# New Zoysia project - Jamur, Zorro or Zeon?



## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

I moved to this new house in November and am getting ready to start my first Zoysia sod project. Everything down here is St Augustine which I am not a fan of, I am used to the softer grasses from up North. I live in Anahuac Texas (Southeast) where it is very swampy and wet. Most peoples yards hold water after heavy rains. The soil is thick, horrible draining clay. (will be getting a soil test soon). I will be bringing in a couple trucks of topsoil (maybe topsoil/sand mix?) and regrading back there to encourage water runoff to the sides and towards the back (there's a drop off to the Bayou in the back behind the fence).

I originally was looking at Zorro or Zeon as I am attracted to the look. I think after reading more that I may not be ready for that and have since started looking at Jamur. Based on what I've read (there seems to be limited information that I can find), it seems like a much higher recovery rate from damage, heartier etc. It's not the super fine blade that I prefer, but it doesn't look like stiff straw like St Augustine either. I do like that it appears to grow in really thick and dense. If the Bride can walk barefoot then we will be happy. I also like to mow short, but was reading on another forum that a couple guys couldn't mow less than 3" or it would be all brown and just stem, however it's listed as being able to be mowed down to 1/2".

I'm going to sod down the side and back of the pool (full sun), and as far back into the woods as the shade will let me get away with. Just behind that first cluster of trees is a big opening that gets sun throughout the day, currently trying to convince the wife to let me take out that center cluster. These pictures are facing north, and late in the day. There is more sun back there closer to noon.

I will start dirt work next week and will start posting my progress.

Anyone have experience with Jamur? Jamur in shady areas? Will Zorro and Zeon be a lot more shade tolerant? Is Jamur "soft"? Mowing heights on Jamur?

Thanks!

https://imgur.com/2uW2syF
https://imgur.com/lxNPGTf


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## Darth_V8r (Jul 18, 2019)

SoutheastTXZoysia said:


> ,,,
> I originally was looking at Zorro or Zeon as I am attracted to the look. I think after reading more that I may not be ready for that and have since started looking at Jamur. Based on what I've read (there seems to be limited information that I can find), it seems like a *much higher recovery rate from damage*, heartier etc. It's not the super fine blade that I prefer, but it doesn't look like stiff straw like St Augustine either. I do like that it appears to grow in really thick and dense. If the Bride can walk barefoot then we will be happy. I *also like to mow short*, but was reading on another forum that a couple guys *couldn't mow less than 3" or it would be all brown and just stem*, however it's listed as being able to be mowed down to 1/2".
> ...


Since you highlit fast recover rate and mowing low, perhaps tifgrand bermuda would make sense?

As to what those guys on other forums reported, sounds like all they needed was a cut height reset. Mow it very very low to get rid of all the brown material, then raise the deck a notch. it'll stay green at the new lower HOC after that.

Several of my neighbors have zeon and they like it. you can tell a big difference between the neighbor with trees and without. I think given everything you've listed, Jamur is your best bet as a zoysia.

But seriously, consider that a quality bermuda might make sense for you as well.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

Love the pool / hot tube area.

If drainage is an issue I would stick with Bermuda.

Sounds like TifGrand might be a good choice.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Wow! Beautiful!!! With all that sun, Tifgrand would look incredible around that pool.


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## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

Thanks guys! Looks like tonight after work is going to turn into an all night bermuda research session haha. I like the look of short Bermuda, but I had discounted it assuming that no Bermuda would hold up in shady areas? Also do you guys have recommendations for soil testing? I was going to test the existing soil/clay but also the topsoil I bring in as there will be at least a couple inches everywhere of the new topsoil.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

Those are excellent zoysia varieties. I have test plots of Zorro, Zeon, Geo, Jamur, and Empire with varying amounts of shade. If you're in full sun, these will all do great. If you're mowing with a rotary mower, I would go with Jamur since it cuts well with a rotary, but I don't think I would maintain it shorter than 1". Jamur has a relatively dark color for zoysia and does spread decently well (except in the shady spots I have).

However, if you want a super short, dense carpet-like turf, then Zorro or Zeon will be excellent. I did have some disease issues last year with Zorro, but I think I over-fertilized and over-watered it, creating disease pressure. Neither of these will recover from damage quickly and both really should be cut with a reel mower to reach their full potential.

As others have said, TifGrand Bermuda would also be an exceptional variety if you're in full sun and want to mow short with a reel mower. If I was going with Bermuda, I would choose TifGrand. However, I don't think Bermuda would do as well as zoysia around those trees, but I could be wrong.

This is a tough call. I think with the trees being nearby, Jamur will be your best option since it can be mowed easily with a rotary and you may have leaves and other debris to contend with. It does ok in the shade, but spreads/recovers a whole lot slower without lots of sunlight.

