Mowing Zoysia Grass Lawns

It is hard to think of mowing as anything but the activity that can spoil a good Saturday afternoon. Let's face it, mowing seems mundane. There a few finer points, however, that can drastically improve the appearance of your lawn. Even then, you'll have to mow every week.

The mowing season actually begins while your zoysia grass lawn is still dormant. Mow the entire law at about 1 inch to remove as much dead top growth as possible. Try to do this after the danger of hard freezes has passed, but before new grass blades emerge. This is usually in early to mid-March. Bag or rake all the dead top growth as you mow to prevent thatch accumulations and start the year with a clean slate. Do not mow, however, below .5 inches because you may damage zoysia grass rhizomes and stolons growing near the soil surface. In the middle and upper South, beware of mowing your dormant lawn too early. The dormant grass blades act as insulation and prevent hard freezes from affecting shallow roots and rhizomes.

Your lawn will begin to turn green several weeks later when the soil warms to 60 - 65 degrees. This is usually in mid-March to mid-April, depending on the weather. Do not mow your lawn lower during spring green up than you will mow during the rest of the growing season. Wait until it reaches the recommended height.

Zoysia grass lawns form a denser lawn cover than any other Southern lawn grass. In fact, they can be so dense that your lawn mower might have trouble cutting. There are two answers to this problem. If you are committed to zoysia grass in the long term, and have a relatively small lawn, you may want to purchase a reel mower rather than a rotary mower. Reel mowers cut with a scissor action that is more suited to mowing dense grass at low heights. If you opt for one of the more versatile rotary mowers, choose one with plenty of horse power and always mow with a sharp blade. Even then, experiment to see how low you can mow without having the rotary blade beat the grass in a circular pattern.

Once you have set your mowing height for your zoysia grass lawn, mow consistently! If you remove more than one third of a grass blade at a time, you will shock the plant and stall its growth. During the ensuing recovery period your lawn is more susceptible to stresses like heat, weed competition, and drought.

There will be times, like the family vacation, when your zoysia grass lawn grows above the recommended height. When you return from your trip, mow the lawn twice over a two or three day period. Begin by temporarily raising the mowing height so that you do not remove more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. For instance, if the lawn has grown to 4.5 inches tall, mow at 3 inches. Two or three days later, mow the lawn again at the normal, recommended height.

As mentioned, zoysia grass has a tendency to accumulate thatch. Lawn clippings can contribute to this problem since they have difficulty falling through the dense turf to the soil surface where they naturally decompose. It is a good idea to bag your zoysia grass clipping or to rake your lawn after mowing. You might want to keep this face in mind when buying a new mower so that you can purchase one with an easy and efficient bagging device.

Allow your zoysia grass lawn to grow to 3 inches in the fall in preparation for cold weather. This extra height will act as winter insulation for roots, rhizomes, and stolons. Plan ahead because zoysia grass grows slowly in the fall.