Posts Tagged ‘ lawn care ’
Different types of Zoysia Grass
posted on February 15th, 2013 by admin
Many people do not realize that there are numerous strains of zoysia grass, all are a little different. Below are a few of the commonly used strains of zoysia to show you how they are different. Let’s start with Amazoy our name for Meyers, Z-52 the original zoysia grass.
Amazoy – Medium leaf blade, deep green color, very tight growth pattern, low maintenance, drought resistance, moderate shade tolerance and very cold tolerant but will not suffer winter damage from cold. Is usually planted as plugs, can be laid as sod.
Emerald – Fine leaf blade, dark green color, tight growth pattern, high maintenance, drought resistance, moderate shade tolerance and warm weather only, cold weather can damage it, is usually planted professionally as sod, can be planted as plugs.
Zenith – Medium leaf blade, deep green color, tight growth pattern, drought resistant, average maintenance, moderate shade tolerance, good cold tolerance, usually planted by seed (recommended to be done by professionals) can be planted by plugs.
Let’s compare, Amazoy has a medium leaf blade, grows very tight (crowds out weeds the best), giving it the feel of walking on a deep carpet, low maintenance. Only needs mowing a few times during the season; Amazoy is very drought resistant, therefore requires less watering. Amazoy will grow in partial shade and can withstand cold temperatures, up to 30 below.
Emerald has a fine leaf, tight growth pattern, (not as tight as Amazoy), requires high maintenance. It requires about 1 ½ inches of water a week and mowing about every 7 to 10 days, will grow in partial shade, but only grows well in warm weather.
Zenith has a medium blade, tight growth pattern, drought resistant and is fairly cold tolerant. Zenith is usually planted from seed however you must have a bare seedbed, if planted within an existing lawn there is a high failure rate. Can only be planted from spring to early summer and must be kept moist at least 15 to 25 days and then watered at least once a day for the next 8 to 10 weeks. Seeding is recommended for professionals only.
Lawn Aeration
posted on September 1st, 2010 by John
Lawn aeration is probably the single best thing a homeowner can do for an established lawn.
To look its best, a lawn should be aerated at least once per year. Aeration is the process of mechanically poking holes in the soil to allow water, oxygen, and nutrients to better penetrate to the roots of your grass.
The best time to aerate your Zoysia lawn is in the spring, just before your grass beings to grow rapidly. Aeration machines are generally available from equipment rental stores.
Aerating your Zoysia Lawn Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
- Make sure the ground is soft enough. Water your lawn the day before you aerate.
- Use an aerator with hollow tines which pull up plugs of earth as the machine travels along.
- Use a criss-cross pattern. Direct the machine over the entire lawn, going back and forth in one direction. Then direct the machine to cross over the first set of rows in the opposite direction.
- Put at least 12 holes per two square feet of lawn.
- If you would like to remove the plugs of soil on the grass surface, let them dry a few days, then drag a small piece of carpet across the lawn to break them apart.
- Aerate in late April, just as the lawn is ready for vigorous growth.
Don’t:
- Use solid-tine spike aerators, which provide less benefits to your lawn.
- Aerate if your Zoysia is suffering from drought, the ground is hard and dry.
- Aerate during a dormant growth period.
- Aerate your lawn within the first year of establishment.
Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn
- Allows oxygen to get to the roots and the soil, allowing it to breathe.
- Increases grass growth.
- Allows organic fertilizers and nutrients get access to the root system.
- Water is able to better soak the soil and reach the root system.
- Helps to break up thatch.
- Loosens compacted soils, allowing the root system to grow.
- Allows pesticides to become more effective.
- Reduces the amount of weeds.
Aerating is ecologically friendly and can significantly improve the quality and consistency of your lawn growth. Read more about organic lawn care for your Zoysia lawn.
Mow Your Lawn the RIGHT Way: Lawn Care the Old Way
posted on June 15th, 2010 by Steve Schug
Are you really mowing your lawn the right way? Most people aren’t exceptionally fond of this lawn maintenance task, but if you do it the right way, you can enjoy a nice lawn. All About Lawns gives us a few mowing tips that can help to keep the quality of your grass looking great while still saving time.
Don’t Cut Your Grass Too Short
Cutting your grass to short can help destroy it by making it vulnerable to weeds and insects. You are going to want to keep your blade sharp, too. Dull blades can destroy the grass shaft. One rule of thumb: never cut more than 1/3 of the grass height.
Cut at Appropriate Times
Spring is the time for most grass cutting, which would be about once a week, depending on your personal preferences. During warm weather, grass should be cut a few times a month. Don’t over water; it can help cut down on growth.
Leave Lawn Clippings
This is a key time saver. Don’t waste time with bagging grass. Leaving the clippings on your lawn will help nutrition of your lawn. It can also help retain water so that you don’t have to spend as much time watering it.
Zoysia: The Solution
You could maintain your lawn using the tips we just gave you, or you could invest in zoysia.
Grass maintenance for zoysia is pretty simple. You will spend less time mowing your lawn (about two-thirds less time, to be exact) because of the very nature of zoysia grass, although you do want to keep the general rule of thumb in mind. You won’t ever have to use fertilizers or pesticides, and you will rarely have to water.
Which sounds better to you?
Your Zoysia Lawn: Fertilizing Established Lawns
posted on June 7th, 2010 by John
Once you have planted your zoysia lawn, you might be curious about how to care for it once it has become established. In this post, we will let you know what to do about fertilizing established grass plugs.
Your zoysia lawn will be its most luxurious and healthy if it is fertilized once it is actively growing in the spring before the heat of summer. May through early June is ideal for most of the country. You should NOT use ordinary, granular fertilizers because they can burn or cause serious damage to your zoysia lawn. You must use a water-soluble fertilizer, like our Nutri-20, that has been specially formulated for use on turf grasses. Nutri-20 is great for other stuff, too, like shrubs or vegetables.
When applying fertilizer, you should apply it with a hose-end sprayer, that supplies necessary water along with the fertilizer. Always be wary of directions, carefully following the recommendations, when applying fertilizer of any kind; you don’t want to overfeed your lawn, which may result in a chemical burn.