TechNotes May 13 - Zoysiagrass in Lawns, Soil Temps

ZOYSIAGRASS IN LAWNS? Newspaper advertisements are appearing that tout the benefits of zoysiagrass. These advertisements speak of the "summer tolerance" of zoysiagrass and its adaptation to the northern United States. Zoysiagrass is a warm season turfgrass (C4 plant) that forms a dense lawn with relatively medium to fine leaf blades that is impervious to many weeds during the summer months. It is tolerant to summertime heat and drought, and requires moderate amounts of nitrogen and water. It is found on many homelawns in the transition and southern regions of the United States.

Although there are now some seeded cultivars of zoysiagrass, in home lawns it is established from plugs. These plugs are planted throughout the lawn and eventually will coalesce forming a uniform turf. The plugs spread slowly, and depending on the number of plugs used may take several years to knit together. Once established, zoysiagrass will eventually encroach into neighboring lawns.

The major disadvantage to its use in the northern United States, which is not mentioned in the newspaper advertisements, is zoysiagrass normally will go off color with the first autumn frost turning a golden brown through most of the autumn through spring. Thus, in some areas your zoysiagrass lawn may remain brown for 7 to 8 months out of the year.

SOIL TEMPERATURES.

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