Now is the time to get Winter ready.

So, the mowing is completed and the last mowing cut was a good two-thirds of the blade grass. The longer length of the blade for the winter season will provide additional protection against the harsh cold temperatures and snow.

It is best not to walk on the Zoysia grass when it is covered with a heavy frost or ice. This will crush the grass blades causing a break; damaging the blades and creating a place for water, ice, snow or leaves to collect.

Did you know you can get a Snow Mold? The fungus can develop underneath snow patches and can cause your grass to die. You can recognize Snow Mold by its color of pinkish-gray circular shape can be up to 12 inches in diameter. To prevent this Snow Mold be sure last mowing blade not cut to short, blade is upright. This will prevent the grass from compacting and encouraging mold growth. Snow mold will live from a week to a month after the snow melts; it will die naturally as the air becomes warmer and drier.

Do not apply fall fertilizer too late in the year, it can promote mold growth. Remove any fallen leaves and debris before the first snow. And lastly, be sure the lawn receives the right amount of nitrogen fertilizer, after the last mowing.

The downside of using a winter ryegrass is that it is a perennial and the way it grows. It forms clumps and it cannot spread as Zoysia does. The end result is that it can sometimes appear patchy. So, it will not look the best and it will need mowing and possibly fertilizing to do well throughout the winter season. Reseeding will need to be done annually as the ryegrass is unlikely to survive.

A main reason not to overseed for winter is that Zoysia grass is a very dense grass, so the winter ryegrass will have issues to get down into the soil and germinate. It will make the lawn appear blotchy.

The best thing to do for your Zoysia lawn over the winter months spot treat winter weeds. No mowing will be needed for the Zoysia during dormancy stage. Enjoy the time off from mowing!

If you insist on having a green lawn over the winter months. you may wish to try another alternative to get a temporary winter color by applying a lawn turf paint or a dye colorant. Painting or using a dye will not harm the Zoysia. Once the Zoysia comes out of dormancy it will resume its growth.

White Grubs – They can vary in color from white to cream colored, depending on which species of beetles they came from. Generally, 0.1 inch to 1 inch in length with black, brown or tan heads. Grubs feed on plant roots underground, the soil can become spongy and grass pulls away from the soil easily. Watch for the appearance of yellow or brown patches of grass.

Hunting Billbugs – These bugs are members of the weevil family. They are reddish-brown or black ranging from 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch in length with long beaks and front wings. The damage will appear as yellowish brown in irregular shaped patterns. Sometimes their damage is confused as a fungal disease or nutrient deficiency, but, can be determined by the hollowed out stems or leaves that will separate easily from the crown of grass.

Chinch Bugs – These bugs are black in color and typically 0.1 of an inch long and have wings. They use their sucking mouth-part to suck up all the nutrients, leaving behind rapid spreading dead lawn. You will see areas of brown, yellow or straw colored grass, usually appearing near a warm pavement or in full sun.

Mole Crickets – Just as their name suggest, mole crickets behave like moles. They are tan, 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches long. They have short, clawed forelegs that serve as a shovel to dig through soil and lawns digging their underground tunnels. The damage will look like patches of brown dead grass.

Our pest control products control all of these common lawn bugs and are available through our website. https://www1.zoysiafarms.com/category.jsp?id=32

The best natural way to keep your lawn pest free is by aerating and dethatching annually.

Mulch reduces soil water losses by retaining moisture for prolonged periods of time and protects plants in the heat of the day. Suppresses weeds and protects as a covering in harsh cold winters. Mulch is better than having bare soil, it reduces runoffs. Mulch is good for the “soil” as it decomposes, it is helping create healthy living soil. You know what that means: healthy soil means healthy plants.

This is the time to rid of weeds before you lay down mulch. You can apply a weed killer like the Bio-Advanced Season Long. The pre-emergent will help prevent seeds germinating. Of course, this is not to say, you will not see weeds poke up through the mulch. You can still get weeds, but, using a pre-emergent before the mulch is a good start. Pre-emergent in the spring before the ground temperature reaches 55 degrees fahrenheit. Then it should be applied again in the early fall after temperatures begin to come down.

