Ornamental · Poaceae
Zoysia Grass
Zoysia japonica
Tough, dense, and drought-tolerant once it's settled, zoysia trades a slow start for a lawn that just won't quit.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
365–1095 days
USDA 5–11
Overview
Zoysia is a warm-season lawn grass from East Asia, and it grows into a dense, fine carpet that handles being walked on all day. It spreads sideways on its own, with stolons creeping over the surface and rhizomes traveling below, until it knits into a thick mat that shrugs off most weeds. Want a lawn that takes heat and hard play? This is a solid pick.
Here's the catch, and it's all about patience. Zoysia is slow to get going and can take two or more seasons to fill in from plugs or sprigs, and it turns straw-brown and naps through winter before greening up again in late spring. Once it's settled, though, it barely asks for water and holds up to wear, salt, and dry spells better than just about any lawn grass out there.
It's happy across a big chunk of the country, hanging on from the cold end of USDA zone 5 down through zone 11. The toughest kinds for cold are the Zoysia japonica types, while the finer-bladed ones give up a little winter grit for a smoother look.
Care
The short version: give it lots of sun, mow it short with a sharp reel mower, and water deeply only when the blades start to fold. Feed it lightly through summer, dethatch every year or two, and just let it go brown and dormant in winter without fussing over it.
Light
Zoysia loves full sun, and it gets thin where the shade is deep. It'll hold up in partial sun or light shade better than a lot of warm-season grasses, but if you want the thickest, healthiest turf, give it the brightest spot you've got.
Water
Once it's established, zoysia is genuinely drought-tolerant, so you only water when it actually needs it. Wait until the blades fold, wilt, or turn blue-gray, then water deeply with about 0.5 to 0.75 inches at a go. And if a dry spell tips it into summer dormancy? That's totally fine, and a handy way to save water.
Soil
It'll settle into most any ground as long as it drains, whether that's loam or sandy soil. Shoot for a pH of 6.0 to 6.5, just a bit on the acidic side, and it'll be happy.
Temperature
Being a warm-season grass, it eats up heat and doesn't blink at summer highs near 100°F (38°C). It gets through winter cold down to about 10°F (-12°C) by going dormant, and the toughest strains handle the coldest spots best.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity is all it wants, so there's no number to worry about here. What matters more is airflow and turf that dries out fast, since damp, crowded conditions are exactly what large patch disease likes.
Feeding
Feed it through the warm months, roughly May through August, with a moderate dose of nitrogen at about 2 to 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet a year, split across a few rounds. Go easy come fall, though, because heavy late nitrogen builds thatch and feeds disease.
Pruning
Mow it short, around 1 to 2.5 inches (2.5 to 6 cm), and a sharp reel mower is the way to go, since those tough blades dull a rotary and cause scalping. Dethatch every year or two whenever that spongy layer gets past about half an inch.
Repotting
none
Size & spacing
As a mowed lawn the blades stay low, just 1 to 2 inches (3 to 6 cm) tall. Each plant spreads out wide on its runners, anywhere from 1 to 10 feet (30 cm to 3 m), which is exactly why a handful of plugs can end up covering a whole yard.
When to plant
Zoysia's a warm-season grass, so it wants to go in once the soil's warmed up, and it spreads slowly after that. You can lay sod, pop in plugs, or scatter sprigs from late spring into early summer, and start seed of Zoysia japonica from April through July. Either way, count on two or more seasons before it fills in all the way.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Sod, plug, or sprig in late spring to early summer once soil is warm; seed (Z. japonica only) April-July
- Harvest: Inconspicuous spikelike seedheads in late spring to summer; grown for turf, not bloom
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–11
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Most of what worries people about zoysia comes down to its slow pace and its winter nap, not anything actually going wrong. Once you can tell normal dormancy and a slow fill-in from real trouble like thatch or large patch, you'll save yourself a lot of fretting. Just match what you're seeing below before you go reaching for a treatment.
Big brown circles of thinning turf in fall or spring
This is large patch, a Rhizoctonia fungus that flares up in cool, wet soil and feeds on extra nitrogen. The rings spread while soil sits around 65°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C), and the outer leaves pull away with orange-brown rotted sheaths. Put down a labeled fungicide as soil cools toward 70°F (21°C) in fall, fix the drainage, cut the thatch, and hold off on fall and early-spring nitrogen.
Fix:
- Apply a labeled fungicide preventively in fall when soil cools to about 70 degrees F
- Improve drainage and reduce thatch
- Avoid fall and early-spring nitrogen and over-watering
- Water early in the day so turf dries quickly
New plugs and sprigs that seem to take forever to fill in
This is just slow establishment, and it's totally normal for zoysia, not a sign you did anything wrong. The grass spreads by runners at its own easy pace, so plugs set too far apart or planted late just leave the gaps open longer. Keep the new area watered and weeded, set plugs closer or lay sod if you want quicker cover, and feed lightly through the season to help it along.
