Centipede to Zoysia? Need help, like usual.

Thats what I couldnt find online. Thats exactly what I want.

Any reason not to do all the above? I may actually lay off the plugs if the Zoysia can grow in the top dressing and take over.

Looking at Zenith Zoysia, to be exact.

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Don't worry about trying to get zoysia seeds growing if you're planning on plugging also.

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How quickly does the Zoysia spread? I can get enough seed, actually too much seed for $200. The plugs are going to be around $400.

To completely take over it will take a couple seasons to take over. In my experience I've never had much luck with the seeds.

That's what makes me want to switch do badly. It looks great and is only minimally more work than centipede.

Bbvdd, under what circumstances did you plant the seed? I'll be planting the zoysia seed on top of centipede that is freshly dethatched and under 1/4-1/2 of top soil.

If you prepped yours properly and it still didn't dork, I might as well not try.

They call for either 12" or 18" of spacing between the plugs. I might just save the seed money and plant the plugs closer together.

I just think that the seeds would work in my plan. No experience to back that up, of course.

Eta, I've heard that zoysia loves Sandy soil too. Is that correct? I have all sand and silt base with sod laid on top. Almost no actual dirt.

That should do it. that's more than I do. I hit it w weed and feed in spring and trip 13 early summer. Love that zoysia is last to turn brown in winter and first to green back up in spring.

I do find that my dogs bionic piss destroys the grass faster w the zoysia than st aug.

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Other than a spring weed and feed, 1 or 2 summer feedings, a winterizer, aeration, and dethatching, what are we looking at?

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Bag the trimmings when you cut it.

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It is a lot of work had to cut it at least twice a week in the summer and always bag the clippings or the thatch will get too thick.

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Yep...somehow forgot that part. I usually bag mow every other time.

I sodded 28 pallets of emerald zoysia (can't get from seed) from Foley, AL, and planted another 10K sqft area with zenith seed (side yard opposite of driveway) about 8 years ago. The seed came up and established very well and is still doing well today. But I started with fresh fill topsoil, and I have a sprinkler system and I seeded a little heavier than the stated rate. If I recall correctly, it's fairly critical to keep the seeds from drying in order for them to take. They have to stay damp. So if you don't have a sprinkler system with a good programmable controller, it may be a little harder to establish. But it is very much possible to get a sod-like result if you put in the effort to establish over a full season. As for the emerald zoysia, I have it around the house and it is unreal beautiful when it's just right. While the zenith is in between centipede and st. aug in blade width (pretty close to centipede, but kinda different shape/form), emerald is fine like Bermuda. But emerald is far tougher, stiffer, and wiry/prickly than bermuda, and is extremely dense. So cutting it with a typical rotary mower leaves the tips frayed and leaves a frosted look for a few days. It is best cut with a reel mower. Problem with that is, after a few weeks to a month, the reel needs sharpening from cutting those dense, wiry blades of grass. You may still be able to cut paper, clean as a whistle with the reel, but that's still not sharp enough to cut the grass cleanly. So you end up with frayed ends with a dulled reel too. Re-sharpening runs about $100, and it's hard to find someone who does it. I've quit using the reel mower and I just take the lumps of having the frosted look for a few days. The other issue with it is the thatch. I've never gone a season without dethatching, and I've done it as much as 3 times in one summer. Once I filled my Tacoma 23 times with the thatch I pulled from that 28 pallet area, and if you looked at the yard afterwards, you would never know it. The more you fertilize and water, the more it thatches up.

Zenith requires far less effort and can still make a beautiful yard. I think it was developed to have similar characteristics and compete with Meyer zoysia, which you can't get from seed. Both Meyer and Emerald are older varieties, and there are newer and improved ones out there today. With Zenith, a rotary mower does a good enough job. It does build up thatch (all zoysias do), but not nearly as much as emerald. Again though, the more you water and fertilize, the more it will thatch. In south LA, the growing conditions are just too good for me to imagine never de-thatching. You may get away with it for a while, but eventually the lawn will decline. If you never water or fertilize, you might get away with it, with Zenith. But if you don't feed and water, you may as well just settle for natural growth and not plant zoysia to begin with. Zoysia will only get to it's potential with food and water. You can't get a really nice lawn just by having zoysia. You have to give it what it needs, or you're wasting your time. Trust me, I've varied my practices every year for 8 years

Putting down lime won't work? My yard is a little acidic as well. LSU told me to add lime to the yard. Trying that right now.