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After months of weighing the positive and negative aspects of a zoysia lawn vs fescue, my partner and I finally decided to take the plunge and order zoysia grass to plant in our backyard. We decided to start with only 1/3 of our yard and ordered about 10,000 plugs (what were we thinking?) The plan was to plant 4 plugs per square foot..
Before ordering, I spoke with representatives from Zoysia Farm Nurseries on a few occasions. Each time my questions were fully answered. They were careful to make sure that I did not have any unrealistic expectations.
Day one - the zoysia arrived via UPS (mid July - Maryland) - a week after I placed the order. They were mostly green. I laid them out under a tree and lightly watered them. I then mowed the transplant area of the existing lawn nearly to the dirt.
Day two - Starting out the project by myself, I measured out 5' x 5' areas and used the included power auger to dig staggered holes - the auger worked well...it was definitely better than the manual plugger I remember using as a child helping my parents. I then started cutting plugs. The scoring was adequate. I could see where 150 plugs could be cut from each piece. At first, per the instructions, I cut 1" x 1" plugs...as others have stated a lot of the dirt fell away and there was not much left but root. This was not a big deal...I used existing dirt and the dirt that fell away to plant the plugs. After I planted 100 plugs or so I started cutting larger pieces...partly because they fit the holes better and partly because (like I said earlier, what were we thinking? - 10,000 is a lot of plugs for 2 already busy people to plant) I wanted to get the grass into the ground faster. After a couple of hours my help arrived. We worked for a few more hours and decided to call it a day. We cleaned up for the evening and lightly watered both the newly planted plugs and the waiting sod.
Day three - my partner had cut up several more pieces into strips by the time I joined in on the "fun". I cut the strips into approx 1" x 2" plugs. It had rained heavily the night before so the ground was much softer when I dug my holes and the dirt packed rather nicely around the plugs. As time moved on and it didn't look like we had made much of a dent, the plugs started getting larger (not exceeding 2" x 2"). I remembered reading that some people had planted much larger pieces and we decided to plant staggered 2" x 10" strips instead of plugs. Now we were moving! At the day three stopping point we had about 30 of the over 60 pieces we started with left. We lightly watered all of the plants again.
We anticipate finishing the project in two more days. We will probably order more zoysia to complete the other 2/3rds of the yard. Realistically it probably won't be until the next growing season and it won't be in such a large quantity at one time (unless we get more help). Also, we will order the fertilizer next season...we didn't this time because we recently fertilized the lawn before deciding to plant the zoysia.
We are taking pictures of the process and will try to remember to update this posting with the growth progress.
On Jul 25, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
Planting zoysia grass is a little more work in the beginning, but it will produce a lifetime of benefits. I think one key piece of planning advice, is getting others involved in the planting process. It makes the work go much faster to have a partner or even a team of friends to help.
Some of the key benefits you will enjoy with Amazoy zoysia over fescues are that Amazoy grass blades are much finer and softer to walk on. Fescues are actually quite coarse and not as fine. Amazoy will grow much more slowly and require less mowing year after year resulting in not only a time saving but money as well. Amazoy zoysia is much more heat and cold tolerant than fescues. Fescues can have both winters and summers from which it will not recover. Lastly, by planting living Amazoy plants, you are giving your lawn a head start. Tender shoots from fescue seeds, particularly in the heat of summer, might not survive and with all the rain in Maryland this year grass seed has been washed away before it could establish itself, a common problem with all grass seed.
I think you made a wise choice. Good luck and remember be patient, zoysia fills in slowly. In time you will have a beautiful lawn that will be with you forever. A very good investment of your time, even if it was more than you anticipated.
"
The only negative experience I have had with this product so far is putting in the plugs. It is very labor intensive if you do not have someone helping you. Other than that, after four days of watering I have new growth on just about every plug I looked at. I will have to keep you posted, but so far every thing is as advertised.
On Jul 10, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
Having a helper or two really makes the planting process go much more quickly. I got my son involved and he loved making the holes. That made everything go much faster and was a great activity to do together.
It sounds like your plugs enjoy their new home and are off to a good start."
I live in MA. and a close neighbor has zoysia grass in their front lawn. It was there when they bought the house 20 years ago. They do not know what variety of zosia it is. I really like the way it works in their front lawn. They love it too, but they wish it would take over the rest of their property, as they cannot seem to get it to spread over the entire 1/2 acre or so of yard they have, even after all these years. I recommended fertilizing it and perhaps trying eradication of the existing grass. They said they have never fertilized, and I think that may be the reason it has not spread for them as well as it could, even though it is taking over their next door neighbor's front lawn. I really want to use it in my back yard, which has not the best soil, and I am hoping it will spread into the back yards of my neighbors on both sides, whose lawns are a mess of mud and weeds. So I would really like to know the best way to help it along in it's spread. I plan on buying plugs forthwith.
