Why would Zoysia be light green?

Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bahia, Paspalum, etc
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Green
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Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 22nd, 2017, 9:13 pm

I go by a couple of lawns almost every day that are Zoysia. Right now, they're as green as they're going to get. But, (and same thing every year with these two lawns) they're very light green...kind of like the color of Poa Trivialis. Now, I don't know if any of these people ever fertilize. I'm guessing no. And one of the houses has been for sale for a while (now says sold). On that lawn, it looks like it's being cut consistently at 2 inches though, because it magically never gets higher than that.

What's the (possible) deal with this light apple green color, though?

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by andy10917 » June 22nd, 2017, 9:32 pm

What town are they in in CT?

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 22nd, 2017, 9:51 pm

Mine. If you can read that off the IP, great (I know you did another time). (Privacy. Thanks.)

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andy10917
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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by andy10917 » June 22nd, 2017, 9:57 pm

Cats, eh? I don't know of any extraordinary soils in that area. In the NE corner of the state are a few "beach sand" soils, but not near you. No guess.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 22nd, 2017, 10:11 pm

Yup. I got your drift 100%. You got that one right.
Caterpillars, as PSU4ME calls them. Now I know why it's apple green! j/k ;-)

I might walk by someday soon, and take a closer look. Only problem, no sidewalk near the one I'm more interested in. My strategy is usually to tie my shoe or stretch, and swipe 1-2 blades at the same time.

Maybe some old cultivar of Zoysia that's been neglected with no fertilizer...? It's seriously a hideous lawn. Pretty uniform, looking...but hideous. Stubbly-looking and apple green from the road.


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andy10917
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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by andy10917 » June 22nd, 2017, 10:20 pm

I live in an area that is combo 5B/6A. The guy across the street has 3 acres and a rise on the property has a very large area of (wild) Zoysia. Yes, I was on my hands and knees at a wedding on the property. Yup, Zoysia. I don't like the color much at all and the season for it to grow here is 5 months, tops.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 22nd, 2017, 10:55 pm

The other thing, Andy, is, I wouldn't expect the soils at these homes to be drastically different than mine...they're very nearby...like 1/3 mile or less. And before working on it, my soil naturally had low Calcium, low Potassium, was Sandy loam, pH naturally below 6, and sky high Aluminum.

I hear you. This year, they greened up around April, which was on the early side. I think they're straw colored after the first few heavy frosts...sometime in October. These 2 lawns never have the color of a KBG, PR, or TTTF...or even a run-of-the-mill St. Aug. I've seen nice, green pictures of newer Zoysia cultivars online. Being a photography expert, I doubt it's the camera, either.

I believe I'm 6B...is that the case? The maps I looked at weren't that great. It's either 6A or 6B.

Btw, as an aside...the nicest warm-season grass I ever saw is really fine-bladed, but the blades have the appearance of a KBG blade...boat-shaped tip and all. It seems to be rhizomatous. Seedhead is similar to that of Bermuda or crabgrass. It's salt tolerant. Can be cut really low. A little lighter in color than most elite KBG. It's used in S. Florida at resorts near the water. Makes any St. Aug nearby look terrible. It's really nice. No idea what it is...but I once posted a thread here with pics, and some of the warm-season guys took a stab at it. I believe they said there's a good chance of it being Paspalum. I'm thinking ahead for someday when I have a place down there like you. Of course, I no longer go there lately...not with that one now. Her fam was a bunch of grass guys, which was cool. I guess the writing was on the wall from when I saw the St. Aug the first time...I think I said something like "That's your best grass?!" lol... To this day, I don't get why no one likes KY-31, when the two look almost the same, and one gets a lot of loving, and the other doesn't. If KY-31 could spread like St. Aug, I think there'd be more love for it! Boy, that was a long aside.

Back to Zoysia being light green...anyone have any ideas? Old cultivar ordered out of a Sear Roebuck Catalog in the 1960s...?

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andy10917
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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by andy10917 » June 22nd, 2017, 11:01 pm

Conversation between me and my Jacksonville, FL brother:

Me: St Aug looks like crabgrass.
Bro: No, it doesn't.
Me: What happens if I put Crabgrass Killer on it?
Bro: You can't.
Me: Then it's Crabgrass.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 22nd, 2017, 11:05 pm

Love it! I'm seriously laughing.
So you get why that match didn't work. Had to be the grass!

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 23rd, 2017, 12:24 pm

It could be they are watering too frequently.
It could be they are not fertilizing regularly.

Walk your dog past the house and pause while your dog thinks about it. Or borrow someone elses dog. Or borrow someone else with a dog and y'all walk together. That would free up your hands for inspection.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 23rd, 2017, 1:18 pm

I doubt they water...especially since the house was for sale. I don't know if anyone is in it actually. It looks like it's been cut regularly, though.

Good idea. But...No sidewalk on that side of the road. There's some similar-looking Zoysia in another yard not too far that has a sidewalk.

Was older Zoysia known to have bad color? If not, my money would be on poor soil upkeep/lack of fertilizer. Is Zoysia as picky about such things as something like KBG or Fescue?

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 26th, 2017, 1:12 pm

Now that the house is under new ownership, keep an eye on it to see if the lawn improves. Many new homeowners will ignore the lawn and entire yard until they have the interior fixed the way they want it. Quite often it is the following spring before they get going on it.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by Green » June 29th, 2017, 9:48 pm

I'll take a look next time, and see what happens. Haven't been by it in about a week. I don't think it's sold yet though. Not sure if anyone's in it.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by kevreh » August 5th, 2017, 4:17 pm

andy10917 wrote:
June 22nd, 2017, 10:20 pm
I live in an area that is combo 5B/6A. The guy across the street has 3 acres and a rise on the property has a very large area of (wild) Zoysia. Yes, I was on my hands and knees at a wedding on the property. Yup, Zoysia. I don't like the color much at all and the season for it to grow here is 5 months, tops.
Are there certain types of zoysia that stay green longer than others? My mother in law has zoysia that looks good in the summer. Just ugly yellow in the winter and spring.

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Re: Why would Zoysia be light green?

Post by andy10917 » August 5th, 2017, 4:54 pm

Not really.

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