Growing Emerald Zoysia Grass
in Austin/Central Texas
... tips on watering, fertilizing,
aeration, disease, mowing and more
RECENTLY UPDATED!
After many of my friends and neighbors 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 recently 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. Emerald
Zoysia 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 utilizing 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 a little 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
Fire Ant Killer.
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 it,
spray your entire lawn and planting beds with
Seaweed Emulsion with Iron and apply
Green Sand.
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. Also, do
not fertilize too 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 ratio
fertilizer at a rate of 1.0 pound of actual nitrogen
per 1,000 sq. ft. (using a slow release source of nitrogen). This
would be equivalent to 5 pounds of 21-0-0 or 7 pounds of 15-0-0 per
1,000 sq. ft.
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
Seaweed in the late evening on a night that your irrigation
system will be rotating.
In early September, fertilize with a 2-0-1 ratio
fertilizer at 1.0 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. using a
slow release source of nitrogen. This would be equivalent to 5
pounds of 20-0-10 per 1,000 sq. ft.
Repeat iron application if iron chlorosis is a problem. Apply iron
if necessary. Three days
after applying the fertilizer, apply a pre-emergent
herbicide to control winter weeds, such as
Scotts Halts. Make sure both are applied before September 15th.
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.
Dethatch, Aeration, and Top Dressing:
De-thatch your Zoysia at least every other year.
Do it in late-May. Make
sure you remove all the thatch off your lawn. Rake if necessary.
If your lawn is uneven, then get some good quality
top soil and/or
sand and do
what is necessary to level the lawn. Use top soil if you already
have good drainage. Use sand if you need to create better drainage. Apply it in
late 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 during heavy downpours and Zoysia does not like standing water. Also,
your mower will be able to better maintain proper grass height as it
has a smooth surface to traverse. Subsequently, top dress your lawn with
1/4" to 1/2" of
Lady Bug Revitalizer,
Farm Style Compost, or
Dillo Dirt every two to three years, or every year (combined
with sand) if you still have challenges with soil
drainage (usually caused by a clay soil base). Here's a formula to help you
figure out how much top dressing 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 your Zoysia or you will kill it. Zoysia needs
a good amount of oxygen and sunlight to survive.
Core aerate your lawn once yearly preferably in the
early fall, around mid September. If you want to get it
done, you can also do it early in the spring, shortly after you have
top dressed it. DO NOT core aerate prior to dethatching or top
dressing. The process
of detaching and top dressing will fill in the aeration holes, which
somewhat defeats the purpose. Use a machine that will remove plugs from your
lawn. Do not use a machine that has spikes. Driving spikes down into
the soil will create holes, but it will also compact the surrounding
soil. Taking plugs out of your lawn will create holes and also
provide room for the surrounding soil to expand back into the hole.
The plugs removed will integrate back into the lawn over the course
of 10 days to 2 weeks or so.
Watering / Irrigation:
After installation of the Emerald Zoysia sod, water
it every day until it is established (10 days to 2 weeks). Once it
is well 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,
pristine lawn, you
will need to water more
frequently. Here's what I do:
Starting in March, I water our
lawn once a week, 15 to 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 creates a
start time of about 7am. Always
water in the early morning hours.
Starting in mid April, I begin watering twice
weekly, 20 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
a start time of about
3am. 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 find standing water on your lawn after a
20 minute cycle, that means your soil most likely has too much clay
in it. The fix is to top dress the lawn for two to three years in a
row with quality top soil. During this time, create a split watering
schedule. Water each zone 10 minutes and then immediately start the
rotation again, watering each zone another 10 minutes. This type of
split rotation allows the water from the first rotation to seep into
the ground before the second rotation begins. 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 20 minutes per zone, beginning at 3am or so. I also stop
the syringe cycle after mowing.
In early October through the end of
November, I water once weekly at 15 to 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 February),
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 a stationary pop-up spray irrigation system. For sprinkler
system that has rotating heads, you're
going to have to adjust accordingly (usually to 30 to 40 minutes per
zone).
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 will be the first to 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 every 4 to 5 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 1-3/4" to 2"
for the rest of the year.
