[gfmucci]

For owners of newer homes who have Empire Zoysia grass, here is a nice article by a proponent of that grass.

http://www.laymanstraining.com/lawn.html

I think he over does his criticism of St. Augustine, though. I had Floratam St. Augustine in South Florida for 15 years and with moderate maintenance (fertilizer twice a year, chinch bug sprays, occasional Brown Patch treatment) it was a perfectly good lawn.

The experts talk about the problem of "thatch buildup." They don't say how long it takes to occur to a serious level. I'm hoping it is no worse than with St. Augustine, where it takes at least 5 years for any significant build up to occur. Normally "thatch" is associated with a build up of dead clippings. I would add to that term the situation, after serveral years of growth, where runners start to layer on top of each other, creating a thick "runner mat" below the blades. Apparently "verticutting" is the preferred solution. I would think this wouldn't have to be done more often than every 4 to 6 years.

Any Empire Zoysia experts out there?