Certain extreme situations in gardening call for specific plants. One such situation is the lawn at a summer cottage. Another might be the lawn area surrounding a swimming pool.
Both require a lawn that will be extremely rugged, survive under trying conditions and require little care. Such a lawn could be composed of Meyer zoysia.
The principal drawback to a Meyer zoysia lawn in the northern areas is that it turns brown in the fall and doesn’t green again until late spring.
At a summer cottage, this hardly matters as the house is used only during the hot months—the natural green period of zoysia.
Meyer Zoysia’s Favorable Features
Favorable features of Meyer zoysia under all situations are its toughness—it will take traffic—its summer-heat and drought resistance, and, once established, its ability to bear up with a minimum of cutting, fertilizing, and watering.
Especially at summer cottages, Meyer zoysia is an all-enjoyment—minimum-work lawn.
Another point in favor of a Meyer zoysia lawn in this extreme situation is that it can be planted in the summer when the cottage is generally in use. Also, after it is established, all fertilizing is done during the warm months.
Even though Meyer zoysia will survive under very poor soil conditions, the experts agree it will improve when the soil is improved. A little consideration of soil preparation before planting pays off.
Planting In A Shore Area
In a shore area, where the soil is likely to be more sand than soil, it is advisable to work some peat moss, compost, or other organic matter into the soil to a depth of 5” or 6” inches. This organic matter is also good for heavy clay soils.
Complete fertilizer should be mixed into the soil before planting. Although Meyer zoysia can survive on poorly fertilized soil, it is necessary to stimulate the plants for initial area coverage.
Once the area has been completely covered—it may take two or three years—the fertilization program can, and should, be diminished.
Meyer zoysia lawns are started from plants—it is never grown from seed. The planting material is available in several forms, the most common of which are plugs about 2” inches in diameter cut from a grown lawn.
The other forms consist of sprigs (sections pulled off a square of turf), turf squares (sections of turf that are also pulled apart but are larger than sprigs), and pot-grown plants (sprigs that are already started in pots and growing).
Plugs or pot-grown plants should be planted about a foot apart each way, but if a quicker coverage of the area is desired, closer spacing (about 6” inches) is advisable.
The cost, of course, is doubled. Sprigs are planted closer in shallow trenches. After planting, zoysia should be watered daily for two or three weeks to force root growth.
How long it will take to cover an area depends on several factors. The first is your geographical location.
In the more northern areas, where the growing season is relatively short for zoysia, it takes longer than in the South, where the plants grow for many months.
Minimum Lawn Care
Another factor is the condition of the soil—the better the soil, the better the growth and the quicker the coverage.
Finally, the care given during the first and second years is important. The coverage will be faster if weeds are removed, and ample fertilizer is applied.
Once the area is completely covered, it truly becomes a minimum-care lawn. Meyer zoysia tends to creep along the ground’s surface rather than grow straight up; hence it needs cutting less frequently than blue grass types of lawns.
However, when it is mowed, ensure that the mower is set to cut very close—about ¾” inch.
Meyer zoysia will crowd out crabgrass—also a strong summer grower—but in the North, it may be subject to invasion by annual winter weeds such as chickweed, which grows when the Meyer zoysia is dormant.
A chemical weed killer may be needed to eliminate this pest. Other than this, Meyer zoysia is an easy-to-care-for grass, perfectly suitable for a place where winter browning does not occur or is of no concern.
44659 by William L. Meachem