Meyer or Empire

fordmantpw – posted 09 September 2007 20:06

I would like to replace my fescue/weed lawn with zoysia. I am consider two different varieties, Meyer and Empire. Can anyone give me any insight as to which is better for the central Missouri area? I want a zoysia that will green up faster and stay green longer. I also want some fair shade tolerance as I have a couple trees in my yard. I would also like it to spread fairly quickly.

1) Which will green earlier and stay green longer?2) Which will spread faster?3) Which as more shade tolerance?4) Which is more drought tolerance?5) Which is a better looking grass (I know, subjective, but overall)?6) Is there another variety I should consider instead of these two?

Thank much for any and all help you can provide!

Tom

saltcedar – posted 09 September 2007 20:55

Meyer (1951) is an old variety and Empire very recent.It was bred for improved performance in all theareas you mentioned, however it may not be ascold tolerant as Meyer.

HTH

TexanOne – posted 10 September 2007 03:32

There is no independent and/or reliable data about Empire in head-to-head tests with other Zoysia varieties. Meyer, however, has been extensively tested over several decades against other Zoysia Japonica varieties. I am not implying Meyer is better; all I am saying is Empire has no independent track record to stand on.

To answer your specific questions, check out the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program information tables at this link:

http://www.ntep.org/zg.htm

Texas A&M / Dallas Turfgrass Science Center did a study from 1989 – 1991 on irrigation requirements of several Zoysia Japonica varieties. Twenty-one varieties of Zoysia Japonica were rated in drought tolerance in identical conditions – based on how much additional irrigation was required above and beyond natural rainfall. In that test, the top five varieties in needing the least amount of supplemental irrigation per year were as follows:

Crowne – 3.7” additional irrigationPalisades – 5.2” additional irrigationEl Toro – 5.8” additional irrigationKorean Common – 9.6” additional irrigationMeyer – 11.1” additional irrigation

Hope this information helps you in finding the right Zoysia for your situation.

saltcedar – posted 10 September 2007 07:31

http://www.sodsolutions.com/saws_empire_tpt_year1_report_final.pdf

While it’s true that this study above doesn’t include Meyer, it shows that Empire is clearly more drought tolerant than many cultivars. I consider San Antonio Water System an independent source.I feel you can safely extrapolate from TexanOne’s source that it’s quite improved.

HTH

[This message has been edited by saltcedar (edited 10 September 2007).]

[This message has been edited by saltcedar (edited 10 September 2007).]

TexanOne – posted 11 September 2007 03:50

Wow! Great find saltcedar. I was not aware of this study. Thanks for this bit of information!

I was somewhat surprised to find how competitive St Augustine was against Zoysia in leaf firing and drought recovery, given that Zoysia is being promoted so heavily in the Austin / San Antonio area as a part-shade alternative turfgrass to St Augustine.

saltcedar – posted 11 September 2007 07:52

Yes they are fairly similar in their firing rates, but St. A. lacks a good drought recovery mechanism with the possible exception of Floratam. I’ve hadEl Toro recover from a 4 month drought without any measurable rainfall and no irrigation. Admittedly much (~50%) died but it did fully recover once the rains started.

fordmantpw – posted 11 September 2007 10:10

Thanks for the replies. I am going to read up on the information in the links and hopefully make a decision. I know I can find Meyer sod locally, but I’m not sure about any other types.

Thanks again for your help.