# Zorro Zoysia



## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I just had my lawn renovated this week. I removed centipede and replaced with Zorro Zoysia on house we recently purchased. It looks like a different house with the Zoysia. As a new member, I did have a few questions:

1. I know the sod was just laid, but when could it be top-dressed? I have some areas that are uneven as there was some variation in thickness of the sod from the farm. I guess some is expected as we had 5,000 square feet (10 pallets) installed. I assume I should wait until it is rooted. Should I do this before my first cut?

2. What HOC would people recommend? I was thinking of going a little higher, around 0.75 inches, as this is new installed grass. Ultimately, I would like to get HOC to 0.5 inches.

3. What are other Zorro owners cutting their grass with. I have yet to but a mower, but looking at a JD 220e. I had looked at a McLane at my local JD dealer but think the JD 220e is a better machine and it would be worth the extra money.

I will try and post some before and after renovation pictures later.


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## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

I just put down Tifgrand sod about 6k sqft 3 weeks ago. Mowed first time today at .75. Probably gonna take it down to .5. I also mow with a JD 220 E. So far I'd say it's a great mower.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

I'm not sure I'm completely sold on my Zorro, but the I believe the sod they used was subpar from the beginning and I'm going to try to nurse it into quality turf. Right now the South end of the lawn is near death due to near constant shade, and the people that graded the lawn did a garbage job.

I was cutting with a rotary at 2.5-3 inches until this year, I recently cut it at 3/4 inch and am waiting for the lawn to come to life....this spring has been a bummer for so many reasons.

Anyway, it's nice to have another Zorro member, good luck with your lawn!

EDIT: I forgot you had questions

I would wait until the lawn is rooted in well and is in full growth, probably June before leveling and topdressing.

I think 1/2-3/4 inch is fine

I'm cutting with a Swardman, but any reel/greens mower will do fine. A JD 220E would be a great choice.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I bet! Is it in full sun?

Someone in Houston had it, looked great but after Harvey....had seen him.


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## Txag12 (Apr 22, 2018)

Here's a photo of Zorro my former boss and I planted at work. We opted to not maintain it and to just see how it would do. It got crazy dense but much tallee than about 8". That was until the property manager decided to have it cut and the lawn crew cut it with a string trimmer. Completely ruined it after that and took about 2 years to recover.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Thanks for the replies.

I looked at other Zoysia varieties and thought Zorro was the best looking and had the best shade tolerance of the ones I researched and can obtain locally. I am luck that there are multiple sod farms locally and can easily visit them.

I will say it is starting to green up nicely. I have been irrigating and we got about 3 inches of rain over last 36 hours. One perk of my new house is it came with an irrigation well. Nothing like free water for the lawn.

I will probably start my HOC at 0.75 inches and then decrease to 0.5 inches after leveling and topdressing. I like the June suggestion as far as time frame.

I am still working the deal on the JD 220e but it looks like the choice. I do also like the Swardsman you have Gatormac. 2112


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Finally getting around to posting pictures. This post is useless without pictures. Here are some before pictures. Finally got the pictures to show up.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

During pictures:


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

After Pictures:


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Finally got pictures corrected.


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## Bunnysarefat (May 4, 2017)

:thumbup: Fine choice on the Zorro. It's going to look great in no time. I think you want to wait until the grass is growing vigorously before you top dress. But I know little about zoysia other than it looks cool and is soft.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I'd like to know what is different regarding Zorro and zeon according to pros, as an enthusist. I know zeon has a marketing machine. Looks like itd be hard to distinguish side by side.

Initial reaction to some of your questions ...lot of big trees and some amount of shade. Not that Zorro cant handle ....just realize growth correlates to sun. That includes rooting time.

I'd stay conservative year 1 (don't break 1/3 rule) and learn /observe it's growth rate - meaning forget about leveling.

Don't overdo N - focus on P&K for disease resistance and root Dev. It's not bermuda.

With the shade, fungal preventatives likely something to look into.

Don't over water after it roots....learn to notice the signs it needs some


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Jayhawk,

Thanks for the reply. I did some research on shade before I picked Zorro. It was the best shade tolerant Zoysia through the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program. So hopefully it works out. I had Compadre Zoysia at my previous house and it did not do that well in shade. Hoping for a better result.

I agree that leveling might be out this year. There are a few low spots but for most part not too bad. Plus getting it rooted and growing well is my top priority.