On July 10th, 2009, HowieFelch added the following:
I ordered some plugs after making my last post, and they arrived yesterday. I had about 8 pieces of sod in the box I received, plus the step on plugger.
The sod was actually still somewhat green, and did not look too bad on the topside. The underside seemed pretty dry. I proceeded to cut the sections into "plugs" with garden shears. They cut fairly easily, but in no way was I ever going to get 150 plugs from each sheet. It is just not possible, due to the dryness of the soil. So much soil flakes off, that by the time I finished cutting, I was left with some 300 plugs, and a big pile of soil, grass blades, and root segments. I truly believe that it is impossible to get the advertised # of plugs from each sheet unless you are using the same kind of stamping device they must have used to score them. In fairness, I was able to see the scoring marks on some of the sod segments, and, if they held together, and you could realistically cut them along those lines scrupulously, you would, in theory, get 150 per piece, but it is in no way feasible, IMHO. I was not really disappointed, because, due to other customer accounts I have read, I expected this. I debated using several variations on the planting method, but in the end decided to "do it their way" and did my best to follow the instructions as written. The plugger was a fairly good tool and worked well all in all. I felt it was well built and sturdy. A nice surprise. I planted three patches in areas of my lawn. 2 in the back yard, and 1 in the front. All were placed in areas that receive nearly constant sun during the day, and were already fairly bare of grass due to that fact. I made an effort to put all plugs along the trail of bare spots or patches, following the instruction suggestions.
The work went quickly, and my wonderful wife helped me during the actual setting of the plugs in the soil. Not as hard work as I thought it would be.
When I expended my supply of whole plugs, I wondered what to do with the big pile of dirt, roots and grass I had left, and decided I would rake up another bare patch as deeply as I could score the earth with a one handed mini rake, and toss the stuff on top, wet it, and see what happens, and that is what I did. Now I will wait and see. I plan to post some pix on "flikr" or some-such, and will add a link when I can. I will also update with my progress for those who are interested. This is an experiment for me, and I'm doing it out of curiosity as well as desire to get my yard, particularly my back yard, in order.
I was just fascinated by the idea of not needing to water, weed or fertilize as much, and trying to be a little "greener" with my landscape.On July 11th, 2009, HowieFelch added the following:
Here is the URL for the photobucket page with pix of my plugs. I will take photos every couple of weeks or so and update for anybody who would like to see: < http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w295/DrFelch/
On Jun 29, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
It is most likely that your neighbor has Meyers Z-52 released by the USDA. Meyer Z-52 (Amazoy) continues to be the only zoysia that is cold hardy enough to withstand New England winters (while prospering in their hot summers) and sold by Zoysia Farm Nurseries for over 50 years.
One of the benefits of Amazoy zoysia is its low requirement for fertilizer. One application a year is all that is required in northern climates. Generally this should be applied between April and mid July. Only fertilizers that say they are specifically for zoysia should be used. If the label does not state for use on zoysia there is significant chance of damaging a zoysia lawn. Most granular type fertilizers will damage zoysia grass.
Nutri-20 is a water-soluble fertilizer developed by us specifically for zoysia grass. It insures successful feeding of a zoysia lawn every time. This is available on our website.
Zoysia is a spreading grass but will not spread into very shady or particularly damp or wet areas. Either of these situations might be preventing the zoysia from spreading as described in this posting. An alternative course of action would be to take some plugs from the established areas and transplant them into areas where the zoysia is wanted. It is certainly an economical way to expand a zoysia lawn and successfully done by many of our customers. Our step-on-plugger was specifically designed for this purpose and is also available on our website.
Now is a great time to start a zoysia lawn while it is growing most actively. Amazoy loves the long hot days of summer and stays naturally green when most others have turned brown.
On Jul 10, 2009 2:06 PM, Zoysia Farm Nurseries added:
Having a partner to help is a great asset with a project like this. It makes the planting go much more quickly.
Sweeping up the bits of grass and earth and planting it is a good idea. If there are any nodes from which roots can be established, they should grow as long as they are watered just like the plugs. This is similar to a transplanting method some call sprigging. It is generally used when doing very large areas. Generally this is a less successful way to transplant zoysia because of the lack of control over planting depth and watering large areas. Plugs remain the best and most successful way to establish a zoysia lawn.
Sounds like you are off to a good start. Keep up the light watering for about 15 minutes per day over the next three weeks and then relax and be patient. Zoysia does everything slowly.
"
My order experience was good, communications from the company was good after ordering and then I received another email when the product was shipped. I received the product 2 days later.
