Zoysia Grass

Zoysia is a versatile turf variety and is best suited to warmer climates, making it an ideal choice for homeowners in Sydney, Perth and further north in Queensland and the Northern Territory. It features deep-rooted underground runners, making it incredibly durable. It is an extremely drought resistant turf variety, requiring low levels of water and making it well suited for the parts of Australia with hot, dry climates once established.

Low Maintenance

Once established, Zoysia has a slower growing rate compared to other varieties such as Buffalo grass or Kikuyu grass, reducing the frequency of mowing and fertilisation compared to other grass varieties. If you want a slow-growing grass, we recommend using minimal or no fertiliser.

Drought Tolerance

It is highly drought-tolerant and can survive extended periods of dry weather by entering dormancy until moisture becomes available. In fact, it’s more water efficient than Couch, Kikuyu and Buffalo turf varieties and can survive on natural rainfall alone thanks to its deep-rooted system and is ideal for regions with water restrictions.

Salt Tolerance

Zoysia grass types have naturally adapted to saline conditions. This means it has a high salt tolerance making it a great choice for coastal regions or homes close to salt swimming pools. 

Shade Tolerance

Zoysia grass has moderate shade tolerance, although it performs best in full sun. In fact, its shade tolerance can be up to 50%, making it higher than both Couch grass and Kikuyu varieties. Both Empire Zoysia and Nara Native Zoysia are both ideally suited for up to 50% shade tolerance.

Dark Green Colour

While being a hardy lawn, Zoysia grass has a deep, rich green colour with a medium to fine textured leaf that is 4-7mm in size, creating a beautiful, soft lawn for homeowners. The durability and aesthetic appeal of Zoysia with its ability to thrive in challenging conditions while maintaining its visual appeal makes it a popular choice for both residential and commercial landscapes. 

Erosion Control

Zoysia lawns are a great choice for erosion prevention and control. With many proving themselves to effectively strengthen the soil’s structure, making it ideal for steep embankments.

Wear Tolerance

Zoysia grass has a low seed head with excellent fast initial growth that spreads across the ground with highly branching runners that provide excellent wear recovery. This makes it an excellent choice for kids and pets, and ideal for high traffic areas.  

Zoysia Macrantha

Zoysia macrantha (also known as the prickly couch) is the only Zoysia grass currently considered a native and is predominantly found naturally along the east coast of Australia. Zoysia macrantha generally has a fine to medium leaf tip with a typical leaf size ranging between 4mm -7mm and is light green in colour. However, the wear and shade tolerance is  inferior to the other types of Zoysia grasses. The most popular and well-known Zoysia macrantha is myhomeTURF’s Nara Native®Zoysia.

Zoysia Japonica

Zoysia Japonica is native to the coastal grasslands of South East Asia and Indonesia. It’s now one of the most widely used grass species due to its low maintenance, high wear and drought tolerance features. Zoysia japonica generally has a fine to medium leaf tip with a typical leaf size ranging between 4mm -7mm but are noted for their eye-catching dark green colour. Our most popular Zoysia japonica available is our Empire®Zoysia.

Zoysia Matrella

Zoysia Matrella is native to the temperate coast regions of South East Asia and Northern Australia. It has a vigorous root, stolon and rhizome system which allows the grass to handle full sun, have a high shade tolerance, and cope with plenty of wear and tear. Zoysia matrella has the finest leaf texture compared to all Zoysia types and is easily identified from its fine leaf tip with a typical leaf size that is no more than 4mm. One of the most popular and well-known Zoysia matrella available on the market is myhomeTURF’s Augusta™ Zoysia.

