# B-Rad's Meyer Zoysia Journey



## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Green Diary,

Installed Meyer Zoysia last November on a new construction project. Received soil test results yesterday from the UofA Agricultural Division. It calls for fertilizer to be added to the yard this month. Front and back yards call for different rates. Gonna spend this week trying to figure out what the soil test means. Looks like Latin...or maybe Chinese. The front yard looks to be in better shape than the back.

I have never treated, sprayed, or spread anything in a yard. I called a yard service and they said it was too soon to spray for weeds because the roots on my Zoysia are probably not established well-enough, and the sod would be damaged. I purchased a Ryobi sprayer and watched the Connor Ward video (below) to figure out how to "calibrate" a sprayer. I kept seeing people talk about it, but figured there was a dial or button on the unit (haha). Awesome tutorial for my fellow newbies. I used my driveway to spray with water so I could get a feel for how the tip sprayed and make sure I was overlapping. Learning moment...As a newbie, I am going to buy some marking dye. I get too scattered and forget where I applied on the yard. Today I put down Simple Lawn Solutions Humic Acid with Seaweed and a Lawn Star Liquid Iron. Watered-in after installing. This is definitely going to take some practice. The tip didn't leave a consistent fan on the concrete. Not sure if anybody has this issue. Kinda heavy in the middle and on the edges with a light zone inbetween.






I used the PictureThis app on my iPhone and crawled around the yard this morning snapping pictures on a "weed hunt". I'm not sure how accurate it is, but these are the weeds below I logged. It's more likely than not I ended up on my neighbors Facebook live feed.

*Front Yard Weeds*
Annual Bluegrass
Neckweed
Dallis Grass
Corn Speedwell
Mouse-ear Chickweed
Velvet Grass
Rescue Grass
Lesser Swine-cress
Japanese Nipplewort
Creeping Woodsorrel

*Back Yard Weeds*
Purple Dead-nettle
Corn Spedwell
Creeping Buttercup
Mouse-ear Chickweed
Perennial Rye-grass
Dallis Grass
Little Love Grass
Curly Dock
Lesser Swine-grass
Common Sorrel
Annual Bluegrass

I cut the yard today at 1 3/4" (B Setting) on the Rotary Toro. It works pretty good but doesn't like to be pulled backwards.

This year goals are to get the yard very healthy and work on the weeds to possibly begin leveling the lawn next year.

P.S. If you see me doing something completely idiotic, give me a heads up so I have time to make up a story to tell the wife why all of our grass died.

Over and out lawn buddies....

*FRONT YARD*


*BACK YARD*


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Wife is already threatening to fire me from yard duty...haha! I sprayed these products on the lawn to get some practice measuring chemicals and working with a sprayer. I figured these products would be newbie friendly. I had a little left over in the tank so I topped off the flowers and grasses. In the flower beds. Noticed a sponge-like something around a few of the plants.

Had to explain to her it was the "osmosis bifurcated uptake synopsis of the chlorophyll plant inhibitor generation process" and was a sign I knew 100% about what I was doing.

Hope I bought myself a little time....

The journey continues!


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Greg the friendly garden guy has saved the day! I'm back in business. Just a simple common case of "dog vomit fungus". I did admit I falsely diagnosed the situation but understandable "considering how closely it mirrored the osmosis process". :nod:

"This is just a sign that the superior organic materials I installed are working as Mother Nature intended."

Wife rolls :roll:

https://youtu.be/FNcC5AbXOkw


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Good for you for taking things on for yourself. It's work, but it's rewarding.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Thank you @Gilley11! I'm considering extending the no shoes rule from inside the house to include the yard. 

It is a lot of fun and therapeutic. I hit my activity level on my watch yesterday very quick and was able to skip the running. My wife did catch me getting crisped by the sun and came too late with sunscreen. Rookie Tip: Apply a generous amount of sunscreen...you have so much fun you forget how long you are outside.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

Dude, your journal is by far, the most entertaining to read. Haha! Good luck, and keep the comedy coming.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Thank you @BakerGreenLawnMaker!


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Diary,

I found a local SiteOne this week. It's on! And, my wife hates every single one of you :lol: Mingled with a paid pro and got some valuable advice.

Two takeaways:
Lawncare is like working out. Most people overthink whether curls with a dumbbell or resistance bands work better to build your guns. The important thing is to just do something until you figure out works best for you.

