# Scarlso2's New Zorro Zoysia



## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

It's been a while since I've visited the forum. I joined in 2017 when I transformed my 1,000 sf of St. Augustine to Zorro Zoysia. I've been through a few mowers and have settled-in with a Swardman.

I'm now about a month or 2 away from moving, and I've decided to go with Zorro on our new home as well. Going through a lot of compromise right now between the budget, builder, HOA, significant other, etc. to get the lawn the way I want it. We're likely to have a lot of undulation with the lawn, and I'm fighting to get as flat as possible.

It's looking like we'll be ready for sod at probably the worst time of year (October/November) so we'll see how that goes.

Ballpark I think I'm looking at 8,000 - 11,000 sf of sod.


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## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

Following, just out down Zorro myself.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

You definitely had it dialed in. Following


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## UltimateLawn (Sep 25, 2020)

Following as well. Should be good to see the result.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Getting closer. Hopefully irrigation starts next week and sod by mid-November.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Got about half the sod in today... Man, it was like pulling teeth getting the crew to stagger their seams and bump the pieces together tight. I wish I didn't have work so I could supervise all day. Rain scheduled tomorrow afternoon. Crossing my fingers that the sod shows up and it all gets finished.


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## Txmx583 (Jun 8, 2017)

Looking awesome!! Hope it takes off!! Mine has been super slow growing since installing it a month ago, but it does get a lot of shade.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I believe it. (Help)

It's going to a yard to envy


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## wilsonline (Dec 18, 2021)

Any updates? That pic of the previous house with zorro looks fantastic! following.


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## 1FASTSS (Jul 11, 2018)

That as very nice looking house, and the yard is certainly on its way to matching. What HOC were you doing at your old house? Looked great as well! I have some large trees and am considering a switch to Zorro


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

1FASTSS said:


> That as very nice looking house, and the yard is certainly on its way to matching. What HOC were you doing at your old house? Looked great as well! I have some large trees and am considering a switch to Zorro


I keep the HOC between .5" and .75". I think in that pic it was closer to .75"


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

I've got a lot of work ahead of me due to some issues with the new sod. I received 4" shaggy, thatchy, weed-filled Zorro back in November. I wasn't in a great position to complain with some of the shortages that were going on and trying to get the rest of the house finished.

Immediately after laying the sod we got a lot of rain. There were people everywhere working on the house and as hard as I tried to keep people off it, the sod got trampled and it's way bumpier than I hoped. I spent all of November lifting up sod pieces in the worst areas to try to flatten it before it rooted


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

I really stepped-up my equipment game this winter. I got an Allet C27 with a handful of cartridges, and an ecolawn 250 top dresser.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

The last few weeks I've been driving my neighbors crazy working my way into the thatchy sod with my rotary. Started at a pretty high setting and working it down to the lowest setting. It's taking me about 6 passes to get there. I'm about halfway done.

The lowest setting on my rotary (maybe just over 1") is definitely the lowest I can get away with right now given all the bumps. I'm hoping to do some sand as soon as I see some growth. I want to be really aggressive with the top dressing this year to try to get to a reasonable smoothness for reel mowing.

The weeds are out of control, but I'm a little hesitant to spray anything since I didn't get a great root-in before it went dormant.


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## Monocot Master (Feb 28, 2021)

Nice work! I know this is a lawn journal, but I really dig the garage. My goal is to one day to buy a rural property and have a driveway and garage like yours. There would room on the lot for a house, pool, etc., but I would live above the garage. When I sell the property the new owner could build their house. Looks like you may have living space above your garage, yes?


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Monocot Master said:


> Nice work! I know this is a lawn journal, but I really dig the garage. My goal is to one day to buy a rural property and have a driveway and garage like yours. There would room on the lot for a house, pool, etc., but I would live above the garage. When I sell the property the new owner could build their house. Looks like you may have living space above your garage, yes?


Yeah above the garage we have sort of a bonus room and a small office.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Wow! Great find on the Ecolawn 250! We looked for almost a year for one and ended up getting a Turfco. Would love to have the 250 though.


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## wilsonline (Dec 18, 2021)

OMG. I have water in my mouth right now. Ok, I'm also cooking lol. But that Allet, the Eco 250, and that sweeper cartridge are a dream for any lawn care nut. Nice!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Finally finished scalping. I got it down to the lowest setting on my rotary (advertised as 1"). I'm hoping I'll have active growth by mid-April so I can do an initial topdress.

I'm toying with the idea of hitting it with an herbicide before then to knock down some of the weed pressure.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

You can see the contrast in sod maintenance quality I received. Most pieces were 4". The lengthy stolons and leaves turned into straw over the winter. When I cut them down to 1" I was left with this horrible looking thatchy stuff.

The rare pieces that were maintained lower have dense green, insulated blades that stayed green all winter and were barely touched by my rotary scalp.