For the soil test, you may be better off waiting until after the topsoil is added. If it were me, I would wait until after the sod was installed and then I would get a soil test to determine what to do from there.


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## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

Tide said:


> Those are excellent zoysia varieties. I have test plots of Zorro, Zeon, Geo, Jamur, and Empire with varying amounts of shade. If you're in full sun, these will all do great. If you're mowing with a rotary mower, I would go with Jamur since it cuts well with a rotary, but I don't think I would maintain it shorter than 1". Jamur has a relatively dark color for zoysia and does spread decently well (except in the shady spots I have).
> 
> However, if you want a super short, dense carpet-like turf, then Zorro or Zeon will be excellent. I did have some disease issues last year with Zorro, but I think I over-fertilized and over-watered it, creating disease pressure. Neither of these will recover from damage quickly and both really should be cut with a reel mower to reach their full potential.
> 
> ...


This is good advice. I love the look of the tiffgrand, but I think realistically I wouldn't get a reel mower in the next year or so, so I will be using a rotary to start. And mowing Jamur at 1" would be just fine, I just didn't want to be stuck with a grass I needed to cut over 2". On your test plot, does Zorro and Zeon work better in the shad than Jamur?


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## Lawn Smith (Jun 8, 2020)

SoutheastTXZoysia said:


> I moved to this new house in November and am getting ready to start my first Zoysia sod project. Everything down here is St Augustine which I am not a fan of, I am used to the softer grasses from up North. I live in Anahuac Texas (Southeast) where it is very swampy and wet. Most peoples yards hold water after heavy rains. The soil is thick, horrible draining clay. (will be getting a soil test soon). I will be bringing in a couple trucks of topsoil (maybe topsoil/sand mix?) and regrading back there to encourage water runoff to the sides and towards the back (there's a drop off to the Bayou in the back behind the fence).
> 
> I originally was looking at Zorro or Zeon as I am attracted to the look. I think after reading more that I may not be ready for that and have since started looking at Jamur. Based on what I've read (there seems to be limited information that I can find), it seems like a much higher recovery rate from damage, heartier etc. It's not the super fine blade that I prefer, but it doesn't look like stiff straw like St Augustine either. I do like that it appears to grow in really thick and dense. If the Bride can walk barefoot then we will be happy. I also like to mow short, but was reading on another forum that a couple guys couldn't mow less than 3" or it would be all brown and just stem, however it's listed as being able to be mowed down to 1/2".
> 
> ...


I have zeon in a fairly shaded yard and it does great. The blades are very fine and is much more efficient at capturing sunlight than other zoysia types. I mowed it at 2+ inches for 3 years with a rotary mower and it looked great. I bought a reel mower last fall and got it down to 1" and looked even better. Another thing I like is that it is always the last to go dormant and first to green up. I was mowing almost into December last year here in Atlanta.

The downside of zeon though is the maintenance. It grows quickly and needs to be mowed 2-3 times a week if kept below 1". It also should be detached at least once a year and is sensitive to fertilizer. I think anything over 1 lb of fertilizer in a season is asking for fungus. But if you stay on top of your fungicide treatments you should be fine.

Hope this helps.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

SoutheastTXZoysia said:


> This is good advice. I love the look of the tiffgrand, but I think realistically I wouldn't get a reel mower in the next year or so, so I will be using a rotary to start. And mowing Jamur at 1" would be just fine, I just didn't want to be stuck with a grass I needed to cut over 2". On your test plot, does Zorro and Zeon work better in the shad than Jamur?


It's difficult to definitively say which one is doing better since the shade and some other variables are different. My Zorro plot gets more sun than my Jamur plot. I would say the Jamur is a faster spreader if the sun is more than 4 or 5 hours of direct light each day. In dense shade, Zorro might be better, but I don't really have a densely shaded Zorro area. I do know that Zorro scored extremely high for shade in the NTEP trials, which is good news if you decide to get Zorro.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Zenith Zoysia, or TifTuf bermuda if 3/4-full sun. I have Zeon. Note it's been left off the list


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Zenith Zoysia, or TifTuf bermuda if 3/4-full sun. I have Zeon. Note it's been left off the list


@SCGrassMan Just curious your experience with Zeon?

Thanks


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Zenith Zoysia, or TifTuf bermuda if 3/4-full sun. I have Zeon. Note it's been left off the list
> ...


Check the lawn journals in my sig. the biggest issue I have is it's very slow to repair. So basically it just looks a little worse every year.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > SCGrassMan said:
> ...


 :thumbup:


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## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

Redtwin said:


> Wow! Beautiful!!! With all that sun, Tifgrand would look incredible around that pool.