Celsius is like alcohol. Revolver is like marijuana. You mix them together and it's like alcohol and marijuana at the same time. Your yard loooooves it. 😂

Extremely nice guy.

I pulled into the driveway and wife asks if I was buying my own Fathers Day gifts now :nod:



So today I put down some nitrogen at the rate of 1/2 lb / 1,000 SF. Going to do 4 fertilizer treatments over the season for a total of 2 lbs. I want to get the weeds thinking....best yard ever to grow and then I'm gonna Mike Tyson them with the Tribute Total.

Never used a spreader before. I walked it down the street to get a feel for what speed the directions said to use. Kids were horrified but they came around. They even suggested I put the dog in the spreader and reenact ET. Not a bad idea!

Neighbor stopped me to let me know I've been spending a lot of time in the yard. You think? Ha! Asked what I was doing..."Well, I'm getting a feel for the micro and macronutrients and finding the right balance of homeostasis to drive the root hume vertical for maximum homeostasis."

I'll probably burn my yard with the fertilizer and Doug will know I'm full of sh/?!

I've got a good jump on the neighbor and am thinking about a sign between our yard that says #nomercy

Over and out lawn buddies....


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Diary,

Is it cool to name your yard? It seems I spend more time with her than any car I've ever had.

It's been raining a lot...staying cool and damp. Felt like fungus weather in my mind so I picked up a bag of Heritage G at SiteOne and threw it down at 4ish lbs per 1,000 SF. I'll tell you it's really hard to tell how wide the spreader broadcasts tiny pieces of fungicide.

I was cleaning my pool filter and noticed a lot of June bugs. I've read somewhere that these may be the cause of grubs. I'm going to head to Home Depot tomorrow and get something for grubs just in case. I think I found a mole hole, or God is starting to open a sink hole for my Dallis Grass. Either way, I'm spreading something. My wife says I'm sexy pushing a spreader around the yard. I aim to please.

I can't tell if I have thatch or dead grass from the sod. I'm tempted to dethatch it, but still leary getting that aggressive with it since it was laid in November.

Over and out....


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

It won't stop raining...but the package says I need 1 inch of water to activate GrubEX, so we spread in the rain! Waterproofed my wizz. My wife said I'm an idiot. I agree but reminded her there's a fine line between idiot and brilliant.



I think I have everything needed to mix and spray the Tribute Total. The directions said it works better with MSO and Ammonium Sulfate. I guess we'll see.



My phosphorus level is low in my back yard. It was pretty easy to find fertilizer with nitrogen and potassium at SiteOne. I was told phosphorus was the least important of the "3". Who knows? I read through @g-man soil write-up and found some 0-45-0 and the farmers co-op. I'm going to figure out how to supplement my back yard only with this. His write up was perfect for "brilliant" people like me.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I think it is brilliant. And yes your backyard needs P and K. 2lb/ksqft of the TSP you found.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Lawn Diary,

My N-Ext biostimulant pack arrived this week. I sprayed 3 oz/M of Rgs/Air8 and 3 oz/M of Humic 12/Microgreene. I also sprayed 1/4 lb of 20-20-20 fertilizer. I plan to spray the N-Ext products monthly, and small doses of fertilizer every 2 weeks.



I picked up some measuring cups from Amazon to figure out how long to run my sprinkler system. I believe this guy is a forum member based on his stickers, and his videos are awesome, easy to understand, and to the point.






My yard toys and tools were getting tough to organize, so I installed a Flow Wall system in the garage this week.



My grass is looking a little bronze, but I think it may be the weeds dying from the Tribute Total application.


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

Man your journal is great. I love reading it. Now the rain is gone for some time, I'm back on schedule for Zoysia install on Tuesday next week. Ready to get things going. Who installed yours when you built? I've got a guy (River Bottom Sod) out of the Perryville area coming.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

@PGunn I'm one step below a rookie...so read with "Caution" (signal word)! Learned about signal words today watching @thegrassfactor YouTube channel. You can really nerd out on that channel.