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## Monocot Master (Feb 28, 2021)

It will all come together. It is supposed to look like crap after a scalp, so don't sweat it. My Empire was pretty thatchy from the farm. I am sure if I had scalped, it would have looked like total hell. It was June, so I just rolled with it.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Went at it with my mclane. I was surprised how well it did. I got down to 5/8".

Of course it looks really brown in these pics, but I'm getting a green haze and a bunch of growth within a day or two of cutting. I'm scheduled for a first topdress on 3/25. I'm going to fertilize a week before to see how much I can push it. I'm undecided on topdress rate. I'd love to go heavy, but maybe I shouldn't rush it. I'll go somewhere between 1-2 yd/1000, probably closer to 1.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Big day tomorrow! 16 yards of sand and a rental Dingo with a bucket.

Ideally I would've waited until I had more vigorous growth, but I've got some busy times at work coming up and I'm also impatient. I'm getting some good green shoots so I should be fine, it'll just take longer for the sand do disappear.

I've got everything gassed up and ready to go!


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## r-trussell (Aug 24, 2021)

Lots of bling in that garage! Etap AXS on the S-Works. Nothing better than having good equipment to get the job done.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

LOL! I thought I would be the only one oooohing and aaaaahing over the Specialized bike.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

r-trussell said:


> Lots of bling in that garage! Etap AXS on the S-Works. Nothing better than having good equipment to get the job done.


Haha good eye!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

First topdress was successful! I talked myself into 30% compost and I immediately regretted it. It was a damp and clumped up a bit in the ecolawn. It wasn't too bad, but towards the end of every load I had to stop and clear the clumped section.

I learned to watch out for a full load and any slopes because it will tip forward.



The rental Dingo was perfect. The bucket just fit in the ecolawn. I got two scoops per load. I bet it was about 1/3 yard per load.



I could've gone heavier. I went with 16 yards for 13k sq/ft. I think I'll target June for 20 yards of pure sand. I also want to find a better solution for dragging, because pulling that 48" R&R leveling rake around was too much labor for me.


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## atticus (Dec 30, 2021)

I'm so jealous of your ecolawn.. been looking to rent one here in Atlanta, but no luck so far. Might have to start sweet talking the wife into letting me add another member to the little family that lives in the garage.

I have Zorro too, can't wait to see how yours recovers!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

5 days after first topdress. Green is starting to make its way through.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Looking good!

I can only imagine how fun it is to run that C27 :thumbup:


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

9 days after topdressing


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Do you have a garden bed or some gapping between the retaining wall / patio and the sod or will you have to edge or scissor that entire run?

Beautiful home and layout! You'll have it dialed in by July no doubt


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

robbybobby said:


> Do you have a garden bed or some gapping between the retaining wall / patio and the sod or will you have to edge or scissor that entire run?
> 
> Beautiful home and layout! You'll have it dialed in by July no doubt


No gap or bed between the grass and the pool deck/wall. We're planning a bed around the pool deck for aesthetics. I think I might prefer edging/scissor up against a wall compared to maintaining a crisp garden bed edge, but maybe that's just me. Either way it's more work than I'm used to doing so we'll see how I manage!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

14 days after topdressing. I mowed with my mclane and beat the reel up pretty good. I'm noticing some of the grass coming in very chlorotic. It might just be from the grass blades being buried for a few days. I'm going to hit it with an iron treatment to see if I can get that deeper green color going. I'm also going to get a soil test done to see what I'm working with.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

21 days after topdressing. It's coming in slowly. Mowed with the Allett for the first time, and it was great.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Soil test results are in. I did 4 tests in the different areas of the lawn.


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## latitude36 (Mar 27, 2019)

I have played a lot of golf on various zoysia's. Zorro is by far the best looking grass in my opinion of all grasses---except some PRG. Local club near me with zorro aerate and top dress yearly and there fairways green the earliest and stay green the latest.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

It's filling in... but very slowly.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Got it down to .5" today. That's definitely as low as I can go without more leveling. I'd really like to topdress again in June. We'll see if it recovers enough before then.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

5/7 cut at .5". Wish it would fill in faster!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

5/20 cut. I'm dealing with some absurdly lime green grass. Like Sunshine Ligustrum lime green on about 30% of the turf. It seems random, but it's been that way in the same spots since green up in March. It really stands out now that the other 70% has fully greened up. I'm experimenting with a variety of remedies. Hopefully I can figure it out soon.


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

Your new house and lawn are looking really nice!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Working on a shrub bed to improve the aesthetics on the backside of the pool. I've got horrible clay soil. I've installed a french drain that will hopefully help. I'm planning to till in some organic soil, and I'm also going to be careful how I plant the 2 gallon shrubs I've ordered. I don't want to create a pool for roots to rot. I plan to massage the roots out of their pots and fan them out. I'll mound the shrubs up a bit as well. I'm going with a dwarf loropetalum and some sunshine ligustrum accents.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

That is going to look nice.

What do you plan to do for a bed edge?


