[ROCKETMAN]

I'm not sure i am even spelling it right but just a few comments about this weed resistant, needs less water type of grass. We moved into our house in 2005 and were told we were one of the first streets to get this new type of grass. I'm sure thats true because a couple of blocks north they still have st. augustine. Our grass never looked great, with lots of dead spots and very thin spots. We had massey for 2 years and they always claimed they could fix the problem and then zoyzia green for a year but neither one did any good. I went to lowe's many times for sod to replace bad areas which has worked all okay. Incidently went there yesterday and instead of getting 2 pallets twice a week, the outside mamager told me lucky to get 2 a month. Said severe shortage from the nursery-wonder why that is. HAHA. Anyway what i was told to do is that where the grass is thin just buy the cheapest top soil and rake it real thin around those areas. It has really helped as i have a corner lot and lots of grass so it is a pretty cheap fix. Walmart $1.34 a bag for the dirt. Also at lowes yesterday they guy showed mr a bad of zoyzia seed, expensive at $38.00 a bag but does a 1000 sq. ft. Replacing my grass as several of my neighbors have would run $2500.00.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

It sounds like the problem you have is with your soil and not with the grass itself. Even though all the advertisements for Zoysia say that it performs well in sandy soil, I've that to be not true. I have a few problem areas and I decided to try some Zoysia plugs. Most of them are doing very well, but in one area not so well. I noticed that the soil in that area is more sandy then the rest of the lawn.
Like you, I've been adding some topsoil. I've also started putting some topsoil in the holes before I put in the plugs. That seems to help a lot.
The problem with a lot of sand is not only does it not contain a lot of nutrients, but water goes straight through it so the plat doesn't get enough water. The topsoil will hold the water longer.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by ROCKETMAN

I'm not sure i am even spelling it right but just a few comments about this weed resistant, needs less water type of grass. We moved into our house in 2005 and were told we were one of the first streets to get this new type of grass. I'm sure thats true because a couple of blocks north they still have st. augustine. Our grass never looked great, with lots of dead spots and very thin spots. We had massey for 2 years and they always claimed they could fix the problem and then zoyzia green for a year but neither one did any good. I went to lowe's many times for sod to replace bad areas which has worked all okay. Incidently went there yesterday and instead of getting 2 pallets twice a week, the outside mamager told me lucky to get 2 a month. Said severe shortage from the nursery-wonder why that is. HAHA. Anyway what i was told to do is that where the grass is thin just buy the cheapest top soil and rake it real thin around those areas. It has really helped as i have a corner lot and lots of grass so it is a pretty cheap fix. Walmart $1.34 a bag for the dirt. Also at lowes yesterday they guy showed mr a bad of zoyzia seed, expensive at $38.00 a bag but does a 1000 sq. ft. Replacing my grass as several of my neighbors have would run $2500.00.

When you say spreading top soil helped, can you be more specific about the results? We have the same problem. We were told to aerate, and that's a lot more expensive than a bag of top soil.

[Bogie Shooter]

I did this two years in a row. The first year I put down a thin layer of topsoil not covering the grass. That helped a little. The following year I had the same weak spots. This time I put down a heavy layer of topsoil, up to just the tips of the grass. This did wonders to the weak areas and they have stayed ok for the past year. Water the topsoil in after applying.
I believe all our problems would go away if it would rain more than once a month.....................
Here are a couple helpful websites;
Circle C Farms - Interactive Problem Solving
Central Florida Sod Farm | Lake Jem Farms
EMPIRE Turf | Zoysia Grass | One Lawn, Many Benefits

[ijusluvit]

Allen's Sod on Hwy 441 near the Marion Market is a good place to get fresh zoysia sod. Call them first to make sure they have it. There is virtually no sand in their soil mix.

[angiefox10]

When we arrived in The Villages we hired a very popular lawn maintenance company as did many of our neighbors. Our grass had brown spots and sometimes looked dead in spots. We called the maintenance company out time after time and received many responses, as did our neighbors. After about a year, our lawn still didn't look good.

What we, and many of our neighbors, did was fire our lawn maintenance company, hire Zoysia Green... we hired an irrigation man to assure our grass was getting the right amount of water in every area of our lawn.

We have a beautiful, thick lawn, in only a few weeks!