I have a residential contractor license and dealt with a landscaping crew I was familiar with. I worked a deal for installing flower beds, sprinkler system in front and back yard, and laying the sod. I also had them spread supersoil (topsoil/compost) before laying the sod. The zoysia came in squares. I couldn't find anyone nearby that cut zoysia on rolls similar to Bermuda. My sod came from Hawkins Grass Farm in Hot Springs. My plants came from River Valley Horticulture. They have a landscape designer on staff that will design your beds with plants that do well here in Arkansas. It's very reasonable and she also came and spaced them for me. Best money spent (<$200). Last house I built for us I guessed on plant placement.....looked awesome Year 1. My wife asked me what the hell I was thinking in Year 2 when the tall plants were in the front of the flower beds. :nod:

The only "tips" I can offer:
1) UA Coop will test your soil for free.
2) I purchased Tribute Total and it knocked the hell out of a lot of my weeds. The zoysia didn't seem to be impacted by it. I'll still need another app for some Dallisgrass.
3) I ordered Exteris Stressguard from SiteOne. It looks like Zoysia needs to be closely watched for fungus.
4) Try and read all of @Greendoc posts about zoysia.

_* Readers of these "tips" should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information from this lawn newbie without first seeking advice from a more experienced lawn nerd._


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## dubyadubya87 (Mar 10, 2020)

Subscribed, an entertaining read for sure. Plus, same region so I'll be stealing your good ideas for zoysia!


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

B-Rad said:


> @PGunn I'm one step below a rookie...so read with "Caution" (signal word)! Learned about signal words today watching @thegrassfactor YouTube channel. You can really nerd out on that channel.
> 
> I have a residential contractor license and dealt with a landscaping crew I was familiar with. I worked a deal for installing flower beds, sprinkler system in front and back yard, and laying the sod. I also had them spread supersoil (topsoil/compost) before laying the sod. The zoysia came in squares. I couldn't find anyone nearby that cut zoysia on rolls similar to Bermuda. My sod came from Hawkins Grass Farm in Hot Springs. My plants came from River Valley Horticulture. They have a landscape designer on staff that will design your beds with plants that do well here in Arkansas. It's very reasonable and she also came and spaced them for me. Best money spent (<$200). Last house I built for us I guessed on plant placement.....looked awesome Year 1. My wife asked me what the hell I was thinking in Year 2 when the tall plants were in the front of the flower beds. :nod:
> 
> ...


They are going to roll mine with big rolls so hopeful that will help with minimizing seams. I will probably wait till later this fall to send a soil sample into the U of A and for sure have to wait till next year before applying any herbicide.

Have you hit yours with any liquid iron yet? Lawnstar is sold out everywhere and SiteOne doesn't have straight 6% iron available. I have time to wait, so not an issue for me at this time.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

@PGunn I purchased 2 bags of FeATURE 6-0-0 from @SumBeach35. It was quick and shipped great. I read a lot of positive things about it could couldn't find it anywhere. I just applied 3 oz/1,000 SF of the N-Ext biostimulant pack and I believe one of the items in the series has iron in it. I'm applying this stack monthly...if for nothing else than to get some practice spraying.

The picture below is from today, or 4 days after the biostimulant series and 1/4 lb of sprayable Nitrogen/1,000 SF. We had a ton of rain after applying.

I have some brownish areas, and I'm not sure if it was very weed infested squares of sod or signs of a fungus. I'm going to start applications of Exteris Stressguard regardless.



Close picture of brownish area



My new neighbor has been working on a front yard project. We had a side bet going as to whether it was a koi pond, helicopter pad, or foundation for a storage building.....turns out to be a cinder block wall for a flower bed. I asked him if he knew he just built a swimming pool in my front yard. It was about 4" under water when it rained. He told me he takes care of his side and I'm responsible for mine. :roll:

My wife had just baked a pan of cinnamon rolls to take to them and welcome to the neighborhood. Looks like I'll be eating cinnamon rolls for the next week!


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

Im not sure where your at in Little Rock, but here in Conway we got a good dose of rain Monday and I would imagine it washed away alot of your bio-stim application. Since I dont have grass yet, I have been experimenting on my neighbors yard - we applied XGN 8-1-8 and Super Juice last night. I didn't know, what I didn't know and bought a bag of that stuff thinking Doc had made gold, and looks like it may not be as good as it is hyped up to be....  but it was in the garage so we gave it a whirl. We will see how his Zoysia takes it. I have bio-stim package in my garage and will hit my zoysia next week with RGS and Humic 12 once its down. @OD on Grass has a good video on liquid iron and that stuff seems to green it up quick, but dont think it last very long.

What is the world is the wall for? I'd find a way to pump that water over into his flower bed......


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## OD on Grass (Nov 1, 2018)

PGunn said:


> @OD on Grass has a good video on liquid iron and that stuff seems to green it up quick, but dont think it last very long.