Looks like I may have to change my screenname! Been reading and looking at tifgrand and am leaning towards that or possibly tiftuf. Tiftuf would be easy for me to get, I still havent found anyone that has tifgrand. Calling a farm today but I doubt they'd deliver that far. I like the darker color of tifgrand, but I don't have an irrigation system and was hoping to water with sprinklers just when we are in a drought period, not an every few days type thing. Typically we get lots of rain.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

Lawn Smith said:


> The downside of zeon though is the maintenance. It grows quickly and needs to be mowed 2-3 times a week if kept below 1". It also should be detached at least once a year and is sensitive to fertilizer. I think anything over 1 lb of fertilizer in a season is asking for fungus. But if you stay on top of your fungicide treatments you should be fine.


This is the gospel truth. I have zeon in San Antonio. I keep it reel mowed at 1" and need to mow it twice a week to maintain. I scalp to the dirt and dethatch every spring. I barely fertilize it (once last year!) and it still grew wonderfully. It is slow to recover and is VERY vulnerable to disease that comes from being too wet. It is beautiful, soft, and dense, and carpet-like, yet watching for disease is my number one concern. I keep water and fert to a minimum and rotate 3 modes of action for preventative disease prevention. For me it does well in both sun and shade. It's beautiful. But you must know how to care for it.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

No bermuda is as soft (as in dampen) to the heel ....if u had to run 5 miles u wouldn't chose bermuda.

Zeon undoubtedly looks the best, lot of options on hoc and mower ....just need to drain any excess water well. Jamar shade tolerance- my observation is zeon or zorro wins


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## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

Tide said:


> SoutheastTXZoysia said:
> 
> 
> > This is good advice. I love the look of the tiffgrand, but I think realistically I wouldn't get a reel mower in the next year or so, so I will be using a rotary to start. And mowing Jamur at 1" would be just fine, I just didn't want to be stuck with a grass I needed to cut over 2". On your test plot, does Zorro and Zeon work better in the shad than Jamur?
> ...


Do you happen to have any pictures of your Jamur?


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

SoutheastTXZoysia said:


> Tide said:
> 
> 
> > SoutheastTXZoysia said:
> ...


I don't have any at the moment that would be a good representation of what you might can expect since it's still coming out of dormancy. I don't suspect it will be growing in full force for at least another few weeks.


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## SoutheastTXZoysia (Apr 10, 2021)

Thanks everyone! Pulled the trigger today and ordered Jamur Zoysia.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

SoutheastTXZoysia said:


> Thanks everyone! Pulled the trigger today and ordered Jamur Zoysia.


Good choice! Jamur is a great cultivar and should do well in your scenario. 


jayhawk said:


> No bermuda is as soft (as in dampen) to the heel ....if u had to run 5 miles u wouldn't chose bermuda.
> 
> Zeon undoubtedly looks the best, lot of options on hoc and mower ....just need to drain any excess water well. Jamar shade tolerance- my observation is zeon or zorro wins


On a side note, @jayhawk , you're saying you prefer the looks of Zeon or Zorro to TifGrand, correct? How would you compare and contrast TifGrand and Zeon?


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

@tide yes. Disease pressure, sensitivity is higher. The way it grows, harder to get the 'scalped' look. Denser, softer and curb appeal. Fewer weeds (when was untreated for a time period).

however, Reel low cut tifgrand is spectacular, pictures can't convey it well. I fell into it, was just looking for shade tolerance to share a border with a neighbor and wow, love it. In my yard, TG grows slower and is less aggressive than it's cousins. Dollar spot on occasion. Darker green. Visually handles drought better than my zoysia.@Iriasj2009 has had both, nice journals.


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## ckeck (Apr 20, 2021)

drewwitt said:


> This is the gospel truth. I have zeon in San Antonio. I keep it reel mowed at 1" and need to mow it twice a week to maintain. I scalp to the dirt and dethatch every spring. I barely fertilize it (once last year!) and it still grew wonderfully. It is slow to recover and is VERY vulnerable to disease that comes from being too wet. It is beautiful, soft, and dense, and carpet-like, yet watching for disease is my number one concern. I keep water and fert to a minimum and rotate 3 modes of action for preventative disease prevention. For me it does well in both sun and shade. It's beautiful. But you must know how to care for it.


Hey Drew 👋, it's Chad (from Geekdom). Small world!

I'm about to install an entirely new Zoysia lawn. I was planning to put in El Toro Zoysia, but there doesn't seem to be any available. My fallback choices were Zeon or Zorro. Any thoughts on those?

Would love to chat about your experience installing and maintaining.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

Hey! So great!

I only know Zeon....so I'm biased....would love to chat!


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