El Toro Zoysia

El Toro Zoysia is a patented zoysia variety developed by Dr. Victor B. Youngner at the University of California-Riverside. It has a medium width leaf blade similar to Meyer Zoysia (Z-52), however it has a far superior establishment rate. It’s aggressive lateral growth and ability to recover from injury, makes it an ideal selection for shaded high traffic areas on golf courses, home lawns and athletic fields where bermuda grass isn’t suitable. It has a dark green color, excellent shade tolerance and requires less fertilizer and mowing than bermuda grass. It is also much more drought tolerant than Meyer Zoysia making it an excellent choice for low maintenance areas. It can tolerate mowing heights from ½ inch to 3 inches. This is an excellent all-around turfgrass with many practical uses for golf courses, home lawns, and utility turf areas. It is only available through licensed producers and can be established from sod or sprigs.

El Toro Zoysia Maintenance & Calendar

This calendar of suggested management practices is designed to assist you in the seasonal care of your lawn. Location, terrain, soil type and condition, age of the lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf performance. For these reasons, the following management practices and dates should be adjusted to suit your particular home lawn conditions.

Mowing
Mow the lawn when it turns green in the spring using a reel mower set at 3/4 to I inch or a rotary mower set as low as possible without scalping the lawn. Mow before the grass grows taller than 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Recycle nutrients by not collecting clippings unless they are unsightly or in clumps.

Fertilization
Apply 1/2 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet 3 weeks after the grass turns green. In absence of a soil test, use a complete (N-P-K) turf-grade fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio (for example 12-4-8 or 16-4-8). Submit a soil sample to determine nutrient requirements, if you haven’t already done so. (Contact your county Cooperative Extension agent for details.) Apply lime if suggested.

To determine the amount of product required to apply 1/2 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, divide 50 by the first number in the fertilizer radio. For example, for a 5-5-15 fertilizer, divide 50 by 5. The result is 10 pounds of product per thousand square feet.

Irrigation
Water to a soil depth of 4 to 6 inches. Probe with a screwdriver to determine moisture depth. Zoysiagrass needs a weekly application of 1 to 1 1/4 inches of water. On sandy soils, it requires more frequent watering. For example, some sandy soils need 1/2 inch of water every third day. (It takes 620 gallons of water to apply 1 inch of water per thousand square feet.) Because clay soils accept water slowly, irrigate these areas until runoff occurs; wait half an hour until the water has been absorbed, and then continue irrigating until the desired depth or amount is obtained, Foot printing, and wilted, folded, or curled leaves indicate that it is time to water. Proper irrigation may prevent or reduce pest problems and environmental stress later in the summer.

Weed Control
To control crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtail, apply pre-emergent herbicides by the time the dogwoods are in full bloom. Apply post emergent herbicides in May as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds, such as knotweed, spurge, and lespedeza. Products containing two or three broadleaf herbicides are usually more effective in controlling several different broadleaf weeds in a lawn. Be sure the product is labeled for use on zoysiagrass. Apply only if weeds are present and wait until 3 weeks after the grass turns green. (See Cooperative Extension Service publication AG-408 Pest Control Recommend for Turfgrass Managers.)

Insect Control
Check for white grubs and control them if necessary. (See Cooperative Extension Service publication AG-366 White Grub Control in Turf)

Thatch Removal
Vertically mow (power rake) after the grass turns green to remove thatch if it is more than 1/2 inch thick. Do not attempt to remove too much thatch at one time because zoysiagrass has a slow recovery rate. It may take several years to get thatch under control.

Renovation
Replant large bare areas using sod or plugs planted on 6- or 12-inch centers. (See Cooperative Extension Service publication AG -69, Carolina Lawns) Apply a pre-emergent herbicide that does not interfere with root growth after plugging to help prevent weed encroachment. Crabgrass, goose grass, dallisgrass, nutsedge, annual sedges, and sandbur can be controlled with post emergent grass control herbicides. Two or three applications 7 to 10 days apart are required for effective control. Zoysiagrasses are sensitive to these compounds, so select the application carefully.

Mowing
Follow the March-May mowing guidelines.

Fertilizer
Apply 1/2 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet in late June or early July and repeat in mid-August using March - May fertilizer guidelines.

Irrigation
Follow the March-May irrigation guidelines.

Weed Control
Apply post emergent herbicides as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds, such as knotweed, purge, and lespedeza. Do not apply post emergent herbicides unless weeds are present, grass is actively growing, and the lawn is not suffering from drought stress. (See Cooperative Extension Service publication AG-408. Pest Control Recommendations felt Turfgrass Managers.)

Insect Control
Follow the March-May insect control guidelines. August is the best time to control grubs because they are very small and close to the soil surface.

Thatch Removal
Vertically mow (power mow) in June using the March-May thatch removal guidelines.

Mowing
Mow the lawn using the March-May guidelines.

Fertilization
Fertilize with 1 pound of potash (K20)2 using 1.6 pounds of muriate of potash (0-0-60), 2 pounds of potassium sulfate (0-0-50), or 5 pounds of sul-po-mag (0-0-22) per thousand square felt.

To determine the amount of product required to apply 1 pound of potash per thousand square feet, divide 100 by the third number in the fertilizer ratio. For example, for a 6-6-12 fertilizer, divide 100 by 12. The result is 8.3 pounds of product per thousand square feet.

Irrigation
Follow the March-May irrigation guidelines. Dormant zoysiagrass may still need to be watered periodically when warm, windy weather prevails.

Weed Control
Apply pre-emergent or post emergent herbicides as needed to control winter annual and perennial broadleaf weeds, such as chickweed and henbit. Pre-emergent herbicides will not control existing perennial weeds. Apply post emergent herbicides only when weeds are present. (See Cooperative Extension Service publication ACS-408, Pest Control Recommendations for Turfgrass Managers.)

Insect Control
Follow the March-May insect control guidelines.

Mowing
Follow the March-May mowing guidelines. Zoysiagrass need not be mowed when dormant.

Fertilization
Do not fertilize.

Irrigation
Dormant zoysiagrass may need to be irrigated periodically to prevent desiccation, especially when warm, windy weather prevails.

Weed Control
Apply broadleaf herbicides as necessary to control chickweed, henbit, and hop clover. Selective herbicides can be applied in November or December to control annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and several annual broadleaf weeds. Apply post emergent herbicides only when weeds are present.

Related Topics

	Integrated Pest Management
	Grasscycling

El Toro Zoysia is recommended for Golf Courses and Landscaping.

Learn about Certified Turfgrass.

To compare the various grasses offered by Sandhill Turf, view our
Sod Comparison Chart or click its name below.

	T-10 Bermuda
	Tifway 419 Bermuda
	TifSport Bermuda
	El Toro Zoysia
	TifBlair Centipede
	Piedmont Gold
	Bentgrass