Zoysiagrass! Can You Believe the Ads?

Inevitably as temperatures warm in late winter and early spring, you will see the glowing ads for zoysiagrass. Now don't get me wrong! Zoysiagrass has excellent drought and heat tolerance but because of the short season when it is green and growing versus the longer dormant season when it is straw brown, it is not recommended for northern Illinois.

Let's look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of zoysiagrass.

Advantages

• Extremely heat and drought tolerant
• Dense and tough; tolerates wear well
• Resists weed invasions after establishment
• Spreads by both stolons & rhizomes
• Tolerates light to moderate shade
• Limited insect and disease problems
• Low mowing frequency

Disadvantages

• Short growing season during warm periods; is brown and dormant during much of the year
• Establishment is (usually by plugs) slow (normally a minimum of two years) and expensive
• Annual weeds can be a problem when zoysiagrass is dormant
• A reel mower is usually required to achieve most attractive turf
• Can be difficult to mow because of dense, tough growth
• Injury from winter traffic can be severe
• Can be difficult to eliminate once it is established
• Can be evasive and spread into adjacent turf and planting areas (your neighbor's yard)
• Slow to recover after damage
• Does not grow well in dense shade or wet, waterlogged soils
• Produces much thatch

As you can see the disadvantages greatly outweigh the advantages, so think hard before spending your hard-earned money on a few hundred plugs of zoysiagrass. For free fact sheet on "Selecting Turfgrasses," call 773-233-0476.

Source: Tom Voigt and Tom Fermanian, Department of Horticulture

 

Spring 1998
University of Illinois Booksale | Zoysiagrass! Can You Believe the Ads? | Crabgrass Control | Choosing Home Lawn Care Services | Selecting a Tree Service or Arborist | All America Selections 1998 | All Tomato Varieties Certainly Not the Same | Some Noteworthy Perennial Combinations | Bug Bites | Lawn Care Calendar | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Healthy Eating: Butter vs. Margarine | Health Update: Vitamin & Mineral Supplements | Food Safety: Eggs | Health & Household Update | Did You Know?

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