# New Zoysia Sod Help!!



## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Hello everyone,

I need some help. I am a new homeowner and about a week ago, i had new Emerald Zoysia sod installed in my yard. 
I'm here in Southern Louisiana and it has been very hot and humid.(high 90s). I have been watering the lawn twice a day (early morning and around 7:00pm for 15 to 20 mins per zone (5 zones). I thought that because of the heat my yard would need the extra moisture but I fear I may be over doing it, but I cant figure out how to tell the difference between too much water and not enough. My yard has a lot of brown spots still and one area that looks black.(pics below) is this still typical at this time (only a week after sodding). The new sod was so beautiful when they installed it so i know that it was healthy sod. This morning I pulled up some pieces of sod on the edges and I saw that the white roots are starting to grow from the bottom. Can you guys give me some guidance? I just want to make sure that I am watering the correct amount so it can grow healthy and this is my first lawn as If been living in an apartment so i'm kinda lost.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

Have you personally adjusted your sprinklers to make sure they are getting those areas with water correctly?


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

I put the sprinklers in and made sure that the water was getting to all areas but with the move I hadn't had time to see what my rate of flow is so I've just been guessing on the time for how long to run a zone. I know typically zoysia needs 1" of water a week but i don't know if it should be more because it's new.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

emzoysiaguy said:


> I put the sprinklers in and made sure that the water was getting to all areas but with the move I hadn't had time to see what my rate of flow is so I've just been guessing on the time for how long to run a zone. I know typically zoysia needs 1" of water a week but i don't know if it should be more because it's new.


I changed all my heads to the rain bird jet steams that I buy from HD. I get less loss to wind, and it is a more controlled application. I've had good luck with them as before even though I had even coverage, a bit of wind would change that dramatically.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

My bet is it dried out. 3 x day on sod in high summer temps, full sun is what I'd like to see. Its been one week right? 
If you lack Head to Head coverage ...it'll show when mother nature isn't contributing. 
What spray tips ?


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## Jrich (Jul 9, 2018)

When you are putting down new sod, especially in south LA, you need to be watering ALOT more. I would water over an hour in the AM, and 15 min cycles throughout the day. SOAK it a ton tomorrow morning.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Correct it's only been a week. I've got rotary heads in the back and front yard. The areas on the side of the house and in front of the sidewalk are regular (fan?) style heads. What's throwing me off is that in some spots, it's brown around the sprinkler head which I would think would be where it would get the most water right? I talked to the guy who installed the sod and he says he thinks I'm watering too much at twice a day and suggested I bring it down to once every other day, but if I pull a piece of sod up, the dirt below seems dry, even an hour after watering. Jrich I'm gonna take your advice and soak each zone for 1 hour tomorrow morning. Is it ok if I run the sprinklers during the heat of the day? I read mixed things about that, some say don't, some say it's okay and Idk what to do. Lol


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

emzoysiaguy said:


> Correct it's only been a week. I've got rotary heads in the back and front yard. The areas on the side of the house and in front of the sidewalk are regular (fan?) style heads. What's throwing me off is that in some spots, it's brown around the sprinkler head which I would think would be where it would get the most water right? I talked to the guy who installed the sod and he says he thinks I'm watering too much at twice a day and suggested I bring it down to once every other day, but if I pull a piece of sod up, the dirt below seems dry, even an hour after watering. Jrich I'm gonna take your advice and soak each zone for 1 hour tomorrow morning. Is it ok if I run the sprinklers during the heat of the day? I read mixed things about that, some say don't, some say it's okay and Idk what to do. Lol


Here in the Dallas area I laid my Zeon Zoysa in June and I had to water 3x day for 20 minutes for the first several weeks. If I cut back it quickly started to turn so I would need to re-up it again. Even then I cut it back to 2x/day then 1/day and that process took like 6-8 weeks.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Running irrigation during middle of day and evening on established lawns is sub optimal.

New sod has no roots, you don't want it to dry out below the piece of sod. Supersod has a good blog of guidelines for caring for new installs -check it out.

