Question
I am in Maryland and have a long established Zoysia lawn, as do most of my neighbors.  (Neighborhood is 50 years old.)  For the 2nd year in a row, my lawn is barely starting to turn green, while most of my neighbors lawns are well on the way to all green.  I am also getting a lot of weeds, and for the past 2 or 3 years, I have had areas of dead grass (several feet in diameter) in the summer.  I keep the lawn short, and bag the clippings.  I don't believe I have a layer of thatch.  What is wrong, and how can I get this lawn healthy again?  Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer
Keeping the lawn short and bagging clippings will not prevent thatch buildup in the slightest, despite popular myths to the contrary. Thatch is the buildup of rhizomes and stolons, not the buildup of clippings.

I'd recommend getting the lawn thoroughly core aerated 2X a year for the next few years. That should reduce thatch significantly and breathe some new life into the grass.

Good luck Jan. I think you'll be in good shape.

Sincerely,
C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com