Why Pick Emerald Zoysia Grass

Why Pick Emerald Zoysia Grass Sod for Your Next Houston Project

In 2017, Houston Grass South is delivering Emerald Zoysia grass sod in addition to our Palisades Zoysia grass.  Why might you pick Emerald Zoysia grass instead of Palisades Zoysia or one of our other grass varieties?  Houston Grass South Owner Michael Romine talks about Emerald Zoysia in this video — the benefits and the care requirements for this beautiful grass.

Summary of “Why Pick Emerald Zoysia Grass”

In this video, we want to talk a little bit about some of the general characteristics and why someone may or may not choose Emerald Zoysia as a type of grass for a residential application.

Emerald Zoysia Grass Has a Beautiful Dark Green Color

A lot of times, you’ll see Emerald Zoysia out on the edges of golf courses, because it does have some amount of shade tolerance, and its fine-bladed leaf texture looks like the Bermuda grass, in particular the Tifway 419 Bermuda grass that they use on a lot of fairways. 

One of the best characteristics of Emerald Zoysia is probably its dark green color. That’s a distinguishing characteristic, as well as its really fine grass blade. Those are the two things that stand out to me about the Emerald Zoysia.

Emerald Zoysia Has Good Shade and Wear Tolerance

It does have a good shade tolerance. A&M’s horticulture website classifies it as a moderate shade tolerance grass variety, whereas a Saint Augustine grass, in particular, the Palmetto Saint Augustine would have a higher shade tolerance, but it does have fairly good shade tolerance, as do most of the Zoysia grasses like the Palisades that we also carry as well.

Another distinguishing characteristic is its good wear tolerance, like a lot of the Zoysia grasses do have, because they are so dense and there is so much vegetation there, they do wear very well. They recuperate a little bit slower, because of their slower growth habits, so if big chunks are taken out of them, like out on a sports field or a golf fairway or something like that, it would take a long time for that grass to recuperate, because the slow growth rate is one of its characteristics.

More Mowing than Palisades Zoysia Grass

It also means you’ve got to mow it a little bit less than Bermuda or St. Augustine grass, but the Emerald in particular, as far as the mowing goes and a care tip is that to realize that because of the variety it is, it does need to be mowed a little bit more frequently, than Palisades Zoysia because it needs to be cut a little bit lower. The recommended mowing height for Emerald Zoysia is half inch to one inch.  

To be able to do that you’re going to have to mow a little bit more frequently, and also to be able to get down to that mowing height, you’re going to have to use a reel mower.  So, to make it look its best, you’re definitely going to need a reel mower.

Do people buy Emerald Zoysia who only use the traditional rotary mower that everybody is used to?  Yes, but you should make sure you’ve got a sharp blade, and pay attention to that.  Also the mowing frequency is going to be a little bit higher than some of the more medium-textured Zoysia grasses.

Watch for Brown Patch

One thing to note about the Emerald Zoysia would be the fact that you do have to pay attention to brown patch, like the Saint Augustine grasses get.  All the Zoysia grasses, at least to my knowledge, can get brown patch.  

When you’re comparing the Palisades to the Emerald, at least our experience has indicated that brown patch does show up a little bit more frequently in the Emerald as opposed to the Palisades Zoysia.

Emerald Zoysia Has Fairly Good Drought Tolerance

Another thing to note about the Emerald Zoysia is its drought tolerance. Zoysia grasses in general do have fairly good drought tolerance. It is somewhere in between Saint Augustine and Bermuda, if you’re looking for the best drought tolerance, and that’s all you care about, Bermuda grass would be your answer. The least drought-tolerant of those three would probably be the Saint Augustine.

You should note that the Zoysia is gonna brown off, and turn a little uglier a little bit faster, but it does have fairly good drought tolerance. When the rains do come back or when you do get get to irrigate, it will green up and come out of it very nicely.

Houston Grass South Sells the Best Grass Available in Houston

We get our grass sod from our family farm in Bay City so we know the extra care used in growing, harvesting and transporting our grass.  Our owner, Michael Romine grew up on that farm and spent many hours working there.  If you want the best grass for your next lawn or other grass project, at a very competitive price, please contact us by calling 281-431-7441 or using our contact form.