Look around your neighborhood and check out the nice lawns... find out who they are using or what they are doing.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by angiefox10

When we arrived in The Villages we hired a very popular lawn maintenance company as did many of our neighbors. Our grass had brown spots and sometimes looked dead in spots. We called the maintenance company out time after time and received many responses, as did our neighbors. After about a year, our lawn still didn't look good.

What we, and many of our neighbors, did was fire our lawn maintenance company, hire Zoysia Green... we hired an irrigation man to assure our grass was getting the right amount of water in every area of our lawn.

We have a beautiful, thick lawn, in only a few weeks!

Look around your neighborhood and check out the nice lawns... find out who they are using or what they are doing.

We had a similar situation when we moved into our pre-owned home a year ago. Lawn was beautiful and lush and being treated by Bates. Don't know why we switched to Massey, but a year later our lawn is in very bad shape eventhough they come out every time called. We are going back to Bates. I personally think if you have an issue with a service of this nature you should post the name of the company so others have the benefit of that information.

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by gomoho

We had a similar situation when we moved into our pre-owned home a year ago. Lawn was beautiful and lush and being treated by Bates. Don't know why we switched to Massey, but a year later our lawn is in very bad shape eventhough they come out every time called. We are going back to Bates. I personally think if you have an issue with a service of this nature you should post the name of the company so others have the benefit of that information.

Of course, you are right... Our Irrigation guy is Scott Osteen... He is the greatest! 352-425-2625.

[ROCKETMAN]

Originally Posted by CFrance

When you say spreading top soil helped, can you be more specific about the results? We have the same problem. We were told to aerate, and that's a lot more expensive than a bag of top soil.

Like the other post wrote just dump a bag on your thin spots and rake it to smooth it out over the thin areas.

[kittygilchrist]

Cat litter with urine in it greens it right up. go figure..

[PaPaLarry]

Can you put in St Augustine in the hard to grow areas that have bad zoysia??

[mrsyarbie]

We really dont like the Zoysia,we have lived in Florida many years, my husband a native, and I have lived hree for over 30 years and know that St Augustine is the way to go in Florida. However it is more expensiveve for The Villages to put in. Once you take hold of St. Augustine it is thick and lush for many years to come.
This new grass also is very dependant on water to keep it looking good another plus for Sumter County Water Company. We hate it is is full
of other grasses and weeds...

[CFrance]

I wonder how much it would cost to replace a small designer lot's zoysia with st. Augustine?

My understanding from our sales agent was that in order to continue building, the counties insisted that TV take certain steps to mitigate the overuse of natural resources. I thought he said zoysia grass was one of those steps. But then we moved in and realized how much water it would take to keep it lush and green. Doesn't seem like that grass is a good way to conserve water. Unless the reason is that one is supposed to let it go brown in the winter?

I would love to have a green lawn.

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I wonder how much it would cost to replace a small designer lot's zoysia with st. Augustine?

My understanding from our sales agent was that in order to continue building, the counties insisted that TV take certain steps to mitigate the overuse of natural resources. I thought he said zoysia grass was one of those steps. But then we moved in and realized how much water it would take to keep it lush and green. Doesn't seem like that grass is a good way to conserve water. Unless the reason is that one is supposed to let it go brown in the winter?

I would love to have a green lawn.

Yes, zoysia is supposed to go dormant in the winter, just like the bermuda on the golf courses. Once the soil temp goes below a certain level, it will turn brown. You can overseed, or dye it to keep the green color.

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by mrsyarbie

We really dont like the Zoysia,we have lived in Florida many years, my husband a native, and I have lived hree for over 30 years and know that St Augustine is the way to go in Florida. However it is more ex*****ve for The Villages to put in. Once you take hold of St. Augustine it is thick and lush for many years to come.
This new grass also is very dependant on water to keep it looking good another plus for Sumter County Water Company. We hate it is is full
of other grasses and weeds...

It all depends on your perspective.

If you came from up north, St. Augustine is nothing but ugly crabgrass, which you spent time and money trying to get rid of. It's not comfortable to walk on with bare feet. Down here it grows reasonably well if kept watered, but it is often attacked by cinch bugs, which can destroy large patches or whole lawns. When that occurs, you must remove all of the affected areas and re sod them. That's expensive. To me, zoysia grass is easier to grow and maintain, soft and beautiful.