I received 4 pieces of sod but 1 was torn almost in two, which is probably no big deal since it will be cut up anyway but gave the impression that it had not been cared for when packaged.
I just planted it yesterday on May 30th and like the poster before me have decided to post my experience on my blog so anyone interested can follow along.
I'm taking a slightly different approach and planting the whole piece of sod and getting it established in a small area to see if I like it before transplanting plugs from this area into the rest of my lawn.
Follow along if interested.
On May 31, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
We always appreciate people taking the time to post their comments particularly when they can add to the knowledge about Zoysia grass. Everyone has their own situation, which might dictate something other then our standard recommendations.
Planting methods are completely up to the individual and their circumstances. Over the years we have heard numerous alternative methods to the one we recommend. Just about any of them will work as long as the basic planting principles are followed. The posting is certainly one of the alternatives we hear most commonly. In this case planting the complete piece of sod and in the future to use it to withdraw plugs for future plantings. It is the easiest, simplest and quickest way to get the grass in the ground and growing. This will work.
The down side is that it will spread the slowest under this method. Zoysia grass spreads tenaciously but slowly by sending out rhizomes (shoots beneath the soil) and stolon shoots that spread above ground across the soil. Planting complete pieces of 10 inch by 15 inch sod, the total outside linear area from which the stolons can spread is 50 inches (10+10+15+15). Planting 150 individual plugs one-inch square (4 linear inches each) the linear area is 600 inches. More work yes, but that’s a lot of additional spreading area.
In the first year Zoysia grass puts most of its energy into establishing itself in its new home and does not do much spreading. In the second growing season it will start to spread and fill in the adjacent areas and continue to do so until it is fully filled in.
Our recommendations for the most economical and fastest fill in method, is to plant 1 square inch plugs. For faster fill in plant more plugs closer together.
Areas by roads can be very hot in the summer and get road salt in winter which makes for difficult growing for most grasses, but Zoysia is also very salt tolerant and we have heard from many customer who have had great success in similar locations to this.
One last thing, I enjoyed reading this blog. It is very nicely done.
"
This product is used on golf courses all over the country and has been used successfully for years - this company is a leader in the industry.
Make sure you know what you are buying then have some trust and patience - if you have problems work with ZFN - they stand behind their product and will help you through whatever challenges you have.
On May 23, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
This is a very interesting post (the blog format is great) and well worth reading for some handy tips, some interesting perspectives and a very healthy dose of common sense on how to approach this type of project. While our site has a wealth of information each installation location is unique. We are here to help each one be successful in any way we can.
One subject not covered here is fertilizing. Like many things with Zoysia, fertilizing Zoysia grass is a little different. It is really a one step program. Firstly it should only be fertilized in the early part of the growing season early spring to the end of June or early July. A liquid soluble fertilizer is the preferred and recommended method. We have arranged for an exclusive formula specifically for Zoysia, which we sell called Nutri-20. Other liquid fertilizers are available, although none are specifically formulated for Zoysia. Granular fertilizers are generally not recommended for zoysia grass. If using something other than Nutri-20 please read the labels carefully and look for the product to be specifically recommended for Zoysia grass.
Thank you for taking the time to provide your insight
"
I must say when reading all of the comments I was a little sceptical when ordering my plugs but went ahead and gave it a shot. Its been a little over a month and I am starting to see the plugs actually turn into green patches of grass. There were a few plugs that did turn brown but to my surprise I am actually starting to see small pieces of green grass growing! The only negative I would comment on is when cutting the plugs it is almost impossible to get the amount of plugs they say you are ordering. It is very hard to cut them that small! Besides that I would recommend them.... just follow the directions.
On May 1, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
Several years ago we ordered the minimum quantity of plugs to receive the plugger so we could cover some bare patches in our yard and since we had been told zoysia spreads and chokes out everything, we hoped it would make the yard look better since we lived on a newly cleared lot with a lot of weeds.
As so many people have complained about, the 'plugs' were barely hanging onto life and were so dry it wasn't possible to really cut them apart because they kind of crumbled piece by piece. We followed the directions except that we thought that because of the condition of the plugs we would do them in 4 inch squares. They stayed brown and instead of taking over the weeds, the weeds took them over. There was one little patch about 3 inches square near my front porch that turned green and seemed to be doing well. I don't remember why we didn't try to get a refund or replacement at the time, but we gave up on the grass. About 2 years later we had the 28 x 80 mobile home moved off our property leaving a large patch of bare dirt that was kind of broken up like garden dirt instead of being hard soil. Within WEEKS the one little patch that had been by my front door spread into the bare area and covered it completely. This large area of grass started to spread into the weedy area and now we have what I would guess is over an acre of absolutely beautiful zoysia grass that is everything it is advertised to be. So apparently the soil needs to be tilled up some and clear of other vegetation for the zoysia to take hold and spread quickly. Despite my initial unhappiness with my purchase, the final outcome was so impressive that I have now ordered plugs for my yard at my new house. I plan to churn up the soil and remove surrounding plants and use 4 x 4 sections of the plugs with the hope that doing so will produce a result similar to what I had at my old property which was a gorgeous lawn!
