Jamur Maintenence
hodad – posted 11 September 2011 15:29
I have had great luck with my Jamur this Summer. I sodded May.
Now I am wondering what to do as the Fall and Winter approach. Mowing, fertilizing, general maintenence.
Has anyone had experience with this type of Zoysia for more than one growing seasona year or more.
jod788 – posted 14 September 2011 12:42
Part of my yard is Jamur. I don’t use chemical fertilizers anymore. I’ve been using alfalfa and soybean meal for fertilizer. I’ll fertilize once more and mulch the leaves into the lawn as they start to build up. Don’t rake and bag your leaves, they are good for the lawn if mulched.
jod788 – posted 14 September 2011 12:44
Also, I usually cut it down lower for the final mowing. I probably go from 3″ to 2″. Be sure and water as needed in the winter. Obviously, the water needs aren’t quite the same in the winter, but you want to keep moisture in the soil if there are any dry spells.
aleicgrant – posted 14 September 2011 20:02
jod can you post pics of your lawn. How much are you buying to cover your lawn if not using chemicals. What are you using to cut your lawn
jod788 – posted 15 September 2011 10:26
Bought a 50 lb (I think) bag of alfalfa pellets and just spread them by hand. Can’t really burn the yard with them. Using about 30 lbs on 2500 square feet. I’ll try soybean meal next, using a drop spreader. It’s been a record summer here heat wise and drought wise, but the yard has remained healthy. 45 days of 100+ highs and 1.5″ of rain in 3 months – not good. I’ve yet to use a chemical on the yard. Never had a single weed come up through the zoysia. I usually use the FIskars reel mower I bought several months ago – it’s a great mower, give it a shot. If your yard is relatively flat, weed free and without obstacles (sticks, etc) it really is the way to go and keeps your grass healthier.
mrmumbels – posted 15 September 2011 12:25
quote:Originally posted by jod788:Bought a 50 lb (I think) bag of alfalfa pellets and just spread them by hand. Can’t really burn the yard with them. Using about 30 lbs on 2500 square feet. I’ll try soybean meal next, using a drop spreader. It’s been a record summer here heat wise and drought wise, but the yard has remained healthy. 45 days of 100+ highs and 1.5″ of rain in 3 months – not good. I’ve yet to use a chemical on the yard. Never had a single weed come up through the zoysia. I usually use the FIskars reel mower I bought several months ago – it’s a great mower, give it a shot. If your yard is relatively flat, weed free and without obstacles (sticks, etc) it really is the way to go and keeps your grass healthier.
I’ve used nothing but alfalfa this year for fertilizer. Had amazing results this spring and amazing dark green blades. I’ll never use fertilizer again.
I do still occasionally use a broadleaf weed killer to spot spray on my thinner sections where some weeds can come through.
Just a word of advice for floridians with sandy soil. Do not bag your grass and use alfalfa. Our sandy soil needs all the organic material it can get to keep Zoysia from drying up every day.
jod788 – posted 15 September 2011 12:38
Alfalfa works. I had only used it once up until yesterday when I threw some more out. We’ll see how it does here in mid-Sept, but lawns around here seem to be starting to think about going into half dormant mode. Most of my sod was newly laid in June. I really hadn’t done anything to it except try to keep it alive during this 3 month dry inferno.
jod788 – posted 15 September 2011 14:05
Alecigrant – on the mower, I noticed on your other thread you posted about using a reel mower that you have 5200 sq. feet. Using that Fiskars will give you a decent workout, but it’s very manageable, really. To give you an example – I mow approx. 2500-2700 sq feet. The last time I mowed it it took me 15 minutes with the Fiskars. I was a hair winded, but who doesn’t need a little exercise?
aleicgrant – posted 15 September 2011 14:46
Ok I am going to give the fiskars a go especially since things are starting to cool off a little here in FL. As for the alfalfa, do you just throw it down by hand? Can it be bought at Home Depot or lowes? How often do you lay it down. Sorry for all the questions
jod788 – posted 15 September 2011 14:53
No, you’ll have to find a feed store. Get the big bags of it. I’ve read to stay away from the “rabbit feed” alfalfa – because it contains salt or something, I don’t know. I paid $10 for a 50 lb bag. I throw mine out by hand. Just take big handfulls and scatter it. You can get soybean meal at a feed store too. You can use a drop spreader for that. The alfalfa pellets will break apart and break down into the soil with time, once they get wet. The Fiskars is great. Even with a brand new blade on my rotary – tips of the grass were always frayed/torn and would take on a brownish appearance at the tips. THe reel mower slices the blade like scissors – it’s a clean cut and no fraying – much better for the grass.
I plan on doing either alfalfa or soybean once every 6 weeks or so.
