The best time to plant our Amazoy Meyer Zoysia is at the start of your growing season. We actually start shipping when the grass is still dormant here in Maryland to ensure that it will have the safest travel possible. When dormant, the plugs actually retain moisture a lot more during the shipping process. At this time, they will arrive to you looking a little brown and dry, and this is actually a good sign. After being planted, you will see some growth within the first 45 days. Plugs can go into dormancy post-harvesting as a way to protect themselves but will start growing again once planted.
Even though the best time to plant Zoysia is at the beginning of your growing season, it is still fine to plant during your growing season as well. The plugs may arrive to you with a few green sprigs on them during this time, so they must be planted soon after you receive them to ensure the best growth. If you wait too long to plant during hot summer months, the Zoysia will be under additional stress. The Zoysia thrives in the hot conditions; although you may not prefer the heat. You can always plant at the beginning or end of the day during these months to avoid the hot conditions.
Lastly, you can also plant up to 45-60 days before the first hard frost in your area. When planting at the end of the growing season, you may not see too much growth that year. You will water for the first three weeks, and the plugs will then soon go into dormancy; this reduces the risk of overwatering. It will also give you a head-start for growth the following year. It is not necessary to water the following spring.
Each year, we closely monitor the temperatures throughout the United States to determine when we can start shipping Zoysia to each state. Here at Zoysia Farms, we only ship out the plugs whenever the conditions are suitable enough for you to plant. Although we have a rough estimate of when to start shipping to your area, it is different each year due to the temperatures. Also, sometimes different parts of each state may heat up faster than others, but we only start to ship whenever the temperatures are consistent for the whole state. Feel free to call in or check out our website at http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/shiparea.jsp to determine the shipping times for your area. Happy planting!