# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  EMPIRE ZOYSIA Turf Looks dead...HELP!

## JJS

Hi all, 
I layed empire zoysia grass in my backyard around april, and now it looks dead! 
It was nice and green to start, i watered it twice a day and applied seasol and powerfeed to it like other forums had said. 
Does anyone know what is happening? Is it dead? 
I was thinking that maybe because it is still young and gone into winter, it could not cope with the cold and rain. And that it will green up again in spring time when it warms up. 
Would this be right? 
Please anyone with the same problem or any advice please help. Iv spent some money on this and dont want it to die.. 
I have attached some pics of what it looks like.. The weeds seem to grow fine haha..   
Cheers

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## Cecile

Is it simply dormant, because it's winter?

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## stevoh741

Can't really answer your question but about 3 yrs ago I went to turf my whole yard with sir walter. Got talking to some turf farmers and they talked me in to buying empire zoysia. So I did and the first week it looked great then progressively went to crap. When it rained too much it didn't like it, then when any hot days came it shrivelled up and looked dead till you drowned it again. After 2 yrs of putting up with that crap I ripped it out and replaced it with sir walter. (Would have dumped it back at the turf farmers front yard if it wasnt for the mrs telling me I'd be divorced if I did). After sir walter went down I have the best greenest grass in the street. It cops rain, hot sun, shade, whatever mother nature can throw at it. It is 100x the turf that empire is IMO. When you are sick of it, you now know what you must do  :Biggrin:

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## goldie1

It does go dorment in cold climates (  zero and below ) have you any frosts?  and what sort of prep. did you do 
before you laid it?

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## JJS

hi guys, 
Thanks for the reply. 
Well im not sure if it has gone dormant or not. It started off really nice and green and then about month later red tips started to form on the turf. Once winter really set in, raining lots and its been cold to this winter in melbourne, its stared to go brown, and even look dead! it seriously looks dead with dead bits of grass.. 
Stevoh, I was talked into it aswell. I read up alot about it and it sounded terriffic and the turf guy i called said it would be fine, its a great hardy turf. Now Im really worried. I hope i dont have to rip it up.. 
Goldie, the soil prep i did was not a hell of alot. I rotary hoed the whole yard so there was about 80-100mm of loose soil, and through some gypsum on it to coz its clay.
They layed about 100mm of fresh lawn soil, 9cubic metres i barrowed around....!! Rolled it over. 
Then as I layed the turf I threw a lawn fertiliser under as I went, as what the guy told me. Once the turf was layed couple days after I sprayed it with seasol and powerfeed, and did that maybe every 2 weeks as I read. Watered it twice a day. Was beautiful and then once winter hit, bam turned to @@@@!!! 
Do you think its the cold and rain drowning it? 
Funny thing is its still green, or greener, nezt to the house bricks, maybe from the warmth.. 
I also applied a lawn builder end of autumn to help it... not much help though.. 
Please, if anyone can help me, or suggest anything Im all ears!!!! 
Cheers all

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## Cecile

I had a quick look around, and the concensus is that zoysia does become dormant in winter. 
I grew up in New York, and my parents had a zoysia lawn.  It became brown in winter but up there who cares, it's usually covered with snow!  Your comment that it's nice and green next to the house tells me that the warmth there is keeping the grass from becoming dormant. 
If you can't put up with it, maybe start a new runner-type grass with a few plugs of something that will eventually take over.

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## goldie1

:What she said: 
Your prep should have been more than adequate  and it sounds like the area away from the house  has been burnt 
of by frost and become dormant. It should come back OK when the weather warms up

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## JJS

Thanks goldie and cecile for replys. 
I contacted the grower and he said that he has had a few people call him on this problem.
He said that it has been frost bitten, because melbourne has a cold frosty winter. And it should green up in the spring. HOPEFULLY!!! 
I dont really want to rip it up or add another grass to it..  
What can I do about the weeds growing through it? I dont want to kill the grass!!! haha sounds funny coz it already looks dead.... haha 
Thanks all

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## willy72

The weeds are just winter grass. Lots of growth small root system. Just be vigilant and pull them out by hand before they take hold, come the warmer months they disappear. If you are having trouble with other blow in weeds, use a round up brush with a diluted mix and carefully apply just to the leaves of the weed.

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## goldie1

:What he said:   The idea is to get the grass to smother the weeds when it starts growing again. Till that happens you have 
to attack the weeds as above. If using roundup be careful as it will kill the grass. If you have to spray use a 
broad leaf weed spray that won't harm the grass. Feed the grass after it starts growing again.

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## Fu Manchu

The problem with doing EZ in Melbourne is there isn't turf suppliers nor landscapers doing the right care, advice nor correct soil prep for these to be doing fine. 
The only way you could get EZ to be stronger against the elements than would be done is the following: 
Prior to laying, blend 3-5kg m2 of zeolite, perlite, 15% of soil volume to a depth of 20-30cm should be organic compost (certified if possible), and a good volume of sand (around 5-10%), some MycoApply Endo (Endo) or "Bactivate" then blended with your existing soil type to a depth of, as mentioned, of 20-30cm. That is the healthy root zone. 
You will notice there is no:
Lawn starter crap
Lawn mixes/top soil/soil conditioner/landscape mix
No fertilisers 
After turf has been laid, never use chemical processed fertilisers on it.  
Use Rock minerals, molasses (diluted in water) maybe GoGo juice, Power Feed, Seasol, blood and bone. those sorts of things. Many will say, "Yeah I used one of those". One of them will not be the magic bullet. Its about a combination of them throughout the year.
Molasses more than any of them will make the most profound difference. 
Blood and bone when its raining lots. 
Seasol or ecoCweed in the heat and frosts.   
You will be able to apply the zeolite, compost, rock minerals now. It won't really be till the heat arrives that it will improve.  
With EZ in frost prone areas (it has been grown well in Wangaratta) the first year it will get knocked around. The second, not so much, the third even better. 
We managed to keep a roll in top nick through the winter left on a paved surface.

