Take a look at some of our most popular insecticides below. Zoysia can tolerate light to moderate shade, depending on other factors like temperature and humidity. While planting seeded cultivars of zoysiagrass is cheaper than buying and planting plugs, they generally do not perform as well. For example, Innovation should be mowed at a height of 1–2 inches whereas CitraBlue performs best at a mowing height of 2.5–3.5 inches. St. Augustinegrass does not tolerate high traffic. There are three main types of soil: sandy, clay and loamy soil. When building a new lawn, be sure you choose the grass breed that fits your shade coverage, lawn care schedule, and … Zoysias have a thick, soft carpet with a stronger, medium-thick grass blade that produces a soft feel. Similarly to insects, both zoysia and St. Augustines, along with every other grass type, are prone to more diseases or fungus outbreaks than others. It requires re-seeding 1-2 times per year. Zoysia grasses are as drought tolerant as Buffalo and Bermuda grasses. Downside is they do not have good wear resistance but recover much faster from damage. There are also outliers like Palmetto, a semi-dwarf St. Augustine, which should be mowed at a height of 1.5–2.5 inches. Drought tolerance is the ability to survive a drought. In addition, JaMur is considered a much-improved replacement for other Zoysia cultivars, including El Toro, Meyer, Palisades, Empire, & Crown. With more than two billion sq. Developed to over-take the St. Augustine market, Zoysia forms a dense turf that keeps weeds out and is relatively disease and insect free. The landscape guy recommended Zoysia in the well shaded sections of the yard and said it is better shade tolerant than St. Augustine. Of the two turfgrasses, St. Augustine grass is cheaper and easier to establish and maintain while zoysia is a little costlier with a much more frequent maintenance schedule. The best you can do is mow the zoysia in the shade a little higher and feed it a little less to help it tolerate the shade it’s in. Best Suited for Full-Sun or Shady Areas. Although both grasses can encounter many different fungus outbreaks, the ones zoysias most frequently experience are brown spot, rust and leaf spot. This is one of the most difficult features to compare because different varieties of zoysia have different colors. I think, when established, it looks like a neater, thicker, straighter St. Aug. My opinion. Even the more desirable “turf type” Fescue is the heaviest maintenance lawn type for our area. I'm curious as to how well Zoysia grass (in sod form) will hold up in an area that is well shaded vs. St. Augustine sod. Wider-bladed zoysias, like EMPIRE, usually have a blade width of 5–7 mm, whereas finer-bladed zoysias, like InnovationTM Zoysia and GeoTM Zoysia, have a blade width around 2 mm. It’s also important to note that there are a few big key differences between warm season and cool season varieties. This is why zoysia grasses can be found in golf courses instead of St. Augustines—zoysias are generally more durable. Mowing heights matter because they usually dictate how frequently homeowners will need to mow. Houston Grass, All Rights Reserved. It does not perform as well in shaded areas. They will then return to color shortly after resuming a regular watering schedule. St. Augustines have a much thicker blade than zoysia grasses. St. Augustine also tends to have a higher salt tolerance than zoysias, so you will typically see more St. Augustines along the coasts or around areas high in salt content. There are other zoysiagrass cultivar better adapted to shade and I … It’s surprising that St Augustine is as popular as it is because it is actually not very drought hearty and it consumes quite a … This makes Palisades ideal for shady lawns in the northern portions of the growing range for zoysia. For more general information on the seasonal maintenance required, check out our Zoysia Homeowner Maintenance Guide and St. Augustine Homeowner Maintenance Guide. There are many different turfgrass varieties to choose from when it comes to installing sod in a new home lawn. Under most other conditions, however, zoysia is the better option if you don’t mind your lawn going dormant during dry seasons. The grass developed from this research proves effective, but needs a bit more fertilizing than Zoysia grass. I think this is your problem. JaMur needs less water and less fertilizer than other standard lawn grasses. Knowing which types of diseases these two grasses are more susceptible to will really help in preventing and treating any future outbreaks that may occur. All zoysia grass performs best in full sun, but it tolerates light to moderate shade, with some tolerating these conditions better than others. Finer-bladed zoysias, … St. Augustine is the most popular, Sandri says, because it tolerates shade well. Zoysia is highly recommended for home lawns because of its low maintenance. Once established, this dense turf tends to choke out weeds. Zoysias, in comparison, only have a moderate salt tolerance. Zoysias and St. Augustines can be plagued by different insects, bugs and grubs including mole crickets, billbugs, armyworms, white grub worms, sod webworms, ants, grass spiders or spittlebugs. If shade is a problem, prune lower