Empire looks to be dead

lrciii – posted 27 April 2009 11:48

Greetings,Sodded a small section of Empire last spring/summer. Watered till it was established, & watered occasionally after that as needed. It looked great over the summer/fall. Browned over the winter, with the rest of the yard(rest of the yard is a mix of crap, to be replaced someday) Spring has come, rest of the yard is greening nicely, the Empire looks to be dead! There’s a few sprigs of green grass poking thru, new growth from the roots I guess. The old grass is nice & brown, yet still kinda soft? Seems like it should have greened by now? We’re in Sarasota, FL, south of Tampa.

Ideas?Lee

mrmumbels – posted 29 April 2009 13:48

My zoysia lawn still isn’t green yet. I think between the cold nights and no rain it’s running a bit slow this year. I think the 50 degree nights slow the growth down alot. Once summer comes and it’s above 70 all day long it’ll really kick in.

I’m in Tampa by the way

[This message has been edited by mrmumbels (edited 29 April 2009).]

saltcedar – posted 01 May 2009 09:53

One of the most overlooked cultural practices for Zoysia is the Spring Scalping necessary to remove dead top-growth to allow sun to reach the soil. It will also allow you to see the green grass much sooner and not leave an eyesore of half dead/half green turf.

[This message has been edited by saltcedar (edited 01 May 2009).]

Rentals – posted 02 May 2009 07:21

I agree with saltcedar. Although I placed Meyer sod in my yard it had the same signs as yours. I had very little greening until I cut the brown tops off. It allowed my grass to start to green faster.

N. Georgia