We had Emerald Zoysia sod installed in our back yard in mid April. Now that it is getting very hot during the day (90+ degrees), it is really starting to green up. But there are still some brown patches. Will they "fill in"? Or do I need to "de-thatch" these areas?
All I know about Zoysia is it's really tough. I bought a square of sod once and planted it out in poor soil in the hot sun, just to test it. It survived for years with no help from me. Finally died in a severe drought one summer. Can't help you with thatching.
@Pam Sellers Trying to recall if Zoysia is one of the types of Bemuda grass? Native Bermuda, having extremely fine seed, has distributed itself virtually throughout the windy Desert Southwest. A year ago in the Spring, we had an unusually rainy couple of weeks, and the entire Desert "greened-up" with grass! It amazed us. Of course, within a few more weeks, it was dying out, starting to look bleak again, as Desert does. As you said, the Bermudas do need de-thatching occasionally, but only after well-established. I planted 4500 sq. ft. of Tifgreen Bermuda stolons when my first wife & I built our house in Las Vegas. I think I de-thatched the first time during it's 2nd. year. There were brown spots now and then, but the stuff spread so quickly, and thickly, they rapidly disappeared. It cannot be watered too much. Frank
Thanks Frank! I think Zoysia is a spin off from Bermuda. It is a slow growing spreading grass like Bermuda but stays greener longer in the Fall than Bermuda. Okay, I won't worry about de-thatching until maybe Spring. I just know it loves "heat"...not like me! LOL
@Pam Sellers I've always heard the more sun, the better. Out here, the folks who have grass (many neighborhoods having a central homeowners' agency, stipulate NO GRASS. As it is, water is becoming a pivotal point out here. When Hoover and Davis Dams were built, many decades ago, planners did not predict that hordes of new residents would be moving to the Desert. Actually predicted the opposite! Even then, the deliverable water, all Colorado River-based, (neglecting groundwater wells, of course) was allocated by various treaties, many with agricultural users in CA and Mexico, of course. The Mexican treaty even stipulated a maximum allowable salinity, which resulted in the need to build a gigantic de-salinization plant down by Yuma! But, commercial interests, businesses dependent on keeping customers happy, Resort Hotels provide broad "curb appeal" with majestic green grass and landscaping. The golf courses are the worst wastrels. What all these type places do, and you might want to also, is "overseed" their Bermuda, which is exclusively displayed by all, with Rye grass in the Fall, when Winter "brown-out" is imminent, thus keeping it all nice and green all Winter! Come the heat of Spring, the aggressive Bermuda quickly dispenses with the Rye grass. Frank