# 23 days after a light leveling of my new Zeon Zoysia



## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

OK guys - here are before and now pics.

Did a light leveling on September 2nd.

Did a PGR the same day.

Lawn started to sputter after a week or so and I thought I had doomed it.

Then I realized I had sprinklers set for too short of a run time and was not putting down enough water.

Doubled the sprinter run time 2x week and did an application of Simple Lawn Solutions Humic and it took off!

Here are the pics from September 2 and then as of today. What do you think??


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

It looks great to me. When did you lay the sod? I am coming to the realization that Zoysia needs more water than I thought especially in the first growing season after being laid. I think that this is the fourth or fifth post that I have seen related to insufficient irrigation and I can be added to that list. I am on well water so cost is not a factor. Admittedly, we are in a drought this year and that may play into it. I am not sure if next year will be any different or not.


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## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

@DFW_Zoysia What kind of flowers are those next to your mailbox? They look great!


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

lucas287 said:


> @DFW_Zoysia What kind of flowers are those next to your mailbox? They look great!


Thanks! They are Purslane. They LOVE LOVE LOVE the full Texas sun and need little water. See attached pics of how small they were when I planted them.

The ones by the mailbox I have actually but twice as they spill out into the road by about two feet and I've had to trim them back. They just keep growing! I took out the clay dirt and replaced it with a 50/50 mix of red lava sand and cotton burr compost.

These pics are from May before I tore up my entire lawn by hand.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

So, I'm new to the whole PGR scene. Gonna try my hand at it next year, but I'm surprised you used it on zoysia. I thought it was touted as a slow-growing-vacation-friendly-gas-saver?


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

andymac7 said:


> So, I'm new to the whole PGR scene. Gonna try my hand at it next year, but I'm surprised you used it on zoysia. I thought it was touted as a slow-growing-vacation-friendly-gas-saver?


That's what I thought. But I was mowing literally every 3-4 days and couldn't keep up with it.


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## andymac7 (Oct 30, 2018)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> andymac7 said:
> 
> 
> > So, I'm new to the whole PGR scene. Gonna try my hand at it next year, but I'm surprised you used it on zoysia. I thought it was touted as a slow-growing-vacation-friendly-gas-saver?
> ...


Yowza! Well then it sounds like even snails need speed limits


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> andymac7 said:
> 
> 
> > So, I'm new to the whole PGR scene. Gonna try my hand at it next year, but I'm surprised you used it on zoysia. I thought it was touted as a slow-growing-vacation-friendly-gas-saver?
> ...


I have Zorro and thought it would be a slow grower but I have found the same and PGR will be in the program next year.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

SC Grass Loon said:


> It looks great to me. When did you lay the sod? I am coming to the realization that Zoysia needs more water than I thought especially in the first growing season after being laid. I think that this is the fourth or fifth post that I have seen related to insufficient irrigation and I can be added to that list. I am on well water so cost is not a factor. Admittedly, we are in a drought this year and that may play into it. I am not sure if next year will be any different or not.


Thanks! I laid the sod the second week of June.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

Anyone use any of the N-ext products on Zoysia? I'm using the Simple Lawn Solutions and it seems to work well but wondering if one is better for Zoysia.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

That young Zeon looks great! She's growing fast!

Zeon is marketed as heat and drought tolerant. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't need water to grow. Especially for the first two years establishing. Water + sun will make it run. Don't need pounds of N to make it green. Just micros and Fe for darker and even green.

I have used the next line and my grass responds well. On my clay, air8 has done wonders and I skipped mechanical aeration.

Humic12 seems to work. I've seen it really work when I "paint it black" on thin or bare spots. They fill in quick.

Micro Greene is wonderful, and my grass responds well to 18-0-1, but I think it's probably because its foliar and quick release.

I have not tried simple lawn.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

drewwitt said:


> That young Zeon looks great! She's growing fast!
> 
> Zeon is marketed as heat and drought tolerant. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't need water to grow. Especially for the first two years establishing. Water + sun will make it run. Don't need pounds of N to make it green. Just micros and Fe for darker and even green.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

I have on order Air8, RGS, D-thatch and Humic 12 to give them a try. I didn't know which of their fertilizer to get as the one time I fertilized this year I used the 20-20-20 per @Greendoc

I didn't know which if any of their fertilizers to get.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

none of the above. Zoysia needs what the 20-20-20 has.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> none of the above. Zoysia needs what the 20-20-20 has.


Hi greendoc - do you mean none of the humic, kelp and other such stuff, or no to heavy fertilizers other than 20-20-20?

We've got pretty bad clay soil here in the Dallas area.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Grass has been grown just fine without all of that. Real. change can be effected by looking into optimizing soil pH and Ca-Mg levels. A lot of fertilizers and products have been formulated with the needs of cool season grasses growing on fairly good soil in mind.

My focus is on NPK+micronutrients and pH. Other products are considered after those issues have been addressed but not used instead of addressing them.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> Grass has been grown just fine without all of that. Real. change can be effected by looking into optimizing soil pH and Ca-Mg levels. A lot of fertilizers and products have been formulated with the needs of cool season grasses growing on fairly good soil in mind.
> 
> My focus is on NPK+micronutrients and pH. Other products are considered after those issues have been addressed but not used instead of addressing them.


I recently bought a soil tester kit and will be doing that to get a baseline for where I am at. I figure from there I can more customize (with the help of this forum) what I may need.


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## bytore (Aug 23, 2018)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> > Grass has been grown just fine without all of that. Real. change can be effected by looking into optimizing soil pH and Ca-Mg levels. A lot of fertilizers and products have been formulated with the needs of cool season grasses growing on fairly good soil in mind.
> ...


Unfortunately for a lot of us in the DFW area it isn't always so simple. Most of the soil out here is very calcareous with a very high PH.

I am on my 4th year with Zeon. During my first year I learned a lot about the soil out here (I am originaly from Ohio) and it wasn't very encouraging. With the soil being so calcareous K is almost non existent. MOP will do nothing and SOP is a pain in the butt. There is no quick solution to get your K up with this soil, but it is possible, it just takes time. As far as the PH I have no idea if it is even possible to lower it safely with this soil. I have spent/wasted days and days reading research on the subject and haven't found any solutions. As far as Iron treatments go, well with so much calcium and a high PH I am stuck with foliar FAS treatments.

My point is getting a reliable soil test and doing your research will go a long way. I hope you have better soil than I do. None of this was meant to be discouraging. I apply 1-1.5 lbs of N during the growing season, no P(mine is sky high) and 2 lbs of K also during the summer season. I am told I have one of the best looking lawns on the block.


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