I am currently experimenting with liquid iron timelines. My lawn Star stuff has worn off. It has been a month. BUT, I did just do PGR a week ago and based on what I'm seeing with how much it slowed my grass down (jaw drop), I'm thinking the liquid iron should last longer this time around. Doing my liquid app tomorrow. 30-0-0 and iron.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Lawn Diary,

Had me a #pisseroffer so I ordered some Lawn Rebel swag from @wardconnor to make myself feel better. AT&T buried my fiber optic cable approximately 0" into the ground. They sent a technician to they house and he says "That's no good." Pretty sure his name was Sherlock. A dig crew is being sent to trench it to the appropriate depth. I tried to make lemonade out of the situation and now have HBO Max, WiFi extenders, and my swimming pool panel is connected to the internet.



I cut the yard for the 3rd time this week. My stripes need some major work. I call these "B-Rad DUI Stripes". I'm trying to mow often enough that I have more firepower when I convince my wife I can't take the yard to the next level without a reel mower. I'm still trying to figure out the brownish color in the yard.



I decided to give my neighbor another chance after the retaining wall swimming pool landmark was built along our property line. There is a language barrier and probably some cultural differences...so I took a bottle of red wine 🍷. Cinnamon rolls are looooong gone. Turns out she's a single mom and her "friend" is doing the landscaping while he is in town to help her move in. I'm now mowing 2 yards. They changed the zoysia requirement in the subdivision and she has Bermuda. The subdivision developer built her house so I guess rules change quickly. I'll now get to play with 2 different grasses. She owns a Nail Salon...I live in a house with 3 girls. Bout to make more lemonade!

Over and out lawn buddies!


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

@B-Rad once you run out of that Lesco 20-20-20, pick up the Peter's 20-20-20. It's a finer substance and dissolves MUCH better than the Lesco. Plus, it's $20 cheaper shipped right to your front door.

I would mix the holy mess out of the Lesco and would still find undisolved granules in my filters. Have had none with the Peter's.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Thank you for the useful advice @Gilley11!


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Green Diary,

I sprayed 4oz/1,000 SF of Exteris Stressguard this afternoon. I plan to split 3 applications at this rate and alternate with Clearys 3336. This should give me a fungicide rotation with 3 groups.

*Rookie Takeaway*: The Exteris Stressguard is "very" green and will stain your britches and your wife will get pissed and speak harshly to you about playIng outside in your good clothes. :mrgreen:

I'll apply the Lesco Wet Plus tomorrow morning, water it in and mow tomorrow afternoon.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Popped out of bed early this morning to apply Lesco Wet Plus at a rate of 4oz/1,000 SF. Watered in 10 to 15 minutes on each zone after application.

Wife was worried when I got up so early..."Baby...if the sun is up the grass is ready for some lovin!"

Still battling dog vomit fungus in the flower beds. Looking for another material instead of the mulch. It fades color so quickly if I don't keep turning it over, and I don't want to mess with dying it.


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## RussellJ (May 31, 2020)

Nice journal


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

RussellJ said:


> Nice journal


How have I not found this gem earlier?! I'm loving it! You're way more entertaining than that @tcorbitt20 character! He's still my favorite journal though because he has Alpha grass... no offense...


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Diary,

Thank you @RussellJ and @Redtwin! I survived USMC bootcamp years ago, which left me permanently cured of "easily offended disease" :lol:

#OperationHelpMyNeighbor starts today :? *Sidenote*... if you wear a lawnforum.com shirt when you work in the yard...your neighbor automatically thinks you are a botanist. I just smile and hope like hell there is a thread here to help after she asks me a question. Classic example of looking the part.

The language barrier is real, but we smile and laugh...plus she brings me Patron Tequila and gives my wife manicures. I also learned fish sauce tastes better than it sounds! She has a hibachi grill on the back porch, and it's awesome! She moved here from Vietnam 2 years ago and now owns a nail salon...working from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM 6 days a week. Mad respect hustler!

Her "friend" drove in from California to give her a housewarming landscaping gift. It's been interesting. Dude definitely worked hard...but what a mess. I've uncovered 6 sprinkler heads buried under landscaping fabric, he built the flower beds with no soil (everything is planted in black mulch), buried her condensation lines, I watched him fight a tiller and sod netting for 3 days, created a drainage issue, drove a U-Haul truck through the yard after I watered leaving ruts, taped drainage connections together, and left me a ton of "decorative landscape border cinder blocks" to move. Talk about being conflicted...I hope he at least got a hug but I'm glad he headed back to California. I watched him work in the pouring rain with a rain suit on....so I give an A+ for effort. My wife says men are fools. 