As far as fertilizeration, I usually use the NC State Turf files as a guide. It has worked well in the past for my grass. I have also had Bermuda in the past and you are right, it loved nitrogen. I gave it some nitrogen and could see it grow right before my eyes.

Any suggestion on fungal preventatives?


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

I'd give that a good rolling out with one of those rollers. A lot of that doesn't look stuck down too well in my opinion.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> I'd give that a good rolling out with one of those rollers. A lot of that doesn't look stuck down too well in my opinion.


Funny you say that. I said the same thing after it was completed and took the pictures. I had landscapers come back and I along with them, did some leveling of the pieces that did not look stuck down or were higher than others. Figured out one to two pallets of sod were thicker than other pallets. Poor quality control at the farm and laziness of landscapers to level out those pieces. After some work, the yard was rolled again and looks better to me.


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## Txag12 (Apr 22, 2018)

Looks great.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Thanks.
After all the rain, it has greened up nicely. Got over 5 inches here yesterday.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Show us an update &#128512;


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## Cman (May 4, 2018)

Second the update. Interested in seeing it.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I'll get some pictures uploaded this evening after work


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## Guest (Jul 3, 2018)

Following this. I was very close grabbing to zorro zoysia.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Here are a few images of the yard from about a month ago. I haven't taken any more recent pictures.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

So overall I am happy with the yard and my choice of Zorro Zoysia. The front half of the yard is growing in real thick but that's because it's in full sun. The back half of the yard is growing slower but I think that has to do with the shade.

I will try and take some new pictures this weekend when I cut again. I usually cut the lawn 2-3 times a week. I am down to twice a week currently as it is getting time to fertilize again. I did decide to take this year and try to get it grown in and do any leveling next year. I also have some sedge in the yard left over from the prior yard and my neighbors. I am going to go after that problem this fall. Not going to deal with that now. And I going to change over to a liquid fertilization program as I think it is the best way to go after reading on the forum. Plus my 20+ year old spreader need replacement so what better time to switch over.

Now this grass has not been without problems, but most were self inflicted. The pictures taken show HOC at about 1.5 inches with a Honda rotary mower. So I decided to try and take the HOC down over a few weeks to the lowest level on the mower which would be 3/4 inch. I figured there would be some scalping but I would have months for it to repair itself. Plus I decided I would rather hit the ground with the the rotary than the Swardman reel mower I ordered. The Swardman never got delivered but that's another story. Unfortunately, the scalp area were between the beds and in the left corner of the yard by the house. All shaded areas. They are all slowly coming back except for a strip of about 6-7 squares of sod. Not sure if the scalp damaged it, they were bad pieces of sod or had possible fungus (as the area is shaded and does stay wetter than rest of the yard) The pieces never rooted down also . I did put down some Scotts Disease Ex in case it was a fungus about a week ago. Haven't seen much of a change. So might be replacing an area next year. And if that is all I have to replace after installing 10 pallets, I call that a success. My HOC now is 1.25 inches. I think I am going to stay there for the rest of the year. Will probably go down to 1 inch if I get the reel mower, but for now sticking with Honda rotary.

So I would buy Zorro again if I were to do it all over. It looks better than the Compadre Zoysia I had at my former house. And it performs better in shade. And even with my recovering scalped areas, I look better than my neighbors.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Thanks for sharing. Relatively weed free ++

At an inch -ish ....you see the cool season like stripes @gatormac2112 laid down on his ? Something to look forward to!


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

If Zorro and Zeon are similar in growth habit, those grasses stripe nicely at 0.5" and higher. To me, the growth habit is more like Fine Fescue except the grass can take the heat and is not killed by lower mowing.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I actually do see some striping of the grass at 1.25". Granted not as pronounced as I would expect at a lower cut. I will try and show what I mean in my next pictures. I am looking forward to striping that stands out.


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## Grass Clippins (Apr 30, 2018)

@dwells97 Beautiful. Looks like a totally different house.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Cut it yesterday before threat of rain, dropped it from 1.25 to 1 inch


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@gatormac2112 looks great! :thumbup:


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

@Grass Clippins Thanks.

