Zoysia in theTampa bay area

mrmumbels – posted 22 November 2009 06:20

Anyone with Zoysia in the Tampa bay area? I’d love to see another Zoysia lawn. Mine has been struggling for a few years now. It seems to not want to grow roots and it always needs water

saltcedar – posted 01 December 2009 05:47

Zoysia’s NOT recommended on sandy soils reason being Nematodes kill the roots. Replace witha known resistant strain or convert to St. Augustineor Bermudagrass.

brushout – posted 26 December 2009 20:34

I live in Holiday, FL During my search for the perfect lawn, I also tried some amazoy zoysia. I ordered about 500 “plugs” None of which grew.

I received another 500 plugs after complaining to the company, this time I laid them down like sod rather than cut up into plugs. They took hold, but like you say, they need a lot of water, not what I was looking for.

The zoysia can not hold its own in this area.

mrmumbels – posted 28 December 2009 18:02

I would never plug a lawn down here unless there was already a lawn in place to keep the plugs safe from torential heat. A small plug in the middle of a dirt lawn will have a tough time surviving the heat.

mrmumbels – posted 28 December 2009 18:05

What kind of zoysia was the amazoy? My empire zoysia can definately hold it’s own compared to all the st augustine in the neighborhood it just isn’t growing the way it did the first year (the way I want it to grow)

jugheadfla – posted 20 December 2010 10:20

Hello, I’m in Tampa also and I just laid down some Jamur Zoysia at the end of October. It is still in the process of growing together, but over all it seems to be doing ok. I have a company actually mainting the chemicals for the lawn and they have said that it is a little burnt from the recent cold, but it should be fine. I actually ended up buying a reel lawnmower instead of a rotary because I have been told that is much more healthier for the lawn. I’ll try to get some pics when I get the chance.

New in Pensacola, FL – posted 25 January 2011 00:33

You really should try using a bag of alfalfa pellets….you will truly be amazed at how it helps zoysia take root AND holds water. Just try it on one area at a time if you’re not sure…but you will need to mow it quite a bit more, I think so anyway. It will grow very thick and lush. I’ve read that you cannot kill zoysia with ANY amount of alflafa, but yes, if you overdo it, you can get thatch. But thatch is better than no grass, as you can always de-thatch!!

mrmumbels – posted 30 January 2011 11:27

Are you just putting alfalfa on top of the grass or are you doing something to get it into the soil?

New in Pensacola, FL – posted 12 March 2011 19:44

http://bestlawn.info/organic/

Maybe you’ve been to this site?? check it out, it’s all about organic lawn care. They really expect you to read thru ALL the postings and the info, before you ask questions, though! People keep asking the same questions, and it gets impossible to keep answering them. Here is where I found out about alfalfa and other organic things to add to the lawn, (I put it down with any old kind of spreader that works! NOT NOT NOT too heavy, though, unless you REALLY want to be cutting twice a week!) It’s always better to do light but frequent applications, just to get your organics up in your sandy soil, than to do infrequent but heavy applications. Also, are you recycling your grass clippings? Slow-release nitrogen for your sandiness and for the zoysia is always best.Also, try the black-strap molasses for your soil microbes, it really works wonders!! Corn meal is great too, or cracked corn, whatever you can find. I add all the spoiled milk and juice or leftover soda to the grass/soil, instead of throwing it out. Soil/sand/grass/microbes LOVE LOVE LOVE sugar!!! REad, read, read this organic web site, and I think you will slowly change your Tampa sandy soil into something that your zoysia will LOVE!!!

I’ve already done my first mowing, REALLY short, to cut off the dead winter growth, did it last week. I’ve already got new growth!! It’s coming out nice!! I let it grow REALLY long before winter started here in Pensacola. My (El Toro) zoysia loves to stay long, to crowd out the weeds, but yet it’s still very soft under your feet. This El Toro stuff is really amazing. I only have weeds in between my two oak trees, that throw down a lot of shade, but we just cut back the trees yesterday even more, in fact the trees are looking pretty lame!! But now with more sun, I should be able to get rid of the weeds better.