While the different Zoysia grass varieties share some common traits such as durability and aesthetic appeal, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. Here are three popular Zoysia grass varieties: 

Empire Zoysia

Empire Zoysia  is renowned for its dense, dark green, carpet-like appearance and superior resilience to environmental stressors. In fact, it’s one of the best Zoysia grass species to adapt to Australia’s tough climate. It outperforms other popular grasses providing good wear recovery and requiring less water and lower maintenance. When compared to Kikuyu, Couch and Buffalo, Empire Zoysia requires less mowing, fertiliser, pesticides and dethatching. Empire Zoysia also meets the Erosion Control Australian Standard No#AS5181:2017 Use and installation of turf as an erosion, nutrient and sediment control measure.

Where Does it Grow? 

Empire Zoysia grows well in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Your local Empire Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

How Much Does Empire Zoysia Cost? 

Between $12 and $16 per square metre.To get a fair price from one of our local turf growers, get 3 quotes now!

Nara Native Zoysia

Nara Native Zoysia excels in its adaptability to diverse climates and soil conditions, particularly in coastal regions. It is a unique variety as it is native to Australia and adapts well to tough demands of the Australian climate. This variety is becoming increasingly popular with Australian homeowners who want to invest in a native turf. It also has low maintenance, strong weed and pest resistance, outstanding drought, salt and wear tolerance as well as maintaining a strong winter colour. Nara Native Zoysia also meets the Erosion Control Australian Standard No#As5181:2017 Use and installation of turf as an erosion, nutrient and sediment control measure.

Where Does it Grow? 

Nara Native Zoysia grows well in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Your local Nara Grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

How Much Does Nara Native Zoysia Cost? 

Between $11 and $16 per square metre. To get a fair price from one of our local turf growers, get 3 quotes now!

Augusta Zoysia

Augusta Zoysia is recognised for its high shade tolerance with a fine vertical blade and offers families a soft to touch lawn. It’s versatile and also has exceptional drought and shade tolerance, and is incredibly low maintenance. Augusta grass creates a compact, smart-looking lawn, and is ideal for residential, parklands and sporting fields.

Where Does it Grow? 

Augusta Zoysia can be delivered to Brisbane, Gold Coast, South East Queensland and Sydney. To obtain a quote from our suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool.

How Much Does Augusta Zoysia Cost? 

Augusta Zoysia is a premium lawn, retailing between $22 and $26 per square metre. To get a fair price from one of our local turf growers, get 3 quotes now!

Zoysia grasses are renowned for tolerating considerable variations in exposure to sunlight, water, and temperature. It also make for a durable lawn as they are generally resistant to weeds, insects, and diseases that can harm other types of grass. 

 Site Preparation

Before you install your zoysia grass, it’s important to make sure the soil is well-drained and free of debris. If you’re using any herbicides to control weeds, make sure you apply this at least 7 days prior to filling the lawn with new soil.  You may also choose to conduct a soil test to assess the nutrient levels and pH and make any necessary amendments.  Zoysia grass adapts well with a range of soil types, from clay soil to sandy soil, reach out to your local turf grower to determine the best soil type to lay Zoysia grass. 

Here’s our complete lawn site preparation checklist here.

Installing Zoysia Grass

The best time to install Zoysia grass is during the summer, when the weather is not too cold, but this can be anytime in both Queensland and New South Wales. For those who live in colder climates, we recommend installing your zoysia grass before the beginning of May. 

It’s important to install the grass as soon as possible after delivery. This allows the pallets of turf to properly aerate and prevents the turf from heating up. Zoysia grass may take a week or so longer to establish than other lawn varieties if they are planted in early spring or autumn. That said, it’s much less work. Reach out to your local turf grower for more advice on installing zoysia grass.

Watering

Once you lay your turf, it’s important to keep the soil moist so the roots are able to set in, so we recommend irrigating your lawn every day for the first two weeks. Apply at least 2-3cm to newly laid Zoysia grass to ensure you water deep enough to soak the soil between 7-10cm. 

After this point, you can gradually reduce irrigation until grass has established, then only when it’s needed. In fact, you can water it as often as you require depending on how lush and green you want it to look. Established Zoysia grass can maintain itself on little to no water – making it an ideal choice for low rainfall areas or regions prone to drought. Throughout summer, we recommend watering every 7-10 days to maintain its lush, green colour. During winter, only water when necessary to prevent any waterlogging.