@gatormac2112 That yard is looking great. Hope to get mine to look that good.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

@dwells97 Nothing like reel cut Zoysia. Warm season grasses with the exception of St Augustine and Bahia will stripe. Your yard looks like something I would put a GM 1000 or equivalent on any day. :thumbup:


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

@gatormac2112 Very nice!! Glad to see some Zorro discussion. I'm on my second summer with mine. I have one section that gets 3 hrs of sun in June/July and less the rest of the year. It does pretty well with minimal sun. Definitely thinner and I can't be aggressive at all. The shady spots seem to do better cut above 1" and basically left alone.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Thanks for the kudos everyone! The south side of my lawn looks horrendous and at first I thought it was due to shade, but now realize it is due to retained moisture in the soil. Other than that I'm very happy with the Zorro.

@dwells97 and @scarlso2 looking great!


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

@Greendoc Thanks for the advice. Looks like I will start shopping for a reel mower again.

@gatormac2112 Thanks for the moisture information. That maybe more of my problem than the shade. My problem are is in shade but is also in an area that stays wetter than the rest of the yard.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Zoysia in general cannot take the combination of standing water or wet soil and no sun. If an area is mostly dry but shady, the Zoysia is fine. If it is a little wet, but in full sun the grass manages. But not if it is shady and wet.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I will have to adjust the sprinklers time in that area to see if that will help. If not looks like I might have to do some drainage work and maybe replace that section of turf if it does not rebound.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

In full sun Zoysia can be a water hog. In shade or darkness, less is better.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Just adjusted my Rachio controller. So we'll see if that section improves with less water.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I got to mow today. Little late in mowing this week with the holiday.

Before:





After:





Was able to create a little striping with my rotary mower


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I do have some ares that do not look as good. These areas were scalped when I was cut at lowest setting on mower. Needless to say I found the high spots in the yard. They are in shady areas between the beds and the left corner of the yard. Majority of sod has rooted down and looks to be recovering with new growth. There is an area though I am concerned about that has not rooted and does not have any new growth. Hoping it will recover but might need replacement. I am wondering if I use a PGR would that help the rooting in and coverage of these areas.

Between beds:





Left corner of yard:







Upclose of area of concern:


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## Hambone79 (Jul 23, 2017)

I would cut the really bad areas out and replace. Considering they are in denser shaded areas they are gonna be slower to recover and may take quite awhile. I would also begin leveling with sand and rolling soon as possible. By continuing to wait you are gonna keep scalping and stressing your lawn. Any leveling you can do will be beneficial and will not hurt the progress of the lawn.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

I am on the fence about replacing the bad areas. I was going to give it a little time and see if they make a come back. There is new growth in most of those areas. There is one spot though that has not rooted down adn will ultimately need replacing. I'm probably going to give it a few more weeks.

I am not scalping anymore. I raised the HOC up from the level I scalped those areas. I am currently at HOC of 1.25".

I had decided to wait to level next year. I wanted to take this year to try to get sod rooted in and growing good.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

dwells97 said:


> I do have some ares that do not look as good. These areas were scalped when I was cut at lowest setting on mower. Needless to say I found the high spots in the yard. They are in shady areas between the beds and the left corner of the yard. Majority of sod has rooted down and looks to be recovering with new growth. There is an area though I am concerned about that has not rooted and does not have any new growth. Hoping it will recover but might need replacement. I am wondering if I use a PGR would that help the rooting in and coverage of these areas.
> 
> Between beds:
> 
> ...


I just discovered the Zorro today as I was searching for other alternatives to replacing my St Augustine grass. I to have about the same shade as you do in my front yard, how has the Zorro taken since you laid it last year?


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

BakerGreenLawnMaker said:


> I just discovered the Zorro today as I was searching for other alternatives to replacing my St Augustine grass. I to have about the same shade as you do in my front yard, how has the Zorro taken since you laid it last year?


The areas of concerns have improved especially between the beds. Now the area in the left corner of the yard has also improved except a small area that is very thin. I am thinking I will have to re-sod this area but is will be less than if I did it last year. But I plan on waiting until after I fertilize the lawn to see what happens in the are before I give up on it.

Overall I am quite happy with Zorro Zoysia. I am happy with the way the yard is looking especially after going through Hurricane Florence. We had over 30 inches of rain. Wasn't sure how the lawn would hold up but seems to have come through. Only issue afterwards was a power company truck park along the front edge of my yard. Needless to say, I have some leveling to do of that area.

I have taken lawn down to 1/2 inch. It seems to look fine at this height. Just need to thicken it up but not upset as lawn is only 1 year old. I did buy a Swardman and it makes cutting a breeze.

