Zoysia japonicaJapanese Lawn Grass

Zoysia japonica is the warm-season turf grass that trades establishment speed for durability. It knits into a dense mat by rhizome and stolon, resists wear better than most, and once closed it excludes weeds almost entirely.

It is slower to establish than the alternatives and it goes straw-brown and dormant when temperatures fall, but through a hot summer it holds colour and condition on noticeably less water than the usual amenity turf species.

Specifications

• Height0.05 to 0.15 metres mown, 0.2 to 0.3 metres unmown
• WidthSpreads indefinitely by rhizome and stolon to form a closed mat
• Native toJapan, Korea and China
• FoliageStiff, coarse-textured light to mid-green blades forming a dense mat; goes straw-brown and dormant in cool conditions
• Growth rateSlow to moderate

Conditions

• SoilTolerates a wide range including sandy and poor soils; needs free drainage
• LightFull sun to light shade
• WaterLow to moderate; good drought tolerance for a turf, going dormant under extended drought
• ClimateThrives in warm temperate and subtropical regions, with better cold tolerance than most warm-season turf

Additional Features

• UsesAmenity and sports turf, park lawns, verges and medians, and erosion-resistant surfacing
• SpacingLaid as turf or planted as sprigs or plugs at 0.15 to 0.3 metres for grow-in
• Low MaintenanceOnce closed it needs less feeding and less mowing than most amenity turf, and it excludes weeds
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust; thatch build-up is the main management issue
• Drought ToleranceHolds condition on lower irrigation than most amenity turf and recovers from dormancy
• Salt ToleranceModerately tolerant of saline soils and irrigation water
• Erosion ControlThe dense rhizome and stolon mat binds surface material effectively

Japanese Lawn Grass is the durable, low-water amenity turf for hot climates where establishment time can be allowed for.