Installer ...well, I'd not take any more input from.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

emzoysiaguy said:


> Correct it's only been a week. I've got rotary heads in the back and front yard. The areas on the side of the house and in front of the sidewalk are regular (fan?) style heads. What's throwing me off is that in some spots, it's brown around the sprinkler head which I would think would be where it would get the most water right?


Not from my experience. It's the weak area and why head to head is ideal. For ex, you have a rectangle that is 10' tall and 100 yards long. Most installers will put out heads along one side that perhaps throw 12' and are spaced 12'. When it doesn't rain for weeks, the areas near heads are stressed

ideally there are sprays horizontal on the other side too, offset some, to provide overlapping coverage.

Rotor run time is probably 4x that of a typical fan type. Nothing better than some gauges to help dial it in - knowing how long to get 1/2 "


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Thanks for all the help guys! I felt like I wasn't watering enough and you guys confirmed my thoughts were right.
I'm gonna soak it good in the morning tomorrow and adjust to more frequent waterings during the day.

jawhawk, what kind of gauges would i need to dial in how long to get 1/2"?


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=45&hilit=Gauge

NRG 10 pack

1/2" is not a magic number but a reference point for easy math  to compare.

To set expectations, the black is probably toast - anyone sell pieces there? Not all is lost, it'll eventually fill in and your lawn will be in another class


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Thanks! I'm gonna get me a set of those. When they installed the sod, they ran out on the side of my yard so he ordered another pallet and is going to install the missing area during the week. I don't think the missing area will use up a whole pallet so ill just ask him to swap out the black areas with the leftover sod pieces.


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## Jmyler (Jun 14, 2019)

I installed geo zoysia in June in Georgia and promptly went on a drought and it did the same thing but turned out just fine. 
In my experience you want to water a lot all at once or twice daily when it's really fresh. Get the soil below the sod soaked and let the top dry out during the day. It makes the roots shoot to the soil under to get the water. It's nerve wracking letting it dry out up too but it'll be better off for it. 
Here is June a couple weeks after install, then a month later and then a month after that in August.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

jmyler, thanks for the tips!
Good to know that eventually it will green up with enough water. 
Your yard looks beautiful!


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## ChrisKoonce (Dec 18, 2018)

Mine was installed in August of 2016. It looked okay at first, but then did exactly what yours is doing. The company that installed it said, "it'll green up next summer." Well, they were right. It looked very bad at times, but then came back in the summer. All the neighbors were surprised and I was surprised. The one issue that I had was weeds growing from between the squares. Since the edges didn't knit together very well, there were a lot of weeds to be pulled until everything was together.


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## datcope (Oct 29, 2018)

We installed 11M of Palisades Zoysia about 3 months ago and watered it every day for the first 3 weeks. Even with that watering schedule, we had several areas of grass that died, so the installer came back and replaced that grass. In our case, with the grass coming from South Texas, as the heat rises those pieces they put on the top of the pallet upside down get blasted like a heat furnace on the trip and should be discarded.


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## WDE46 (Mar 11, 2019)

datcope said:


> We installed 11M of Palisades Zoysia about 3 months ago and watered it every day for the first 3 weeks. Even with that watering schedule, we had several areas of grass that died, so the installer came back and replaced that grass. In our case, with the grass coming from South Texas, as the heat rises those pieces they put on the top of the pallet upside down get blasted like a heat furnace on the trip and should be discarded.


Wow that's a really nice property.


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## datcope (Oct 29, 2018)

@WDE46 Thanks!


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## creinle11 (Mar 25, 2019)

Installed zenith zoysia on July 13th in NC. I was watering for around 45 minutes twice a day for the first two weeks (5AM and 12pm). I then backed down to 45 minutes once a day for a week or so, and now just water as needed. I never have measured the flow rates on my manual sprinklers, but just kept an eye on everything. I was moving a lot of sprinklers around, but it was worth it. Everything established well and is looking good now. It took approximately 10 days for the white roots to really start tacking down and I did my first mow after two weeks. I've been mowing 1-2 times per week ever since and everything is starting to look good and most of the seams between sod rolls have filled in.

