Empire Zoysia | Lawn Care Nut Zoysia Lawn Part 1

[@TheGrassFactor]

Chhhyyyeeeaaa

[@ColonelK0rn1]

The Grass Factor what a time to be alive my man

[@qpst4593]

I’m in Northeast Fl and have had Empire for the last 10 years and absolutely love it. Tips - Always bag when mowing. I know the experts have always said it’s better for the lawn and environment but a zoysia lawn is expensive and eliminating thatch as a possible route for disease and insects is more beneficial than what little nutrients that would be gained from the clippings decomposition. You are going to put nutrients on it anyway. Plus you don’t have to dethatch. I just compost it for the beds. Definitely keep the height at 1” or less or it will get fungus. Treat for fungus on a regular schedule not when you see it. My neighbors have St Augustine and theirs creeps into mine and the zoysia creeps into theirs however you can clearly see the St Augustine on top of the zoysia. I use drive XLR8 to kill torpedo grass and the St Augustine. In order to not kill the neighbors grass (because Drive will kill it fairly easy) I use the edger to sever the stolons that have crept over. Mow twice a week if possible. Zoysia loves it. Be aggressive with removing any zoysia creeping into your beds. If you let it go too long without removing it it’s near impossible without redoing the bed. Trust me on that one. Rhizomes good for lawn bad for beds! Install a fertilizer injector in your irrigation system which will dose the entire yard with nutrients in very small amounts. The ferts I use are immediately available for the plants use and with the small dose there is very little if any left that could runoff and contaminate water supplies. Inoculate the soil with mycorrhizae and feed the microbes consistently throughout the year, use humic acid and use very little nitrogen. I have very little vertical growth since I use such small amounts of Nitrogen however the yard looks beautiful. Zoysia is an iron lover and you will need to apply regularly. Not all iron is created equal. I have done test areas and some are much better than others. Also in regards to palms, the absolute best fert you can buy for them is called palmgain I think and comes in a gold bag. I have never seen palms respond better to any other fert available in this area. My palms are outgrowing my neighbors 2 to 1 and they were planted at the same time and his was slightly bigger. I also use it in the beds and potted plants. Cactus love it as well. This a new neighborhood and nearly all use expensive “pro” lawn care services and I am dominating them all! I have had numerous wives from the neighborhood say I have the best grass in the Neighborhood (“dominating”) and what lawn service Do i use. I smile and tell them it’s called me. I’m sure their husbands got some “why can’t you questions “.

[@progression_decibel]

Nice tips. I live in middle Georgia and have a "Frankenlawn" in my backyard of our newly purchased home as well - I'm sort of new to lawn care but it looks to be a combo of torpedo, St. Aug, Bermuda, and gosh knows what else.. plus bare spots under some trees that cause partial shade to the grass. I have Bermuda in the front with smatterings of St. Aug here and there. I want to overhaul my backyard with all Zoysia and possibly either keep full Bermuda in the front or try and overseed it with Zoysia and use some kind of chemical in conjunction to lessen the overtaking that Bermuda does and help Zoysia "win". I do not want to spend the $$ on full on rip and replace with Zoysia sod so any info you have I appreciate!

[@CDAndrews]

3 LCN videos, one weekend?! Who needs the freaking lottery?!

[@poching0521]

LCN got Empire Zoysia!! OH Yeah! Welcome to my game. I am in central Florida and sodded my lawn with Empire Zoysia 6 years ago. My neighbor got whole bunch of wild Bermuda mixed with St. Aug like your franken lawn. It has been a tough battle to fight off wild Bermuda creeping into my Empire Zoysia. I have read numerous research articles regarding controlling Bermuda in Zoysia. I have tried Fusilade II, Turflon Ester, the combination of Fusilade II+ Turflon Ester using research suggested dosage. The treatment can stop wild Bermuda from growing but zoysia got weaken and burned as well especially during hot sunny days in Florida. I ended up resodding couple times. Started reel cutting my zoysia at 5/8 to 1 inch every 3 to 4 days since this spring and no nitrogen in summer months. I found the zoysia got denser and wild Bermuda’s wire like long stolon floating above got ripped during mowing. I got much better control of wild Bermuda in my Empire Zoysia this year. Still not 100%. Bermuda (alpha) is very hard to eradicate. Keep us posted about your journey with Empire Zoysia.

[@chriscat9]

poching0521 You might look into ornamec over the top by gordon's. It's not as concentrated as fusilade II. I'm in the center mid west with meyer zoysia with the same problem with wild bermuda, it will stop bermuda & will turn zoysia brown for about 2 weeks but will not kill it. Follow instructions to the key, the hotter it is the less you use, 1/2 oz per gal. You won't see any results for about 2 weeks. Bermuda is like cancer so you will have to do 3-4 treatments first year, less following years.

