# Power rake/dethatching for Zeon Zoysia



## ZeonJNix (Dec 13, 2019)

I see quite a few people doing this even with low cut turf. I've never done it, but kicking around the idea of doing it this spring. Question is, do I really need to? I maintain my Zeon anywhere from .5-.85. In the spring I plan to scalp to about .40 or so. Whatever it'll take without digging dirt. After that I plan to aerate. Is power raking or dethatching necessary? Would I benefit from it? My local Home Depot has the Classen power rake.


----------



## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I think it's pretty simple... do you have excessive thatch, and is your turf pretty puffy? Do you find your mower floating, washboarding, etc? Do you find it hard to get water into the soil, and see a bunch of run off from the grass?

If so, then it's worth getting the thatch removed and opening it up a bit.

I don't know how quickly zoysia will recover from it, but I have to imagine it'll need it at some point being maintained low.


----------



## gpbrown60 (Apr 7, 2018)

As FATCITY said if it feels spongy or puffy it probably needs dethatching. I scalp, dethatch and aerate my Tifway 419 in the spring. I spend quite a bit on fertilizer, soil amendments etc so I feel better knowing that it is getting down to the soil. A dethatching will also make it easier to cut. :thumbup:


----------



## ZeonJNix (Dec 13, 2019)

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be doing that in the spring. I feel like the fert and other products have a super hard time getting to the soil.


----------



## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

ZeonJNix said:


> Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be doing that in the spring. I feel like the fert and other products have a super hard time getting to the soil.


I have no idea about zeon zoysia. However, my Meyer Zoysia took a REALLY long time to recover from a combined preseason scalp and verticut. It looked like hell from March to May. I will scalp in early spring, but I won't verticut it again without it actively growing with summer heat. I usually do a later summer verticut as well.

It could have been that I was too aggressive with the verticutter or the DynaBlades were too aggressive???


----------



## ZeonJNix (Dec 13, 2019)

TulsaFan said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be doing that in the spring. I feel like the fert and other products have a super hard time getting to the soil.
> ...


Well dang, that's good information as well. So you will wait until June or so?


----------



## marcjw (Aug 28, 2020)

TulsaFan said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be doing that in the spring. I feel like the fert and other products have a super hard time getting to the soil.
> ...


I have zeon zoysia as well and was worried about the recovery. I wonder if aerating will suffice for zoysia?


----------



## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Perhaps @Greendoc can shed some light. He's pretty knowledgeable on all things zoysia amongst many other topics.

I know recovery can be slower, so I'd have to assume a vigorous growth would be best time.


----------



## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

ZeonJNix said:


> TulsaFan said:
> 
> 
> > ZeonJNix said:
> ...


The time I verticut and scalped with poor results was March 24, 2019. Typically, I won't fertilize until after April 15th. So, I wait until it has been in the 80's and the grass is actively growing before my first verticut...May or June depending on the weather pattern.

Of course, @Spammage or @Greendoc may tell you to do the opposite of what I suggested! :lol:


----------



## Rammy1546 (Jan 3, 2020)

I have Meyer in the front I plan to scalp and aerate in the spring as well. Wondering what @Greendoc thinks is best for us.


----------



## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

I let the forecast tell me when it's time. When the general consensus is that the lows will be at 40+, I scalp it to the dirt and power rake the hell out of it. My blades are 1" apart, so if you have a true verticutter, they are likely closer together than that. I did get delayed response one Spring when we had unseasonably late cool weather, but I still think this is the best approach.


----------



## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

those flail blade machines are overly aggressive in my opinion for your situation. One of those rental companies, name escapes me at the moment, had a bluebird 'slit seeder' version. call Abell turf and tractor, better yet, drop in to talk ...i think you could convince him to rent you something better than residential options. (if u do, let me know)

i tend to prefer May to do anything stressful for my zoysia. yes, it greens up early March (head fake of warm weather) then cool spell in april and it just stalls. I have slopes and shade so your situation may be different.

-Doug


----------



## Huff (Oct 22, 2018)

I have a lot of zoysia (not sure what cultivar, but it's wide bladed)in my yard that was looking poor last year. Couldn't figure out if it was pest or fungus pressure. Ran my Sun Joe scarifier and cleaned out all the excess thatch and dead grass and within a couple of weeks, the grass looked 100% better. Will do it again this year, but only when the grass is vigorously growing.


