Zoysia Grass. Plugs vs Sod

bmac · Feb 1, 2006

As we try to rein in the spending on our new home, I'm looking for ways to save some money. We originally planned to sod the entire yard with Meyer Zoysia. Well, according to our landscape plan, we will need 65 pallets of sod to do the job. Than't over 3 flatbed trailer loads.

Someone suggested we place sod just around the house and use Zoysia plugs for the bulk of the lawn. While that would certainly save us a bunch, I'm not sure how the quality of the lawn will be after everything fills in. Will erosion that occurs between the plugs before the spreading of the grass is complete leave us with a "bumpy" lawn?

Now, before you answer, let me say one thing. I have always wanted a nice, smooth lawn. Never had one. Always some ruts and irregularities in any lawn I've had. I think my best chance for a carpet smooth lawn is with sod. But, if I can get a good result with plugs and a little patience, then this seems like a good alternative.

Another idea was to sod around the house and seed the bulk of the yard. The problem with this is having 2 different kinds of grass with different watering requirements and mowing needs. And, well, it would probably just look goofy.

In my area of Georgia, we don't have many turf options. Bermuda is far and away the most common grass used in lawns around here. It is what I have now. It is heat and drought tolerant and can look pretty good if you mow it twice a week. It is also very invasive and once it gets into the planting beds, its like eradicating cancer. For this reason, my wife and I want to avoid Bermuda.

Some do OK with fescue. However, its really a little too hot and dry here in the summer for fescue to thrive. You have to really pour the water to it in the summer and then overseed it each fall to fill in the areas that died off.

I learned this weekend that there are a couple of varieties of St. Augustine that can survive our winters. I have no experience with this other than what I have seen in Florida when visiting. Don't really like the texture. But, mowing requirements are minimal, from what I understand.

So, the best turf grasses for our area are Bermuda and Zoysia and we opted for Zoysia. Just don't want to buy (or install) 65 pallets. Does anyone have experience with plugging? How long does it take for the plugs to fill in? I think you space the plugs about 1 ft apart (could be wrong). I appreciate any comments you can offer.

HGM · Feb 1, 2006

bmac,
I really know nothing about this, though I'm trying to make my yard look good too... Since your starting out fresh, have you looked into the spray seeding they use in the subdivisions? Maybe its Bermuda, but it might be worthe looking into if you havent already.. Another thing that comes to mind is the soil prep, make sure that if you need to add lime,fertilizer or top soil to have that lush lawn, you have t done before hand... Again, I'm just thinking out loud, you need a better opinion, but these are things that come to my mind.....

So, are you getting close to moving in?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jeffinsgf · Feb 1, 2006

You missed another option. Seeding with Zoysia. It is not well known, but there are Zoysia varieties that can be started from seed. I planted an acre of Zoysia late last summer and it came on nicely. Would have done better if I had finished my grading earlier.

Here's a link to the place I bought my Zoysia Companion seed.

Outside Pride

bmac · Feb 2, 2006

Greg,

Thanks for the tips. I believe what you are referring to is called hydroseeding and, yes, I have considered it but haven't investigated the specifics yet. But I will, particularly in light of the post after yours.

 So, are you getting close to moving in?? 

I think we are 5-6 weeks away from move in.

bmac · Feb 2, 2006

Jeffinsgf,

 It is not well known, but there are Zoysia varieties that can be started from seed. 

Did not know that. Thanks. I'll check it out.

EddieWalker · Feb 2, 2006

bmac,

Do a search for zoysa here. There was a discussion ahwile ago about it and those who had it. I was thinking it might be the thing to get myself, but one of the negatives is how early in the season it goes dormant. Months earlier than Bermuda.

I had a lawn hydroseaded once on a spec home I built. The It was pretty pricey, but worked really well for a quick lawn. Lots cheaper than sod, but no zoysia.

I did a mix on bermuda and centapede. He told me the bermuda woudl come in quickly to fill in and lock the soil in place, and then over several years, the centapede would fill in and choke out the bermuda.

Centaped is a very low maintenace grass that does good in the south.

Another option to save a buck is to watch ebay in the spring. Some growers have auctions for sod by the tractor direct from the grower. It was less than half price of what I can get it locally this way, but I was just looking and didn't buy, so I have no direct knowledge one way or another.

I also had st augastine in a house one time. It's great for shade areas that get only a few hours of sun. It grows just as fast as bermuda, but has thicker blades. It's fun to cut because you can see the lines really nice. Maybe that's just me though. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck,
Eddie

dmccarty · Feb 2, 2006

OUCH!

The seed was $370 for a 25 pound bag!!!!!!!!

I just put 150 pounds of rye on the mud/yard for $75. Now this was a stop gap measure so I could have more time to decide what to do with the lawn. To put down the same amount of seed would cost over two grand!

That stuff at $47 for a 50 pound bag at Lowes is looking better! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I really want Zoysia since it seems to be the grass that requires the least amount of work and its hardy. But it sure is costly stuff....

Later,
Dan

Panache · Feb 2, 2006

I sprigged about 1/4 acre 3 years ago with Emerald zoysia. It is just now looking grown in. What you can do to get rid of the rouchness of plugs is spread 3/4" of sand over the whole area after several years. You should do this with sod after 1 year also to get a smooth yard. I will be sanding the area I sprigged this spring. Have you considered haveing the area sprigged?

bmac · Feb 2, 2006

Hello again, Eddie.

 but one of the negatives is how early in the season it goes dormant. Months earlier than Bermuda.


Cool! Shorter mowing season. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Seriously, I'll check with a friend of mine in this area to see when he turns brown / greens up. We usually do our last mow of the Bermuda early to mid October. And, quite truthfully, I'm usually ready before then for mowing season to come to an end. By the same token, I don't want a brown yard in August. I'll check in to this further. Thanks for the heads up.

 The It was pretty pricey, but worked really well for a quick lawn. Lots cheaper than sod 

That's what I'm looking for. quick lawn that's chaeper than sod. You could buy a decent car for what they told me it would cost to sod my entire lawn.

 Centaped is a very low maintenace grass that does good in the south. 

I can't say I've ever seen a centapede lawn in our area. They are probably out there, but I've never seen one. Just from my observations, I'd bet 90% of the lawns around here are Bermuda.

 It's fun to cut because you can see the lines really nice. Maybe that's just me though.


No, it's not just you. When I was researching lawn mowers, I spent some time on forum for lawn care professionals. I was very interested in getting something that would produce the nice stripes that you see on ball fields. My conclusion was that to get the best looking stripes, I would have to move north far enough to have a lawn of one of the cool season grasses. I don't recall anyone suggesting St. Augustine for good stripability. But, then again, I'm old and forgetful so maybe I just don't remember.

You probably know that they make rollers that go on the mowing decks that bend and compress the grass as its being cut to produce the nice stripes. I was ready to get one until they said I would not get good results with my Bermuda lawn. Dang!

jeffinsgf · Feb 2, 2006

( OUCH!

The seed was $370 for a 25 pound bag!!!!!!!!

I just put 150 pounds of rye on the mud/yard for $75. Now this was a stop gap measure so I could have more time to decide what to do with the lawn. To put down the same amount of seed would cost over two grand!

That stuff at $47 for a 50 pound bag at Lowes is looking better! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I really want Zoysia since it seems to be the grass that requires the least amount of work and its hardy. But it sure is costly stuff....

Later,
Dan )

It is spendy, but each seed is incredibly small -- about the size of the pointed end of a straight pin! I could not believe how little it took to cover an area. I spent about a thousand dollars for enough seed for an acre. I have enough left over for a pretty thorough over-seeding this summer.