On Apr 24, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
This is an interesting posting. We are very pleased that in the end this customer was happy with the result. With Zoysia grass it is always advisable to be very patient. It is slow growing, but extremely hardy and tenacious, just as described here.
“Broken up” soil will help any spreading plant, although that is not always practical when planting larger areas. Amazoy Zoysia can be planted into an existing lawn or a cleared “broken up” area. The latter will encourage Zoysia to spread a little more quickly.
Plug size is often debated and while we recommend one-inch plugs for various reasons, including keeping the cost down, many customers have told us they have had success planting larger sized plugs. The option is always there when cutting the plugs to use what ever size the customer is comfortable with. Bigger plugs will result in less initial coverage and the need for additional grass to complete the planting area, but they do give a greater initial area from which the plug can spread.
On Apr 6, 2009, alchemy_1300 Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:
Well since its the first time I've ordered from this company and after reading the reviews(both negative & positive) I ordered anyway I dug my small yard up and need grass,What I am concerned about is the way they handle their receipts I printed mine out and it doesn't look like one usually it states what, how much ,how many of something you bought on it and since I have a conformation number on it I guess it was processed but it did not show up on my debit card,
so i called them to see if it went through she lady told me wait till the afternoon ok so its now 1;11PM so I'll wait some more and see.
On June 1st, 2009, alchemy_1300 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
On June 30th, 2009, alchemy_1300 added the following:
Everything worked out it is now June30th and it has been growing like it does(slow but determined) the color has kept true-no fading I have a feeling that over time it will choke out the rest of my plants but this is easy to fix.
When I got the box I remembered reading a review (I forgot the name ) she just put the whole square into the ground well that's what I did and it worked!On Apr 6, 2009, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
The simple answer to this is; if the customer has received the notice with the customer confirmation number we have received their order and we have all the information we need to process and ship their order. We only charge a customer’s card once the order is shipped.
Last weekend was particularly busy and we are working hard to double check and process all orders. If we have any concerns we will contact the customer directly.
"
The user name I chose says it all!!! This grass SAWS ALL just like a SAWSALL! It will continue to keep spreading and choking out weeds and other grass.
MY STORY:
I first bought the plugs 1 year ago last june 07. When the plugs arrived most of them were as most of the comments have said......brown and dead looking. But since my mother already has this grass I knew that it was only that they were dormant during the shipping because of the short roots due to cutting for sod/plugging. If most of you have read the instructions it clearly says that, if the grass has come to you with a brownish color, DO NOT BE ALARMED, as it on has gone dormant during the shipping. It also stated that if it is brownish to place on a plastic tarp or trash bags and wet the sod to keep the roots moist.....which is what I did.
I then began to try to plug 1x1 inch pieces 6 inches apart taking up an area of about 100 square feet. This was actually ridiculous considering how extremely small a one inch by one inch square really is. So I began to to make them a little larger and was getting about 50 plugs per piece of sod. I plugged in 2 different areas in my yard. One being the grass/lawn itself and the other being a bare dirt area without any weeds or grass at all. I watered everyday as instructed to for 21 days and then went a little further as to go another whole week of daily watering.
After these 4 weeks of watering, the grass in the bare dirt was now green and had taken good root. But I could only find a couple of the zoysia plugs that I planted in the lawn/grass. I thought the zoysia had not rooted and died in the lawn area. So I decided to find a plug in the bare dirt and then start looking around that plug in a checker board area as I had planted to see if I could find another plug. To my surprise there it was hidden beneath all of the other grass. I moved on and on and started locating more and more plugs. I realized that the plugs were so small, and all of them were now green that I could not find them MIXED in with all the other grass!
Remember, Zoysia is an extremely slow growing grass and if it is planted in another lawn it is very hard to spot the first season and possibly even the second season until it gets large enough to where it is dominating that little area by itself. I did notice that if zoysia is planted in a bare area of dirt it will grow much much much faster than in a grassy area. The reason being is that the stolons have much more room to move in a bare area rather than in a grassy area. But rest assured it will grow, but much slower in with another grass. This grass grows just like compounding interest in a bank. The larger a piece the more stolons it can produce and when they mature they produce stolons and so on.
The plugs I planted in the bare area have already connected to each other and have covered about 75% of the area. There is still some dirt in between some plugs here and there but it is only because a stolon has not spread in that direction yet.
