots and overly wet spots.
Adjust
your system as necessary. If your irrigation system does not
have a rain-sensor that shuts off your system for a period of time
when it
rains, then have one installed. Also, if you have thatch
and you water as much as I do, then you're going to have problems.
Get rid of thatch and you will not have problems.
MOWING:
I mow our lawn once weekly with rotary mower that
has a bagger and a very sharp blade. However, I admit that reel mowers are better
and will give your lawn a better look. The reason is the way that a reel mower cleanly
cuts the blade of grass. But, the truth is, if you keep your
rotary blade sharp, it will look just fine. Again, I cannot
stress this enough, KEEP YOUR BLADE SHARP! That means sharpen your blade
at least once ever 6 cuttings or so. For convenience get an extra blade and have one always
sharpened and ready to install on your mower.
Scalp your Zoysia to 1" in early March and
rake up all the clippings/leaves real good. MAKE SURE TO RAKE ...
EVEN IF YOU HAVE A BAGGER! Then, mow once a week at 1-1/4" to 1-1/2"
for the rest of the year.
I recommend keeping your Zoysia cut between 1-1/4
to an 1-1/2 because it is sufficient height to allow the grass to
become thick enough to choke out most any other foreign growth
(weeds, grasses, etc.) If you keep your grass any longer, never water three
times per week, but rather once or twice.
One note on lawn services: They mow too high
because their mower beds are usually set high to mow that cheap,
nasty, water hogging St. Augustine junk that is so
prevalent here in Austin (do you really want to know what I think of
St. Augustine grass!).
Years ago, I tried a couple of the well known
national lawn services
and they never did better than what I have been able to achieve
myself with what I am telling you here. I just found them to be lazy
in properly adjusting and maintaining their equipment.
In addition, any disease that their
other customers have in their lawn will migrate to your lawn via
their equipment. Do yourself a favor, mow your yard yourself.
That all said, lawn services did edge the
sidewalk and driveway better than I do. I can't stand edging.
SHADE:
Zoysia loves sun and does not like shade. However, Emerald
Zoysia is more shade tolerant than many other species of Zoysia. If you
have big trees, then have them professionally trimmed every two years.
Thin the interior of them out
so more sun filters through the trees to your lawn. Emerald can
handle up to 50% shade. If you have your trees trimmed, you'll be just
fine.
SUMMARY:
Remember, Emerald Zoysia is a slow growing grass. Once
damaged, it will take a lot of time to recover. So, don't expect to
start following these recommendations and get a lush lawn in a
matter of months. When we bought our home, the lawn was in very,
very bad
shape. I think the previous owner changed the oil in his car over
the front lawn. Idiot. The entire lawn was very damaged. Overall, it
was very thin and had multiple bare spots. The soil was compacted,
had grub and chinch bug infestation,
and had a bunch of holes dug by their two big dogs.
Shortly after moving into our home, our neighbors told me
that the lawn was once the envy of the neighborhood. And, those
comments caused me to begin a mission of bringing the lawn back to
pristine shape. It took me 4 years to get it into decent shape
and 6 years to get it looking pristine. Then again, much of this
time was spent in trial and error, trying different things and
various services. If I had all the knowledge about Zoysia that I do
now, I'm quite sure that I could have had a pristine looking lawn in
half that time.
Finally, I get a lot of responses to this article.
I receive many questions asking where to buy Emerald Zoysia. The
answer is: I don't know. Good luck in trying to find it. If you
cannot find Emerald Zoysia, then buy Jamur, Palisade, or Empire. DO NOT
BUY ANY OF THE OTHERS.
Also,
please know that I do not diagnose lawn problems. I don't really
have any more information to give you than what I have conveyed
above. If
you follow these recommendations to the letter, then you should have
a pristine lawn. If you have followed all of these recommendations
and still are having problems with your lawn, then you most likely
have bad soil (the fix: top dress it with a 1/2" of good soil two
years in a row) and/or problems with either grubs or chinch bugs.
Many lawn problems that look like under watering or
some sort of disease is really caused by grubs and/or chinch
bugs or just plain bad soil. For Zoysia, if you have chinch bugs, you most
likely have too much thatch in your lawn. Get. Rid. Of. Thatch! Do
you recognize a theme? Let me repeat that again ... GET RID OF
THATCH!
Good luck!
