Zoysiagrass : lawn maintenance calendar

Zoysiagrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar I The following management practices will help you care for your lawn throughout the year. Location, terrain, soil type and condi¬ tion, age of the lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf performance, so adjust these management practices and dates to suit your particular lawn. March through May Mowing Mow the lawn when it first turns green in the spring using a reel mower set at /2 inch or a rotary mower set as low as possible without scalping the lawn. Mow the grass before it grows taller than 1 /2 to 2 ’/2 inches. Leave nutrient-rich grass clippings on the lawn unless they are unsightly or in clumps. Fertilization Apply nutrients based on soil testing. In absence of a soil test, apply /г pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet 3 weeks after greenup. Use a complete nitrogen-phosphorus, potassium (N-P-K) turf fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio (for example, 12-4-8 or 1 6-4-8). Do not apply more than 2 pounds of nitrogen a year. You need to apply /2 pound of nitrogen per 1.000 square feet, hut how much fertilizer do you need to buy? Divide 50 by the first number on the fertilizer bag. For example, if you've got a 5-5-1 5 fertilizer, you divide 50 by 5 and you get 10. That means you need to buy 10 pounds of fertilizer for every 1.000 square feet of lawn. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and I une 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. Watering Zoysiagrass needs 1 to 1 !4 inches of water a week. If you don’t get enough rain, water your lawn. A dark bluish-gray appearance, footprinting, or wilted, folded, or curled leaves indicate that it is time to water. Irrigate the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches; this can be determined by probing the soil with a screwdriver or similar tool. On sandy soils, zoysiagrass may require /2 inch of water every third day. It is often necessary to water an area for 3 to 5 hours to apply 1 inch of water. Proper irrigation now will help reduce problems later in the summer. Weed Control Apply preemergence herbicides late February to mid-March. Apply postemergence herbicides in May as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like white clover, knotweed, spurge, and lespedeza. Products containing two or three different broadleaf herbi¬ cides are more effective in controlling broadleaf weeds in a lawn. Be sure the product you choose is labeled for use on zoysiagrass. Wait 3 weeks after the grass has turned green, and then use it only if weeds are present. (See Pest Control Recommenda¬ tions for Turf grass Managers. AG-408). Insect Control Check for and control any white grubs. Disease Control Circular patches of tan or brown sunken turf 2 to 10 feet in diameter may appear as zoysia greens up, especially if there is extended rainy or overcast weather. Turf within the affected area thins, and most of the shoots die. As tempera¬ tures increase, recovery begins but is slow. DO NOT apply nitrogen until you see that the lawn has started to improve. Control Brown (Large) Patch Disease by mowing to the proper height, mowing when the lawn is dry, and controlling thatch. Applying a fungicide in the spring is not recom¬ mended. Thatch Removal After the grass has turned green, use a vertical mower (power rake) to remove thatch (a layer of undecomposed grass stems) if it is more than /2 inch thick. Do not attempt to remove too much thatch at one time because zoysiagrass recovers slowly. Several thatch removals over several seasons may be needed. Renovation Replant large areas using zoysiagrass sod or plugs. Plugs should be planted on 6- or 12- inch centers (see Carolina Lawns, AG-69). After plugging, apply a preemergence herbicide that does not interfere with zoysiagrass root growth to help prevent weeds. STATE UNIVERSITY A&T STATE UNIVERSITY Helping People Put Knowledge to Work College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - NC State University School of Agriculture and Allied Sciences and Environmental Sciences • NC A&T State University