I've had two lawns in the last 25 years with zoysia. It can be a bit finicky at times, but once you learn what areas of your lawn need a bit more attention than others, it is very enjoyable and beautiful. Every year people stop their cars, and come ask about the lawn, what it is, etc. We used Emerald, but now the newer, fine blade is Zeon. Even more tolerant of extremes and likes some shade. Super thick, dense and if cut right, (yes, even with a rotary), it looks like carpet. Requires more maintenance though. Good luck on the change out, whatever you choose.

 

It's like cutting burlap. I will say that every zoysia lawn I've ever cut had a unique smell. Maybe I'm crazy, maybe some of you know the smell I'm talking about. I like the smell though.

Look into tifgrand. Although zeon is a beautiful grass, I have seen it get some fungus/disease in the humid summers. Bermuda is king when it comes to full sun, repairing itself, disease resistance, also it handles chemicals really well.

If you have a cool and wet winter that does not transition into frost quickly, most Zoysia varieties are extremely susceptible to Large Patch.

Other thing to think about is how much tensile strength Zeon Zoysia has. If your mower is not beyond razor sharp, it will pull, tear and shred rather than mow nicely.

 

Look into tifgrand. Although zeon is a beautiful grass, I have seen it get some fungus/disease in the humid summers. Bermuda is king when it comes to full sun, repairing itself, disease resistance, also it handles chemicals really well.

If you have a cool and wet winter that does not transition into frost quickly, most Zoysia varieties are extremely susceptible to Large Patch.

Other thing to think about is how much tensile strength Zeon Zoysia has. If your mower is not beyond razor sharp, it will pull, tear and shred rather than mow nicely.

 

Look into tifgrand. Although zeon is a beautiful grass, I have seen it get some fungus/disease in the humid summers. Bermuda is king when it comes to full sun, repairing itself, disease resistance, also it handles chemicals really well.

 

Have you considered TifGrand bermuda rather than TifTuf? It is superior in my opinion.

I second this

 

If your cutting out the old stuff, or killing it off first, I wouldn't be too worried about common bermuda being an issue in either of your options. If kept healthy, both will likely keep it choked out. If there is any shade don't plant bermudagras! I'd assume the zeon is a bit pricier. Zoysia's are slow growers. They get extremely thick. They can be slower to recover when under stress, and are not as forgiving as bermdua.

 

i don't fully understand the wild bermuda concern.....however as others said quite well, one looks good 'tall'. zoysias are tight, making it harder for foreign material to grow, i've seen it first hand when i didn't put out any pre-em this fall.

to look its best, of course reel but its rotary cut everywhere in GA and still has a "wow-that looks nice" all seasons.

 

Have you considered TifGrand bermuda rather than TifTuf? It is superior in my opinion.

 

I have both. About 10,000' of zeon and 2,000' of tiftuf.
The main question is- does any of the area receive less than full sun? If so, I wouldn't go with the tiftuf. It thins out quickly, even in partial shade .
Zeon is awesome , and grows very thick. It is going to be susceptible to Bermuda invasion.
I spent the 1st 2 years mowing mine with a reel. Last 2 years I have mowed with rotary and it has done well.
Unlike Bermuda, the zeon actually looks good @ 2-2.5"

 

Not sure why you think TifTuf is overly aggressive. In my experience it's no different than the other bermudagrasses .. if anything, common seems to be a worse culprit when it comes to annoying spreading. Now if your different grasses aren't separated by any barrier (landscape beds / natural areas, borders, etc) then naturally they'll grow into each other, no matter the types. But in general zoysia grasses are a bit more dense growing than bermuda grasses, and it crowds out any invasions better.
With 19K sqft the cost difference may be a factor. In our area Zeon is about 33% more expensive than TifTuf.

 

For a multitude of reasons that I won't bore you with, I am done with fescue.

Will be sodding about 19,000 SF.

I really like Zeon's look but I am worried about wild Bermuda invading/taking over. Also curious about peoples experience with regard to TifTuf as a residential lawn and controlling around beds.

 

If you have free irrigation water, why not just keep the fescue? Mowing either TifTuf or Zeon with a rotary isn't ideal, and you might still end up with bermuda invasion if you aren't reel mowing at 1/2".

If you are still insistent on changing, both grasses have their positives, but I would go with the TifTuf.