Grass Profile: Zoysia Grass

Zoysia grass originated in Asia, specifically Korea, Japan, and China. Zoysia was named after Karl von Zois, an Austrian botanist, and was introduced to the United States in the early 1900's.

Zoysia grass uses both stolons and rhizomes to spread. Most species of the grass have stiff leaf blades. This is why many golfers like the grass for teeing off from a par three, because the ball sits higher on the grass.

Zoysia is a warm season grass and normally grows well in the southern half of the United States, but some strains are able to grow as far north as Canada even though the growing season is shorter. It grows better in the shade in warmer climates. If you have colder weather and shade, you should probably consider a different grass type. Zoysia can be grown in all types of soil from sandy to clay and acid to alkaline.

Advantages

• Chokes Weeds Out
• Drought Tolerant
• Dense Turf - Solid Coverage
• Slow Growth - Less Mowing
• Disease Resistant
• Wear Tolerant

Disadvantages

• Spreading / Invading Nature
• Dark Brown Color in Winter

Zoysia Seed

Zoysia seeds should be used only in bare soil areas, because of the failure rate with existing turf or weeds and in shady areas. If you are planting into an existing lawn or a shady area, it is best to use zoysia grass plugs instead of seeds. You can also install zoysia sod if you prefer avoiding the wait of spreading plugs.

Zoysia Lawn Care

Zoysia is pretty typical in its care and is often easier to care for than most grass types. However, in the early spring when it is first greening up, you should avoid using a weed and feed fertilizer because of the damaging effects of the broadleaf herbicides found in them. The grass needs to be fertilized from 3 to 5 times a year, watered on a weekly basis, and mowed from 3/4" to 2" every 10-14 days.

Zoysia grass is one of my favorite types of grass because of its thick, beautiful growth and lower maintenance qualities.