Learn more about watering a new lawn here.

Mowing

Zoysia grasses are best known for being able to be mowed long or short depending on the desired finish. As a general rule, mow your Zoysia lawn every 7 – 21 days during spring and summer depending on the frequency of fertiliser application. During autumn and winter, mow your Zoysia lawn every 3 – 4 weeks. Always ensure you mow your Zoysia grass to a height that does not cause scalping, such as 35mm -45mm.

Fertilising a Zoysia Lawn

Zoysia grass requires very little fertiliser. We recommend fertilising at the beginning of April and mid June with a slow-release fertiliser. This will allow the grass to thrive under moderate wear, requiring low to moderate mowing and will keep a nice winter colour throughout winter. 

If your Zoysia will get high wear, and want it to keep a dark green colour all year round, we recommend fertilising your lawn in autumn and winter, as well as September and October with a moderate rate or slow-release fertiliser. This will require a regular mowing schedule. 

For people who want a low maintenance lawn, we recommend not apply any fertiliser – you’ll only have to mow two to four times a year. 

Zoysia grass can spread through underground rhizome runners. If you’re worried about Zoysia grass making its way into your flower bed, it’s best to establish good borders around your garden, this can be done by lawn edging, using plastic or wood. Alternatively, you can use a non-selective herbicide.

Controlling Weeds in Zoysia Grass

Because Zoysia grass has a dense structure, weeds have a hard time coming through. This means controlling weeds is much easier than Kikuyu, Buffalo and Couch grass. Hand weeding is an option if you’ve found a couple of weeds invading your lawn. If they get worse or become more of a risk, we recommend contacting your local garden centre for advice on an appropriate herbicide.

Controlling Pests in Zoysia Grass

Zoysia grass can attract a number of common pests. African Black Beetle, White Curl Grubs and Mole Crickets work underground and damage the grass and root structure. Whereas insects like Fall Army Worms, and Two Spotted Mites are known to attack the stalks of your grass. 

That said, Zoysia grass is far less susceptible to Lawn Grubs than Buffalo, Couch and Kikuyu grasses. You may see caterpillars, or if you’re in Queensland, Mealybugs, but with the right pesticide, you can keep any unwanted pests at bay. Be sure to check that your pesticide is suitable for Zoysia grass types.

Zoysia Lawn Diseases

There are three lawn diseases that Zoysia grasses are susceptible to:

1.Brown Patch/Spot Disease

Easily identifiable by its distinct brown ring encircling a green centre. This causes Zoysia grasses to die off and quickly spread around the lawn, particularly in warm conditions. To prevent brown patch from overtaking your lawn, choose an appropriate fungicide that suits Zoysia grass. Make sure to reach out to your local garden centre for more advice.

2. Leaf Spot

Leaf spot on Zoysia grass can occur during warm days, cool nights and lack of proper fertiliser. Leaf Spot causes small lesions on the Zoysia grass’ blades with distinct patterns which under close inspection could look spotty. To alleviate Leaf Spot on Zoysia grass apply fertiliser and water deeply once a week.

3. Lawn Rust

Rust is a fungal disease that occurs when lawn growth slows down. It usually appears in the late summer or early autumn when there are bouts of dry weather or when the grass is low on nitrogen. The best way to prevent lawn rust is to retrieve all grass clippings after you mow your lawn. If you notice Lawn Rust throughout your lawn, seek out a Zoysia-friendly fungicide to treat it.

Zoysia grass is a versatile, resilient grass type with its ability to thrive throughout most of Australia. With exceptional drought tolerance, low maintenance requirements and beautiful green colour, Zoysia grass continues to be a popular grass type for Australians lawns. Get 3 quotes today from myhomeTURF’s local Zoysia grass turf growers.