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## Bloss

Fact is. it is not a grass suitable for a cold temperate climate which Melbourne is - if what you are seeking is year round green lawn. 
Great sales job being done selling this stuff (and others) which even when established and healthy will become dormant and discolour in the cooler months. 
But as said it is likely to look better as the weather improves and as it gets more established.

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## Fu Manchu

I have no financial interest in promoting this turf, nor do I have a financial interest in the promotion or use of anything else. 
It absolutley does handle the cooler climates if you avoid the cheap easy soil poor prep advice you commonly will encounter from garden centres, turf sellers and soil places. In those cases then, yes it will grow like crap.

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## JJS

> The problem with doing EZ in Melbourne is there isn't turf suppliers nor landscapers doing the right care, advice nor correct soil prep for these to be doing fine. 
> The only way you could get EZ to be stronger against the elements than would be done is the following: 
> Prior to laying, blend 3-5kg m2 of zeolite, perlite, 15% of soil volume to a depth of 20-30cm should be organic compost (certified if possible), and a good volume of sand (around 5-10%), some MycoApply Endo (Endo) or "Bactivate" then blended with your existing soil type to a depth of, as mentioned, of 20-30cm. That is the healthy root zone. 
> You will notice there is no:
> Lawn starter crap
> Lawn mixes/top soil/soil conditioner/landscape mix
> No fertilisers 
> After turf has been laid, never use chemical processed fertilisers on it.  
> Use Rock minerals, molasses (diluted in water) maybe GoGo juice, Power Feed, Seasol, blood and bone. those sorts of things. Many will say, "Yeah I used one of those". One of them will not be the magic bullet. Its about a combination of them throughout the year.
> ...

  
Hi Fu, 
Thank you for your advice. 
When I was on the hunt for grass, all the reviews hearded towards EZ. Looked fantastic!! I just hope it picks up. 
Now that its kinder almost getting towards the end of winter, is there something that I should be doing now to help it along? Seasol, powerfeed etc?? Or do I need to wait abit longer? 
You said use blood and bone when raining lots, What do you mean? 
Zeolite, pierlite, Bactivate, all those things yous mentioned, I have not been able to find around in melbourne.. Can you suggest anywhere? 
Can I use these now, that its August, and that turf is layed?  
Please, What im really looking for is some guidance, what I can and need to do now, with the situation that im in??? 
I may just be over reacting because its dormant, and nothing is happening and looks dead.. 
Thanks to all for your replies...

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## Fu Manchu

Fair call there mate, Look EZ can turn to "poo" on you with traditional turf prep advice. You can turn that around.
Bactivate, send em an email or call them, they'll help you: Beneficial Bacteria - Bactivate - Bactivate Plus - Welcome to Bioasis 
Zeolite can be bought at any Big Grn Shed. It's sold in their pool isle. Its marked as "Zeochlor" and they must stick this stuff. It has a stock status requiring every store must have it. They wouldn't even know its there and of its importance in gardens. Costs around $20 in a 15kg bag. Its a white bag with blue writing.
Or you can contact Zeolite :: Castle Mountain Zeolites - The Finest Zeolites and ask where in Melbourne you can get it. They will supply someone in Melbourne  :Wink:  
Blood and bone is great to use in the rain because it does more for the organisms in the soil than the plants directly. To use it when its raining means its delivered deeper in the soil without you wasting your water to do it. And cause it stinks.  :Smilie:  The rain washes it in and no smell later when your outside  :Smilie:  So chuck it round  :Smilie:  
All that can be applied now.
Don't worry if perlite can't be found. Good of you can find it.  
If you can core the lawn area first, that will help get all that stuff right down in there a little faster.  
Try to topdress with a nice organic soil when it starts heating up. Bulleen Art & Garden Welcome to Australian Native Landscapes 
Molasses, very important. Find a stockfeed supplier for it.  stockfeed suppliers melbourne - Google Maps

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## JJS

Fu, 
The Lawn seems to be coming along now that the weather is warming up... Looks much greener.. Not fully green but greener!! 
It looks like some patches around the fence and brick work are completely dead! Look dry and brown, no green at all... 
Is it dead? 
What can I do to repair it? Can I buy empire zoysia seeds and seed in the dead patches? Or another variety of grass? 
Its annoying me, I dont know what to do... Iv seasol and powerfeed the lawn and used molassess also.  
Can I plug it from another area? Or what?? 
Thanks.... Anyone please help..

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## JJS

Please, Im so over this grass looking @@@@!! 
Whats wrong with it??? Its so pikey and thin, Looks @@@@!!!! 
Its not full and green like all the photos... I wish I just got normal Kikiyu now....

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## stevoh741

Like I said post #3 in this thread. You know what to do.....

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