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#1
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
OK, I asked about this last year, but there didn't seem to be any
consensus. I have a mostly shaded back yard that my 85 pound golden retriever occasionally romps around in, which has slowly been wearing away the St. Augestine that was there. I would like a more durable grass to plant there, with the following desired attributes (in order): Durability Thrives in Shade Drought-Resistant I've been looking at various Zoysia grasses. I tried some seeding some Bermuda derivatives last year (Rebel III, IIRC), but it just didn't hold up. Also, is there any place you can buy Zoysia sod now? Most of the places I called said they weren't getting any in until April. (There are online sellers, but I'm not sure if I want to pay the shipping charge, and I would like to go with sod rather than plugs if at all possible.) Any advice? Lawrence Person |
#3
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
wrote in message oups.com... OK, I asked about this last year, but there didn't seem to be any consensus. I have a mostly shaded back yard that my 85 pound golden retriever occasionally romps around in, which has slowly been wearing away the St. Augestine that was there. I would like a more durable grass to plant there, with the following desired attributes (in order): Durability Thrives in Shade Drought-Resistant I've been looking at various Zoysia grasses. I tried some seeding some Bermuda derivatives last year (Rebel III, IIRC), but it just didn't hold up. Also, is there any place you can buy Zoysia sod now? Most of the places I called said they weren't getting any in until April. (There are online sellers, but I'm not sure if I want to pay the shipping charge, and I would like to go with sod rather than plugs if at all possible.) Any advice? Lawrence Person Submitted by Calvin Finch, Ph.D., Manager, Conservation Division, Water Resources & Conservation Department, SAWS, and Horticulturist WHICH GRASS IS FOR YOU Choosing a turfgrass is not easy in San Antonio, none of the varieties are overwhelmingly better than the other. A lawn can be attractive and a great place for your pets and children to play but if you are intent on keeping it green all summer, it requires lots of water and work. Reduce the lawn area as much as possible with hardscape (preferably pervious), groundcover, and perennials. We have four choices for a permanent lawn: St. Augustine, Bermudagrass, zoysia, and buffalo grass. St. Augustine is the most popular grass. It is attractive with wide kelly-green blades. St. Augustine is easy to mow and has the best shade tolerance. Sod is relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain. St. Augustine, evolved, however, in a high rainfall area with acidic soil. In San Antonio it requires heavy irrigation and is stressed to the point that it requires attention for insects, diseases, and iron chlorosis. St. Augustine does not have very good traffic tolerance. If it turns brown in a drought, it is dead. To keep it green requires about .75 inches of water per week. Bermuda grass requires full sun. Mowed low, at 1.5 inches or less, a Bermuda lawn can look like a golf course. It is the grass used for golf courses and athletic fields in our area. Bermuda has the most traffic tolerance of the lawn grasses available, and will go dormant if water is not available. When the rains start again, it greens up quickly. Bermuda is relatively insect and disease free but is not as thick as St. Augustine, so can support weeds, especially in the winter. The Bermuda grasses require about .5 inches of irrigation or rain in the summer to stay green. Hybrid Bermuda selections like 'Baby' and 419 are available as sod. Common Bermuda can be seeded. Sahara and Cheyenne are improved selections of common Bermuda. Zoysia grass has some of the best characteristics of both St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. It has shade tolerance (not as much as St. Augustine) and forms a thick weed free sod. Zoysia has good traffic tolerance, is pest resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good selections of zoysia that are easier to care for. Mow them with a regular rotary mower. Because of its slow growth characteristic, zoysia sod is often 25 to 40 percent more expensive than St. Augustine. Although zoysia grass has drought tolerance and can go dormant, to stay green it requires the same amount of water as St. Augustine. Buffalo grass is the only native turf on the permanent lawn grass list. It requires only about 3/8 inch of water every week to stay green and, thus, is the least water demanding grass. Overwatering will kill buffalo grass. Plant buffalo grass in full sun on heavy soils. It is insect and disease free. The main problem of buffalo grass is weeds. It does not form a tight sod so there is lots of room for weeds to germinate. Mowing the grass very high, 5 inches, helps keep weeds out, but it is often necessary to use pre-emergent herbicides two times per year if you want weed free buffalo grass.. Buffalo grass can be grown from seed or sod. The sod includes only female plants for more uniformity. Stampede and 609 are two popular selections. Select the lawn grass that best suites the availability of light in your yard, your aesthetic preferences, your interest in lawn work, and your tolerance for water bills. Six inches of soil is best for a good lawn. If you have less, add some, or use groundcovers instead. |
