Question
I live in Southeastern PA, which is zone 6, if I am correct. I have a ratty looking lawn & just can't be bothered with weeding, fertilizing, seeding, watering, etc., etc. Parts of my lawn are in the shade, and parts are in the sun. Except for turning brown, I've heard that zoysia grass is really great. Care-free, drought resistant, no weeds, etc., etc. I tried to research it online, but got confused by all the different varieties of zoysia, and all the different opinions on them. I would like your recommendation. If you think it'd be a good bet for me, what is the best way to plant it? Plugs? When? Best place to buy it? Cost? A rough estimate of my front lawn's dimension would be about 40' by 60'. My back lawn is probably about a third that size.

Answer
Sue:

>>"...just can't be bothered..."

Only Use plants and grasses rated for your climate-zone.
HORT ZONES from ZIP CODES:
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whatzone.html

To look their best, all lawns they will all need at least 1- 3 inches or more of water per week and an occasional fertilizing event to stay lush and green.  Fighting the weeds is a constant concern. In general, the average residential lawn (area-wise) will need about two hours of maintenance care per week during the growing season to look their best.  If you cannot provide this time and expense, maybe you can consider alternative ground-cover(s) and/or landscaping solutions or hire a lawn service company to take care of it all for you.

Zoysia versus Bermuda:

Zoysia, like Bermuda-grass, is a warm-climate grass type recommended for locations where summer temperatures are expected to rise above 85 degrees F.  It may not do so well in zone 6 which encompasses its northern extreme for cold hardiness.  It is often started from sod  or plugs, sod giving more immediate coverages as it spreads by extensions from a central mother plant with plugs.

Zoysia, like Bermuda grass, will not stay green all winter.  With the first hard freeze, it will become dormant and blanch until the next spring revives it.  Both Zoysia and Bermuda need similar care, but Bermuda is the more care-free and hardy type and the grass-type I recommend for zones 6-9.

 No turf-grass will do well in the shade, and the best there is for partial-shade is TALL FESCUE.  In zone 7, using Bermuda grass in the full-sun and Tall Fescue in the partial shade is now the standard lawn treatment. With full or deep-shade, you should consider alternative ground-covers since grasses will not last long with too much shade.

Check the yellow pages for local suppliers of these turf-grasses for SOD or look for seed at lawn and garden centers.  Mail-order suppliers of seed will have fancier hybrids which may be more drought and disease resistant and therefore need less care. New patented named cultivars enter the lawn grass markets every year, and these may be worth shopping for. Commercial lawn companies that can install a lawn will usually give you free estimates, the costs can vary greatly and many factors (such as seeding/sodding preparation) may need to be considered, so I cannot give you any specific costs here. Local installers will probably have only the popular 'old standard cultivars' which may  or may not be the best current choices.

Use the botanical-technical names for any plant with GOOGLE.com search engine to find the best information about it on the web.  For example 'zoysia' (the lawn-grass) is technically known as "Zoysia japonica" and there are more than 1,000 web-sites that discuss this grass-type.  One example is http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/zoysia.html

The technical name for Bermuda grass is 'cynodon' (Latin for "dog's tooth", because of the shape of its seeds). The fact that Google.com returns more than 27,000 web-sites for this grass-type probably reflects its greater popularity as a lawn grass.

Do not expect ANY turf-grass type to provide a weed-free lawn and be care-free. Weeds arise from tiny seeds left in the soil from the previous season's weeds and they are always being blown into the lawn areas all the time from other properties in the neighborhood.  All lawns will have to have some weeding effort.  Using a PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDE is the best way to eventually become weed-free.

In summary, realize that an A+ lawn will require some maintenance effort and investment.  In Zones 6+, I recommend Bermuda grass for its hardiness and, as far as all lawn grasses go,...its ease of care.  Many fine cultivars are available.


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Commercial Seed with new hybrid cultivars:
http://www.turfmerchants.com/
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

Visit my Lawn & Gardens webpage for more Lawn and Garden Tips, Facts and Links:
http://hometown.aol.com/eilatlog/lawnol.html

Your Questions and Comments are welcome at ALLEXPERTS.com

___ Jim Gibbs,
    Microbiologist/Botanist