Fix:
- Be patient; keep newly planted area watered and weeded
- Space plugs closer (e.g. 6 in centers) or use sod for faster cover
- Control weeds while turf fills in
- Apply light, regular fertility during the growing season to speed spread
Spongy turf and heavy thatch that scalps when you mow
A thick layer of thatch builds up under zoysia's dense growth, and too much nitrogen just makes it worse. Walk on that spongy turf or mow it low after letting it get tall, and the mower shaves off brown, scalped patches. So dethatch every year or two, mow often with a sharp reel mower so you only take a third of the blade, and ease up on the fertilizer.
Fix:
- Dethatch with a vertical mower or power rake every year or two
- Mow regularly at the recommended height with a sharp reel mower
- Avoid excess nitrogen that drives thatch
- Keep mower blades sharp and mow frequently enough to remove only one-third of the leaf
A straw-brown lawn in fall that's slow to wake up in spring
This is winter dormancy, which is just what a warm-season grass does once frost shows up. The blades go brown, but the crowns and runners stay alive and green back up when the soil warms, and a cool spring only drags out the wait. Skip the urge to push it with fertilizer, and if patches stay brown and rot at the base into spring, take a look for large patch disease instead.
Fix:
- Expect dormant brown color from first frost until warm spring weather; no treatment needed
- Avoid heavy traffic on dormant turf
- Do not over-fertilize to force green-up; wait for warm soil
- If patches stay brown and rot at the base in spring, check for large patch disease
Toxicity
Good news if you've got pets or little kids around: zoysia's just a plain lawn grass with nothing poisonous in it. Cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, livestock, and birds can all hang out on it and nibble the blades no problem. The one thing worth a mention? Grass pollen, which can kick up hay fever in people who are prone to it.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Totally safe to be around. A cat that chews a few blades might cough one up now and then, but that's just a hairball thing, not poisoning.
Dogs None
Nothing toxic here, so a dog can run and graze on the lawn all it wants. The odd bout of grass-eating and mild throwing up is normal and harmless.
Horses None
This is the kind of turfgrass horses graze all the time, and it's got nothing poisonous in it.
Rabbits None
Rabbits can nibble the blades without any worry, since there's no harmful compound in the grass.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze it safely, since it sits right alongside the usual pasture grasses.
Birds None
Backyard hens and wild birds can peck around the lawn no problem, since the grass itself is no risk.
People None
There's no poisoning risk to kids or adults here. The only catch is grass pollen, which can stir up hay fever if you're the sort who's prone to it.
The grass itself is not poisonous. Grass pollen can trigger hay-fever allergies in sensitive people, and pets that nibble grass may occasionally vomit, but this is not a sign of poisoning. Rarely, grass awns can cause mechanical irritation.
Varieties
Zoysia shows up as a few different species and hybrids, and they trade off things like blade texture, shade tolerance, and cold hardiness. Here are the ones you're likely to bump into when you're shopping for sod, plugs, or seed.
Zoysia japonica (e.g. Meyer, Zenith, Compadre)
It's the coarsest and most cold-hardy zoysia around, the only one you can actually buy as seed, and the source of Meyer, which folks used to sell as a miracle grass.
Zoysia matrella (manilagrass)
Its blade is finer and it does better in shade than Z. japonica, though it grows slower and doesn't take the cold quite as well.
Emerald (Z. japonica × Z. tenuifolia)
It's a fine-textured hybrid people grow for its dense, good-looking turf, but it doesn't handle winter as well as Meyer does.
How to propagate
Zoysia's almost always grown from living plant pieces instead of seed, and even where seed works, it takes its time. Here's how each way tends to go.
DivisionModerate
Late spring to early summer once soil is warm · 2 or more growing seasons to fully fill in
Almost all zoysia gets started from living pieces, and the hybrids can only be grown that way. Lay sod for the fastest cover, set plugs about 6 to 12 inches apart, or scatter sprigs in late spring once the soil's warm. Whatever you go with, plan on two or more growing seasons before the lawn really knits together.
SeedModerate
April to July · Germinates in about 2-3 weeks, then 6-8+ weeks to establish; slow overall
Seed's only an option for Zoysia japonica, like Zenith or Compadre. Sow it from April through July and look for germination in about 2 to 3 weeks, then another 6 to 8 weeks or more to take hold. A seeded stand fills in slower and patchier than sod, so it pays to be patient.
Myths
Zoysia is a no-care miracle grass that stays green all year, never needs mowing, and chokes out every weed overnight.
Zoysia really does make a fine, tough, drought-tolerant lawn, but that miracle pitch oversells it. It can take two or more seasons to fill in from plugs, goes straw-brown and dormant all winter, builds thatch, and still wants mowing, feeding, and a bit of disease care. It's a good grass, just not a hands-off one.