Will try and get new picture up soon.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Here are some updated pictures. I included some up close pictures of my only area of concern in the left back corner of the house. I am trying to see if will come back with fertilization. Otherwise I will re sod it. I also included picture of are that will need to be leveled after power company truck parked on front edge of lawn after hurricane. Not really a large area.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

dwells97 said:


> Here are some updated pictures. I included some up close pictures of my only area of concern in the left back corner of the house. I am trying to see if will come back with fertilization. Otherwise I will re sod it. I also included picture of are that will need to be leveled after power company truck parked on front edge of lawn after hurricane. Not really a large area.


Looking good so far


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

The back, last 2 pics? Could be it (ground) has not warmed up as well to spur growth as other areas if it gets less sun. ..or got water logged at some point ?


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

jayhawk said:


> The back, last 2 pics? Could be it (ground) has not warmed up as well to spur growth as other areas if it gets less sun. ..or got water logged at some point ?


It could be both issues. It is a shady areas that does not get full sun. Plus it did water logged during the Hurricane Florence. 30+ inches of rain probably did not help that area. I'm willing to give it a little bit to see what happens.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

It's been awhile so I thought I would post some more updated pictures after mowing today. Lawn seems to be coming along. My areas of concern seem to be filling in. Did remove one of the trees in my front yard as it was damaged during hurricane Florence. So hopefully that will open up more of the yard to sun. I am awaiting some Feature to arrive and will put that down. Would like to get lawn a bit greener.


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## Ortho-Doc (Feb 3, 2019)

@dwells97 your lawn is looking great. Beautiful home and very nice landscaping. Did you ever level? I have palisades zoysia and wonder how level my lawn needs to be to reel mow it. I'd hate to buy a $4,000 mower and find my lawn isn't level enough to use it.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

@Ortho-Doc. Thanks for the compliments. I did do some leveling earlier this year. Had my landscape guys come in and do some leveling. Yard is pretty flat now. I'm still working on an area at front of yard when power company decided to park in my yard after hurricane. 37 inches of rain and power company truck are not a good combination.

I now have a Swardman mower. It tolerated my yard when it wasn't as level. The fact that it has a rolling drum for propulsion, like a greens mower, helped tremendously. I would try and get as level as possible as it will make mowing now and down the road much easier.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Ortho-Doc said:


> @dwells97 your lawn is looking great. Beautiful home and very nice landscaping. Did you ever level? I have palisades zoysia and wonder how level my lawn needs to be to reel mow it. I'd hate to buy a $4,000 mower and find my lawn isn't level enough to use it.


In my experience, the best mower for a less than countertop flat lawn that is supposed to be mowed reel low is a greensmower. Especially one modified to mow at fairway or tee height. Worst mowers I have ever used on lawns that are not flat include rotary mowers, McLane, Tru Cut and Cal Trimmer. Those all ride on 4 wheels or else 2 wheels in the back and casters in the front.


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## jredwards4 (Jul 31, 2017)

First off, nice yard.

First time poster here and thought I would add some perspective. I installed 3k sqft of zorro at my house in ATL 2 years ago and added another 2k last spring.

Your zorro looks like it handles the shade a little better than mine. I battle a line of trees on the south and west edge of my lawn that provides nearly full shade later in the year when the sun gets lower in the sky. From September onward, it becomes saturated and prone to fungi. I caution that you be careful with over fertilizing. I used about 1 lb /1000 sq ft year year and none so far this year and I have seen much better health. My yard is quite undulated but I mow the sunnier areas very low (3/16") in some areas (backyard putting green).


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## Ptb427 (May 13, 2019)

jredwards4 said:


> First off, nice yard.
> 
> First time poster here and thought I would add some perspective. I installed 3k sqft of zorro at my house in ATL 2 years ago and added another 2k last spring.
> 
> Your zorro looks like it handles the shade a little better than mine. I battle a line of trees on the south and west edge of my lawn that provides nearly full shade later in the year when the sun gets lower in the sky. From September onward, it becomes saturated and prone to fungi. I caution that you be careful with over fertilizing. I used about 1 lb /1000 sq ft year year and none so far this year and I have seen much better health. My yard is quite undulated but I mow the sunnier areas very low (3/16") in some areas (backyard putting green).


Also new here with zorro. Sounds like you have it looking nice, would love to see some pictures if you don't mind. I'm battling some shade and leveling issues right now. Thanks for the insight!


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## jredwards4 (Jul 31, 2017)




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## jredwards4 (Jul 31, 2017)

I've done 1 major top dress to smooth and several smaller to refine some low spots. The sand definitely helps drainage.


