Since the fescue is 1/8 the price of Zoysia, will it be ok? Zoysia grass is different from the grasses that make up Eastern lawns, like fescue, blue grass, and perennial rye grass. It's a cool climate grass that does very well everywhere St. Augustine, zoysia and Bermuda varieties don't. Controlling Zoysia Grass. Others may choose to do something else with their lawns. While Zoysia’s water needs are similar to a Red Fescue, a quality that earns it a place on many a lawn-alternative list, it fails to free its owners from intense lawn maintenance schedules and nasty chemicals. Zoysia japonica varieties include Carrizo, Crowne, El Toro, Empire, GN-Z, Jamur, Meyer and Palisades. We are going to give you a few quick facts about Fescue sod to help you learn more before you purchase. Large areas of our yard are partially shady. Zenith Zoysia sod is a great fit for both homes and commercial spaces. Finally, the tips of tall fescue grass leaves are pointed, not keeled; as is the case in many other species of lawn grasses. Important Grass Care Facts And Information A resource of helpful grass care information and related tips to help develop a clear understanding of lawn grasses, how they grow and how they are used As zoysia is a slow-growing grass, it is nearly always planted by plugs, sprigs or sod. If after reading this, you've decided to live with the Zoysia and all of it's nasty habits, you can always hire a professional to do the job for you. Since then, we've been struggling to maintain our Fescue lawn. Zoysia Sod does re-seed its self Maximize Your Irrigation. If going with zoysia, I would get a sod cutter and remove all the grass you currently have and sod it with zoysia. With the price difference between specialty Bermuda and good zoysia being relatively small, I'd definitely go with the zoysia. You have to keep it mowed though. We redid our fescue backyard 2 years ago after having our septic field replaced (the yard was already dug up so might as well start fresh). Good luck with that fescue this summer! It is quite the hassle but it is a low cost option. http://www.fescue.com/info/plantation.htmlGood luck. We've had fescue grass die on us two years in a row due to heat / summer drought. Bermuda is a warm season grass which needs to be planted when it is hot (late spring early summer). Put down a starter fertilizer the same time as the seed. Maintenance is similar to that of Bermuda sod; however, Zoysia requires less mowing during the growing season than the other types. Should I be a follower of my neighbors’ choice of Tall Fescue, or be a radical and grow the Zoysia? As FS said, zoysia is the best thing going these days, grew fescue from seed and it would never fully thicken, killed, tilled, fertilized, layd and rolled my zoysia, little more expensive but well worth it checked out my lawn. Ah, I guess I didn't mention earlier (well, I had written enough anyway), I tend to prefer a grass length of 1.5"-2" if possible. But when it gets cold, this grass may struggle, and that’s why you need to overseed it and protect it from the cold winter season. “One of the benefits we hope to evaluate in this trial is to see if these zoysia varieties can compare to fescue grass in aesthetics while using less water,” Marek said. Things to consider before buying Bermuda vs Zoysia vs Fescue: Zoysia can better withstand drier and saltier soil than fescue, making it usable in harsher climates or unworked soil. Both grasses can tolerate salt, drought, and some shade, although zoysia is easier to maintain. Zenith Zoysia resembles Tall Fescue more than any other zoysia and is more heat and drought tolerant than any Tall Fescue type. Good luck! With its quick-spreading growth habit, zoysia grass can oftentimes invade and choke out neighboring yards and gardens. For the Fall, we gave up and just overseeded with Rye to give us time to look into options. If going with zoysia, I would get a sod cutter and remove all the grass you currently have and sod it with zoysia. Zenith Zoysia® is a shade tolerant warm season grasses available in Georgia and the Atlanta Area. Different climates and local landscape conditions often favor one type of lawn over another. I've thought about doing plugs or even 1/2 pieces of sod in the yard of Zoysia and letting it overgrow the fescue over time. I have knowledge on trees & some shrubs, but not much when it comes to grass. It is difficult to impossible to grow from seed without optimal, controlled conditions. When at its best, Zoysia looks nothing short of spectacular. Zoysia’s appearance is a darker green than fescue. We got the tubing and orbitz sprinklers from Home Depot - about $200-$250 all-in, including the two $50 timers. Zoysia grass spreads through underground rhizomatous runners. I just mowed the lawn very close, aerated it with those spiky shoes, seeded it with the fescue, and 7 days later fertilized it. Is Zeon or Geo Zoysia a good idea instead of the fescue? Overtime, we have researched exactly which types our customers are working with to determine if Zoysia is able to overtake their lawns. It's always struggled in the summer and early fall and the drought last year pretty much did it in. Fescue in the Front, Zoysia in the back. Edit: If we did the plug option for Zeon Zoysia in our current yard, I assume the best option is to buy a pallet or more of Zeon and make our own plugs with a Proplugger or something like it. How's it doing in your shadier spots? After settling in, beginning the process of getting the lawn in order. From all of my reading I do agree that any Bermuda (even the better varieties) don't do well in the shade vs fescue and zoysia. It's often used as a replacement for Tall Fescue due to it's wide leaf blades. Spray an herbicide early in the spring when the fescue comes out of dormancy. Although the need to mow less makes fescue the tempting choice, the grass will need more preparation work as well as patching up when it gets damaged a second time. Hello, I live in NJ and I want to install Tall Fescue sod or Zoysia. Zoysia, fescue, organic lawn care, fertilizers, hayfields, pastures and more. there's also kinds that work well in the shade as I have many mature hardwoods - 29 pallets later and still smiling Some areas have 3-4 hours of sun, others 8-10 hours of sun (large oak trees above). How to replace your old lawn with luscious sod. Thanks! We have been overseeding every Fall with more fescue. Fescue grows quickly, but requires more water and more frequent mowing in the fall and spring. Can anybody describe what kind of texture Zoysia has? The five main types of sod are Tall Fescue, Centipede, St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Zoysia. The cheapest I've found Zeon pallets in the Atlanta area, so far, is about $320 for a 504sqft pallet. They all have a root system that grows down into the soil looking for water. All the irrigation in the world won’t keep your fescue and zoysia green if you don’t combine it with other good cultural practices. Atlantan here. As it happens, this variety of bermuda has a spongier feel underfoot than your typical builder grade bermuda and the color is a really nice dark green so we've really been happy with it. Lets leave the fescue there and when there gets to be a good stand of Bermuda grass then we can spray the Fescue with some Image, which is a herbicide that kills Fescue but not Bermuda. It is difficult to impossible to grow from seed without optimal, controlled conditions. They have samples of all types out front. Lawn care guides, pictures, and discussions. share. At the moment, if we went with Zeon, we're still looking at $1920 for the sod alone at the minimum (too high of a cost for us). I actually have some zoysia in my yard and this fall I overseeded it with fescue and it is doing great! Zoysia is a much more dense turf, far fewer problems with fungus, loves the heat and sunshine, never needs re-seeding, can grow in poor soils much better, and weed control is MUCH easier on the rare occasion that weeds are able to make a stand. This year we are planning on doing the same thing in the back yard. For Most of texas, a warm season grass is the best. I was talking with a neighbor today, and he likes the Tall Fescue better as well because of the plushness of it along with the year-around color. It does not bother me to see the Bermuda dormant in the winter because it stays thick. 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