My conclusion is that if you actually watered the grass everyday when you initially plant it, then it has definetly taken root but you just cant find it yet. But eventually you will realize how much it has grown and be amazed.
P.S.
I live in New Jersey, where it can get extremely hot and extremely cold. So unless you are from minnesota, this grass will grow in just about every area of the country if you follow the instructions. I think that most of the people who have posted on this site and other sites alike, post their conclusions well before they have given the grass a chance to grow. If you are considering this grass, I highly recommend it!!
On Jul 19, 2008, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
"
On Jul 28, 2008 4:52 PM, Zoysia Farm Nurseries added:
There is lots of very good advise in this posting. A key word when growing Zoysia is patience. Zoysia is slow growing taking longer to establish, but that is also why it will need less mowing year after year.
Planting closer together and cutting the plugs bigger will speed the process of getting a new lawn as suggested in this posting. If speed is an issue, do as suggested. The plug calculator on our website will help you get the correct quantity.
The other great point is about planting in an existing lawn. It helps to clear an area around the planted plug as this will reduce competition and give the plug some open ground to spread into. All very good advise."
I ordered plugs several years ago. I wasn't able to get the total plugs they said I could. The plug cutter broke after a few tries. Many of the plugs seemed to be just brown pieces of grass.
We continued on.
We decided to cut the plugs into 3x3 pieces and dug small holes for them.
After 3 years, my lawn is looking very nice. It has spread quite well. So far I'm am very pleased with how it is turning out.
I was disappointed with the way the plugs looked at first and then the broken plug cutter. But it didn't stop us from planting the plugs we had gotten. We just did it differently than suggested.
My back yard is a mess and I am now considering purchasing more plugs. I will again plant them in 3x3 pieces like I did in the front yard.
I'm sure if you're a pro at planting the plugs, it works fine. You just have to make it work for you. Don't give up.
On Jun 15, 2008, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
"
On Jun 16, 2008 11:32 AM, Zoysia Farm Nurseries added:
We are always happy to learn of successes. When ordering for your backyard don't forget to ask about our returning customer discounts.
We guarantee both our step-on plugger and power auger attachment, which help with the planting process. If either breaks we will replace it free of charge.
Plugs can be cut to any size. They don't need to be any bigger than 1 inch square, but it can speed the planting process to cut them bigger. The down side is you will need additional grass to cover the same area.
Just a reminder, that quite often the grass will go dormant after harvesting and in transit. That's why they sometimes arrive looking the way you described. This is natural and actually protects the plant and its roots. Once planted in the ground and watered zoysia will start to send down new roots and grow new grass. "
i bought from this company 7 years ago, my yard is about 80% filled in (i didn,t buy enough plugs,my fault!) my yard looks better and better each year! i would not hesitate to buy from them again.
Ordered my plugs last winter, Jan 07, they arrived just as described in early May 07. Did as website said, opened, watered etc until I could start planting. Yes it's hard work! Nothing comes easy. Planted close to 13,000 1 ft spacing as recommended for 3 "full" season fill-in time. I may also add, poor soil in the beginning of NC worst drought, just my luck. Because of that only watered every other week with the recommended fertilizer. Saw some decent results (greened up and some spreading)by Fall. This spring (April) greened up quicker then I thought it would and now is already spreading some, 1" plugs are now 5-6" with runners reaching out. If this keeps up I will be very pleased. I have not had any customer service questions/problems. I did e-mail them a question this morning am waiting for response as of this writing.
For all of those that wrote negative comments, go back and read their web site. From what I've read from some of them, seems like you only read what you wanted to read.
I admit the 1" plug is hard to do, I recommend wetting both sides of sheet to keep dirt wet so soil hold on better, but I even planted some of the bare root edges and they seem to be coming along. During any home improvement project you should estimate 10% loss of materials. Planting plugs is no different.
If you are looking for quick/right now results re-read the website. Even 1ft spacing is a 3 FULL growing season project. Plant more closer together or choose a different option.
I think with the ongoing water problems and people becoming more environmentally friendly, more and more people are going to be planting this type of lawn. If you are patient, willing to do some hard work and do the recommended actions it will be well worth.