----------



## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

Since grass grows two ways, horizontally and vertically, depending on the cultivar it will need "thinning" or verticut/dethatch at some point. This allows water and nutrients to have access to the soil. It decreases the probability of fungal infestation and increases the amount of oxygen in the soil. It also provides space for this horizontal growth which helps the grass's vigor.

A groomer is another device which does this, but usually it just reduces the frequency needed for more aggressive procedures. The faster a grass grows, the more often this thinning is needed, especially on grasses that have both rhizomes and stolons.

Whenever I hear someone comment like "I wish I had a heavier mower so it would sink down lower in my grass", I'm thinking "you need to verticut." I have no experience with Zeon and don't know where it sits in the grass growth spectrum, so this may or may not be applicable to you.


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

ZeonJNix said:


> I see quite a few people doing this even with low cut turf. I've never done it, but kicking around the idea of doing it this spring. Question is, do I really need to? I maintain my Zeon anywhere from .5-.85. In the spring I plan to scalp to about .40 or so. Whatever it'll take without digging dirt. After that I plan to aerate. Is power raking or dethatching necessary? Would I benefit from it? My local Home Depot has the Classen power rake.


No on dethatching. No on aeration. If you are mowing Zeon low enough and not overdoing the Nitrogen, there should be no thatch. My idea of adequate N for Zeon is 0.1 lb per month of active growth. Spring scalping is ok to do when the grass resumes active growth. Do not confuse spring green up with active growth. At that time, the grass is green, but barely growing. Be careful.


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

TulsaFan said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be doing that in the spring. I feel like the fert and other products have a super hard time getting to the soil.
> ...


Cutting deeply into the ground with Dynablades is pretty aggressive. When dealing with Zoysia, I leave things at an early summer down to the dirt scalp. Verticutting is an appropriate procedure for golf greens and other areas that are getting too much Nitrogen. Verticutting is not needed when the grass is being mowed low enough and the N is limited.


----------



## ZeonJNix (Dec 13, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> ZeonJNix said:
> 
> 
> > I see quite a few people doing this even with low cut turf. I've never done it, but kicking around the idea of doing it this spring. Question is, do I really need to? I maintain my Zeon anywhere from .5-.85. In the spring I plan to scalp to about .40 or so. Whatever it'll take without digging dirt. After that I plan to aerate. Is power raking or dethatching necessary? Would I benefit from it? My local Home Depot has the Classen power rake.
> ...


I kept my Zeon between .60 and .85 last summer. I felt like it looked better at .85, but I love to keep my grass low and love the tight look at .550 - .600. My plan is to try and maintain at .50 this summer. And from what you just mentioned I will not dethatch. I did aerate last spring. Why should I not aerate?


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

It is wasted work unless the objective is to remove organic matter from a sand based media. That process involves coring, removing the cores pulled, then sanding and filling the holes created.


----------



## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I think the take away is following the #1 of nitrogen per 1k notion you see a lot.

I get away with less than .5#/1k every two months with my bermuda and feel like even then it could be a bit much.

Good to know on the zoysia for sure!


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

FATC1TY said:


> I think the take away is following the #1 of nitrogen per 1k notion you see a lot.
> 
> I get away with less than .5#/1k every two months with my bermuda and feel like even then it could be a bit much.
> 
> ...


----------



## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> > I think the take away is following the #1 of nitrogen per 1k notion you see a lot.
> ...


I agree after this past year. When you want the color pop, water it or add some iron to the spray regimen usually does it.

Any injury or traffic issues is when I will push it.


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

The reason why I push for pH correction is the grass stays green on minimal N. I could ignore soil pH but then need to chase green with more N, more water, and more of everything else.


----------



## ZeonJNix (Dec 13, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> The reason why I push for pH correction is the grass stays green on minimal N. I could ignore soil pH but then need to chase green with more N, more water, and more of everything else.


Very interesting on the amount of N needed on low cut turf. I knew that Zeon required less N, but I definitely didn't realize that it needed this little. So what would say the optimum PH level for Zeon in Atlanta, GA is?


----------



## marcjw (Aug 28, 2020)

Applying N greendoc's method we may can apply it during PGR applications in liquid form. Last year I ended up using PGR last part of summer cause maintaining reel low turf was wearing me out (mowing almost every other day). Applying N in liquid form, do you weigh up .1lb/1k the same as you would granular?


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

ZeonJNix said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> > The reason why I push for pH correction is the grass stays green on minimal N. I could ignore soil pH but then need to chase green with more N, more water, and more of everything else.
> ...


pH 6.5. Zoysia becomes pale and chlorotic if grown on acidic soil. The response to fertilizer is also no longer predictable.


----------

