# Zeon Zoysia Thin and Brown Areas



## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

I had Zeon Zoysia installed last August (was late in backyard remodel) and this year is its first summer of new growth. Since I couldn't put down pre-emergent due to the time last year I fought the Poa hard this spring hand pulling them 2 weeks ago. I threw down some Milo last week to hopefully get something going.

I am starting to notice that the right side of my lawn (gets direct sunlight all day) is starting to thin and get what appears to be a brown patch. I do have a problem by the gate that collects all the water runoff that I am needing to add a drain to but the dead area around it appears to be getting larger and the grass up the slope is starting to brown.

My two questions are:

1. What is causing the brown area and why am I starting to see brown patch areas? Do I have a fungus and what should I put down.

2. What should my main step be this summer to get this grass thick? I am cutting at about 1" with a reel.


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## Gregau33 (Apr 15, 2018)

I know you said you get direct sunlight all day, but from all your pictures it looks really shady. Do you have big trees nearby? Could the roots from the trees be hogging all the water and nutrients? I'd do a little digging in the dead areas and see what you find.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

I just took the picture and the sun comes up behind me. If I were to take it now it would be sunny. From 10:00 on it gets sun. The grass around the beds is the best grass in this area. I am pretty sure the large area is due to water because the entire winter it was basically mud but where it extends out and uphill i am not sure the reason.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

I have a huge area on the south end of my lawn that looks worse than that. For me it's near constant shade AND poor drainage in that area. If it gets full sun and you know it's a badly drained area I guess you need to address that


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## BenC (Mar 27, 2018)

Jolly, my zeon looks kind of similar:



But it just got layed two months ago. I figure i'll Get it on regular teaspoon fertility schedule and tinker with irrigation timing, but otherwise I'll be in interested to hear what folks think. Spring was funky this year in the south, weather playing red light/green light with the green up, maybe part off the problem.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

BenC said:


> Jolly, my zeon looks kind of similar:
> 
> 
> 
> But it just got layed two months ago. I figure i'll Get it on regular teaspoon fertility schedule and tinker with irrigation timing, but otherwise I'll be in interested to hear what folks think. Spring was funky this year in the south, weather playing red light/green light with the green up, maybe part off the problem.


I wouldn't have laid zoysia sod until May, early spring is just way too unpredictable. With that said, are the trees on the south side of the yard? If so you have the same problem I do.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

I water every 3 days as to not oversaturate it. Is throwing Milo down ever 3-4 weeks to try to push it through this a good idea? I'm going to topdress first of June but am hesitant to cover it up with sand if I have a problem with the grass. I don't want to smother it.


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## BenC (Mar 27, 2018)

I was wondering if that might be a big part of the issue gator. I asked the landscapers that question and they seemed comfortable with it. Only thing left to do now is nurse it through. Trees are on the north side and will get thinned pretty heavy anyways when I can get to it.


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## raymond (May 4, 2018)

I agree with the previous comments about he rough start this spring with the "go:no go" weather swings we had.

My Zoysia in Atlanta for example doesn't look great either. For me it's likely cause I'm cutting it shorter for the first time, but you can see how it's not very full.

P.s. this is taken at sunset and my grass is in the sun the rest of the day.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

In poorly drained soils and shady areas, Zeon is dead. It is not necessarily a specific fungal disease or condition. Zeon just must be grown in sunny and well drained locations. I maintain two Zeon lawns. One was installed directly on the beach sand. It gets full sun no exceptions from sunrise to sunset. No problems or issues with it other than how fast it grows, I might need to use a PGR on it. The other one is planted on "topsoil" over what was originally sand. Lots of shady areas from trees, high concrete walls on the perimeters of the property. Only place that grows decently is the grass installed on the outside of the concrete walls wrapping around the entire property. The part that gets indirect sun filtering through shrubs and trees for only part of the day then that is cut off from the concrete walls and house, is poor.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

Man that is disappointing to hear. I was told that the Zeon did well in shady areas as well as sun. The area in question is the area with the most sun however I will say over the winter the area that started to die out was the wettest area. As mentioned before I plan to install a drain in the coming weeks but my main reason for the post was that I was starting to see some dead areas uphill of the lowest point. I am trying to manage my back yard (Zoysia) myself for this summer to see if I want to plant it in my front yard next year. I am just trying to find a good schedule to follow.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Zeon from my observations....drainage is critical for long term health. I know doc knocks it for shade but I'm seeing it excell around here.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Try not to stress too much. Late install last year and we have had a bunch of head fakes weather wise if anything like Atlanta.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

That third pic looks like mine in the 8' or so strip between houses


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

The sides of houses are often designed to channel water from front to back or visa versa. I have yet to see healthy Zeon on the side of a house. @jayhawk is right about drainage. That beachfront lawn I deal with does have a coconut tree off to one side of it. Zeon is thick and vigorous even under the tree. However, that lawn is installed straight onto the sand. No "topsoil" under the sod.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

One of the other things I was worried about was my backyard had a fairly good slope on it. I leveled it taking about 2 feet of dirt off the top and built a retaining wall. Doing that cut a good amount of topsoil from the ground. The soil wasn't all clay but it wasn't all topsoil either. I may need to aerate and sand to give the ground some air.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Good idea. Out of all the Zoysias I have worked with, Zeon dislikes soil or clay the most out of all of them. The one issue I had getting Zeon to do well on sand immediately after installation was the irrigation. Daily watering was a must. Now I am at once a week at 0.3 inches of water per application. That will go up as it warms up. Average daytime temperatures are barely above 80.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

Since it was installed in August last year and this is the first spring am I good to aerate now and sand? Is there a good time or is that time now?