She has some type of Bermuda. I've been watering, applied one application of fertilizer, sprayed some Tribute Total for weeds, and am just trying to get it to a manageable point.

The plan is to:
1) Skip the gym and move the decorative cinder blocks off of her grass.
2) Put extensions on the sprinkler heads to raise them a little so they can get above the mulch.
3) Work on a French drain system along her property line with a rock lined area to help the water flow to the street.
4) Dig our mulch from around her plants and backfill with soil.
5) Move some plants after I showed her they have tags that say some will get 6 feet wide and 4 to 6 feet tall.
6) Tell her in Vietnamese I like whiskey better than tequila.

Below are some pictures of his work. He told me he previously worked as a landscaper. I guess we all attempt to act like we know more than we really do :lol:


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Beautiful house... interesting roof design... not impressed with the landscaping though I could not do any better. I'd recommend ripping it all out a returning it to grass to her. Of course, that's additional gym sessions and runs you will be skipping.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Dear Diary,

It's been a busy week, but I made sure to make time for my needy yard. I cut this morning at 1" HOC. The right side of my front yard still has an area that looks to be struggling a little. Maybe its a spot that partiallly died from laying sod in November. I don't know. I ordered some Bifen I/T that I will apply in the event it is being caused by insects. Backyard also has some spots that are struggling.

*Front Yard*


*Back Yard*


*Front Yard Stepchild Area*


*#OperationHelpMyNeighbor* was an a$$ kicker. We got the sprinkler heads uncovered and raised, ran gutters to pop ups, put in a french drain, moved some plants and back-filled all plants with topsoil, and made a rock river to help the water flow to the street. Her "friend" showed back up from California this morning and drove a truck through the yard after watering for an hour. Oh hell no man. Please no more projects.









Since spending so much time in the yard, my kids have plenty of ideas for gifts and hooked a dad up for Father's Day. Stay tuned for stupid questions in the Pest forum folks.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Yo yo diary,

I mowed the yard at a HOC of 1". As low as the roto will go. Listened to @thegrassfactor on turfsupradio and decided to play a little drinking game and take a drink everytime he said the word "Nitrogen". Almost ended badly folks. Newbie Tip: Pick a less common word in the world of turf maintenance when drinking along.

I broadcast sprayed Tribute Total on the front and back yard at a rate of 0.073 ounces per 1,000 square feet. I used my Ryobi sprayer for the application. I added 5 ounces of MSO and dissolved 1 cup of AMS and added to the tank. This is my second round about 4.5 weeks after the first.

My neighbor brought me more 🥃 tonight for helping with her yard. I think we'll end up being best friends!


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

Looking good Brad and that Father's Day present looks very nice!


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

It's awesome! I walked around in the house with it on for a little just to confirm for my kids I've lost it to the lawn.

How is your sod taking in this weather @PGunn?


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

B-Rad said:


> It's awesome! I walked around in the house with it on for a little just to confirm for my kids I've lost it to the lawn.
> 
> How is your sod taking in this weather @PGunn?


Really good. Water water and more water, but have now backed off to every other day for longer run cycles to help promote root growth. I used RGS and XST on day 1 and then did Microgreene last week, and I must say it turned a very dark green in a few days and looks great. Tomorrow is day 14 and will do another round of XST and RGS. Overall, very please with the grass from Winrock Farms.

I sprayed BifenIT this morning and hope to finally run the spiders and other critters off for a while. I ended up going with 1oz/1gl and sprayed the vacant lot next to me, our retaining wall and the woods behind the house. I didn't do the grass, as I was scared with it being so new.


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## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

My season is coming to an end. Grass is on the early stages of checking out for the season. I learned a lot more about grass than I thought was possible 😆 Below is a picture from a few weeks ago and I'm very happy with the progress from the beginning of this season. I'm already planning out next years program. My biggest takeaway from this season....don't make it complicated. I think mowing with a reel mower, watering correctly, and NPK made the biggest impact. I put down a first round of Specticle Flo a week or so ago and will apply another round in around 30 days.

I am a little disappointed it's almost over for the year but think the break will lead to excitement for next year.


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## dubyadubya87 (Mar 10, 2020)

Looks awesome!
Are you far enough north for it to go totally dormant? I'm curious for this first year how mine will do. For instance my St.Aug. in the back didn't.


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