Happy Autumn!
We have had a busy and productive summer as far as gardening and maintenance is concerned. As shared on this blog last Fall, we planted some Zoysia plugs, mainly as a test to see if they might be a viable option to replace our lawn (this summer) that has been devastated by a neighborhood-wide onslaught of crabgrass! I'm not exaggerating when I say "onslaught." My neighbors on every side have been plagued; some of them completely replacing their soil, and re-sodding.
However, I was looking for something that would not only replace the crabgrass, but that would also "choke out" future crabgrass germination. Unfortunately, my Zoysia plugs didn't survive the early winter (October 10, 2018) storm. Usually, we have a mild Fall, with some spot-freezing, but nothing major until late November. Of course I was hoping for something like that, because Zoysia needs warm temperatures to germinate and thrive.
That's why I decided to try planting, (and over-seeding) with Zoysia seed, in July - I needed 90-100 degree temperatures, and I wasn't taking any chances.
This is what I started with, after removing the crabgrass thatch:
We have had a busy and productive summer as far as gardening and maintenance is concerned. As shared on this blog last Fall, we planted some Zoysia plugs, mainly as a test to see if they might be a viable option to replace our lawn (this summer) that has been devastated by a neighborhood-wide onslaught of crabgrass! I'm not exaggerating when I say "onslaught." My neighbors on every side have been plagued; some of them completely replacing their soil, and re-sodding.
However, I was looking for something that would not only replace the crabgrass, but that would also "choke out" future crabgrass germination. Unfortunately, my Zoysia plugs didn't survive the early winter (October 10, 2018) storm. Usually, we have a mild Fall, with some spot-freezing, but nothing major until late November. Of course I was hoping for something like that, because Zoysia needs warm temperatures to germinate and thrive.
That's why I decided to try planting, (and over-seeding) with Zoysia seed, in July - I needed 90-100 degree temperatures, and I wasn't taking any chances.
This is what I started with, after removing the crabgrass thatch:
Pre-Zoysia Patch - Zone-3
These are the first Zoysia seedlings:
Zoysia Seedlings
Here's that section today. I have had to pull the weeds by hand, because I didn't want any poison to come into contact with the Zoysia seedlings. The products say they're safe for Zoysia grass, but I didn't want to take any chances, or kill any earthworms!
The Zoysia seed has been difficult to germinate because the soil absolutely can't dry out, which is a real challenge during hot summer days of 100 degrees or more. It seems to be filling in and spreading nicely, though. The worst weed has been spur-weed, but thankfully it's easy to pull by the roots.
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