On Apr 16, 2008, relic8hunter Woodbridge, VA wrote:
I have dealt with this company 3x. Two by mail order and once we road-tripped to their annual warehouse sale at their actual farm. Once I ordered in early April, received as stated approx 8 days later, opened immediately because I knew that plants (much less zoysia) can't stand to be inside of ups boxes for long. Watered in boxes(grass is in bags inside of boxes) for three days until weekend, planted that Saturday. I agree w/ others that plugs should be more like 3"x3", not 1"x1" for optimal growth. The key some here are missing is to, 1) open boxes immediately and care for them until you can plant, 2) cut plugs a little larger than 1"x1",3) prep the hole a little...dont plant too deep and dont just kinda 'step it' into the ground and expect good results, 4) water new plugs every day it doesn't rain and you will have a beautiful result (no matter if the material comes to you brown or not). If you do not follow procedure/instructions then you will fail as well you should. If you expect instant gratification then order enough to 'sod' your entire lawn (not plug) or get fescue that you have to water, feed, weed, and mow constantly. Any complaint about being shipped at the wrong time is legit or a vagary of nature (& why don't you simply use their replacement guarantee? It's not as if they send somebody to your house to make sure you did it right, you know?). Any complaint about late shipping, well, perhaps you should have ordered earlier but I do see your point. 2nd time I ordered it was for Dad's B-day (october, wrong time to plant) and I requested them to charge me, send a receipt, and mail the plugs in the spring. They followed through perfectly and his lawn is as beautiful and care-free as mine. As I said, I have been onsite and found the people/atmosphere to be down home/down-on-the-farm but professional, clean and organized. First rate service for me, sorry for those that had bad experiences. Perhaps not enough people that have had good experiences reporting???
One last thought...if EVERYBODY was forced to use zoysia-type grass (from whatever company) then we could cut down on the amount of fertilizer in our ground water, chemicals you and your children are exposed to, less emissions from lawn mowers, and use less water overall as a nation. This should be mandatory in neighborhoods with HOA's (but isn't it ironic that I very much dislike HOA's?), heck mandatory in all parts of this nation wherein it will grow.
On April 16th, 2008, relic8hunter added the following:
Ok, mine is the longest post & I'm sorry but I just read more of the 'sorry' posts here and it made me a little upset because I believe in this Co. and the product ("the product", not their product...I'm no shill for any company). I have been from the beautiful and wet Northwest, to the dry Southwest, across the hills and praries of Texas, to the pebble-lawns of Florida, to the painted chemical-lawns of the rich in the Northeast and there is nothing, nothing, like Zoysia. Order early, be patient, follow the advice of the successful posters here, have some patience, and be happy a couple of years from now. PLUS...once your zoysia is established (even 1 Sq foot), you can make your own plugs in the spring and spread them elsewhere in your lawn...NO need to ever buy any seeds or plugs ever again in your entire life. For an established lawn all you need to do is fertilize once in the spring, watch all your neighbors weed&feed, water, and mow all summer and love/live life. Do yourself a favor and treat with nematodes once its established and almost never pay attention for the next 20 to 30 years (when the nematodes die off). Grub free, disease free, almost care free, just edge and mow a couple times while everyone else is mowing 3x per week. Some people here are the joke, not the company that has been in business for over 50 years...sorry to break the news to you.
I just ordered 900 plus 700 free plugs from Zoysia Farm in MD. I was not alarmed with the brown color because I knew it meant the grass was dormant. I've been in contact with Sue via email many times and she as been very responsive and courteous. After I measured the sod pieces, I determined that I was short plugs which I emailed Sue and she responded quickly saying that she will ship out the rest of the plugs.
So far my only disappointment is that when I cut the sod into 1 inch squares, many times I am left with bare root that I still plant in the hole. I'm hoping that they will still grow. I think the sheet of sod should be larger or only considered 100 plugs per 15 x 10 piece of sod since around the edge is bare roots. I plan on visiting the store and having them demonstrate the cutting of the sod because I can't seem to get a 1 inch piece to stay together as a plug to plant with grass sticking up. Hopefully I am not planting them too deep, but my reasoning is if I need 6 inch edging to keep the roots from creeping where I don't want them to then up to 2" down seems reasonable.
On April 18th, 2008, hwsva added the following:
Ok, I just wanted to follow up and say that about 2 weeks ago, I went to the Zoysia Farm to pick up another order to finish plugging my yard. The staff was very helpful and courteous. They even said they would load the boxes into my car.
I do want to mentioned that I thought my pick up order was in much better shape than my first mail order. Each piece of sod seemed to be more squared (no lost corners) to make the expected number of plugs. I was also able to see the scored marks on the sod pieces and the root system seemed denser.
Since I have a bare patch of garden, I placed the sod that I did not get plugged that day on the bare soil. It rained the next couple of days, but once it stopped, I was right out there. What I noticed was that the sod was thoroughly went and stayed together better for the cutting. I "sprinkled" the first batch, but it didn't hold together as well. I don't know if the second batch had more roots or just that the soil was thoroughly soaked., but not dripping. Some advice would be to water the sod thoroughly and let it drain away any excess water then plug away.
Yesterday, I started looking over my plugs and noticed the ones that had the brown grass top start greening up. Unfortunately with the first batch, I had many plugs that I was just planting bare root. I'm hoping that the roots will take hold grow.
