Zoysia Lawn??

Has anyone ever used/planted zoysia grass plugs in their lawn? My husband and I have been considering getting some plugs for our lawn, but I have some questions about it.
The website I came across for this was www.zoysiafarms.com/mag

My questions are:

My biggest question is, how big are the plugs, and how many plugs would be needed per 1 acre property?

Did you find them easy to plant? With rockey soils, would I need to rototill my yard first before planting the plugs?

Thanks for any input!!

I found this info here on DG...perhaps it will be useful to you.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/1749/

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/documents/Chapter%203%20-%203.34.pdf

I did our tiny front yard at our former house YEARS ago and the only thing I really remember it took a long time to do those plugs, must have a lot of patience to do a whole acre
You def would NOT want to till before doing the plugs

And remember...zoysia is a slow growing grass. My FIL plugged areas of his backyard 20 years ago...he has large patches of the zoysia, but it has not taken over the entire yard.

Yeah, that's something else I was wondering about too. Although, the website did say that typically they recommend...

"f planted one plug per square foot (the minimum we recommend), Amazoy zoysia can take two to three growing seasons to completely fill in, depending upon your climate. You may reduce the time it takes for zoysia to fill in by planting the plugs closer together. If plugs are planted every 6", the number of plugs needed would be 2 plugs per square foot of coverage desired, reducing the time to fill in by approximately 1/2."

So I was thinking about spacing them closer together to help speed up the spreading process a little.

I think, probably one of my biggest concerns is how well this will do in my soil. About 2 inches (or less?) under the topsoil of my lawn is rock. I tend to get a little concerned about pretty much ANYthing I plan to try to grow in this soil, because it is very course, hard to work. That's why I asked if I should try to rototill my soil area first, to make it a little more workable, before trying these plugs. After reading a few of the DG reviews moonhowl posted the link for, it does seem as if many people seem to have a positive response with them. I'm still tempted to get like 100 or 200 plugs, even if its not enough for my entire lawn, just to try out and see how it goes. Ive got a magazine "Gardening How-To's" that has an ad in it for this kind of grass, where I could get 200 plugs (plus an extra 100 free) for $17.90. This grass just seems to have a lot of the perks we are looking for (slow to grow above soil, seems to spend more energy making shoots under soil to spread, overcrowds other grasses and weeds, need limited caring, don't need to mow as often, hardy even in harsh climates like NorthEast areas where I live, etc), plus, for the most part, it seems relatively expensive. I'm sure its going to be more difficult to actually plant for me, because of my soil, though. Because of my soil, though, do you think I should try to rototil the area first to loosen it up and help make it easier for it to spread? Or do you think it should be fine? Anyone with this kind of soil have any problems with growing it? If so, should I try to loosen up my soil some before planting? I don't mind trying this out, I just don't want a big patch of my lawn looking barren and dead for years and years waiting for this to fill in all the nooks and crannies with good, lush grass lol.

Our yard is all zoysia and it is like stepping on a carpet. it is low maintenance!!

Zoysia thrives best in sunny conditions!! Does not do well on shade!!

Planting a zoysia lawn is a lot of work and take time consuming. Must have patience but it pays off.
To prepare for the project we dumped 4 + big truck loads of dirt on the whole lawn. Dh and a helper did it and took 2 weeks. He did not remove the fescue and planted the plugs so many inches apart. it took 5 years before the whole yard was covered.

one thing good also is the zoysia will choke other grass or weeds. You can still get crabgrass if your neighbors has them during summer. You must do creabgrass control during spring to prevent crabgrass seed to germinate.

DH mows every 3 weeks!! If you do not mind brown lawn during winter then go for it.

That's something else I need to consider as well... how much sunlight. I have areas in my yard that get 6+ hours of sunlight, then I have areas that are partly shady-shady ( due to trees). How many hours of sunlight is required? Between my rocky/hard soil and sunlight issues, I'm still not sure if it's the best choice for us. We want something that will be low maintenance, choke out crabgrasses and moss and other weeds, but also something that will grow well in our soil type and sunlight conditions. Maybe this afternoon, if I can, I'll take a couple pics of my yard to give you an idea of my sunlight issues (just excuse the kid clutter and keep in mind, the leaves on trees haven't completely formed yet, so there will be more shade here in a couple months once the leaves are on the trees again). I'm just not sure WHAT our best, least expensive, options are LOL!

