Homeowners understand the value of maintaining a beautiful yard. But this can be challenging, especially when you live in an area that experiences high temperatures. Even a frequent watering schedule is insufficient in preventing your lawn from drying out and going brown due to the sun’s heat. Fortunately, there are grass types that are resilient against heat, drought and even frequent foot traffic. A prime example of these grass types is Zoysia.
What is Zoysia?
Zoysia is a warm-season grass that thrives under the sun. Homeowners around the world often use this for their lawns. Australians tend to plant the grass in residential and commercial properties because of its tolerance to heat and traffic, low maintenance requirements and its dense growth. Additionally, it has different subgenera you can choose from.
- Zoysia Macrantha: A native to Australia, this sub-genus performs well in very sunny areas. It is light green and has a coarse and prickly texture.
- Zoysia Japonica: A sub-genus that originated in Southeast Asia, this grass adjusts to variations in temperature, moisture and sunlight. It’s also resistant to weeds and insects. It has a fairer shade of green and a leaf texture that’s neither coarse nor fine.
- Zoysia Matrella: Another sub-genus native to Southeast Asia, this type has a finer leaf texture than the other two. It’s a warm-season grass and thrives best in hot and humid lawns.
Why Plant Zoysia in Your Yard?
Zoysia’s high heat tolerance and resilience to foot traffic makes it ideal for lawns. It gives you an aesthetically pleasing grass type that will hold up to frequent outdoor activities, from parties to playing sports. Find out why this grass is popular for lawn repairs.
Soft and Supple
Zoysia has supple blades that are soft underfoot. It prevents little to no irritation to you and the rest of your household. Let your kids run barefoot throughout the yard without worrying about their feet.
Low Maintenance
Zoysia is a grass type that takes a while to grow. It means you can reduce your mowing and other maintenance requirements. Easily redirect your attention towards the other plant life in your yard. Zoysia also doesn’t require frequent watering or fertilising to grow.
Hardy
Zoysia, aside from being heat and drought tolerant, is highly resilient against damage. As mentioned, you can freely use your yard without having to worry about creating bald spots on its surface area.
Shade Tolerant
Although Zoysia thrives in warmer seasons, it can still survive in the colder months. This grass type can cope with approximately 40 per cent shade.
Weed Resistant
Zoysia grows thick, preventing weeds from invading it. But this mat takes three years to complete its growth. During that time, you will have to be mindful of any weed growth.
What to Watch Out for with Zoysia
Much like other grass types, Zoysia comes with its own problems. But these are easily manageable. It’s only a matter of educating yourself so that you’ll be prepared to handle them.
- Zoysia is an invasive grass type. Inspect your flower beds while gardening to make sure your grass doesn’t take over.
- Zoysia’s colour will change with the seasons. Prepare yourself for its discolouration, especially as the temperature drops.
- Zoysia is slow-growing. If you are looking for an immediate solution to your lawn problems, consider planting a different grass type.
Growing Zoysia at Home
Zoysia is available in seed form and sod plugs. The latter is often preferred as it’s easier and faster to plant. The plugs must be planted on bare soil. Make sure the spacing between each plug is even to prevent overcrowding. Once done, sprinkle fertiliser over the freshly planted plugs before watering the entire lawn.
Zoysia Grass Calendar for Lawn Care
Just like all other warm-season turf grass, Zoysia flourishes in hot weather and achieves maximum growth in late spring to summer. Home lawns that grow any or all types of Zoysia should note that this is the perfect time for lawn care tasks because it is during this time that Zoysia lawns experience vigorous growth. As the temperature drops, Zoysia growth slows down, and it will begin to go dormant. Lawn cares should ideally go slow as well. Taking note of natural seasonal cycles will help you adjust the amount of work you do.
Warm season grasses like empire Zoysia grow best in the South. If you live in the farther north and you plan to plant them, you should take into account the weather conditions. In general, following this grass lawn care calendar will do wonders for your Zoysia lawn.
February or March All Through May
Start mowing your lawn at the first sign of life after dormancy. This is usually when the soil temperature reaches around 65F. When it comes to Zoysia, ideal grass height is around 1-1.5 inches. Note that removing over a third of the blades can kill your lawn. As soon as threats of frost are nonexistent, you can start seeding or mulching. Zoysia germinates at around 65-70F so make sure the temperature is right before you do anything to your lawn.
Along with Zoysia’s growth comes the possibility of weed also growing with it. You can start fertilizing around this time but if you’re not comfortable doing it on your own, you can always work with a lawn expert like Green Oasis. Aside from full sun, Zoysia needs around an inch of rainfall every week. If you’re having a hard time with natural rainfall, you may consult us for your irrigation needs. Different turf varieties have different wear tolerance as well as drought tolerance, so it’s better to receive guidance from the pros.
June Through August
During this time, there really isn’t much to do but to maintain your grass at around 1-2 inches tall. Keeping the grass slightly long provides extra cover for the grass roots which reduces evaporation and improves deep root growth during hot weather. And because you’re maintaining slightly longer grass blades, you also have to adjust how much water your lawn should get. During these months, your lawn should get at least 1-1.25 inches of water. If you have sandy soil, that amount may need more adjustment. Your lawn’s survival can’t depend on guesswork, but if you’re too busy to figure out how to water your lawn, there are reticulation companies like Green Oasis that can help you.
September Through November
At this point, you should cut back on mowing and maintain 1-1.5 inches of growth again as dormancy becomes more imminent. You have to keep mowing until growth stops. Adjust water requirement to an inch per week.
December Through February
Winter mowing is unnecessary, and watering should strictly be on a need basis. Your main task during this period is to watch out for winter debris as you prepare for early spring.
As previously mentioned, if doing these things on your own seem like too much work, you always have the option to hire experts to help. This ensures that you don’t compromise the health of your lawn to save on DIY methods.
Work with a Professional
If you’re hesitant to carry out this lawn renovation, you always have the option to work with professionals. Green Oasis Lawn and Reticulation has over 15 years of industry experience. We’ll install Zoysia grass throughout your yard efficiently. Expect a fully renovated yard after we’ve completed the installation process.
Find out more about this grass type and our services. Get in touch with us to book an appointment.
