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Knowledgeable Staff - Quality Products |
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Knowledgeable Staff - Quality Products |
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 ZENITH
ZOYSIA GRASS SEED |
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PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Zenith Zoysia fulfills a forty year old dream! When Meyer (Z-52) Zoysia was released by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Research Station at Beltsville, Maryland in 1951, researchers were then looking for a good turf quality Zoysia that would also be a good seed producer.
Finding the right Zoysia was one factor of the equation. How to harvest the seed was another, and a still greater challenge was how to overcome Nature's endowing Zoysia seeds with a material that makes them extremely slow to sprout.
Zenith is a "synthetic" seed from three selected parent clones whose performance was observed at the Beltsville Research Station for many years. The concept is that through cross pollination the progeny has the vigor of a hybrid and that each parent plant contributes other desirable traits, such as better color, disease, drought and insect resistance, etc.
Patten Seed Company initiated marketing Centipede grass seed at about the same time that Meyer Zoysia was released, after solving problems, such as harvesting and seed conditioning, similar to the problems of producing and conditioning Zoysia seed. Since then CentiSeed has produced more permanent, life-time Southern lawns than any grass seed brand in history.
Centipede grass is hard to beat in the lower Piedmont and Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States. But with greater cold tolerance, better performance on heavier soils as well as higher pH soils, Zenith Zoysia is becoming a big favorite in the vast "transition zone" of middle North America and other similar climates worldwide where rye grasses, blue grasses and fescues thin out and yield to weeds in hot, humid summers.
Tolerant to heat, drought, full sun and light shade, Zenith, like other Zoysias, turns brown after repeated fall frosts. However, Zenith's parents produce a more uniform golden brown than many other selections, and it can be inter seeded with ryegrass or fescue for winter color.
HOW TO PLANT
When to seed: Warm soil (70 degrees F.) is necessary for satisfactory germination, but it it important that seeding be done early enough in the year to get the planting well enough established to endure the first winter. The optimum seeding time in the mid South is late Spring. June is good in any adapted area. July 4 should be the latest seeding date north of the Mason-Dixon Line, while early August should be the latest in the Upper South.
Seedbed Preparation: Till and level the lawn area, removing sticks, stones and debris. Slope away from house and other buildings. Before tilling apply lime according to soil test to bring soil to pH of 6.0 to 6.5 (if no soil test is available, use 50 lb.. dolmetic limestone per 1,000 sq.ft.). Incorporate into soil 15 lb.. per 1,000 sq.ft. of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 8-8-8.
Seeding: Using a drop type or Cyclone type spreader, uniformly broadcast on a freshly prepared seedbed one to two pounds of Zenith Zoysia seed per 1,000 sq.ft. (20' x 50'). To insure uniformity, spread half the seed in one direction and the remaining half across the area first seeded (half east to west - then half north to south). Rake very lightly. The seed need to be in firm contact with the soil, but require light for quick germination and therefore should have very little soil or mulch cover.
For A Quick Stand: Water as often as necessary, which may be two or three times daily, to keep the Surface Constantly Moist for the first ten days. Thereafter, reduce watering frequency, but water enough to keep good moisture within one inch of the surface.
Fertilizer: A second application of a complete fertilizer about 30 days after the seedlings emerge will assist in maturing a turf and should be all that is needed the first year. Thereafter, a light application after spring green-up and one in late summer should suffice. On better soils, little or no regular fertilization is needed to maintain good color and density.
Mowing: Begin mowing when weed and/or Zoysia seedlings are three inches high and mow as frequently as necessary for good appearance. The best cut height is 1.5" to 2" in full sun 2" to 2.5" in shade. Sharp reel mowers produce the most professional looking turf, but an advantage of Zenith is that it will look good when mowed with a rotary cutter is the blade is Kept Sharp.
Insects & Diseases: All living things are subject to insect and disease problems. The most serious disease likely to damage Zenith is Brown Patch (rhizoctonia fungus). Leaf rust is a lesser problem. Grubs and bill bugs (plus mole crickets in the Lower South) ae soil borne insects which can cause serious damage. Consult your garden store or Extension Service Technician for control recommendations.
Overseeding For Winter Color: Many are happy to park the lawn mower and enjoy Zenith's golden brown winter color. Others who want it green can overseed with ryegrass or tall fescue. To do so, gradually reduce the cut height so that by mid September the mow-height is oneself inch lower than normal. Remove the clipping and/or sweep well. Use a heavy seeding rate because the dense turf will prevent many of the seed from making good soil contact. Water frequently to get the new seed up and growing and begin cutting with freshly sharpened mower blades at a height of about two inches as soon as the new planting is well established. Mow closely next spring to give the Zoysia light and growing room.
Converting Old Lawns To Zenith: No grass is likely to produce the miracle of choking out weeks and all other grasses, as advertised by sellers of Zoysia plugs, but thousands of ragged lawns can be converted to Zenith Zoysia. Begin in March by killing existing vegetation with Roundup. Mow closely and remove the dead material. If possible, rent a "slit-trench" seeder (a device which opens an incision or slip and drops the seed in the trench) and seed Zenith. If no such seeder is available, broadcast Zenith seed at a rate of two to four pounds per 1,000 sq.ft. and repeatedly aerity, dethatch or rake vigorously to get the seed in contact with the soil. Water frequently and begin regular mowing as soon as you have anything to mow. Fertilize per directions herein for new lawns. Expect and abundant weed crop, but use it to make a green ground cover. An application of weed and feed fertilizer in March of the next year should result in a good zenith lawn during the second summer. Be patient, follow directions, and you will be rewarded.
Do Not: Use any type pre-emerge weed control, chemical or weed and feed fertilizer, for at least 60 days before seeding Zenith. After seeding do not use any weed control chemical that is not labeled and recommended for Zoysia grasses.
Zenith Zoysia is
for the person who has tired of pampering blue grasses and fescues.
Don't try to do too much for it because once established it doesn't need
all that petting. Mow and water as needed and enjoy Zenith while
your neighbor slaves!
Information:
Patten Seed Company,
Lakeland, Georgia 31635
Updated: 11/2002
Roxbury Farm &
Garden Center
Fredericksburg,
VA. 22401
