What Are Zoysia Grass Problems? (5 Most Common Issues)

A green and lush lawn is always the dream of many gardeners. In particular, green space and fresh air will be an ideal space to relax after a tiring day.

So many gardeners love to grow Zoysia grass in the yard and learn more about this grass. Zoysia grass is a beautiful, green, durable, and heat tolerant grass.

Zoysia grass is easy to care for and low maintenance, so many people have decided to grow this grass due to its low cost. However, throughout the process of growing Zoysia grass, you will also encounter some common problems.

What are Zoysia grass problems? Let’s continue to learn some common problems and how to have a beautiful lawn.

What Are Zoysia Grass Problems?

You may come across some common problems in growing Zoysia grass such as disease, insect damage, improper maintenance, unsuitable living conditions, and so on.

1. Fungal Diseases

Zoysia grasses are generally less susceptible to diseases than other grasses, but they are also often attacked by fungi that cause basic diseases such as brown spots or rust.

Zoysia grass is susceptible to attack by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani which causes brown spots, yellow spots, or Rhizoctonia leaf blight.

The early telltale sign of this disease is a brown or yellow circle. These circles can spread and join together to form large brown and yellow patches.

The soil in these areas is often wet or waterlogged. Fungal diseases often appear when the weather is hot and humid. These are favorable conditions for the fungus Rhizoctonia solani to multiply and thrive.

Usually, these brown spots go away on their own as the weather becomes less hot and humid. You can reduce the amount of water you water your Zoysia to once a week or less if it rains frequently.

You also need to check the drainage of the soil to avoid waterlogging that leads to a fungal attack on the leaves. Use an aerator to create porosity and limit moisture in the soil.

In addition, you can also use organic matter, humus, or additives to improve the soil.

2. Zoysia Grass Rust Disease

Zoysia grass is also often susceptible to rust disease caused by a fungus of the genus Puccinia that causes red or orange leaves. This fungus typically thrives in moist, shady areas in the fall.

To prevent this fungal disease, you need to plant Zoysia grass in an area that gets plenty of suns every day. Check the humidity before watering and water once a week. This rust disease will be easier to treat than common fungal diseases.

You can use chemical fungicides or use fertilizers with high nitrogen content. Alternatively, you can use a slow-release fertilizer as a preventative measure against rust.

For Zoysia grass, you need to ensure standards such as adequate light every day, warm weather, and water when needed.

3. Damage Caused By Insects

One of the most common problems, when you grow Zoysia grass, is pests. Some insects love to eat these grass-like chinch bugs and hunt billbugs. These pests attack and destroy Zoysia grass in a short time if not detected and handled promptly.

Adult chinch bugs are about ¼ inch in size, lined, and have a triangular area in the shoulder area. This type of beetle will attack the leaves, sucking water and injecting poison into the leaves, causing them to wilt and die.

This chinch beetle usually appears in the hottest and driest seasons of the year like summer. Many gardeners often confuse drought with chinch damage because they also cause large areas of brown grass.

This type of beetle usually attacks from the outside of the lawn, then attacks the center and spreads throughout the lawn. To find bugs, you need to plant a patch of grass and wait for them to crawl outside.

You can use insecticides to get rid of them early before they spread and attack the entire lawn.

Another type of beetle also causes serious consequences such as the appearance of brown spots, brown patches, and leaf burn. They usually appear in the summer and attack the grass at night and early in the morning.

Predatory bugs are about ½ inch in size, reddish-brown to black, with a curved mouth and larger than chinch bugs. However, finding this type of beetle becomes more difficult because they hide deep in the grass and lay eggs continuously.

In addition, you may encounter some other types of animals that harm Zoysia grass such as moles, mice, gophers, and rabbits. These types of animals destroy grass by digging tunnels to find food or making paths on your lawn.

4. Improper Care

Zoysia grass is easy to grow, and care for has low maintenance costs, and grows quickly in favorable conditions. However, if you don’t know how to properly care for it, your lawn will quickly fall apart and disappear.

Some notes when caring for Zoysia grass that you need to keep in mind are as follows:

Provide adequate light daily
Water once a week or less when it rains
Check the moisture in the soil before watering because the grass does not live in a humid environment
Aeration to provide oxygen, creating loose soil for roots to quickly spread
Periodically fertilize with high nitrogen and iron content to supplement nutrients
Do not apply too much fertilizer in a while, this is easy to change the pH
Trim the lawn weekly when the grass is more than 3 inches tall and the blades become weak
Do not cut the grass too short, it will make photosynthesis difficult
You should only trim 1/3 of the height of the grass
Trim the grass with a sharp and clean cutting net to create a beautiful and attractive landscape

5. Lack Of Light And Too Much Shade

Zoysia grass loves the sun every day, they can live in light shade. However, this grass will be difficult to grow in full shade and lack sunlight.

If your Zoysia growing area has too much shade, the grass layers will thin and not grow as quickly in the growing season. The reason is that they are restricted in photosynthesis, causing the green color to disappear.

In particular, the poor photosynthesis process will also make the roots weak and not provide enough energy for the stems and leaves to grow.

However, according to experts, drought and heat with high temperatures will also cause brown patches, wilted leaves, and thinning grass.

How To Fix When Zoysia Grass Turns Brown

If you notice your Zoysia lawn is turning brown or yellow, start a care schedule like this:

Identify the causes of brown spots such as diseases, insects, waterlogging, lack of water, and poor nutrients to overcome
Weed weekly, and prune when the grass reaches about 2-3 inches in height. Do not cut more than 1/3 of the height of the grass
Water half an inch to 1 inch of water per week
Check the humidity before watering if it is often rainy or drought
Steam, and aerate the lawn in the spring to help the roots absorb water and nutrients
Periodically check for nutritional problems and diseases
Apply half a pound to 1 pouch of nitrogen fertilizer per 1000 square meters per year

The Last Word

Zoysia grass is easy to grow, easy to care for, low maintenance, and intensely vigorous. However, Zoysia grass also often suffers from some basic problems such as fungal diseases, rust diseases, insect damage, and improper care.

To overcome this situation, you need to accurately identify the causes to have an early remedy such as killing diseases, and insects and limiting waterlogging for Zoysia grass.

In addition, you also need to water and fertilize properly for Zoysia grass as well as provide adequate light for photosynthesis. At the same time, you can combine planting with Centipede grass to have a beautiful lawn.