I recommend keeping your Zoysia cut between 1-3/4"
to 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.), but yet short enough to allow sunlight down
to the lower stalk and crown of the plant (helps reduce disease). If you keep your grass any longer, never water three
times per week, but rather once or twice.
One note on most 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. So, if you
hire a lawn service, make sure they are cutting at the proper
height.
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 out the interior of the
canopy 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. At the end of the day, however, expect portions of
your lawn that are under large trees to be thinner than portions of
your lawn that are in direct sunlight. There is nothing better than direct Texas
sun to create a good growing environment for Zoysia grass.
Winter Overseeding:
I overseeded our lawn several years with Rye
Grass. Most so-called "experts" will tell you not to for a number of
reasons that I never found to be true. I really do not have any
opinion one way or the other. Overseeding will create a nice green
lawn for the winter, but will also create more work because you will
obviously need to maintain it. Trying to get Rye seed to germinate
in a healthy, thick Zoysia lawn can be challenging, but can be done.
Come springtime, the best way to get rid of the Rye is to scalp the
lawn in March ... and keep it scalped for a few weeks to allow the
Texas sun to do it's job on the Rye. Overseeding will delay the
growing of your Zoysia in the spring, but not by much. So, it really
is a personal choice. That said, I would not overseed your lawn if
you have issues with your Zoysia. Wait until you have a strong
growing environment before you begin overseeding your lawn.
Summary:
Emerald Zoysia is a relatively slow growing grass. Once
damaged, it will take quite a bit 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 that were dug by their two big dogs. They
never ran the irrigation system, so the soil was parched. What a
mess.
Shortly after moving into our home, one of my
neighbors told me that the lawn was once the envy of the neighborhood.
Frankly, I was surprised by his comment. But, 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 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. I recommend googling 'emerald zoysia sod texas'
and see what pops up. Just because a sod farm had it one year does
not mean they will have it the next. Since Emerald Zoysia is a relatively slow
growing grass that cannot be grown from seed, it takes time for the sod farms to grow it ...
and, because of that, it's expensive. 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 OTHER VARIETIES.
There is no silver-bullet that is the answer to
all your challenges. Everything here works in concert together to
create an excellent growing environment. You will need to do it all
if you want a thick, lush lawn. If you cut corners, then do not
expect results. It's that simple.
Still having problems? I don't really
have any more information to give you than what I have conveyed
above. If
you follow these recommendations, then you should have
a pristine lawn. If you're following the directions from some lawn
service, well good luck. I've found that most of them either do not
have the knowledge necessary to create a pristine lawn, or they
don't care enough about quality and will make shortcuts
that will just end up creating frustration and headaches.
That all said, I will admit and there are times that good ole' experience is required
to alter and tweak the program in such a way to respond to current
environmental conditions. So, all I can say is that this program
will provide you with an excellent base ... and, over time, you will learn
what works best if you pay attention and respond appropriately to the growing habits of your
particular environment.
Do You Need Some Questions Answered?
If you've gotten this far down in the article,
you must be pretty interested in a quality lawn. Over the years,
I've received quite a few inquiries asking all kinds of questions.
While all the answers are in the article above, sometimes it just
takes experience to properly assess a growing environment.
So, I finally started to
offer consulting services. I have a passion for creating pristine lawns and enjoy
a challenge. It's not something I do full time, nor do I want to do
it full time ... but I do enjoy a challenge ... and my lawn is
currently on cruise control. So, if you think my services would be
helpful, I invite you to contact me.
I offer two services:
1) ON-SITE CONSULTING: Cost: $300
If you are in the Austin/Round Rock area, I will personally
visit your property, assess your specific turf growing environment,
answer any questions you have, and develop a 12 month customized
lawn care program just for you (30 mile limit from zip code 78664).
Also includes 12 months of follow-up consulting services by email to
answer any questions that comes up during the execution of your lawn
program.
2) OFF-SITE CONSULTING: Cost: $200
If you are out of the Central Texas area, I will assess your
specific growing environment, answer any specific questions you
have, and develop a 12 month customized lawn care program based on
photos you send me of your turf. Also includes 12 months of
consulting services by email to answer any questions that comes up
during the execution of your lawn program.
Contact me if
you're interested in my services.
