Zoysia, also known as Korean or Japanese Lawngrass, is a warm season creeping perennial that originated in Asia. It forms a very dense turf by means of slow growing underground rhizomes and above ground stolens. Just look at these benefits!

• Requires little or no fertilizer.
• Requires less water.
• Low growing/slow growing habit requires less mowing.
• Extremely wear tolerant.
• High drought and heat tolerance.
• Grows in sun or shade.
• Improved cold tolerance.
• Adapts to a wide variety of soil conditions.
• Dormant winter color is more pleasing than Bermudagrass.
• Salt tolerant.

Zoysiagrass was introduced to North America by Frank Meyer, a USDA Plant Explorer who made the first collection of Zoysia seeds in Korea in 1906.

In the 1940s, the first Zoysiagrass lawns in the USA were established. In 1951, Meyer Zoysiagrass was introduced, the first of several new vegetatively propagated Zoysia varieties. But sprigging or plugging took 1 to 2 years to establish a lawn, and Zoysia sod was expensive.

Many people remember ads in Garden Magazines selling a "Miracle grass," only to be discouraged when the small quantity of plugs they purchased spread so slowly that it would take years to cover their lawn. So outside of a small group of turf professionals and golf courses that understand the natural benefits of Zoysiagrass, this grass from the Far East has remained unavailable or too expensive for many and confusing to others.

In the early years, what seed was available had germination rates as low as 3%, so seed was not considered an option in establishing Zoysia turf. More recently, however, chemical seed treatments have been developed that help break down the natural waxy coating on Zoysia seed that inhibits germination. All Zen Brand Zoysiagrass seed have undergone this special pretreatment to ensure faster, high germination rates.

It is now possible to have a dense, beautiful turf from seeded Zen Zoysia in a matter of weeks, instead of the years required by the old labor intensive vegetative propagation methods involving sprigs or plugs.

Finally, environmentally sound Zoysiagrass from seed has emerged as a major turfgrass of the future--not just on golf courses, but for home lawns, athletic fields, parks and cemeteries.

	Previously Available Zoysiagrasses
	The Zoysiagrasses	Texture	Color	Area of Adaptation	Method of Propagation	Recommended Uses	Remarks*
S P E C I E S	Matrella	Fine	Medium Green	Throughout the South	Sprig, plug or sod	High quality lawns and other fine turf areas	An old-time favorite in the deep south. Very similar in appearance to Emerald.
	Japonica	Coarse to Medium	Dark Green	Transition zone and South	Seed, sprig, plug or sod	Lawns and other turf areas	The only Zoysia which can be seeded. Recommended where quality is secondary to ease of establishment. Winter-hardy throughout the U.S.
	Tenuifolia	Very fine	Dark Green	Middle and lower South	Sprig, plug or sod	Around the base of trees and between flagstone walks and patios	Produces extremely dense and low-growing, hair-like turf. Never needs mowing. Not recommended for regular lawns. It is the least winter-hardy of the Zoysias.
V A R I E T I E S	Meyer	Medium	Dark Green	Transition zone and South	Sprig, plug or sod	High quality lawns and other fine turf areas	Has striking color somewhat resembling Merion bluegrass. Sufficiently winter-hardy to be grown almost anywhere in the U.S.
	Emerald	Fine	Dark Green	Throughout the South	Sprig, plug or sod	High quality lawns and other fine turf areas	Looks very similar to Matrella but is faster spreading. Also has a wider range of adaptation.
	* All Zoysiagrasses are very slow growing (taking 1-2 years to establish from sprig or plug), disease and insect resistant and shade tolerant.

RANKINGS OF POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES FOR MAJOR TURFGRASSES*
Relative ranking	PET rate (mm/day)	Turfgrass
		Cool season	Warm season
Very low	<6		Buffalograss
Low	6-7		Bermudagrass hybrids Centipedegrass Bermudagrass Zoysiagrass Blue Grama
Medium	7-8.5	Hard fescue Chewings fescue Red fescue	Bahiagrass Seashore paspalum St. Augustinegrass Zoysiagrass (Emerald)
High	8.5-10	Perennial Ryegrass
Very High	>10	Tall fescue Creeping bentgrass Annual bluegrass Kentucky bluegrass Italian ryegrass
* Grown in their respective climatic regions of adaptation and proper culture regime.