Anyways, I'll try to report back at the end of the summer as to how my plugs are doing. I have every confidence that the majority (just not sure about the ones that were just root) will grow.On Mar 27, 2008, Zoysia Farm Nurseries responded with:
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On Mar 27, 2008 9:46 AM, Zoysia Farm Nurseries added:
We just want to reassure you that it is fine to plant the bare roots, they should grow. One word of caution, the ideal depth to plant zoysia plugs is approximately an inch to an inch and a half. Do not bury the whole plant, only the roots.
As to the separation process, adding some moisture will help hold the soil to the roots and make this go easier.
We look forward to meeting you in person when you visit our farm and store. Store hours change a little throughout the season. Please visit our website for the most up to date information and directions if you need them. All this information can be found under the Customer Service tab."
I had no problems whatsoever in dealing with this company. By the sounds of many comments, I do believe they are understaffed and perhaps should go thru some customer service training to better train their operators, but in my case, they were very helpful and answered all my questions well. If you follow the instructions the product works well. Watering is key. You must water at least twice a day unless it rains. I used a rain gauge when I watered, to make sure my lawn was getting enough water.
One thing I did differently, and that you all may consider, was that instead of cutting the sod into 1" squares before planting, I planted the big 10X15" pieces on the side of my house and watered for about a month. This gave me a 2 big pieces of zoysia grass measuring about 11ftX16ft each, with the 4000 plugs I ordered. After about a month, when the grass took and greened up, I then used their plugger (the manual one) to cut out my own plugs, which I then moved to other areas of my lawn. I cut the holes for my new plugs with the power plugger (the drill bit) and moved my new plugs to their new locations. Took me some time, but being a very busy person, doing it this way allowed me to work at my own pace, on my time schedule. Now, all my lawn is a lush green color, with a very thick grass that has very few, if any weeds and thin spots. I would recommend this company to anyone, but you must re-think the strategy if you are like me, and time is a factor you want to consider. If you dont plant your plugs within 2 weeks, very likely they will die, and if you knock off a lot of the soil when cutting them, then you are hurting the root system and they may die. To me, plating them like I did made much more sense. Hope this helps everyone.
Good product. Correct: you do not get 150 plugs with each piece of sod. It's more like 50. It is backbreaking work to get them started. They require TLC, especially in the first two weeks.
HOWEVER: Follow the directions. I live in the Northeast (N
near NYC) and the grass looks better every year as it fills in. Avoid a sprinkler system and plant this grass.
Our grass was looking hopeless. My husband and I could never get our grass to grow evenly and maintain a healthy look but, with a bit of patience and Dave's Garden we now have a beautiful lawn and get compliments from our neighbors. We'd highly recommend this company. Angel and I thank you so much!
My husband decided it would be great "gift" for our new house. Neither of us have a green thumb, but after alot of work, and I will admit, I was a bit concerned because they arrived brown but I planted them, and less than a year later, I have the nicest lawn on the block! I referred them to my brother he has decided to do it as well!
The first thing I would like to say is it is better to leave the grass in the square shape they come in. I planted mine whole making sure to break up the ground under the sod. Water is the key, keep watering for the first two weeks- everyday. After this water with liquid fertilizer once a week and you will not believe the results you will get. My grass is nice and healthy, I have ordered three boxes of the grass and all of it is doing great. It did arrive looking dead, but it is doing so good that I will be buying more. The key is put out whole squares, it takes less time and a square shovel is all you need!
My Dad ordered Zoysia plugs from these guys about 6-8 years ago. Through reading the host of negative feedback here, I can sympathize with the reactions. The plugs showed up brown, they were hard to separate into the promised plug sizes, and we really didn't have enough to do the whole yard. We focused on the problem areas and were able to do the entire front lawn, some of the side lawns and some in the back (1/2 acre).
I was convinced that the plugs were dead, there were these holes all over the yard, and me and my brother spent a couple days sweating our butts off to get these things in. That was some years ago....
....Now my Dad has an awesome lawn. Even though we thought the project was a failure, after a summer, the holes had been filled in and the yard looked like it had before we started. After the second year it looked like a patchwork quilt where the zoysia was creeping, and by the third or fourth year it had taken over. The beauty and strength of the grass is as advertised. If you are looking for a quick-fix, instant gratification solution to your yard problems, then Zoysia is probably not for you. For anyone else with (as advertised) about 3 growing seasons of patience and/or a low budget, zoysia definitely delivers on the quality. To add another testimony to the durability of the grass:
I deployed overseas during this last year (June 06- June 07) and while I was gone, I left my Toyota Tacoma parked on the side lawn of my dad's house. It sat for over 9 months in the same spot before my Dad started moving it around. Even with sitting there on the grass for such along time, only the tire spots showed any hurt at all, and there was still grass underneath! I think the web that the grass creates kept the plant parts under the tires alive, within a month the grass was back to normal!
