Plugging Zoysia / Treating Crabgrass

dottmar – posted 16 May 2004 00:28

I have Meyer zoysia that covers approximately 75% of my front yard. I am wanting to use plugs from it to help fill in the remaining 25%. The majority of the plugs will come from where we are removing the zoysia in order to landscape. The rest will come from the lawn.

What is the best medium to fill in the plugger holes with in order to spur growth and fill them in more quickly?

The 25% area has a thin amount of zoysia that is more or less dominated with crabgrass and clover.

What available consumer products work best to treat these weeds without damaging the zoysia that is there? Is Fertilomes Weed-Out plus a good alternative?

I maintain the lawn height at 1″ with a powered reel mower, and have seen a substantial amount of additional coverage since getting the mower last year. I am also following a fertilizer program recommended by the county extension office after soil testing.

cohiba – posted 16 May 2004 14:11

A reel mower? Soil tests to set up a fertilizer program? You must be a professional. God bless you….It makes my heart beat wildly……

whew……

Anyway, back to your question. I always try to use a soil that is the same as what my lawn is made up of. If you can utilize the soil from the plugs you are replacing, or use your flower bed soil if it is the same as the lawn. Then replace the flower bed soil with that stuff they sell in garden centers.

Hope this helps…..

Keep up the good work….

Alex_in_FL – posted 05 June 2004 14:51

A really dedicated zoysia fan! Good for you. You will have a wonderful yard before long.

Cohiba gave good advice. If you need makeup fill then I recommend sand since it does not attract weeds. MSMA should kill the crabgrass and have little adverse impact upon zoysia. You can also use a product called CAMA (calcium version of MSMA).

Make sure to put down a good pre-emergent next year to stop the weeds and crabgrass.

I love my zoysia but not enough to get a reel mower (or not yet anyway….lol). Good luck.