Zoysia grass is another of the more popular lawn varieties being grown at Australian homes today, though this has not always been the case. In times past it could be said that sales and use of this grass type have been lacklustre at best, though today this position has turned around quite a bit with Zoysia selection as a home turf having increased in recent times.
For many people they could look at a Zoysia lawn and easily confuse it with a Couch lawn, they can appear to be very similar in appearance, though on closer examination the differences can be seen, mainly in leaf shape, leaf colour, and the colour of the seeding of the lawn.
Zoysia has a fine leaf, similar to Couch lawns, is soft to walk on, play on and walk across. Appearance wise there isn’t much more to say about Zoysia, it’s basically just a narrow leafed grass with no great differentiating factors to most casual observers.
Having said that, Zoysia is not like Couch lawns at all, they are entirely different grass types, and their requirements, care, and optimum growing environments are also all different.
Zoysia has had a chequered history in Australia, and it is understandable why this has been so in the past. Zoysia is not for everyone, it’s not to everyone’s taste, people have treated Zoysia in ways similar to other lawn types and ran into great problems, often because they didn’t have the right information on how to care for a Zoysia lawn, or perhaps because they tried to grow this lawn in an unsuitable environment. With sometimes disastrous results, it would be understandable that some would give up on the lawn, replace it and advise neighbours against it. But all such possible problems would have resulted in the homeowner not being properly informed in the first place, and with no fault to the lawn itself.
Another reason why Zoysia may not have caught on in the past in Australia is the name of the turf. Today we call it Zoysia, but long ago it may have been called Temple Grass or Names which would not have at all resonated with Australians in previous eras.
The other issue people may have and may still find as being a deterrent to Zoysia grass is its appearance, while overall it does look a lot like Couch in many ways, the colours and appearance can be very different, some Zoysia lawns can be a drab olive colour, which would be entirely unsuitable for anyone who expects their lawn to be a bright green colour. And others can look at a Zoysia lawn and just not like it, exactly the same as with Buffalo lawns, some folks just really don’t like the look of Buffalo grass at all. It’s entirely subjective to personal taste.
So with that intro of the past of Zoysia lawns in Australia out of the way, lets look at Zoysia in a more positive light.
For me personally, I really do like Zoysia grass, I took a fondness to it the moment I first saw it growing at a home I was visiting. Which really just means it’s to my own taste and preference, and doesn’t mean it’s suitable for everyone else.
And for my own preference, I really don’t want to spend much time, money, energy or thought etc on lawns, which may include mowing, fertilising, soil treatments, disease problems. For me, I want a lawn I can abuse, neglect, something not requiring much of my time at all. I don’t want a manicured lawn that needs preening and fancying over. I want to be able to forget about missing watering days, or leaving the lawn an extra week or few without mowing, I don’t want a lawn that takes over my life, time or wallet. I want a lawn I can keep mowed and trimmed and in good order, and without fuss. And Zoysia fits that bill for me.
Having said that, I don’t currently grow a Zoysia lawn. Why? Because we all must choose the right lawn for whatever the growing environment is at our home. For me I had very heavy shade, and only a Buffalo lawn could possibly hope to survive in such conditions. I chose the right lawn for my own needs, as should we all.
Zoysia seems to do quite ok if being grown with reduced water, it will adapt and cope, and need far less mowing. Alternatively if I did want to, I could increase watering, increase growth and mow more often for a more manicured appearance, Zoysia lawns do seem very adaptable in this sense.
Zoysia lawns are also quite tough, with a high silica content in their leaf they can withstand wear and tear very well. However Zoysia is a naturally slower growing lawn, so while it may not get damaged quite as quickly as other grass types, it will most likely take longer to repair if it does become damaged.
Zoysia does also seem to be more naturally resistant to weeds, pests and diseases, though not immune, and if any such problems do occur in a Zoysia lawn then Zoysia is highly tolerant of all treatments which may be needed to repair any such problems.
