Zoysia in Heavy Shade

iRonin · Sep 6, 2022

When we bought this house almost two years ago, it was clear that the Zoysia up front under the canopy of four large trees was nearly done for. Lots of moss has moved in. We also got new minders in the local HOA, and so I just got my letter regarding the bare spots.

I would like to take a go of getting some Zoysia there. The house has a lot of great wooded areas and non-grass spaces, but that makes the limited grass space somewhat of a premium (for all the things grass is really good for).

I've attached several pictures showing the bare spots as well as the canopy I'm dealing with. I believe the plan, as of now, is to lay some Zoysia sod down in October and once it's mature enough treat it with PGR, which I hear helps with shade heartiness (though I'm not sure if it's due to the nature of making the grass grow out vs. up, or if there is an additional by-product of the use).

Anyways, I'm happy to if y'all think I'm just wasting money, of it if you have suggestions on how to make this work. I'm not terribly concerned about the HOA, but I'd like to keep the Zoysia. If we can't make it stick, plan B is to extend mulch beds and try to find a shade-tolerant ground cover (any suggestions are also welcome).

Twodollarblue · Sep 6, 2022

Trees got to go if you want zoysia to grow there.

Zoysiabermudaguy · Sep 7, 2022

Zeon in my front yard. Some of it is shaded all day. The parts that get 3-4 hours of full sun are definitely thicker. But I get compliments from the neighbors on the lawn.

It won't ever look like a putting green but Zeon will definitely grow enough to look good even with pretty heavy shade if taken care of.

franktiberi · Sep 7, 2022

Zoysiabermudaguy said:
Zeon in my front yard. Some of it is shaded all day. The parts that get 3-4 hours of full sun are definitely thicker. But I get compliments from the neighbors on the lawn.

It won't ever look like a putting green but Zeon will definitely grow enough to look good even with pretty heavy shade if taken care of.

Do you put PGR on your Zeon?

LoCutt · Sep 7, 2022

We put Zorro zoysia in our problem area and it has thrived. Further down this slope which doesn't receive any direct sunlight, my wife put "dwarf mondo grass" which is a type of monkey grass. It too has thrived to the extent that I have to cut it (with string trimmer) once or twice a year because it looks so snakey.

Zoysiabermudaguy · Sep 7, 2022

franktiberi said:
Zoysiabermudaguy said:

Zeon in my front yard. Some of it is shaded all day. The parts that get 3-4 hours of full sun are definitely thicker. But I get compliments from the neighbors on the lawn.

It won't ever look like a putting green but Zeon will definitely grow enough to look good even with pretty heavy shade if taken care of.

Click to expand...

Do you put PGR on your Zeon?

I do. I found the following study useful. Basically they found that with Diamond Zoysia PGR produced deeper root growth and more canopy vs a control resulting in better shade tolerance.

https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/tgtre/article/1999jan12.pdf

jayhawk · Sep 7, 2022

The sidewalk area between the trees doesn't appear viable.

What's the rest of the green, some other variety? (What's the plan for it?)

franktiberi · Sep 7, 2022

Zoysiabermudaguy said:
franktiberi said:

Zoysiabermudaguy said:

Zeon in my front yard. Some of it is shaded all day. The parts that get 3-4 hours of full sun are definitely thicker. But I get compliments from the neighbors on the lawn.

It won't ever look like a putting green but Zeon will definitely grow enough to look good even with pretty heavy shade if taken care of.

Click to expand...

Do you put PGR on your Zeon?

Click to expand...

I do. I found the following study useful. Basically they found that with Diamond Zoysia PGR produced deeper root growth and more canopy vs a control resulting in better shade tolerance.

https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/tgtre/article/1999jan12.pdf

Mind sharing some up-close pics of the areas in heaviest shade? Your yard looks great for that much shade.

Zoysiabermudaguy · Sep 7, 2022

franktiberi said:
Zoysiabermudaguy said:

franktiberi said:

Do you put PGR on your Zeon?

Click to expand...

I do. I found the following study useful. Basically they found that with Diamond Zoysia PGR produced deeper root growth and more canopy vs a control resulting in better shade tolerance.

https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/tgtre/article/1999jan12.pdf

Click to expand...

Mind sharing some up-close pics of the areas in heaviest shade? Your yard looks great for that much shade.

Thanks for the compliment.

This is from the heaviest shade area. Top left of the pic taken from the road. 1st pic is the area and the 2nd is a closeup of the thinnest spot.

Again I'll never mow it at .25" but my house faces due west and the afternoon shade from the oak trees is fantastic. It's a very happy compromise of nice grass and big trees.

Zoysia in Heavy Shade

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