During the fall, mowing will occur less often—keeping your Geo slightly higher than the regular 0.5–1.5 inch height will encourage deeper root growth which helps it survive in colder temperatures and during winter dormancy.
WATERING
Water less as temperatures drop—too much water will lead to disease. Water to prevent drought stress while grass is actively growing and after the beginning stages of dormancy to prevent dehydration.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides to control winter annual and perennial weeds like chickweed, henbit, Poa annua, sedge, crabgrass or goosegrass. Apply post-emergent herbicides only when weeds are present.
INSECT CONTROL
Check for and control any white grubs. Treat with an insecticide if needed. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption.
FUNGUS CONTROL
If large patch disease is a common problem in your Geo, apply a fungicide at a preventative rate. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Consider mapping those areas because fungicide treatment can be expensive. Above all, read product label instructions thoroughly before application for detailed instructions.
If you have a mature, established Geo Zoysia lawn, drop your mower a notch and give your lawn a “buzz-cut” for the first mow of the spring with a rotary mower that has a sharpened blade. Bag up all the material to keep excess clippings from clumping or causing disease.
After your initial “buzz-cut,” begin mowing your Geo Zoysia grass at the height of 0.5–1.5 inches. You can return to spreading your mower clippings on the lawn at this time.
WATERING
Don’t overwater. Zoysia needs about one inch of water a week considering rainfall. If you apply any granular fertilizer or control product, you will need to water it in. This is a sufficient amount of water for the week. Overwatering may promote disease outbreak. Conduct an irrigation audit to evaluate how much water is being delivered to different areas of your lawn.
FERTILIZATION
For optimal results, feed your lawn during the spring season by applying Lawnifi Foundation, a granular fertilizer.
WEED CONTROL
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide when soil temperatures reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This will prevent summer annual weeds like crabgrass and goosegrass from plaguing your lawn and garden. Apply post-emergent herbicides in May as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like white clover, knotweed, spurge and lespedeza. Products containing multiple broadleaf active ingredients are more effective in controlling broadleaf weeds.
INSECT CONTROL
Apply a broad-spectrum insecticide to prevent spring insects from appearing or to control any current spring insects like billbugs or white grubs. If you see any white grubs, apply a systemic insecticide like Merit Imidacloprid .5G Granular Insecticide.
FUNGUS CONTROL
Apply a systemic fungicide at a preventive rate to keep disease from taking hold of your lawn. You may begin to see circular patches of brown or dead grass as your zoysia begins to green up. Do not apply fertilizer until you’ve applied a systemic fungicide at a curative rate and your grass has recovered.
Geo Zoysia mowing heights during the summer generally range from about 0.5–1.5 inches. When mowing during the summer, never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at a time. If you remove more than that, you will stress the grass and it may go brown for a short time. Taller blades provide more shade for your root system to stay cool and retain moisture during the hot summer days. If you are returning from vacation, you may have to mow multiple times to get the grass back to the desired height. Wait about three to five days between each mowing.
WATERING
Do not overwater the grass. Geo Zoysia only needs about one inch of water weekly. Water for longer periods of time, less frequently and in the early morning hours. Take rainfall into consideration.
It is not recommended that you apply an herbicide at this time because when temperatures exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the herbicide will damage the grass. Common weeds to look out for include crabgrass, goosegrass, dallisgrass, nutsedge, knotweed, lespedeza, spurge and sandbur.
INSECT CONTROL
Check for and control any white grubs. Apply Merit 0.5G to prevent grub worms and apply Scotts GrubEx or Dylox 6.2 to treat them if they are currently an issue. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Calculate that watering into your weekly watering amount. August is the best time to control grubs because they are small and feeding near the soil surface. Other insects to look out for include mole crickets, billbugs and spittlebugs.
FUNGUS CONTROL
Disease outbreaks in Geo Zoysia are uncommon at this time. Treat with a broad-spectrum fungicide like Heritage if needed. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Calculate that watering into your weekly watering amount.
During the fall, mowing will occur less often—keeping your Geo slightly higher than the regular 0.5–1.5 inch height will encourage deeper root growth which helps it survive in colder temperatures and during winter dormancy.
WATERING
Water less as temperatures drop—too much water will lead to disease. Water to prevent drought stress while grass is actively growing and after the beginning stages of dormancy to prevent dehydration.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides to control winter annual and perennial weeds like chickweed, henbit, Poa annua, sedge, crabgrass or goosegrass. Apply post-emergent herbicides only when weeds are present.
INSECT CONTROL
Check for and control any white grubs. Treat with an insecticide if needed. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption.
