zoysia or another…

fallon222 – posted 12 May 2004 19:11

Let me first say that I have been reading this bulleting board for some time and thought I would ask anyways…I live in zone 9, NJI have dry sandy soil conditionsPH Level is is 5.5I have a female Lab/DaneI have a beautiful zoysia front lawn, not sure of the strain since it was here when I bought the house. My backyard is the problem. The dog has ripped up whatever weeds were established. I have begun taking 1’X1′ plugs from the front moving them into the back sporadically. They seem to be taking, at least not yellowing or browning. I asume the roots are establishing themselves and will spreading next year. I have also added a two inch layer of topsoil to the bald spots in the backyard. OK, no my questions. What are mty alternatives for my climate, soil type? Should I just let the plugs take over in time? Should I hydroseed or seed, or will the dog just kill it? She is very big, 100+ she tears the ground up when she walks. Thanks for any input…

cohiba – posted 13 May 2004 13:59

fallon222, your conditions seem typical for southern NJ. I would try to add some organic matter to the soil to boost up the sand. Sand is, in my opinion, the best growing medium for turf. It will allow roots to go really deep and it drains great. The idea of the plugs is great, keep plugging away. I would overseed in the fall with a mixture of Perennial ryegrass, turf type tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. This will provide a tough cover for the sandy soils and and allow the soils to stabilize. Before you seed, see why your pH is low. Have a soil test taken and add what is lacking based on the results. The plugging part will eventually take over the entire lawn. I don’t think you need to get such large pieces though. A bulb planter might be easier to use and work as well. Remember one important thing about sandy soils: They leach nutrients through the soil profile quickly. Lighter, more frequent applications of fertilizers will work alot better.

Good Luck and take care……

fallon222 – posted 13 May 2004 19:14

Thanks for the reply…Funny you said the tall fescue, I just got in from seeding with tall fescue, lol. I also applied a starter fert. Good tip on the frequency level of ferts for the soil type. Any recc of what organics to add. I have worked with worm castings and bat guano in the past but they are expensive. Thanks again.

cohiba – posted 14 May 2004 05:55

fallon222, Actually, what I have done in the past is added compost during preparation of a new lawn. But the one thing that really works well for me is to mulch my leaves into the lawn with a rotary mower. Wait till they are dry and wear a mask and have at it. Mulch them where they fall. Some trees’ leavs can be handled with 1 pass some require three. They will eventually disapppear into the turf over the winter and become Organic matter in the soil. I have used this method in late fall where we could’t get ANY grass to grow in the shade of mature maple trees. We blew the leaves into the area and had about 6″-1′ of leaves mulched them with a riding mower starting at the highest setting and ending when the leaves were crushed up, practically powdered. We then seeded with a fine fescue. The next spring we had turf. We continue to mulch leaves on these areas and the turf is fine. To turn my mower into a mulching mower, I mounted a piece of expanded steel over the discharge on the mower. Also note that ferilizing with organic fertilizers will help if you can start building up microbial activity in your soils. The types of trees you have will have an effect on your pH over the years. We monitor pH every three years to make sure we are where we want to be.

Hope this works for you……