Good luck!


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

datcope said:


> We installed 11M of Palisades Zoysia about 3 months ago and watered it every day for the first 3 weeks. Even with that watering schedule, we had several areas of grass that died, so the installer came back and replaced that grass. In our case, with the grass coming from South Texas, as the heat rises those pieces they put on the top of the pallet upside down get blasted like a heat furnace on the trip and should be discarded.


That looks really good! How is it handling the shade? I installed Zorro in May and in the areas that are most shaded I am seeing thinning already. It is probably not all as a result of the shade as I have fought a little bit of fungus, etc.


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## datcope (Oct 29, 2018)

@SC Grass Loon So far so good....I love this grass!


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

datcope said:


> @SC Grass Loon So far so good....I love this grass!


That is great, it sure looks good. I hoping with better management I can thicken up the shaded areas of my lawn.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

So update. Sorry no pics, Ive been working crazy hours but I'll try to take some tommorow morning. You guys have some beautiful lawns and Thanks to everyone for the helpful hints and suggestions. I've been watering heavy in the morning and a medium watering around 1:00 everyday. Some of the dormant and burnt spots have started to show signs of green. The sod layer came and finished my side yard today and the extra sod he had left he replaced some of the burnt out patches. Turns out I don't have Emerald Zoysia, I have Geo Zoysia because the sod farm sent the wrong grass from the start. I don't mind as when it arrived it was a beautiful dark green so as long as I know it will eventually return to that color I'm cool with that. I read that Geo needs 1" of water a day untill it's established so that totally makes since why everything was drying out, especially with the heat. I still need to move a few sprinkler heads and push some under the grass layer and I plan to do that this weekend. Another question for you guys is I seem to have a lot of ants and some roaches around the yard from the new flower beds and sod. Can I put anything like granules out yet on the sod to help with bugs or is it too early? This Saturday will be two weeks from the initial install.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Finnaly some update pics. I think we are supposed to get some rain next week so that should help some with the heat. Is it too early to use a lawn roller? When they sodded they didn't do the best job of keeping things flat. I'm sure over time and rain should help things some. Just trying to speed up the process.


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

If you're using the water-filled tub style (instead of the heavier self-propelled ones that professionals use) then don't expect any major impact on uneven ground (such as ruts from footprints, etc). It's just not enough weight to compress dirt. I read somewhere (super sod?) that it helps to compress the sod into the soil for a better root/soil contact and that's where that plastic tub comes in handy.

As for the ants/bugs - Fipronil is the active ingredient in products such as Termidor SC or Taurus SC, and can be sprayed anytime. It's a termiticide and not a contact chemical meaning insects won't die on contact but instead take it back to the colonies when walking through it. (the other alternative is Advison fire ant granules, which the ants treat as food and scurry back with them to feed the queen. Voila!).


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Are surrounded by bermuda yards?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

You are going to need serious topdressing to get that mowable. Rolling it will not fix that.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

corneliani, It would just be a water filled style as i don't have access to a professional one. It never occurred to me that it would help the roots push into the dirt but it totally makes since. Might do it anyway to help the grass root better.

jawhawk , its a new subdivision and the houses around me aren't finished construction yet so there is no grass in those yards, just weeds and dirt. I doubt anyone here would have Bermuda. For some reason in this area, most people have St Aug or centipede. No one knows what a reel mower is. :lol:

Greendoc, i am afraid of that. I have a McClane manual greens mower that I be leave only goes up to 1 ". I bought it used and haven't used it yet so i'm not sure. I have a feeling its gonna be damn near impossible not to scalp it. I'm guessing its too late in the year and too soon for the sod to topdress before the end of the year right?


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## jimbeckel (May 27, 2018)

Water that yard like crazy, you have probably had the high temps like Alabama has had since the beginning of September, upper 90's with no rain in sight. It will be fine but water that yard consistently and a lot.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

jimbeckel said:


> Water that yard like crazy, you have probably had the high temps like Alabama has had since the beginning of September, upper 90's with no rain in sight. It will be fine but water that yard consistently and a lot.