branches on shade trees to allow more light to enter in the morning or afternoon. St. Augustinegrass varieties include Ameri-shade, Delmar, Floratam, Palmetto, Raleigh, Sap-phire and Seville. CitraBlue and Palmetto® St. Augustine are the best grasses for shade. When it comes to zoysia varieties, zoysia is still pretty shade tolerant for a warm season grass, but their shade tolerance ranks second to that of St. Augustine’s. Zoysia and St. Augustine can perform well in a wide range of soil types and climates, but there are soil types that they perform better in than others. Palisade zoysia is not as shade tolerant as St Augustine. Here’s the short and sweet of my research: Palisade Zoysia is the most shade tolerant of the zoysia and is currently only available in sod. A rhizome runs underground horizontally—often just underneath the surface of the soil. Subscribe to our e-newsletter below if you haven’t done so already to receive the latest updates from Sod University. Just amount of vegetation per square inch is so high versus the St. Augustine, it’s going to wear down a lot slower. Be sure to take a look at a few related Sod University blogs on Collecting and Submitting a Soil Analysis and Why Use Lawnifi Fertilizer?. This grass has a fine, soft texture and can be left unmown as it only grows to a height of 6–12 inches (15–30 cm). Pictured above from left to right: Zorro, El Toro, Palisades and Meyer Zoysia. At Sod Solutions, one of our top grasses for shaded areas is Palmetto® St. Augustine. Both zoysia and St. Augustine grasses are pretty shade tolerant compared to other turfgrass varieties. So of your two choices: Shade Tolerance. Pictured above from left to right: EMPIRE, Innovation, Geo Zoysia and Zeon. It shares the drought and shade resistance of the other varieties. Different varieties grow at different speeds, so this isn’t always the case. Since zoysias grow with both methods, they usually rank higher in wear tolerance, injury recovery and drought tolerance. Be sure to read each label thoroughly before application. Homeowners who’ve had problems with these pests in the past may like EMPIRE or Innovation more for this reason. We are open! Proper mowing height and frequency is crucial to the health and appearance of a Zoysia grass lawn. Both zoysia and St. Augustine grasses are pretty shade tolerant compared to other turfgrass varieties. It is established from sod. The wider-bladed zoysias are considered “very good” with wear tolerance and injury recovery. Zoysia grasses are usually mowed at a height of .5–2 inches whereas St. Augustines are generally mowed at a height of 2–4 inches. Most of the grass in the shaded sections of the yard is dead, and so I was thinking of putting new sod in. It is a very fine bladed zoysia with a deep, green color that is suitable for golf courses, commercial and residential lawns. Pictured above from left to right: Innovation Zoysia and CitraBlue St. Augustine. Like Bermuda, it holds up well to foot traffic from people and pets. They are living products, so they require nourishment just as we do. SA will require more fertilizer and water, but less frequent mowing and a rotary mower can be used on any variety. St. Augustine grass is the best choice for lawn grass in shade, but if too much shade is a problem, St. Augustine will struggle, thin and eventually fade away. St. Augustines perform well in soils with a wider pH range that’s between 5.0–8.5, but St. Augustines need soils with good drainage to thrive. In the Dallas area, the choices are generally St. Augustine, Bermuda, zoysia and buffalo. All these adaptive qualities taken together make St. Augustine an ideal choice for any homeowner, particularly those whose lawns have shaded areas that do not receive regular direct sunlight. Call 281-431-7441 for answers to your questions and a quick quote for your project. Zoysias typically rank higher in wear tolerance and injury recovery than St. Augustines. Both St. Augustine and zoysia require a certain amount of macro and micronutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, manganese and sulfur. Drought Tolerant. St. Augustine (Raleigh): Pros: Very shade tolerant, but still requires 3-4 hours of intermittent sunlight Dark Green and Drought Tolerant Salt Tolerance is the high Recuperates quickly from stresses and damage “Stays above the problem” with thick, heavy surface stolens Moderate fertilization – mow every 7 days A good “plugging” grass. JaMur Zoysia is a medium textured grass, similar in look to El Toro grass, but it’s a lot easier to manage. St. Aug in Front Yard and Zoysia in Back. It grows vertically and is more dense. It should be known that St. Augustines are the most shade tolerant warm season turfgrass varieties available. A lot of homeowners aren’t sure where to even start with this process. St. Augustines, in comparison, will hold color better than zoysias and have a higher drought resistance, but when they start to turn brown from a lack of water, they’re dying—not preserving themselves with dormancy. Overall, zoysias are typically fine turfgrasses with a smooth feel. This is a small back yard, facing east, with a large fence and two large shade trees blocking early and mid morning sun. If shade is your number one problem…which it sounds like it