[This message has been edited by jod788 (edited 15 September 2011).]
aleicgrant – posted 15 September 2011 15:00
so your doing alfalfa every six weeks? or roughly 8 times a year. At 10 bucks thats less than the cost of ONE chemical treatment.
I love it
hodad – posted 15 September 2011 15:27
Thanks all. Great comments!!
I have been using a high nitrogen Scott’s since I installed the sod in early summer and the grass looks great, but think I may try the alfalfa and soy bean meal that you have suggested.
The natural stuff has to be better for the environment and it certainly makes more sense from a cost standpoint.
jod788 – posted 15 September 2011 15:42
Every 6 weeks seems reasonable to me. I have yet to actually get on that plan, but I plan to next year. I have soybean meal, but have not used it yet. I just threw out the rest of the alfalfa. I’m by no means an expert on this organic stuff, but did a little reading and a lot of people recommended alfalfa and soybean as safe fertilizers. The organic info I read basically described the chemical fertilizers as the equivalent of feeding your kid Mt. Dew and Skittles – yeah that kid is going to come to life in a hurry, but you’ve really given the kid no nutrition. The organic stuff is going to be slower to green the grass up, but it actually benefits your soil in the long run.
mrmumbels – posted 15 September 2011 19:29
Make sure you don’t put too much alfalfa at one time. it blows up when it gets wet and will actually smother and kill spots of the zoysia because it rarely sinks down to the dirt where it should be. Maybe if you had a roller behind your mower it would help to drop the pellets down further.I just throw the stuff out whenever. I haven’t noticed that it makes much difference on the color durring the hot months. Prety much everything in the summer in fl has that dull green look in comparison to say Maine where everything is dark green. Come spring time you will notice a huge difference in the color. I believe i have some pictures floating around where I just threw out alfalfa on 1 part of my lawn this spring and it’s crazy dark green. That part of the lawn is still amazingly thick to where my mower bogs down.
jugheadfla – posted 16 September 2011 07:07
has any one dethatched your lawn this season yet? I went to HD the other day and picked up a thatching rake just to see how well it would work and to see how much thatch I may have. I worked on about a 2 X 10 ft area as a test and WHOA!, tons and tons of thatch! My grass hasn’t even been through an entire growing season yet. Needless to say I’ll be doing some sweating this weekend, luckily my lawn isn’t too large. The thatching rake works pretty well, but it is still back breaking work. I Was thinking renting a power one, but from what I’ve read they can really damage your lawn.
hodad – posted 16 September 2011 10:43
Good question jugheadfl.
I was wondering the same thing. I will be interested in seeing the responses on this one.
aleicgrant – posted 17 September 2011 09:07
aleicgrant – posted 18 September 2011 16:14
well I got an estimate to have my 5200 sf lawn dethatched. $325.
I think I am going to go for it and then do an Alfalfa treatment.
Good idea?
jod788 – posted 18 September 2011 18:57
I don’t know…do you have a thatch problem? I’ve never had my lawn dethatched.
aleicgrant – posted 18 September 2011 19:36
From what I have been told de-thatching once a year is good for any lawn. Mine has been down a year now and with living in FL sees heavy growth and the clippings are never bagged. I have not read anywhere to note that it wont do anything but some good by opening up the top layer and letting water and organic goodies in.
If someone feels different, please chime in !!!
jugheadfla – posted 18 September 2011 19:52
I don’t bag my clippings either, and I can tell you that if you don’t and you have zoysia you probably have more thatch then you might think. I couldn’t really tell until I took a thatching rake to part of my lawn. It was probably half of a garbage bag and I only did about a 20 square foot area. I know that there have been some people on here that have complained of having hydrophobic soil, but I think thatch build up is most likely the cause of the issue.
jod788 – posted 18 September 2011 19:53
Not bagging the clippings isn’t a source of thatch – contrary to popular belief. Some thatch is normal and healthy for a yard. I would only dethatch my lawn if it needed it. I do aerate the yard every year though. I’m not telling you not to do it though, because I don’t know if you need it.
I guess clippings could possibly contribute to thatch, but that would only occur (I think) if you were mowing very infrequently and throwing a big clippings everywhere. Most “lawn professionals” will tell you that using a mulching mower will not cause thatch in a yard.
[This message has been edited by jod788 (edited 18 September 2011).]
aleicgrant – posted 18 September 2011 20:20
while I think doing an aerate of the lawn is good I have to believe a de-thatching is going to have better long term results. This is only based on a weekend of researching online but it seems to be the case
jod788 – posted 18 September 2011 20:33
I would aerate annually, regardless. If I had a thatch problem, I would dethatch and aerate. I’ve never had a thatch issue – might be differences climate? This isn’t exactly a FL climate where I live.
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