Turf
Zoysia grass
Zoysia japonica · Poaceae
Also called: Japanese lawngrass, Korean lawngrass, Zoysiagrass
Zoysia grass (Zoysia japonica) is a moderate-water turf well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun. Expect tan/greenish (insignificant) blooms Inconspicuous grass seedheads in late spring/summer.
Zoysia grass at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun; tolerates light/partial shade better than bermudagrass
- Mature size
- Turf height; mow at 1-2 in (reel or rotary). Spreads by rhizomes and stolons
- Growth rate
- Slow to establish (especially from plugs/sod; seed is very slow), then forms a dense, slow-spreading turf
- Bloom
- Tan/greenish (insignificant), Inconspicuous grass seedheads in late spring/summer; grown as turf, not for bloom
- Cold hardiness
- Cold-hardy warm-season grass; goes dormant (straw-brown) with frost and through Tucson winters, greening up in spring. Tolerates 9a-9b easily
- Soil
- Adaptable; prefers well-drained soil. Tolerates Tucson's alkaline, clay or sandy soils. Improve with compost at establishment; tolerates a wide pH range
- Native range
- East Asia (Japan, Korea, China)
- Best used as
- Lawn turf, Play and recreation areas, Erosion control, Dense traffic-tolerant turf
- Wildlife
- Low wildlife value; a dense monoculture turf
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic to pets and children
How to grow Zoysia grass in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Establish with frequent irrigation, then water deeply and infrequently — roughly 1 inch of water every 5-7 days in summer heat, less in spring/fall, and essentially none while dormant in winter. Deep, infrequent cycles (to ~6 in depth) build drought tolerance; it is more drought-tolerant than fescue but uses more applied water than bermuda or buffalograss in Tucson.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeder: apply 0.5-1 lb actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per growing month from late spring through summer (about 2-4 lb N/1,000 sq ft per season). Use a balanced or slow-release turf fertilizer; stop feeding by early fall so it can harden off before frost. Iron (chelated) corrects yellowing in Tucson's alkaline soils.
Pruning & care
Mow regularly at 1-2 in during the growing season to prevent thatch; dethatch or vertical-mow every few years because Zoysia builds thatch readily. Do not scalp.
Notes
A warm-season turfgrass that goes winter-dormant (brown) in Tucson; can be overseeded with annual/perennial ryegrass for winter green, but overseeding stresses it. Slow to establish, which makes it more expensive than bermuda, but it forms a very dense, weed-resistant, traffic-tolerant lawn once mature. More shade- and cold-tolerant than bermudagrass. Heat- and drought-tolerant once established; a reasonable lower-water alternative to fescue in the low desert.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (Turfgrass for the Desert / Lawn care guides); AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; GBIF / Plants of the World taxonomy