may be, you may want to go with a shade tolerant St. Augustine like Palmetto. It is best adapted in Southeast Texas. Of the types of grasses for Texas, St Augustine is a long time favorite. ft. sold, Palmetto is the most purchased patented turfgrass in the world. Zoysia requires more time so if you have a big yard, I would say forget it. Asked February 24, 2013, 10:22 AM EST. Be sure to read each label thoroughly before application. I have both. They are usually a blend of several hybrids that offer different qualities. St. Augustine-grass is less drought tolerant than bermudagrass or zoysiagrass. This helps you will have success with a wider variety of site and soil conditions. A: It is true that zoysia is more shade tolerant than bermudagrass – – but it needs at least four hours of direct sunshine or eight hours of very bright reflected light to thrive. Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time. The Palisade Zoysia seems to do real well with homeowners. Learn about Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, st augustine grass, and centipede grass. The same can be said with St. Augustine. Although in ideal conditions, Zoysia can fully grow and cover the lawn in one year, but more often than not, it would take 2 to 3 years for its full growth and coverage. CitraBlue St. Augustine is again an outlier in this particular category because CitraBlue’s drought tolerance is better than most St. Augustines. Rhizomes strike new roots downward into the soil and also shoot stems upwards. Wider-blade zoysia: Palisades (most drought tolerant) Empire; El Toro; Bermuda: Sun, traffic (kids & dogs), good drought tolerance. The most … If you’re looking at all of ’em in a chart, the St. Augustine, the Zoysias are going to have better wear tolerance. It is the most shade-tolerant warm season grass, but it needs at least four to six hours of sun to thrive. No matter which type of turfgrass variety you choose for installation, every one of them is going to need some form of nutrition. While Zoysia grass is often marketed as being more drought tolerant than St. Augustine grass, Zoysia requires just as much water in terms of frequency and volume as St. Augustine to remain green and attractive. When it comes to zoysia varieties, zoysia is still pretty shade tolerant for a warm season grass, but their shade tolerance ranks second to that of St. Augustine’s. It is a Medium Bladed. Specific zoysia and St. Augustine varieties may differ, but they generally fall pretty close to their generic mowing heights. Learn warm season grass identification and grass care. Zoysia grass vs. St. Augustine for heavy shade. All zoysias spread via rhizomes and stolons. In comparison to drought tolerance, drought resistance is the ability to look good during drought. CitraBlue and Palmetto® St. Augustine are the best grasses for shade. EMPIRE is another zoysia grass that demonstrates immunity to another common pest found in St. Augustines—the chinch bug. Emerald Zoysia (Zoysia 'Emerald') is a cultivar of Zoysia grass with a thin bladed leaf that forms a very lush lawn. EMPIRE is a beautiful grass but in the really shaded areas, it is thinner than the areas that get much sunlight. Bermuda grass of any type has zero shade tolerance. It needs 100% sun all the time or it will thin out and be ugly. Zorro is rapidly replacing many St. Augustine and centipede lawns due to its great shade tolerance, durability, disease resistance and beauty. Avoid mowing at heights higher than recommended. The fine-bladed Zoysia grasses are about as shade tolerant as the most shade tolerant St. Augustine grass we sell, which is Palmetto. Each product is labeled with application instructions to treat certain turfgrass diseases. For either type of grass, it is a good idea to apply a systemic insecticide that is labeled to treat such insects preventatively before problems become out of hand. Although both zoysia grasses and St. Augustines require about one inch of water per week including rainfall, zoysia grass varieties have the ability to survive during a period of drought. They are also more tolerant than St. Augustines of soils with poor drainage. Zoysia grasses, in particular, are usually more prone to insects like billbugs. They are usually better than zoysias at choking out weeds for this reason. Aaron Kirk Google Review. To learn more, check out our Lawn Mowing Guide. There are many types of St. Augustine and zoysia grass available to the homeowner, so a lot of these characteristics may vary depending on the cultivar of St. Augustine and zoysia selected for sod installation. On the other hand, CitraBlueTM St. Augustine is known for its deep blue-green color whereas Floratam has a medium green color with red stolons. Plug trays are the perfect and affordable way to fill in spots or test the performance of a grass in your lawn. All three of these grasses are available from regional sod farms and the visual differences of these choices are great. The finer-bladed zoysias don’t tolerate wear as well and aren’t as fast at recovering compared to the wider-bladed zoysias. Fescue vs. Zoysia Fescue or Zoysia Comparison Zoysia vs Fescue. St. Augustines frequently experience brown patch and grey leaf spot. 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