Yea it's been the same here. Super hot and no rain in sight. I feel like Im watering a lot and I still feel like it's not enough. I got my rain gauges in today so tomorrow I'll figure out my precipitation rate and really dial everything in


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## jimbeckel (May 27, 2018)

emzoysiaguy said:


> jimbeckel said:
> 
> 
> > Water that yard like crazy, you have probably had the high temps like Alabama has had since the beginning of September, upper 90's with no rain in sight. It will be fine but water that yard consistently and a lot.
> ...


Don't get discouraged by the yard, keep the water on it and it will come around. I like the outside look of your house, nice move from an apartment to home.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

jimbeckel said:


> emzoysiaguy said:
> 
> 
> > jimbeckel said:
> ...


Thanks! I actually enjoy working in the yard so even though it can be frustrating, it's still rewarding for me.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

It's downhill from here. I hope you update us over the next 12 mo


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

So thankfully, the large dormant and burnt areas have started to have new growth and everything has started to green up more. The big patch in the backyard was replaced with new sod and It has taken root. Not perfect, but much better than before. Still has not rained since I installed the sod so hopefully we get some rain when the expected cool front comes in next week.

Anyways, I need you guys help again. As i'm sure you have seen in the previous pictures that my yard is extremely uneven. At this point in the year is there anything I can do about it?
I'm in Southern Louisiana and it tends to stay hot here 80s-90s till november/December ish. (The high yesterday was 97)
I'm having trouble mowing my grass without scalping it. (rotary at 2.5 inches is the lowest I can go and that still scalps some areas because the sod is so uneven.) I'm basically just trying to keep the weeds down at this point but would like to cut the Zoysia down some as well. Is it too late in the year and too soon for the sod to try to do some kind of leveling?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

I would let it go til next year, scalp it in spring sand it and mow reel low. In the spring, cut it down to dirt.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Well, howd it settle out now that rain showed up, fall etc? @emzoysiaguy


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Sorry for the late update. I put some milorganite down in October and the grass greened up a lot but still hasn't filled in completely. I also can't cut it yet because it is so uneven. Because of this, I now have a plethora of weeds all around my yard. I bought some Celsius to use on the weeds, would it be okay to spray the whole yard or would spot treatment be better? Also there is this reddish hue that my grass is turning in some spots that you can see in the pictures. Anyone have any insight as to what is going on?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I can't help with the red hue on the zoysia, but most of your weeds are broadleaf. Celsius will kill them, but it works slow when temps are cool. This time of year it might be worth considering a 2,4-D product like Speed Zone to combat the broadleaf weeds. It looks like I may see some sedge in there too. If that is the case, I would probably use something like Sedgehammer for it. There are a number of post-emergent options that will take care of what we're seeing. Those are a just a couple.

It looks like the sod was put down in late October or early September? I will defer to someone with more zoysia experience on what your pre-e plan should be this spring.


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## lambert (Sep 12, 2018)

I use prodiamine in late summer, prodiamine in late winter, and Gallery around mid April. This keeps my zoysia really clean most of the time. Also, as @Ware suggested, Speedzone works well this time of the year.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Ware said:


> I can't help with the red hue on the zoysia, but most of your weeds are broadleaf. Celsius will kill them, but it works slow when temps are cool. This time of year it might be worth considering a 2,4-D product like Speed Zone to combat the broadleaf weeds. It looks like I may see some sedge in there too. If that is the case, I would probably use something like Sedgehammer for it. There are a number of post-emergent options that will take care of what we're seeing. Those are a just a couple.
> 
> It looks like the sod was put down in late October or early September? I will defer to someone with more zoysia experience on what your pre-e plan should be this spring.


