Zoysia Grass and weeds
 

We bought in Buttonwood two years ago. The homes down here mostly are Zoysia. It is supposed to be more drought and chinch bug resistant. Our front and side yards are lush and green but the back lawn that abuts the golf course is getting sparse with grass and abundant in weeds, despite putting insecticides and herbicides down. The predominant weed is like a is like a small clover with an extensive root system. The tops of the clover is green(smaller then regular clover), the stems are purple/red and the roots white. I can grab a handful and pull them out and usually several small black bugs go scurrying about. I treat the fronts and sides the same way I treat the back but for some reason the grass doesn't grow as well and gets crowded out by weeds of various origins. Most of our neighbours have the same issues. Anybody got any thoughts?
DGX2

My thoughts are Zoysia just isn't what they promised it to be. Have the same issue in the back yard - different weed - same problem. Maybe when the ground was prepped they didn't pay as much attention to the rear as the front. I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle with this grass!

ther are a bunch of weed photos and products to get rid of them at this site Guide to Common Lawn Weeds | Bayer Advanced

maybe something will look familiar and you can search the web further for a resolution

Do you do your own fertilizer/herbicide treatment or have a contract with a provider? Our zoysia lawn was not doing well a year or so after we moved in. We fired the people who were taking care of it and contracted with Zoysia Green. Our zoysia looks great with bi-monthly service.

Thanks for the replies and the link. Think it's Purslane or spurge. Will have to compare in the light of day. Either way, it's good to be able to identify it and hopefully destroy it. Thanks again. DGX2

Contact the Sumter County Ext. Agent at the Annex on Morse & Rt 466.
Here are some sites for more information.
http://www.empireturf.com
http://circlecfarmsinc.com/interacti...olving_1.shtml

I am not a sod expert, but if you and your neighbors are all having trouble back there, it could be that the earth is more compacted in that area, impeding the underground spread of the zoysia.

If so, aeration might be of help.

My neighbor tells me zoysia is seed now available and although rather expensive, she is having good luck over-seeding with it in sparse spots.

Perhaps that combo would give better, lasting results than another chemical would provide.
Should you try it, (I would) hand pick the shallow rooted weeds until the seed fills in.
:)

Uptown girl, Thanks for your thoughts. My neighbour had Massey come out to aerate and treat two or three months ago and their lawn looks way worse then ours. Agree with the hand picking but it's hard to get all of the root system out. Guess I'll call Zoysia green, they put the lawn in originally.DGX2