Zenith vs Emerald Zoysia

Emerald with be a finer blade than zenith and most likely will cost a good bit more if you are doing sod. I haven't priced them lately though and could be wrong.

I put down 28 pallets of Emerald Zoysia in 2005. I also planted zenith zoysia seed on the other side of my driveway that I couldn’t afford to sod too. Emerald cannot be had from seed. There are new varieties that may be improved. But in 2005, Emerald was the Cadillac of zoysias. I still have it, but I would not recommend it. From all my research before getting it, the one thing that didn’t surface was how quickly a reel mower dulls with Emerald. Emerald blades are thin and stiff/wiry. Uncut, the tips are prickly. I had a commercial 26” reel mower. It would cost $100 to have it sharpened, and within a month, the grass blades would be fraying. Emerald is so dense, the yard would look frosted from the fraying, and really look bad. Thatch buildup is also extreme with emerald. I wound up selling my reel mower and buying a commercial power rake/Dethatcher. I Dethatch a minimum of two times each summer, sometimes three. I cut with a rotary riding mower and just accept the fraying. I usually cut on Sunday or Monday evening and by the weekend it will have healed and looks good. It should also be noted that the grass blades are somewhat waxy, and take a really long time to decompose, which also causes the excess thatch. I bag every cut and it’s still a problem. When it’s perfect, it’s a gorgeous grass. But the depth/darkness of the green is very much dependent on how much you fertilize and water. But the more you fertilize, the more you have to water, especially when rain is lacking, or it’ll really show heat distress. Do all of that, and the thatch problem grows. I’m ok with my current regimen. But I generally never have it as gorgeous as it can be, mostly because of the impossibility of a constantly sharp reel mower. I’ve just accepted it. You can bag every time, never fertilize, never water, and you’ll still build up thatch. Don’t dethatch and your yard will get spongy, start looking bad, and will result in scalping. The roots will also start rising from the dirt and into the thatch layer, making it sparse and very easily damaged. It feels like walking on a bed mattress when thatch becomes excessive.

Zenith on the other side of the driveway is a wider, softer blade. It’s similar to empire zoysia in blade appearance. Color isn’t quite as good, but not a great contrast with equal fertilizer and water. It isn’t as waxy/shiny as emerald, so it does lack some of the brilliant appearance emerald has in the sun. Know that you will need to keep zenith seed wet for good germination. I had sprinklers programmed to come on very frequently for short periods, to keep everything damp around the clock. That was very successful, but I don’t know how successful you can be without a good sprinkler system. Zenith cuts better with a rotary mower than emerald does. It will thatch up too, but not as bad as emerald. I hauled dirt in that area a few years ago, so I have a lot of weeds I’m fighting, mostly common Bermuda.

If you really rather sod, I don’t blame you. Establishing zenith from seed while suppressing weeds will be a challenge. But I wouldn’t recommend emerald. It’s a ton of work, very expensive to keep looking great. It’s constant. I’d try to find a lower maintenance variety from sod.

Just please don’t mow it at 3 inches. Get a reel and cut it low.