Here is another link for you that may help in the decision making.

http://www.outsidepride.com/resources/states/pennsylvania.html

Thanks moonhowl.

I emailed the company yesterday, got a response back this morning. This is what they said....

laura@zoysiafarms.com
9:56 AM (17 minutes ago)

to me
Because of the popularity of Amazoy and the amount of zoysia available for harvest, we must limit the maximum plug order to 13,300 plugs for any customer per year.

Once the 45 day guarantee period has passed on this order and the grass plugs are doing well, we will consider accepting another order from you as long as we have the grass available and you are willing to waive the guarantee on the first order.

Amazoy zoysia is harvested in pieces of sod measuring approximately 10" x 15". Each piece of sod is scored into 150 1" square plugs. You will need to finish the separation prior to planting.

If planted 1 plug per square foot (the minimum we recommend), Amazoy zoysia will take two to three growing seasons (2 to 3 years) to completely fill in, depending upon your climate. You may reduce the time it takes for zoysia to fill in by planting the plugs closer together. If plugs are planted every 6", the number of plugs needed would be 2 plugs per square foot of coverage desired.

Although amazoy zoysia grass grows well in many different types of soil, the ideal soil pH level is 6 to 7. pH levels can be altered by using granulated lime to raise the pH level or small quantities of sulfur to lower it. When using sulfur, it is important not to over-apply, as sulfur is an acidifying agent that can burn lawns.

Insert a pH meter into your soil at several locations to determine pH levels. We offer an easy to use pH meter, which is shown in our Product Categories section of our web page.

Moss is generally caused by a combination of too much moisture and not enough sun. If moss grows there, Amazoy zoysia grass will not.

Thank you for your interest in Amazoy zoysia grass.

Janet/jmk

Original message:
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Hi! I have a question about the zoysia plugs. My husband and I have been considering ordering some of these plugs for some time, but I have a few questions about them. How big are the plugs, and how many plugs would we need to order to cover 2 acres of land? I understand that they are supposed to spread, and after a few seasons, they are supposed to totally cover the whole yard... that being said, how far are you supposed to place each plug from each other? Will they eventually make it hard for crabgrass AND moss to grow? We have a very difficult time with moss growing in our lawn, and really no idea on how to stop the moss from growing, or getting rid of what's already there without making our current lawn look horrible due to patches of grassless lawn where the moss was growing. Will zoysia grass take care of this problem for us? Thank you!

So, I guess this grass wouldn't be our best option. Sigh. Dang moss! Guess my "lawn" project should be figuring out how to amend my whole darned yard so its not holding onto so much moisture. Not much I can do about the "not enough sunlight" problem, since most of the trees casting shade in my yard technically aren't on our property, they are the boroughs. :(

Zoysia was originally formulated for golf courses because of its low/slow growth rate and durability...rarely do you find much shade on a golf course...

I do hope the last link helps you sort out options for your yard...you may wind up having to use two different grasses (sun/shade) to get the lawn you desire.

I just finished reading over that link, and yeah, I agree, we may wind up having to use two different types of grasses. Sigh. I ever tell you all how much I HATE my yard? LOL! So difficult to work with! LOL!

LOL...but what would you do with all that spare time if not spend it playing in the dirt?

LOL catch up on much needed sleep? Read? Play with the kids? LOL!

No, probably, play with the kids in the dirt (in the raised garden we're planning to build this year)... though, catching up on much needed sleep does sound nice too... I average 4 hrs of sleep or less in a 24 hr period lol. In fact, I've already been up for 28 hours straight... and no nap in sight for another several hours! LOL!

I think 6 hours sun will be okay for zoysia.When i say shade it is under a big tree.

In time the grass will creep to all space except the 100 % shade.

Like i said ours were plugs not sods.

Good luck!!

Belle

the moon,
most of the golf courses now are are a variety of bermuda and bentgarss for the colder climates courses.

Belle

I am considering buy Zoysia plugs for the Lake Arrowhead area of Calif. Elevation 5,000 ', snow in the winter, early spring.

For those considering buy on line, I purchased Bermuda stolons (sp?) years ago. When they arrived I thought I had been ripped off. They looked like a box of dead weeds. Take heart, they'll survive and thrive. Just my two cents.