FUNGUS CONTROL
If large patch disease is a common problem in your Geo, apply a fungicide at a preventative rate. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Consider mapping those areas because fungicide treatment can be expensive. Above all, read product label instructions thoroughly before application for detailed instructions.
If you have a mature, established Geo Zoysia lawn, drop your mower a notch and give your lawn a “buzz-cut” for the first mow of the spring with a rotary mower that has a sharpened blade. Bag up all the material to keep excess clippings from clumping or causing disease.
After your initial “buzz-cut,” begin mowing your Geo Zoysia grass at the height of 0.5–1.5 inches. You can return to spreading your mower clippings on the lawn at this time.
WATERING
Don’t overwater. Zoysia needs about one inch of water a week considering rainfall. If you apply any granular fertilizer or control product, you will need to water it in. This is a sufficient amount of water for the week. Overwatering may promote disease outbreak. Conduct an irrigation audit to evaluate how much water is being delivered to different areas of your lawn.
FERTILIZATION
For optimal results, feed your lawn during the spring season by applying Lawnifi Foundation, a granular fertilizer.
WEED CONTROL
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide when soil temperatures reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This will prevent summer annual weeds like crabgrass and goosegrass from plaguing your lawn and garden. Apply post-emergent herbicides in May as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like white clover, knotweed, spurge and lespedeza. Products containing multiple broadleaf active ingredients are more effective in controlling broadleaf weeds.
INSECT CONTROL
Apply a broad-spectrum insecticide to prevent spring insects from appearing or to control any current spring insects like billbugs or white grubs. If you see any white grubs, apply a systemic insecticide like Merit Imidacloprid .5G Granular Insecticide.
FUNGUS CONTROL
Apply a systemic fungicide at a preventive rate to keep disease from taking hold of your lawn. You may begin to see circular patches of brown or dead grass as your zoysia begins to green up. Do not apply fertilizer until you’ve applied a systemic fungicide at a curative rate and your grass has recovered.
Geo Zoysia mowing heights during the summer generally range from about 0.5–1.5 inches. When mowing during the summer, never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at a time. If you remove more than that, you will stress the grass and it may go brown for a short time. Taller blades provide more shade for your root system to stay cool and retain moisture during the hot summer days. If you are returning from vacation, you may have to mow multiple times to get the grass back to the desired height. Wait about three to five days between each mowing.
WATERING
Do not overwater the grass. Geo Zoysia only needs about one inch of water weekly. Water for longer periods of time, less frequently and in the early morning hours. Take rainfall into consideration.
It is not recommended that you apply an herbicide at this time because when temperatures exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the herbicide will damage the grass. Common weeds to look out for include crabgrass, goosegrass, dallisgrass, nutsedge, knotweed, lespedeza, spurge and sandbur.
INSECT CONTROL
Check for and control any white grubs. Apply Merit 0.5G to prevent grub worms and apply Scotts GrubEx or Dylox 6.2 to treat them if they are currently an issue. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Calculate that watering into your weekly watering amount. August is the best time to control grubs because they are small and feeding near the soil surface. Other insects to look out for include mole crickets, billbugs and spittlebugs.
FUNGUS CONTROL
Disease outbreaks in Geo Zoysia are uncommon at this time. Treat with a broad-spectrum fungicide like Heritage if needed. If you use a granular variety, water the lawn immediately after application to help soil absorption. Calculate that watering into your weekly watering amount.
About 1 inch a week total irrigation spring & summer.
Water deeply, frequently, and in early AM.
WEED CONTROL
Pre-emergents prevent weeds from germinating.
Post-emergents kill weeds after they germinate.
A thick, luch lawn is the best deterrent to weeds.
DISEASE CONTROL
Overly wet grass + shade = fungus problems.
Apply systemic fungicide to prevent fungus outbreaks.
Use multiple fungicide applications to treat affected areas.
INSECT CONTROL
Use a broad spectrum insecticide that controls chinch bugs.
For a once-a-year treatment, July & August are good months.
If using a granular insecticide, water in after application.
Look for insect damage on grass blades and/or roots.
A WORD OF CAUTION FOR NEWLY SODDED LAWNS
A pre-emergent contains a chemical that prevents a weed from putting down roots. Because it is a root inhibitor, it can also negatively affect your new lawn, which is trying to establish itself by putting down roots.
If you successfully killed and removed your old lawn, including all the weeds in it, your newly sodded lawn should have relatively few weeds. It is suggested that you hand pick weeds out of your newly sodded lawn for the first season.
