Zoysia: Fertilizing New Plugs

posted on April 27th, 2010 by Steve Schug

Amazoy Zoysia is known to grow in virtually any soil: clay, salty, sandy, and even rocky soils. So no matter what kind of soil is under your grass, it is pretty likely that zoysia will grow. But any grass can do with a little nourishment. If you are looking to speed up the process of plug establishment, fertilizer is a great place to start.

If you do decide that fertilizer is for you, one very important rule is be sure to NOT use granular fertilizers. These can be hazardous to your plugs and can destroy an established zoysia lawn. Using a water-soluble fertilizer, like Nutri-20, is the way to go. These types are better suited for zoysia grass and will help nourish them in the right ways. You can even use it for your garden; water-soluble fertilizers do wonders for vegetables, flowers, and shrubs, too.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Care & Maintenance, Fertilizer, Growth, Planting, Zoysia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “Zoysia: Fertilizing New Plugs”

Chuck Graves Says:
May 10th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

What is the coverage for the Nutri-20, 5lbs covers what.
admin Says:
May 12th, 2010 at 10:03 am

Chuck -

A 5 lb bag will cover approximately 4000 sq. feet of lawn.
Ileana Says:
May 15th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

How much Nutri-20 do I use when using a sprayer? How many teaspoons or tablespoons per gallon. I will be applying it to my new zoysia lawn plugs. How sparingly do I use it? Please help. Would like to start fertilizing now since the lawn was put in 2 weeks ago. Thanks!
admin Says:
May 17th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

Two teaspoons per gallon or one cup per 20 gallons are the standard amounts.

You can also check out our 20 gallon sprayer, in which you could put one cup of Nutri 20 and fill the top with water. You just shake well and the Nutri 20 will dissolve, turning the liquid green, but will turn back to clear when spraying. When it is clear, you will have used up all the Nutri 20 and can add more.
Kenneth Says:
May 27th, 2010 at 1:51 pm

ZFN, I HAVE 2 QUESTIONS.
QUES#1: HOW MUCH NUTRI-20 FERT. SHOULD I USE ON AN AREA OF APPROX. 2 TO 3 FT. SQ. WHEN I’M WATERING THE GRASS FOR 10 MINUTES?

QUES#2: WHAT BRAND OR TYPE OF PESTICIDE SHOULD I USE ON MY ZOYSIA GRASS, AND HOW SHOULD I APPLY IT?

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.
admin Says:
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:42 am

That is a small patch of grass, so it appears that you will need about a tea spoon of Nutri-20 in a pint of water to fertilize the area and probably best applied with a watering can of some sort. 10 minutes of watering sounds way too much for such a small area unless the soil is like sand. Zoysia is drought tolerant and only needs daily light watering when first planted.

In regard to your pesticide question, there is no direct answer. Determine the pest to be gotten rid of, pick the local pesticide to solve the problem and apply according to the label.

Hope this was helpful, and best of luck to you!
Bob Says:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:14 pm

I just planted my plugs a little over a week ago. I bought a 5 lb. bag of Nutri 20 and a hose sprayer. How much fertilizer do I add to the 26 oz. bottle on the sprayer?
Heidi Says:
June 16th, 2011 at 4:42 pm

Planted 600 plugs one week ago. Been watering about 20 minutes every evening but the temps have reached 100 degrees during the day. Should I increase the initial watering? (Couldn’t plant for one week and kept it grass side up in a shady area as per instructions and kept it moist.)

All four areas get 50% sun and 50% mottled shade.
admin Says:
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 pm

Two teaspoons per gallon or one cup per 20 gallons are the standard amounts. In your case, you’d need about half a teaspoon for a 26 ounce bottle on your sprayer.

You can also check out our 20 gallon sprayer, in which you could put one cup of Nutri 20 and fill the top with water. You just shake well and the Nutri 20 will dissolve, turning the liquid green, but will turn back to clear when spraying. When it is clear, you will have used up all the Nutri 20 and can add more.
admin Says:
June 29th, 2011 at 3:41 pm

The best time to water is early morning. If that is not possible, evening is the next best time. Don’t water in the heat of the day. Also, twenty minutes for 600 plugs might be a little much. The object is to provide a good drink but not over-saturate. The grass is drought tolerant. Plugs planted one week are not going to show anything yet. Do not worry – it will love the 100 degree heat and should be fine! Keep up the watering for 21 days. Then water only if it has been very dry for 4 or 5 days.
admin Says:
June 18th, 2012 at 3:32 pm

Barbara – We’re very sorry to hear that you are having trouble with your Zoysia. Please contact us as 410-756-2311 or email us using our contact form: http://www1.zoysia.com/custserv.jsp We’ll do our best to work with you to solve the issue you are experiencing

We’ll also pass along your comments on our end so that we can better assist you.
Nathaniel Long Says:
June 23rd, 2012 at 4:34 pm

Barbara,
I do not know what zone you are in, but I am in Wake Forest, N.C., just north of Raleigh, perhaps zone 7b. We planted Zoysia plugs in September of last year. That was a bit late, and some did not survive. However, 85 or 90 percent did survive, and of those, perhaps 20 spots have grown back to being larger than when we planted them. My wife wants to see all of the survivors at least grow back to their original size before ordering more. However, I would like to order sooner.

One thing I noticed was that the plants with more water, and on the Southern side of the home (more sun) seem to have done better. Those on the western side of the home fared the most poorly. We also were careful to pull up weeds continually, about six inches surrounding each plug set planted. Another thing that probably helped was to plant four square inches together. We thought one square inch just inadequate to get a good start.

Sincerely, Nathaniel

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