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## Ptb427 (May 13, 2019)

jredwards4 said:


>


That does look nice!


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## Rammy1546 (Jan 3, 2020)

@dwells97 @jredwards4 @Ptb427 Any update with yalls Zorro lawn? Happy with it over the years? How is it handling the shade? I'm still between Zorro and Zeon. Still leaning to Zorro. Thanks !


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## Ptb427 (May 13, 2019)

Rammy1546 said:


> @dwells97 @jredwards4 @Ptb427 Any update with yalls Zorro lawn? Happy with it over the years? How is it handling the shade? I'm still between Zorro and Zeon. Still leaning to Zorro. Thanks !


Mine seems to be doing well now that I've got standard fertilizing/water/weed control/mowing under control. I've found that it doesn't do great with shade and water runoff in the same area, but most grass probably wouldn't. I've managed to eliminate one or the other in those areas and it has done well.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Rammy1546 said:


> @dwells97 @jredwards4 @Ptb427 Any update with yalls Zorro lawn? Happy with it over the years? How is it handling the shade? I'm still between Zorro and Zeon. Still leaning to Zorro. Thanks !


I will say I am happy with it overall. I did open up the areas of shade by removing some trees and that seems to have helped. The trees were damaged in the hurricane and needed to be removed. Even without removal, the shaded areas seemed to be making recovery on it's own. So hopefully that will continue over the next year. Hope that helps


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## Rammy1546 (Jan 3, 2020)

@Ptb427 @dwells97 thanks for the updates. It really helps a lot. All said and done, would you both do it again or go with a a different strain of Zoysia? I'm really glad you guys have "gone through the gauntlet" and can help me out with your experiences.

My consensus after all the research is like you guys said, shade and constant saturation doesn't do well. Wondering if I need to work in about 3-5 yards of sand to help with drainage. I have buried all downspouts underground and into the Creek behind my house.


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## dwells97 (Apr 18, 2018)

Rammy1546 said:


> @Ptb427 @dwells97 thanks for the updates. It really helps a lot. All said and done, would you both do it again or go with a a different strain of Zoysia? I'm really glad you guys have "gone through the gauntlet" and can help me out with your experiences.
> 
> My consensus after all the research is like you guys said, shade and constant saturation doesn't do well. Wondering if I need to work in about 3-5 yards of sand to help with drainage. I have buried all downspouts underground and into the Creek behind my house.


If I did it again, I would do the same strain of Zoysia. I looked at other strains and kept coming back to Zorro as best fit for me. Good drainage will help. I live in a coastal area and I believe that sandy soil is a positive.


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## Rammy1546 (Jan 3, 2020)

@dwells97 Thanks for the info! I keep coming back to Zorro as well.


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

I put Zorro in last spring and have had a good experience thus far. As others have said it does not like wet feet and I have had to make some adjustments to mitigate that. I am interested to see what it looks like at the end of this coming season after a full summer of growth.


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## jredwards4 (Jul 31, 2017)

My next door neighbor has Zeon and his seems to handle the same shade just like my zorro. If it gets too wet and shady it thins out. Problem areas thin a little in the fall and winter and then come back as the growing season ramps up.

My single complaint has been potential for zoysia patch. I get some of it every year starting in early September. It's manageable and recovers quickly in the spring. My neighbors zeon got dollar spot this year and mine was fine.


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## jredwards4 (Jul 31, 2017)

Rammy1546 said:


> @Ptb427 @dwells97 thanks for the updates. It really helps a lot. All said and done, would you both do it again or go with a a different strain of Zoysia? I'm really glad you guys have "gone through the gauntlet" and can help me out with your experiences.
> 
> My consensus after all the research is like you guys said, shade and constant saturation doesn't do well. Wondering if I need to work in about 3-5 yards of sand to help with drainage. I have buried all downspouts underground and into the Creek behind my house.


I think working the sand in would be a good move.


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## agrassman (May 26, 2019)

I installed 10 pallets of Zorro last April and we love it. Adding more this year to finish the backyard. As others have noted having to work on an area that is staying too wet but other than that it is wonderful.


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## Rammy1546 (Jan 3, 2020)

@SC Grass Loon @jredwards4 @agrassman Thank you guys for the real world information! Hearing from you guys I am sticking with my guns and going with Zorro. It's a better price point in my area as well. Sand will definitely be added in and trees will be cut down to maximize the sunlight in the back yard.


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