I just purchased a Zoysia plugger (think that's what it's called) and am looking for advice on how to best plant the plugs. The majority of my lawn is Zoysia and I will be creating my own plugs and transplanting them to about a 12' x 12' area, which currently have a mixture of fescue, bluegrass, and weeds (mostly weeds). Do I mow the area as low as possible and spread some sort of organic soil, fertilizer, etc., then insert the plugs every 8" or so? Do I need to water every day for a few weeks or just a couple times a week? An article I found online says not to water or fertilize for at least 4 to 6 weeks. Also, I am in Northern Va (Zone 7). Is it too late to plant? It typically stays above 70 until mid October, so I have about 8 weeks.

 

Warm season grasses are best seeded in the spring but you're plugging so there's more margin. Is the zoysia still growing? I would not transplant when it was not actively growing.

Rule of thumb I heard once with zoysia plugs was one in every square foot of area, so every 8" would certainly suffice.

I'd mow low, put down some starter fertilizer and water lightly everyday for a couple weeks while the plugs take root. Can't water for 4-6 weeks? Really, that makes sense to someone?

 

Yes, it is still growing, but it has been quite dry so it is growing slower than usual. For some reason, the Zoysia on the side of my house (which is on a decline) is growing more than the Zoysia in my front yard (which is flat). The side yard is shaded towards the end of the day, so maybe that is why. In other words, the front yard may be getting too much sun.

 

I think the area in front might be more dry because it gets more sun, I don't think the sun is the direct cause here.

 

Right, that's what I was getting at. So I will need to water more often then. I'll give it a try this weekend.

 

Plugs are done. What a chore! Luckily the plugger was a larger 2"x2" square one and not the smaller round one. I would say I transplanted at least 300 plugs. After transplanting, I spread some starter fertilizer and watered about 1 1/2" and will water about 1" every day for a week or so. I was wondering if there is something I can spread on the lawn to keep it moist and encourage spreading (compost, etc.).

 

I have quite a bit of crabgrass growing around my newly planted plugs. It has only been a week since I planted them. Is it too early to apply a crabgrass killer? Should I yank out the crabgrass by hand? I'm concerned that it will suffocate the plugs, but then again maybe it will help keep the soil retain some moisture so the roots establish quicker? I have no clue. Also, the plugs have blades about two inches or more in length because I didn't mow very short before transplanting. Is it ok to mow after only a week? I've heard that I need to wait a month, but I'm not sure that is going to be possible.

 

Crabgrass is best killed chemically in the spring, so pulling by hand would be the best bet now.

If the grass needs to be mowed, it needs to be mowed but I would not set the blade very low.

 

Ok, I'm just concerned about stressing out the plugs because their roots aren't established. Exactly why is mowing sooner than 4 weeks not recommended?

 

Just my opinion but I would think it's because the blade of the mower pulling on the blades of the grass might tend to pull the plugs back out of the ground.

 

Hmmm, didn't think of that. That's not really a concern because the plugs are at about 3" deep in the ground. I've heard you are not supposed to walk on newly laid sod because you can disturb the roots, but I would think plugs are different because they are surrounded by firm soil and don't move when you walk on them. Screw it, I'm going to mow them this weekend. I put down starter fertilizer (24-24-4) last weekend when I transplanted them. Should I fertilize them again in a few weeks (I have a bag of 0-20-0 that I need to use)?

 

So far so good...the plugs are still alive and green despite the crabgrass. Question now is how much to water. I've heard 20 minutes every morning but wouldn't that be a shallow watering which would benefit the weeds? I'm confused, Zoysia doesn't need a lot of water, but in order to get water to the roots, I need to water deeply. Should I water every other day for 45 minutes instead?

 

After this amount of time, I'd be looking at two or three deep waterings a week.

You're right about 20 minutes every day promoting shallow root growth.

 

Ok. That's the plan then (2 or 3 deep waterings per week). It rained off and on pretty heavily all day Monday, so I will be watering deeply tomorrow morning (Friday), not only because it has been a few days, but also because it is going to be 95 degrees and sunny tomorrow. The crabgrass has pretty much filled in all of the bare spots between my plugs. Do I need to be concerned about the crabgrass foilage covering/shading the plugs? Mowing takes care of it for the most part, but since crabgrass doesn't grow vertically, some additional pruning appears to be necessary. Should I clip around the plugs to keep them exposed to sun or is the soil temperature more of a factor in the growth of Zoysia?

 

Definitely needs sun - that's what drives the photosynthesis process the grass uses to make energy.