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

I like nothing for the edge. I leave a small lip and its easy for me to maintain with an edger


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## WillyT (Jun 26, 2019)

scarlso2 said:


> Big day tomorrow! 16 yards of sand and a rental Dingo with a bucket.
> 
> Ideally I would've waited until I had more vigorous growth, but I've got some busy times at work coming up and I'm also impatient. I'm getting some good green shoots so I should be fine, it'll just take longer for the sand do disappear.
> 
> I've got everything gassed up and ready to go!


Nice sworks, yard looking good too😎


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Making progress on my new beds. My soil is concerning. Very intense clay attributes. I was disturbed to see how little progress my turf roots have made. They're barely entering the clay and my sod pieces pulled up easily. Everything from the grass to my shrubs are displaying displeasure with the soil conditions. Here's a look at the profile from the drain I dug.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Here are some shots of the beds and the plants that arrived. I'm going to till in some compost tomorrow before planting to hopefully keep things loose. I've read so many conflicting opinions on how to deal with heavy clay I'm not sure of anything at this point.

Up against the fence I plan to do a lot of young star jasmine.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Finally done. Here's before and after. Now to work on the star jasmine along the fence


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Memorial Day weekend cut


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Here's a pic before mid-week mow. I'm seeing enough recovery to consider another leveling project. I'm thinking 15 yards of sand for the 13,000 sf of grass around June 17. I'd like to see continued improvement and fill-in, but I'm leaning towards booking the dingo bucket. I'll decide by the end of next week.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Lowered HOC to .5" this weekend. Getting thicker!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Vertical cut, and triple cut at 3/8" to prep for 12 yards of sand going down today.

Also had an accident with the C27, so had to improvise to hold the grass catcher.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Sand is down. I worked it in later in the evening, but I was too tired to document it.


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

That's a lot of progress in one season!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Yes thanks! I'm being pretty aggressive to try and get it smooth. I'm hoping for one more leveling project this growing season, maybe in August.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

All worked in.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Left town for two weeks. I topdressed a few days prior and threw down a heavy dose of TNEX. Even so it was long. I worked it back into shape the day I got back, and also treated for some weeds. I've lost a bit of color from the herbicide, but it's not too bad.

I'm leaving for work for 3 weeks, and I'm just going to bring the HOC up to .75" or 1" once I get back.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

No one in my house will mow for me while I'm away, so it's going to be 3 weeks until the next cut.

I'm over-dosing on TNEX a bit to see if it will help. I applied .15 oz./1000 sq ft on 7/10, then again on 7/17 with a HOC of .5".

Everything is growing pretty well, but still trying to recover from herbicide burn, under-watering in some hot spots, and heavy sand in low spots.


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## ellsbebc (May 5, 2019)

Where are all the Houston TLFers?! There should be a line of people fighting over opportunity to help maintain such a gorgeous property with that awesome equipment.


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## ReelWILawn (Aug 29, 2021)

Absolutely stunning lawn and property. I really need to make it over more to the warm season journals. Amazing work :thumbup:


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

Congrats on lawn of the month @scarlso2!


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## typed by ben (Jul 12, 2021)

Reading posts like "I'm going to overdose my TNex at .15 oz/1000" and thinking back to earlier this year when my first app was .25 oz/1000 and I wondered why it looked like hell afterward


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Lawn looked pretty good after 3 weeks of no maintenance. Lowered the HOC to .75". Planning to apply PGR and nutrients soon.

I've got a lot of weed pressure. I'll apply some herbicide once it cools down. Fusilade/turflon ester for some bermuda patches in the front. Katana and Celsius broadly applied for sedge and everything else.


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

getting a little too thick so I did a vertical cut followed by a regular .75" mow. Then I fertilized and applied TNEX/Iron.


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## Twodollarblue (May 26, 2020)

Doesn't get much better than that. Well done.


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## agrassman (May 26, 2019)

Looks amazing. Have either of your neighbors asked for help? You are seriously dominating both of them,


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

agrassman said:


> Looks amazing. Have either of your neighbors asked for help? You are seriously dominating both of them,


Nah they just avoid eye contact, and stay inside mostly :lol:


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

8/27 regular cut at .75"


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

cutting at 5/8” once a week now. Color is holding pretty strong


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## atticus (Dec 30, 2021)

Have mercy. Looks phenomenal. My zorro is envious.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I'm very envious of that ditch! BEAUTIFUL!


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Great looking lawn and property! The closer I look at your pictures, the more I realize how much of a slacker I am with my lawn!


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Color is still holding strong! Last year vs now:


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## scarlso2 (May 8, 2017)

Almost 48 hours below freezing and still holding some color. I'd be really happy with it if it weren't for this horrible case of large patch I've been fighting


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## enforcerman (Jul 8, 2019)

Beautiful. Man I need a neighbor who owns an Ecolawn....I had some amazing green up until last weekend. 3 days in the teens (San Antonio) and a week later I'm in full dormancy.


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