Red Zoysia suggests Phosphorus deficiency. That can happen in cooler temperatures and low amounts of available Phosphorus. I really rather not see Milorganite on Zoysia. Not available when the Zoysia needs the nutrients. No Potassium. Can kick in without warning at a time when Zoysia does not need to have growth stimulated.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Thanks for the help guys. I've sprayed some speed zone mixed with sledgehammer and it seems to be doing the trick for now. I'll re evaluate in another week to see if I need to reapply.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Update.. speed zone has killed off pretty much all of the weeds. Thanks for the suggestion @ware! I've notice that more of the zoysia is turning red/dark purple so I'm going to collect soil samples this weekend and send off to get tested to figure out what's going on. Upon closer inspection it looks like seed heads and not the actual blades of zoysia? Am I looking at this Right or loosing my mind? Haha


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## FDee (Jun 13, 2019)

you're not losing your mind, @emzoysiaguy. my zoysia has purple seed heads as well. when the seed heads are plentiful, it can give the illusion that the lawn is purple. i find it quite beautiful.

how's your weed control been in dormancy?


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

Weed control has not been the best. Lots of broad leaf and sedges. I spot treated with speed zone and sedgehammer and that helped a lot but I feel I'll need to do a full pass over the yard to finally get all of the weeds. My biggest struggle right now is I can't mow anything and it seems like the seams between the sod still aren't filling in like I thought they would by now. The yard is way too unlevel to use a reel mower and a rotary doesn't do much either without scalping most of the yard to dirt. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait till everything greens up and starts growing and do a major leveling.

Do you guys think I should be pushing the grass with nutrients now to prepare for a level around March-April? I'm so lost at this stuff lol.

I pretty much just have sand for soil so I wonder if I should be feeding the grass. Last time I put any nutrients in it was in October and it was Milorganite.(probably not the best thing to use for Zoysia)


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)




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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

emzoysiaguy said:


> Weed control has not been the best. Lots of broad leaf and sedges. I spot treated with speed zone and sedgehammer and that helped a lot but I feel I'll need to do a full pass over the yard to finally get all of the weeds. My biggest struggle right now is I can't mow anything and it seems like the seams between the sod still aren't filling in like I thought they would by now. The yard is way too unlevel to use a reel mower and a rotary doesn't do much either without scalping most of the yard to dirt. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait till everything greens up and starts growing and do a major leveling.
> 
> Do you guys think I should be pushing the grass with nutrients now to prepare for a level around March-April? I'm so lost at this stuff lol.
> 
> I pretty much just have sand for soil so I wonder if I should be feeding the grass. Last time I put any nutrients in it was in October and it was Milorganite.(probably not the best thing to use for Zoysia)


Good idea to leave it alone until it is actively growing. Milorganite is not my first choice for Zoysia. I prefer a 1-1-1 ratio fertilizer for grow in.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

You're fine. Leveling for the first time can cause real anxiety  therefore I'd wait until your daytime lows are ~70 F which would indicate it's growing mode. (Not sure what the target soil temp is)


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

jayhawk said:


> You're fine. Leveling for the first time can cause real anxiety  therefore I'd wait until your daytime lows are ~70 F which would indicate it's growing mode. (Not sure what the target soil temp is)


75 soil temp. I find it to be a very bad idea to touch Zoysia when daytime temps are less than 80 and night temperature go below 70.


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## emzoysiaguy (Sep 7, 2019)

I really thank all of you for the insights. If it wouldn't be for you guys and this forum I would be lost for sure. I really do enjoy working in the yard and It will be so rewarding for me when she's a beautiful green blanket of Zoysia. But alas I've got a long way to go.

So I went outside this morning and saw this. Is this the beginning of brown patch? It's only in one area of the front yard.


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

Looks like Dollar spot. Daytime showers and humidity are culprits, as is low N. We usually go it with Propiconazole. If you haven't put anything on it except milorganite last fall, it needs a feeding. It's probably a little early depending on the temp there. Consider a soil test, or check with your local extension service for their recommendation.

https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/C%201091_2.PDF


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I think patch looks like a child did snow angels on your lawn (size of discoloring)....

Dollar spot is my amateur, initial thought


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Get down low into the turf and see if there are any insects. I know it's a little early but I had that exact look from mole crickets last year in my Bermuda. I know they are different grasses but with the warm winter we've had, mole crickets may come out early. It probably still wouldn't hurt to do a dollar spot treatment though.


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