#4
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article ,
"Justin Wilson" wrote: Zoysia grass has some of the best characteristics of both St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. It has shade tolerance (not as much as St. Augustine) and forms a thick weed free sod. Zoysia has good traffic tolerance, is pest resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good selections of zoysia that are easier to care for. Mow them with a regular rotary mower. Because of its slow growth characteristic, zoysia sod is often 25 to 40 percent more expensive than St. Augustine. Although zoysia grass has drought tolerance and can go dormant, to stay green it requires the same amount of water as St. Augustine. Hm. Wonder if I can get Zoysia seed? Time to go googling. :-) -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
#5
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
Justin Wilson wrote:
Submitted by Calvin Finch, Ph.D., Manager, Conservation Division, Water Resources & Conservation Department, SAWS, and Horticulturist snip resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good We have Emerald Zoysia and I have to strongly disagree with this description. It's a wonderful grass to take your shoes off and go walk on it. It's like walking on a very plush carpet. While it does not need mowing it gets mowed once or twice a year with our electric (corded) mower. No issues at all. -- Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam he Email me he |
#6
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article ,
Victor Martinez wrote: Justin Wilson wrote: Submitted by Calvin Finch, Ph.D., Manager, Conservation Division, Water Resources & Conservation Department, SAWS, and Horticulturist snip resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good We have Emerald Zoysia and I have to strongly disagree with this description. It's a wonderful grass to take your shoes off and go walk on it. It's like walking on a very plush carpet. While it does not need mowing it gets mowed once or twice a year with our electric (corded) mower. No issues at all. Where did you get it? I'm pricing seed on line, I'd rather get it locally instead of paying shipping. Our local Lowe's will not be carrying it. I called. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
#7
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
Omelet wrote:
Where did you get it? I don't recall, but it was a local source. I'm pricing seed on line, I'd rather get it locally instead of paying shipping. Our local Lowe's will not be carrying it. I called. I don't know if it's available from seed, we used sod. -- Victor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam he Email me he |
#8
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:05:38 -0600, Omelet
wrote: In article , "Justin Wilson" wrote: Zoysia grass has some of the best characteristics of both St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. It has shade tolerance (not as much as St. Augustine) and forms a thick weed free sod. Zoysia has good traffic tolerance, is pest resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good selections of zoysia that are easier to care for. Mow them with a regular rotary mower. Because of its slow growth characteristic, zoysia sod is often 25 to 40 percent more expensive than St. Augustine. Although zoysia grass has drought tolerance and can go dormant, to stay green it requires the same amount of water as St. Augustine. Hm. Wonder if I can get Zoysia seed? Time to go googling. :-) Try "The Grass Patch" on 183, unless they moved. |
#9
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article ,
Victor Martinez wrote: Omelet wrote: Where did you get it? I don't recall, but it was a local source. I'll call around then to the local nurseries. I'm pricing seed on line, I'd rather get it locally instead of paying shipping. Our local Lowe's will not be carrying it. I called. I don't know if it's available from seed, we used sod. It is, at least on line. :-) My googling showed that much. It's running roughly $20.00 per lb. and recommended seeding is 1 to 2 lbs. per 1000 square ft. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
#10
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article ,
