What now?

buff – posted 17 September 2011 10:14

In reading the posts, I see where someone is using alfalfa and soybean for fertilizer.Where do you get these products and will they work with a rotary spreader? And, how much do I need? I have about 8000 sq ft of emerald zoysia which was put down on the 18th of August. I was told to wait until spring before I use any type of fertilizer. Been very dry here and have been hand watering. I do have a pretty good root system, with some brown spots, and I have not cut the grass yet.Any comments welcomed…thanks.I live in Peachtree City, Ga.

jugheadfla – posted 17 September 2011 11:48

quote:Originally posted by buff:In reading the posts, I see where someone is using alfalfa and soybean for fertilizer.Where do you get these products and will they work with a rotary spreader? And, how much do I need? I have about 8000 sq ft of emerald zoysia which was put down on the 18th of August. I was told to wait until spring before I use any type of fertilizer. Been very dry here and have been hand watering. I do have a pretty good root system, with some brown spots, and I have not cut the grass yet.Any comments welcomed…thanks.I live in Peachtree City, Ga.

You can get Alfalfa from your local farm feed store. Soybean meal is a little harder to find. You’ll have to call around to a few feed stores to see if anyone has it. The alfalfa will be too big to use in a rotary spreader, so you’ll have to do it by hand but its not really that difficult. just make sure you don’t over do it because even though the pellets look small, once they get wet the expand and end up about 3 times as big.

jod788 – posted 18 September 2011 18:55

A 50 lb bag of alfalfs seems to cover about 3000-3500 sq ft, so get 3 bags and you should be good. At $8-10 a bag, not a bad deal. I have read a time or two that soybean meal offers more “bang” than the alfalfa, but my feed store didn’t have any in stock. The alfalfa seems to work well though. Just hand spread it, you don’t have to be precise. If you get through the first bag and you haven’t covered at least a third of the yard, I’d say you’re using too much.

[This message has been edited by jod788 (edited 18 September 2011).]

buff – posted 18 September 2011 19:06

You guys are great….thanks for the good info. I’ve been doing a lot of research this weekend and I think I will probably make my first cut this week at about 3 inches. I’ll probably hold off on the alfalfa for a little while though.And by the way, I have a rotary lawn mower and most of what I have read is to make sure the blade is always sharp……soooooooo…..how often do I need to sharpen it?

jod788 – posted 18 September 2011 19:37

This is where I try to talk you into getting the Fiskars reel mower. I mow 2500 ft in 15 minutes with it. It cuts a lot nicer than a rotary – you wouldn’t think a non-motorized reel mower would be that great, but you gotta try it to believe it yourself. Coolest thing ever. But to answer your question – I always just bought a new blade at the beginning of every mowing season and that worked for me.

jugheadfla – posted 18 September 2011 20:00

quote:Originally posted by buff:You guys are great….thanks for the good info. I’ve been doing a lot of research this weekend and I think I will probably make my first cut this week at about 3 inches. I’ll probably hold off on the alfalfa for a little while though.And by the way, I have a rotary lawn mower and most of what I have read is to make sure the blade is always sharp……soooooooo…..how often do I need to sharpen it?

I was told by the person who laid the sod that it should be sharpened once a month for roatary mowers. I use a reel mower as well so I can’t really say. I wouldn’t mind having one of those new Fiskar’s mowers but I have a smaller lawn and there is too much turning and tight areas so I don’t think it would work as well. I have a scott’s classic 20in and it works ok. I’ve been looking around for a better one, but it works ok for now.

buff – posted 19 September 2011 09:43

Not sure about using the Fiskars mower. I have a basically flat yard, but I have a little over 8000 sq ft of emerald zoysia.Besides that, I’m 65 years old and not sure about how it would handle on zoysia grass

hodad – posted 19 September 2011 16:00

Looked at some alfalfa today and a 50lb bag was $14.95. I have a small lawn (by design) so it would last me several applications. Couldn’t find any soy bean meal in the immediate area. I am in Marietta, GA.(NW Atlanta). I’ll keep looking.

I have a rotary mower (Honda) Does a good Job, not much tearing, but I will probably sharpen the blade after this growing season is done.

I have a whet stone that I use for my hatchet. Will that work or should I just take it and have it done somewhere?

ezf – posted 19 September 2011 19:51

It’s important not to over fertilize emerald zoysia. In fact I didn’t fertilize it at all the first season and it was extemely dense. And I do not plan to fertilize it next season. The heat and drought in Atlanta this summer caused it to go dormant a few times, but I still water it no more than once a week. Even in dormancy for several days, it recovers immediately after being watered. Once it’s tall, it’s very tough. Bermuda and other weeds have no chance to live long enough in it. I found a lot of recommendations online on mowing zoysia short in order to avoid thatch. My experience is that if it’s maintained organically and not fed with too much Nitrogen, thatch is not a problem. Higher cut helps a lot on its drought resistance and durability.