I might be mistaken but zoysia grass doesn't tolerate shade to well especially the farther North you go.

 

Jersey is about as far north as I've ever heard of it growin' and that was near the coast. I've heard plugs are a pain.

 

Don't bother with it. Zoysia and shade don't mix, and 9000 plugs is next to impossible. Just space the squares of sod down in a checkered pattern that will give you the best result's if your going to do it.

 

Plugging zoysia will give better results than sod but its a lot more work and like said before zoysia doesn't like shade.

 

Plugging zoysia will give better results than sod but its a lot more work and like said before zoysia doesn't like shade.

can you explain this? i could not have imagined plugging my zoysia. weeds weeds weeds. and a whole summer without a good lawn

 

can you explain this? i could not have imagined plugging my zoysia. weeds weeds weeds. and a whole summer without a good lawn

Plugs only need to be planted 12" apart and it is a time consuming task to do but you will have a healthier lawn. Zoysia sod is just laid over the planting area while plugs are placed into the planting area allowing better root system to develop allowing the plant to fill in much faster. Your plugged zoysia lawn should fill in completely in around 2 years depending on fertilizer and proper watering providing soil conditions are good to start with. The best time to plug your lawn would be at the end of April through mid May or when the temps are staying in the mid to upper 70s. A healthy zoysia lawn is the best defense against weed growth.

 

Plugs only need to be planted 12" apart and it is a time consuming task to do but you will have a healthier lawn. Zoysia sod is just laid over the planting area while plugs are placed into the planting area allowing better root system to develop allowing the plant to fill in much faster. Your plugged zoysia lawn should fill in completely in around 2 years depending on fertilizer and proper watering providing soil conditions are good to start with. The best time to plug your lawn would be at the end of April through mid May or when the temps are staying in the mid to upper 70s. A healthy zoysia lawn is the best defense against weed growth.

so if you have no grass to start with then you have to control weeds in between all these plugs for 2 years? Or you could sod, have no weeds and just wait 2 years for the roots to grow and have a nice lawn in the meantime. If I remember right zoysia sends stolons and rhimozones horizontaly then the roots grow down from these. The roots themselves don't grow sideways nor do they shoot out stolons or rhimozones as far as I know. Correct me if i'm wrong someone.

 

so if you have no grass to start with then you have to control weeds in between all these plugs for 2 years? Or you could sod, have no weeds and just wait 2 years for the roots to grow and have a nice lawn in the meantime. If I remember right zoysia sends stolons and rhimozones horizontaly then the roots grow down from these. The roots themselves don't grow sideways nor do they shoot out stolons or rhimozones as far as I know. Correct me if i'm wrong someone.

It would probably be wise to do some things to control the bulk of the weeds...especially the aggressive spreading and choking types.
Zoysia spreads almost exclusively from stolons, and can get very thatchy especially if overfertilized repeatedly over time.

When I was a teenager, even before I got into this biz, my mom ordered a slew of zoysia plugs from a magazine, because our little-bitty bluegrass front yard (at that time) had been burnt out and killed by a drought.

Well....I thought it was a complete waste of time...placing those stupid "cubes" in the ground every foot or so apart !
But regardless, she and I watered it religiously, for the remainder of that summer.

And y'know...that little lawn in western Cincinnati did develop into some thick zoysia turf....after at least 2 to 3 solid years, maybe more to fill in all the way around completely !

P.S.....If you've got a neighbor or two who you think might not care for your choice of grass species...better break the news to them now!!!
:laugh:

 

so if you have no grass to start with then you have to control weeds in between all these plugs for 2 years? Or you could sod, have no weeds and just wait 2 years for the roots to grow and have a nice lawn in the meantime. If I remember right zoysia sends stolons and rhimozones horizontaly then the roots grow down from these. The roots themselves don't grow sideways nor do they shoot out stolons or rhimozones as far as I know. Correct me if i'm wrong someone.

so whats your point?? The reason you plant plugs is so the the the plant can have good soil contact better than sod so it can get the nutrients to grow into a healthy lawn. Have you ever plugged a yard?? and yes it spreads horizontaly but without a healthy root system which is the main point of plugging in the first place its not going to do crap. A plugged yard is healthier all the way around compared to sod but it does take time to grow.

 

My personal yard is Emerald Zoysia. It doesn't like shade and it doesn't spread very fast. In fact it is very slow in shady areas. You can mow it pretty low. Mine was installed as sod not plugs. It will thrive and spread faster in the sun, especially if you have a sprinkler system with regular watering.Up north it is gonna stay dormant most of the year. Mine in Ga. is just now starting to get green and still doesn't need to be cut in April. Weeds are not a problem, they are choked out. All other grasses are choked out too. I have some that washed into an area that has some Centipede and it has taken over.Mower blades need to be sharp when cutting,David

 

My personal yard is Emerald Zoysia. It doesn't like shade and it doesn't spread very fast. In fact it is very slow in shady areas.

There's quite a difference between Georgia and Ohio.

Up here zoysia won't even spread into the shade.
Zoysia grass in Ohio looks like a horse's pa-toot from Thanksgiving...until, say...Memorial Day...because it's often slow to come out of dormancy.

In fact, some people up here spray their zoysia (and bermudagrass) turf with "Lescogreen" in early winter to mask over the "ugliness" to some degree.
And it DOES work.

After the extremely cold winters of '76 and '77.....many people up here lost their zoysia lawns completely.
"Borderline" trees for this zone.... like mimosas... took a hard hit, too.

 

Odd you mentioned mimosa trees. I have one and the grass(Centipede) will not grow under the overhanging limbs. Its like it has killed the grass in that area. Yeah if the grass is slow to green up here in Ga. I know I would not have it, if I lived up North. Lots better choices up there. David

 

Odd you mentioned mimosa trees. I have one and the grass(Centipede) will not grow under the overhanging limbs. Its like it has killed the grass in that area. Yeah if the grass is slow to green up here in Ga. I know I would not have it, if I lived up North. Lots better choices up there. David

Very interesting...

Never have that problem here, though.
All my mimosas that grow over grass at all.... "hang" over tall fescue, and it grows just fine underneath.

I just love mimosas! (And so do my hummingbirds!!!! I SWEAR they get DRUNK out there on them !!!!)
But I know there's other people down south who don't care for their "invasive" nature...but that simply isn't a problem for us up here.
Actually, around here in S.C. Ohio..we're on the "fringe" of their zone hardiness tolerance...and we're lucky to have them at all!

Right now I'm trying to start some "Black Mimosas" inside the house in some pots.
They're supposed to have the same pink fuzzy flower as 'Albizia julibrissin', but with foliage, that with the right soil and growing conditions, actually develops into a neat 'chocolate brown' color, after the tree gains a certain stage of maturity.