Plants that spread like our Amazoy Zoysia grass plugs, are sometimes so vigorous that they will grow right under mulch. Don’t apply or spread mulch on or near the grass plugs. For lawns use a small amount of top soil to improve the soil composition.

Mulch usually lasts a number of years. Mulch should be replenished or even replaced as you start to see signs of it decomposing and discolored.

When applying your choice of your mulch bedding, do not use to little or too much. Its best at between 1 inch to 3 inches. Excessive mulching can suffocate and bury your plants; it can rid your plants of essential nutrients and water to reach the roots.

Overwatering – We have a tendency to overwater when temperatures are extremely high and hot. Overwatering will make the grass plugs have a shallow root system making the plugs less cold tolerate and subject to root rot. Your lawn may start to turn yellow, develop more thatch than usual and be prone to pests, it can even develop a lawn fungus. If you do overwater your lawn, in most cases the lawn will come back, once you stop, but, you will need to address any other issues the overwatering created.

Underwatering – An underwatered Zoysia lawn will struggle to grow. If in drought conditions for an extended period of time, zoysia can go into a dormant stage. This protects the plant and and can be reversed once rain arrives or watering begins.

Watering New Grass Plugs – Zoysia is extremely drought resistant and needs very little water to get new grass plugs established. Water new plugs once daily no more than 15 minutes, a light drink or sprinkle (preferably in the morning); then you do not have a chance of the water evaporating from the afternoon sun and heat. It gives the water time to soak into the soil and roots. The key to new zoysia grass plugs success is to not overwater no matter the temperatures and heat.

Watering Established Grass Plugs – As temperatures creep up the thermometer towards 50’s, 60’s and 70’s the winter Zoysia dormancy period is coming to an end; the grass will naturally drop off the dormant, yellowish grass and new vibrant green shoots of grass will appear in your lawn. If a very dry spring and winter your zoysia lawn may need some supplemental watering. If your soil around the plugs is cracked, very dusty dry, then the plugs do need a drink of water. Only, about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches weekly and that includes natural rain.

No reason to even second guess if your plugs are too dry or too wet, we have available a moisture meter that works great on testing the soil for moisture. It is very convenient and easy to use. https://www1.zoysiafarms.com/prodspec.jsp?id=8895&cat=16

A great benefit of Zoysia grass is its ability to stay thick and green with much less water than any other type of grass.

Dollar Spot is a fungal disease. This fungus affects turf grass commonly seen in creeping grasses; like Zoysia and can also affect other types of grasses.

This fungus starts as a small silver dollar sized patch approximately 1 – 2 inch in diameter and will spread into large irregular patches. Hence, this is where the name came from, it is true to its name. It is part of an invasive fungus that has branches or fibers like a spider web that are in thatch and soil. This cobweb growth will appear between the blades of grass. This fungus may look harmless, but, it can damage your grass down to the roots.

This fungus disease can occur late spring through fall. Most damage occurs in June and July when temperatures are at a consistent 70 – 90 degree temperatures. This fungus is more prevalent when the grass is deficient in nutrients; as well as cut short. Compacted soil, excessive build up of thatch and drought stress will also increase the susceptibility. Periods of wet and heavy dews can also create the ideal conditions for this disease to grow. Warm moist conditions are the ideal environment for any fungus to develop.

Grass blades that are affected will look water soaked and have yellow spots ringed in reddish brown. A yellow-tan silver dollar spot size.

The best way to eliminate this fungus is to use a fungicide like our approved for use on Zoysia; Organic Copper Fungicide https://www1.zoysiafarms.com/prodspec.jsp?id=03A5&cat=30

To keep it under control and from coming back; fertilize, eliminate thatch and aerate your lawn.

Basically, practice good lawn care and keep a happy healthy lawn.

To keep Mosquitos out of your yard there are several things you can do:

• Declutter your yard by removing anything that can collect rainwater.
• Minimize dead tree limbs, tall grass and any yard waste.
• Keep rain gutters clean to eliminate any standing water.
• Have good yard drainage.
• Keep water lilies and water hyacinths to a minimum in ponds.
• Do not overwater your lawn.