Jangchub wrote: On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:05:38 -0600, Omelet wrote: In article , "Justin Wilson" wrote: Zoysia grass has some of the best characteristics of both St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. It has shade tolerance (not as much as St. Augustine) and forms a thick weed free sod. Zoysia has good traffic tolerance, is pest resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good selections of zoysia that are easier to care for. Mow them with a regular rotary mower. Because of its slow growth characteristic, zoysia sod is often 25 to 40 percent more expensive than St. Augustine. Although zoysia grass has drought tolerance and can go dormant, to stay green it requires the same amount of water as St. Augustine. Hm. Wonder if I can get Zoysia seed? Time to go googling. :-) Try "The Grass Patch" on 183, unless they moved. I'll see if they have a website, thanks! -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
#11
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
"Omelet" wrote in message news In article , Victor Martinez wrote: Omelet wrote: Where did you get it? I don't recall, but it was a local source. I'll call around then to the local nurseries. I'm pricing seed on line, I'd rather get it locally instead of paying shipping. Our local Lowe's will not be carrying it. I called. I don't know if it's available from seed, we used sod. It is, at least on line. :-) My googling showed that much. It's running roughly $20.00 per lb. and recommended seeding is 1 to 2 lbs. per 1000 square ft. My search for "zoysia seed" turned up almost universal advice discouraging planting from seed or in shady areas. http://www.allaboutlawns.com/grass-t...ysia-grass.php "...it can take up to 12 months for sprigs or plugs to merge and cover a lawn area. If there's a lot of shade in your garden, no matter the climate, you should probably pass on Zoysia grass." http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/whyplugsarebetter.html http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/moreaboutzoysia.html "It is hard to grow because only a small percentage of zoysia seed will successfully germinate." http://www.zoysias.com/ "Please note that we ONLY recommend Zoysia seeds for use in bare soil areas. Planting seeds into existing grasses has a HIGH FAILURE rate. If planting into an existing lawn (grass and/or weeds) we recommend that you consider using Zoysia plugs instead of seeds. - Zoysia seeds also are difficult to achieve germination in low light / shady areas." |
#12
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article ,
"cat daddy" wrote: My search for "zoysia seed" turned up almost universal advice discouraging planting from seed or in shady areas. http://www.allaboutlawns.com/grass-t...ysia-grass.php "...it can take up to 12 months for sprigs or plugs to merge and cover a lawn area. If there's a lot of shade in your garden, no matter the climate, you should probably pass on Zoysia grass." http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/whyplugsarebetter.html http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/moreaboutzoysia.html "It is hard to grow because only a small percentage of zoysia seed will successfully germinate." http://www.zoysias.com/ "Please note that we ONLY recommend Zoysia seeds for use in bare soil areas. Planting seeds into existing grasses has a HIGH FAILURE rate. If planting into an existing lawn (grass and/or weeds) we recommend that you consider using Zoysia plugs instead of seeds. - Zoysia seeds also are difficult to achieve germination in low light / shady areas." Well, I've got little to no grass except for winter rye right now but that will die as soon as it gets hot. Most of my yard is sun. I suppose plugs might be a better idea but I was trying to save money. G -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
#13
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article , Jangchub wrote:
No turfgrass will thrive in shade other than St. Augustine. I have known people to plant dwarf monkey grass in shade to replace turf, and it can be mowed, but not sure about the trampling of your beauty dog. I have zoysia planted in heavy shade under some large oak trees and it thrives just fine. It even spreads pretty well. It is the larger bladed version of zoysia... I think El Toro and Palisades are two of the varieties. scott |
#14
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
In article , Omelet wrote:
In article , "Justin Wilson" wrote: Zoysia grass has some of the best characteristics of both St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. It has shade tolerance (not as much as St. Augustine) and forms a thick weed free sod. Zoysia has good traffic tolerance, is pest resistant, and can go dormant in a drought. Zoysia is the most difficult grass to mow. Emerald, a fine blade beautiful selection, has a texture like steel wool. It mows best with a reel mower. Jamur and El Toro are two good selections of zoysia that are easier to care for. Mow them with a regular rotary mower. Because of its slow growth characteristic, zoysia sod is often 25 to 40 percent more expensive than St. Augustine. Although zoysia grass has drought tolerance and can go dormant, to stay green it requires the same amount of water as St. Augustine. Hm. Wonder if I can get Zoysia seed? Time to go googling. :-) Supposedly you can get it hydro-mulched... scott |
#15
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Shade + Large Dog = New Grass Needed Redux. Zoysia?
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