Where Can I Grow Zoysia
Once again we run into a very specific requirement for Zoysia lawns, which everyone must keep in mind if considering growing Zoysia as their lawn.
Zoysia has tropical origins, it loves the heat, it hates the cold.
This makes Zoysia perfectly suitable for all northern and temperate regions in Australia. Great for Sydney, Brisbane, Perth etc.
Zoysia is less preferred for places where winters can be extremely cold with frosts expected. Expect a Zoysia lawn to perhaps turn brown over the winter months in colder regions.
Zoysia Shade Tolerance
Zoysia has a very good shade tolerance, at about 40%. So some shade around a Zoysia lawn is absolutely okay.
Couch and Kikuyu have a poor shade tolerance of about 10%, and this is why we often see these lawn types dying off when growing into highly shaded areas.
Buffalo has the best shade tolerance of up to 60-70%.
Fertilisers and Zoysia Lawns
This is one area where many people can run into real problems with a Zoysia lawn.
Without foreknowledge of Zoysia lawn care, many people may just pop down to their local nursery supply store and buy a regular lawn fertiliser, apply it liberally to try to help their Zoysia lawn to health, only to perhaps near kill the lawn with their love. I’ve seen it before.
Thankfully Zoysia does have underground runners called Rhizomes, whereby if the lawn is damaged, even to near death, it can usually recover with enough proper care, mainly keeping up water when days are hot, and of course time.
Zoysia naturally does not like lawn fertilisers, these lawns are best left alone to their own adaptation to their environment for the most part. Light fertilising is possible with a quality slow release lawn fertiliser, but only once or twice a year, and only at very low levels, with a reduced application rate much less than what would be required or recommended for any other lawn type.
Lawn soil tonics such as seaweed or other organic extracts may be another option to improve soils for Zoysia lawns, but again, keep all nutrients applied to Zoysia lawns at a minimum.
Zoysia is unlike any other lawn type in this respect. All other lawn types would see a marked improvement in growth and health with a good dose of quality lawn fertiliser, Zoysia will hate it and will most likely respond very very badly to high levels of fertiliser application.
Always remember to keep all Zoysia lawn fertilising to an absolute minimum, your own Zoysia lawn may not ever even need an application of fertiliser at all.
Zoysia Grass Recommendation
Obviously I have to recommend Zoysia as a lawn type for Australia’s warmer climates, it’s always been a grass I’ve had a fondness for, but I must exercise that recommendation with cautions also.
Zoysia is not for everyone. It just isn’t. If you’re considering a Zoysia lawn then I would strongly suggest you find some Zoysia growing as a lawn in your area, perhaps even talk to the lawn owner about their experience, ask if the lawn browns off in the winter in your area. Make an informed choice.
Read through this article carefully, and understand that the care requirements for this lawn are very different than for other lawn varieties, be careful especially when it comes to over-fertilising.
Zoysia can be kept with a longer leaf, watered less often and subsequently mowed less often, and we can have a nice looking lawn. Alternatively we could water more often, keep up the care of the soil, apply fertilisers carefully, and keep our lawns mowed more often, perhaps with a cylinder mower for that lovely flat bowling green finish. In these respects Zoysia is very adaptable as to what type of finish and care we want to put into our lawns.
Better Zoysia grass cultivars include Compadre, Zenith, Empress, and Empire, and there are many other types of Zoysia also available for consideration also, such as Nara. Just be aware though that there has been cases of particular Zoysia cultivars being sold under different names in Australia, despite the underlying grass being identical. A cultivar is any particular breeding of a grass, this breeding or selection is then given a name (like Matilda buffalo for example), sometimes that name is registered either via permanent trademark or temporary plant breeders rights, other times there are no rights sought for a cultivar. Sometimes a registered cultivar or well known brand of turf can be licensed to another party to use under another name, or an unregistered cultivar can be renamed by turf farmers and marketers. It’s something which is highly confusing for the homeowner to navigate through, and that they should be aware of, and this has happened and continues to happen in Australia, with numerous different types of lawn grasses.
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