COLD TOLERANCE OF WARM-SEASON TURF
Relative cold Tolerance	Grass	Relative Killing Temp. (°F)
Excellent	Buffalograss Blue Grama	-10 -10
Very Good	Zoysiagrass ('Meyer')	6
Good	Bermudagrass	19
Poor	Centipedegrass Seashore paspalum	11 19
Very Poor	St. Augustinegrass Bahiagrass Carpetgrass	23 23 23
Relative cold tolerance of warm-season turfgrasses, and the lowest estimate temperature resulting in death of the growing point.

Zoysiagrass, because of its low maintenance requirements, is "environmentally and politically correct" for the 1990s.

SEEDED ZOYSIA GRASSES

Chemically Pretreated for Faster Germination
Or, Enhanced with "Jet-Cote" Process

Zen 100 seeded Zoysia is imported from China where it is grown, harvested and cleaned by hand. This Chinese Common Zoysia japonica has medium texture and a medium green color. Zen 100 is chemically treated to enhance germination.

Zen 300 CS is a two clone synthetic variety producing plants with yellow-green stems and flowers. Medium leaf texture wider than Meyers&emdash;similar to Belair's. Faster rate of establishment than Meyer with less density and thatch. Better genetic color and fall color retention than Meyer with similar cold hardiness. Both parent clones have better rust resistance than Meyer. An excellent seed yielder, Zen 300CS is expected to require lower maintenance than Meyer to produce acceptable turf quality for golf course fairways, home lawns and parks. It can be mixed with a cool season grass or overseeded onto existing turf. Its major use will be in the transition zone and South. It too, is available as coated seed.

TECHNICAL DATA

SEEDING RATE
	Zen 100 1-3#/1000 sq. feet Zen 300CS 1-3#/1000 sq. feet Broadcast the seed at the rate of 1 pound/thousand square feet. New research data indicates seed germinates faster closer to the surface and in temperatures of 85+ degrees (30 degrees C). The soil should be limed at the rate of 50 pounds of dolomitic limestone per 1,000 square feet. (Recommended pH range for Zoysia is 5.8 to 7.2.) Generally, an application of lime in the seedbed is beneficial before planting. In extremely acid soils, up to 100 pounds of lime mixed into the seedbed is recommended. Seedbed fertilization should be based on soil tests. Keep the area moist with adequate irrigation, generally watering once each day, for four weeks. Then apply a light application of nitrogen fertilizer once every two weeks until the area has developed into acceptable turf. As is the case with all seeded Zoysia, the establishment period is longer than for other turfgrasses, but the initial care in establishment returns its rewards in reduced maintenance costs years after original establishment. Optimal seeding times are Spring, when soil temperatures have risen above 70 degrees (20 degrees C). Fall planting is not recommended because of lack of time for establishment before winter.
WEED CONTROL
	The Zen line of Zoysia has a dense growth habit which helps it to crowd out weeds. If weeds do encroach during the growing season, several post-emergence broadleaf herbicides are available to combat them. 2,4-D is an effective control for broadleaf weeds when used according to manufacturers instructions. During the dormant season an application of Roundup plus a pre-emergent herbicide (when turf is dormant) can provide a weed-free lawn year round.
DISEASE
	Zoysia is susceptible to the same diseases that many warm-season species are, usually brought on by high temperature and humidity. These diseases can be caused by over-managing, and backing off on water and fertilizer can usually take care of many problems. A new disease, Zoysia Patch, has been identified which includes symptoms of large, round patches of thin turf from 1-20 feet in diameter. Zoysia Patch does not kill the lawn, merely thins it out. Usually, Zoysia lawns are relatively disease free.
MOWING RECOMMENDATIONS
	If left alone, Zen Zoysias will reach a mature plant height of about 6 inches, and can be left alone for that "natural" appearance. Where mowing is desired for a neat appearance, Zen Zoysias should be maintained between a 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch mowing height, though it can be cut as low as 3/8 of an inch. Frequency depends on the time of year and fertilization program. To avoid winterkill, raise height of cut in the fall to 3/4 to 7/8 inch, reduce cart traffic, and make sure drainage is adequate.
FERTILIZATION
	Zen Zoysias require frequent nitrogen applications only during the first three months of establishment. After a thick green appearance is established, one application every year or two is adequate. Over-fertilization with nitrogen can cause heavy thatch build-up. Zoysia's optimum pH range is 5.8 to 7.2, and an application of dolomitic lime at planting time and whenever soil tests indicate the need should help your Zoysia thrive.
WATER
	Though daily watering during the first 6 weeks to 3 months of establishment is critical, once established, Zoysia turf requires little or infrequent watering. Zoysia rate very high on the list of drought tolerant species. In fact, in a study at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, only Buffalograss rated lower for the least amount of potential evapotranspiration rates.