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

Also should I be using Milo or the 15-3-7 or 16-4-8 that SiteOne has?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

How low are you mowing? What did your soil test look like?


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

Around 1-3/8". Soil test still TBD.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Do you catch clippings? I know, lots of questions. But what is best to apply depends on conditions and cultural practices.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

No worries. I am learning as all I have had before was Centipede.....

It's really 50/50 on the clippings. So far I have been doing the first pass catching clippings then do the second one not. I use a California trimmer reel mower. I got the high cut so I could use it on the centipede in the front too.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

On the Zeon, I would try the 16-4-8 applying 1/2 lb of N per 1000 sq ft per month. Stopping a month or two before dormancy. Mowing first pass catching and second pass not is as good as catching them all. Unless your soil is extraordinarily rich in P, you need the P.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

I appreciate the direction I will hold off on catching them and start with the 16-4-8. Just trying to get this yard going in the right direction. Great forum by the way. Glad I found it.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

JollyGreen said:


> Since it was installed in August last year and this is the first spring am I good to aerate now and sand? Is there a good time or is that time now?


It's a good time now ... memorial day weekend. Leveling helps minimize those less obvious areas where water can become concentrated I think.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Leveling also fixes both areas mowed too low and pockets of grass that are too thick. Zeon is more sensitive to scalping than other Zoysia types I have worked with.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Good point too.

Best is before a summer vacation then you can't stare at it each day and second guess "did I just nuke my lawn" &#128512;. (for first timers)


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

jayhawk said:


> Good point too.
> 
> Best is before a summer vacation then you can't stare at it each day and second guess "did I just nuke my lawn" 😀. (for first timers)


I do that every time I do anything to my lawn :thumbup:


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

I tell people to either leave town for at least a month or else do not question me concerning how the lawn looks a month after a major operation. Fortunately, scalping a lawn down to the dirt during the growing season is an accepted practice here in Hawaii. SMH at the people who do it or insist on doing it during the cloudy season. Grass takes months to grow back vs weeks. The weeds grow fine with the cool weather and lack of sun.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

@JollyGreen - how's it progressing?


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

Grass is really starting to take shape. Unfortunately I have been out of town for 2 of the last 3 weeks and busy before then so I have just had time to mow right now. The areas that were really thin at the beginning of the year have about 90% filled in with just a couple area to go. I'm starting to get some weeds popping up so it may be my first try at Celsius. Do I broadcast over the entire yard or just spot spray? Weeds are really on in a couple areas.

I will take a picture when I get home and update. I still have a few bushes/plants to install at my retaining wall but the back is starting to take shape. Maybe one day I will put together a nice before and after post as the yard was 3' of weeds when I purchased it.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

@JollyGreen I'd love to see current pics. I'm in He same boat as you. The weird spring has all us with new Zeon struggling. Had Zeon installed last October, and it really didn't wake up until may and has been bad. I've been watering 2x a week putting a total of 1.5" per week, and throw milo down heavy handed every six weeks. I've had poor draining soil - clay - and since aerating in June, the lawn is taking off.


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## JollyGreen (May 12, 2018)

@drewwitt 
@jayhawk

This response may be a little more than you wanted but just wanted to give a quick 1 year overview of what Zeon does. Leveling is still in the future as well as irrigation. As mentioned before I plan to do the front with Zeon this coming spring and will do my irrigation then.

Below is a picture of the day I closed on the house (complete disaster).



Did a complete ground level since there was a pretty steel slope toward the house. Ended up creating about a 2.5' retaining wall. I originally was going to do it with the free blocks I had but quickly changed to a wood "v groove" wall.



Pictures the day of installation last August:



Pictures today after double cutting (my sons sprinkler toy he got for his birthday is the cause for the line in the grass) need to limit that:









It has slowly filled in in my low spot of the yard. I still have about 1/3 of the area to go. If this was Bermuda it would have filled in in 2 weeks. I'm still having trouble with one area of these brown spots in the grass. If anyone can point me in the right direction to get rid of them it would be greatly appreciated.

All in all I like the Zeon a lot. It is a great bear foot grass. Knowing what I do now I may would have opted for Bermuda just because if something happens to the grass it takes forever with Zeon to fill in. One day when I have all the beds looking right I will post the full setup.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Well you certainly turned around the jungle back there! glad to see it doing well.

fungal in the last photo, maybe....if they become large circles (in feet) then likely. close up might help the collective here. Do you have a good sprayer?

Re: bermuda ....it may be easier to establish but did you see...there are at least three threads now where folks are asking "why does it look" scalped or brown now? 

RE: front, i'd install no earlier than May. it'll green up sooner but it doesn't really get into full stride until later.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

The area by the gate - might smooth that out now. i've had areas that heal, then a wet fall and then it just declined all over and became weak going into dormancy. long road to recovery until i addressed the water / drainage in a partial sun areas.


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