If you have any more questions, I’ll try to answer them. But unbelievably, we’re MOVING out of Pensacola, to TAMPA !! Your neck of the woods, …we’re moving this summer, and I don’t know even where to, but my husband will be stationed at MacDill, and I need to find a really good school for my 7th grade son. So I’m stressing about now, because I’m getting the lawn ready for whoever rents our house here, and (praying) hoping that they will take care of it at least half as much as I do! But it is really low maintenance compared to the weedy and half-dead St Augustine we ripped out, that’s why we got it in the first place.So how is your tampa zoysia lawn doing??

mrmumbels – posted 14 March 2011 15:23

Wow I’d be so sad to leave my lawn behind if I got it growing good.

Is you husband in the Marines, Army or AF? I was a Marine and ended up in Tampa because I got out and my friend got stationed here back 8 years ago.

I was going to say move up here in Land o Lakes if you want a good school but that’s probably too far a drive for your husband to goto work.

As for my lawn. I started on the back lawn with Alfalfa last weekend. That stuff just looks amazing for the lawn after it gets some water. I’m going to do the moleasses this week. Also going to look around for some corn gluten meal.

How much alfalfa do you normally put down?

New in Pensacola, FL – posted 14 March 2011 20:33

I know this won’t sound too ‘scientific’, but I put the spreader on the highest setting, where it drops out the most it can, and then just start walking!! I believe I read that you can’t really overdo it, unless you end up covering your blades of grass to the point they can’t get sunlight or air. I don’t think it matters, but for your first time or two, just do that, spread it at your highest setting. Then either let the rain wash it into the soil, or you could water it in. I just let the rain wash it in. It’ll stink slightly, but no big deal unless you have real closeby neighbors. I had done this 3 or 4 times last summer, and I think I overdid it, because I was literaly mowing every 3 days or so. It’s too much to mow that often!! But my roots took well and fast, and I really didn’t need to water very much at all. Also, you’ll notice TONS of earthworms working away, because they LOVE all that organic stuff. The roses and flowerbeds were AMAZING once I put down any amount of alfalfa, but I’ll admit, I really laid it on heavy at first. Everything will grow fast and furious and lush. So, this year, I don’t think I’m going to do near as much. Just once this spring, within the next few weeks, and then I’ll ask either my renters or my lawncare company to do it once again in the fall. Zoysia really doesn’t need that much fertilizing, and if we’re feeding the soil well with organics, then once or twice a year should be sufficient. I don’t expect my renters to be wanting to baby this grass like I do, so yes, I’m sad to leave it, but the beauty of zoysia is that it can be low maintenance if you only do the few things that are necessary, and then leave it alone. Like mow only when dry, and only 1/3 of the blade, and don’t overwater. It’s that simple, and that’s why I think people are nuts not to learn more about zoysia and it’s many benefits over st aug. and centipede and bermuda. But hey, most people are unwilling to learn new things!My husband is an LTC in the Army, by the way, and we are really looking forward to moving to MacDill. A good school is REALLY important to me for my son, as he is in the gifted program, and I’m willing to make my hubby commute (aren’t I nice?) but hopefully not much more than a 45 minute commute. Is Land o Lakes within that…or if you know of any other great schools, I’d sooo appreciate it!! Of course, then there’s the matter of finding a place to live….ugh!! And the whole while, I’ll be trying to train my renters to maintain my gorgeous zoysia!!!

awin4me – posted 18 April 2011 01:16

I live minutes north of Tampa and have a beautiful Zoysia lawn. It’s like everything in life if you take care of it, it will do well.

mrmumbels – posted 18 April 2011 03:40

I’d love to see pictures AW. Mine was beautiful for the first year or so also.