What mosquitos do not like is the smell of natural scents of cedar, citronella, peppermint, lemongrass, catnip and lavender; these scents are a turn off to mosquitos. A natural way to repel mosquitos is by planting “Marigolds” in your garden. Their scent is of an insect repellent. Of course, the natural food chain of animals that feed on mosquitos like birds, frogs, spiders, fish, tadpoles help control the mosquitos. Their worse enemy is birds like swallows, purple martins, geese, and ducks.

You can spray a natural repellent on your lawn that is safe around children and pets; such as our https://www1.zoysiafarms.com/prodspec.jsp?id=5B79&cat=32 Bonide Mosquito & Nuisance Insect Control. You may spray this repellent every 2 weeks to 30 days to deter mosquitos. This spray will not kill the mosquito.

Zoysia Grass does not attract mosquitos. The best thing is not to overwater your lawn and keep a well maintained lawn, this helps deter mosquitos naturally.

Zoysia is a slow grower and will be like a thick lush dense carpet when growing and developing. The taller the grass grows can make it more difficult to mow. Keeping your lawn maintained on a regular basis vs. monthly will lessen the effort as well as keeping the mower blades sharp.

Using any type of mower of your preference; for the first cutting of the season, cut a little higher, that way you do not mow off any new blade leaves. The best mowing height to maintain Zoysia is 1 1/2 inches – 2 inches.

Mowing in the mid-morning between 8 – 10 am is the best time to mow Zoysia. Of course, mowing mid-morning or later, there is less chance of morning dew. Mid-morning mowing is safer to do, avoiding extreme afternoon temperatures and possibly heat exhaustion.

Whatever type of mower you choose to maintain your Zoysia lawn is fine. Just remember, keep the mower blades sharpened for a good cut.

We are going to explore each ingredient and what their purpose is. Zoysia Farm Nurseries have 2 specially formulated fertilizers; one for initial planting Stim U Root Starter 11-48-5 and one for established Zoysia Nutri 20 20-0-20.

Fertilizer contains the chemical elements that improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers unlock the natural fertility of the soil or replace chemical elements taken from the soil by previous plantings or crops. The standards for the labels are set by the government agency.

The label on the fertilizer bag contains important statutory information for transport, storage and handling, it is the chemical composition of the product.

All fertilizers have 3 bold numbers. These are the 3 primary ingredients in fertilizer, The 1st number is Nitrogen, 2nd number is Phosphorus and the 3rd number is Potassium. Nitrogen makes your lawn green and lush; Potassium makes your grass durable and resilient during stressful conditions; Phosphorus fosters strong root development over time. All are important for healthy plants.

Other ingredients listed on the label are called “MICRO NUTRIENTS” a “filler” in small quantities; beneficial for balanced growth.

Sulfur - Essential for plant growth functions.

Boron - Plays a key role in a diverse range of functions; movement of energy into growing parts of plants.

Copper - Required for many enzymatic activities in plants.

Iron -  Plays an essential role in oxidation, respiration and photosynthesis. 

Manganese - Essential for plant growth and development and sustains metabolic roles within plant cell compartments. 

Molybdenum - To improve the ability plants to take up and utilise nitrogen.

Zinc - An important nutrient for plants since it is involved in many key cellular functions. Essential for plant life.

Two types of weeds Grassy and Broadleaf. Common grassy weeds are just different types of grass, that are blade like. Broadleaf weeds have wide leaves and grow from a stem.

Crabgrass: It is an invasive grass that is very leggy, shaggy, almost resembles a crab like look. Appears in the spring anywhere there is bare soil, sun and water. Appears when temperatures are mid 50’s. Crabgrass will grow all summer long and will seed late summer.

Clover: Many, many types of clover, hundreds. Clover is a very aggressive spreader and is a broadleaf. It can be a fill in for your lawn in winter as a dense ground cover. If you do not want clover in your lawn remove it as soon as you see it. Clover is very easy to spot when zoysia is dormant.

common Clover

common Chickweed

Chickweed: This is also a broadleaf weed and very aggressive quick spreader, germinates fast, low growing about 2 inches in height. It can be very problematic, Taking over a lawn in no time, while stealing nutrients from your Zoysia lawn. Some people use chickweed as a homeopathic folk remedy.

Almost all weeds do produce seed that will become next year’s weeds. Killing weeds you see this year will help reduce the number you will see next year.