Summary:
Pros:
-Quality as advertised, great lawn when done
-Much more cost effective than sod
Cons:
-Hard work putting them in
-Patience definitely required for filling in
-plug sizes not ideal
The grass just wasn’t growing in throughout the yard. A friend recommended your company and sure enough within a year, it is spreading like crazy and is a beautiful green. Like everyone else on this site, I was a bit worried when it came brown but then I later realized it was dormant and within two weeks it “woke up”, and it was sure worth waiting for. Not only does it look better but it is sure less work now.
I live in Jersey and my mother has zoiysia grass on one side of her lawn. I wanted the same thing because of how lush and strong the grass is. I didn't care about it being brown through winter. So I found ZFN online after multiple nurseries told me they couldn't even order it for me and no one at Lowes or Home Depot even KNEW what zoiysia grass was. I ordered the 1000 plug kit (with 900 free) from ZFN last June. The Auger they sent me worked fine - never broke a weld and my soil is VERY rocky...not to mention the garbage such as bottles and metal that I uncovered. Yes its true - the supposed "1900" plugs is a myth. There's no way to cut these things into 1" x 1" plugs - forget it. Most of my plugs are about 6" x 6" and i planted them in the worst spots in my lawn. In some spots I used a 1/4 sheet of the 13 sheets I got. Planted according to thier doucmentation with potting soil, watered consistantly for 3 weeks and even fertilized. The plugs took well and were lush and green through the summer. Went dead at the first frost this winter and just now they are starting to sprout some green blades. Not bad for a cold northeast winter.
I checked out all the plugs recently. I think I lost about a half sheet. I still think that's impressive. Some of the plugs even seem to have covered more ground over the winter. Considering people in my area have spent $1000's on resodding thier lawns, and have still had issues after a winter, I really can't complain. The grass is working. I intend to order another "1000" plugs and put them in this spring.
My only complaint is the number of plugs. There's no way to cut this into 1" x"1 plugs. Its ludicrous to try. 3" x 3" would be more realistic. But other than that, I can't complain. What will make me REALLY happy is if they are willing to ship me a free half sheet with my new order to replace the grass that died.
I'm going to recommend them cause I know it worked for me. And ANY grass that works in North jersey is well worth it!
I just happen to be surfing the web looking at some gardening information and noticed this website and took a look. I noticed all the negative comments about Zoysia Farms and wanted to add a note from my past dealings with them. I got zoysia grass from them years ago and they were very helpful to me when I called for information about the grass when I first considered planting it. I had tons of questions and called them several times and they were always willing to take the time to help me. At that time I do not remember seeing a website for them like they have now but I called and their customer service department was very helpful and courteous to me. They answered all the questions about zoysia grass and what all it entailed since I was starting in a yard that was mostly weeds and very poor soil. I ordered the grass and followed the directions to a tee and my yard is wonderful today. Yes the grass took several years to work but it was worth the wait. The zoysia grass has spread over the years and my grass is beautiful. We had many family reunions over the last several years and the family could not wait to play in the zoysia grass. It is soft on your feet and durable to a fault. Over 100 people running around on it all weekend did no harm to it, not even in rainy weather. All my experience with this company has been great and I plan on dealing with them again soon since my son just bought a home of his own and wants a yard like mine. He will be ordering his grass from them as well. I have read alot of the other comments from past customers on this website and I think everyone looking at this grass needs to keep one thing in mind and that is that all grass is not created equal and there is not one type of grass that is suitable for all areas. I have tried many grasses over the year without much success but Zoysia was the grass that worked for me. I would not have the yard I am so proud of today without this company. Thank you Zoysia Farm Nurseries. A very happy customer!
I think that if people followed directions, or followed the guarantee to get the free replacement plugs as i did, they would be very satisfied. my lawn is now lush and gorgeous and as promised from the zosia website. there will ALWAYS be someone who is unhappy with a product no matter how good or whatever they are, and want to complain about it. if you really want to try it, get a small pack first before spending alot of money on what could be a good lawn if you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!!!!
I received what I ordered over the internet. Yes, the grass looked "dead" but was actually dormant as the literature said. I followed the instructions to water every day for the specified amount of time. I did have a couple plugs die, but all other plugs survived and are spreading. At this point, I'm satisfied with the results of the Zoysia. Time will tell if the grass lives up to its reputation.
I odered 4000 plugs from them and none of the plugs took off, we had a very dry hot summer. Zoysia farms replaced all the plugs with no questions and the second batch is growing great. They were always helpful on the phone they even gave me extra free plugers when I picked up the order.