[@ronhart4166]

I am interested in the challenge against the Augustine. I personally have not seen anyone in the HOA areas cross these grasses. The only zoysia lawns I have seen are the bahai and bermuda lawns and they blend very well because of the cutting heights. I also agree with your summer statement. It takes very little to burn Zoysia but it does bounce back quickly after a good watering. I am surprised your having issues though with bermuda. This is such a thick grass. The only thing in the few accounts I had was blow over dandelions that were top seeded. No bermuda break through. But these yards were cut at 3 inches with a rotary mower. So this maybe a thought for you. You might want to raise you cutting height if your not using it as a putting green 😂

[@poching0521]

​@@chriscat9 Indeed, it will not kill Zoysia but significantly weaken its look and density. I am not sure how long and hot is your summer and your soil type. I have very long and hot summer with "lots of scorching sunshine." Some treatment unavoidably will fall during this period of time. Just like chemotherapy for turf. You suppress the cancer grass with a price. The repeated treatment in summer just beat up my Empire Zoysia very good under Florida sun. Especially we have sugar sand down here and soil gets dry very quickly. The weaken Empire Zoysia could not fully recover for next round of treatment. You procrastinate the treatment, the Bermuda will come back. You continue the treatment, the damage becomes more severe. I found the best timing for treatment is during early spring. Bermuda usually breaks dormancy earlier than Zoysia. You will get a good kill without little damage. Mowing low with low nitrogen input found to be my recently preferred approach than chemical control after few years of trying. Sandy soil with lots of sunshine and heat. Sounds like a good place for Bermuda. Just my two cents on fighting Bermuda in Zoysia in central Florida. Cheers

[@AsLawnandLandscaping]

3 videos in 1 weekend? 2 in one day!!!! Wow! Cool!!! Love it! Thanks man!!!

[@LawnTips]

Sweet sponsorship to get mate. Well done! Love Zoyzia

[@jbridgemiii]

I had Empire Zoysia sodded at my last house Allyn.. You're going to love it. Hands down my all time favorite. So nice looking and so nice to walk/lay on. I let mine grow about 2 to 2.5 inches

[@Mr.Deko86]

Thank you for the video. I had narrowed my choice to zoysia, but was learning about the types. Once you said that it's a barefoot grass because it's softer, that's exactly what this Yankee was looking for in south Florida. So thank you again. You saved us plenty of research time.

[@cknalawncare]

Glad I found this video. I just found out that I have a lot of empire zoysia in my front lawn, so now I have a resource to start treating it, maintaining it and getting it to grow better. Thanks Mr. Hayne!

[@PeaceLoveVolvo]

Empire zoysia is exactly what I have on my lawn. It’s a great grass type, super hardy and very heat/drought tolerant. It has a great “barefoot” quality and is so nice to walk on. I know you’re supposed to mow zoysia low, but I mow mine weekly at about 2.5in which looks nice and lush.

[@Jeremyanthony3]

Couldn't be more excited that you have join the zoysia family. Would love to see the whole process from removal to sod.

[@Dobbythepuppy]

Just want to say im pumped i live in new york and have zoysia... ive been watching tour videos for years looking forward to the zoysia info

[@dhnvideos2859]

Hey LCN I'm glad you finally found empire zoysia. I've had it for two yrs now, I look fwd to see how yours turns out. I've had some issues but I have some trees that give off alot of shade and Im not that it ever liked the 1-2 inch mowing height. So I have always had to revert back to my st. Augustine lifestyle and mow higher. And seems to do better. Good luck buddy.

[@juangraham7339]

Nice yard or lawn as some might prefer. I enjoy your content, as a Turfgrass Professional I share your enthusiasm. I live in Tennessee my 2 favorite varieties of Zoysia are EL Toro and our own variety called Volunteer. Empire is similar to EL Toro but have taller blades, both are great warm season grasses that are worth the extra time and money you have to spend to install it. On the other hand you will have a low maintenance lawn that saves you money in the long run.

[@richardsalas7499]

Looking forward to seeing your videos with Zoysia. I just switched from Bermuda to Trinity Zoysia and it grows slow. I can’t wait till spring.

[@philip9015]

Looking forward to the future videos in the future. Learned a lot from you Alyan. I have Zeon ZOYSIA here in Alabama. I mow Tuesday's, Thursdays and Saturdays. You will love it!

[@JG-vh6mn]

Thanks for the heads up on not using Ornamec for St. Augustine. I had bermuda invade my fescue lawn in southeast Virginia. I was first told that you had to dig down at least 10 inches to get all the bermuda. That was labor intensive, but I did it. That was before I found Ornamec. I now live in Central Florida with palmetto. No more Ornamec.

[@ChicagoSirens]

Wow! 3 LCN videos in one weekend!

[@rtsstream]

so happy you have zoysia now. i just bought a house with a zoysia lawn and there doesnt seem to be as much info online specifically for zoysia.

[@MicrobyteAlan]

This is exactly what I needed to know. I’m so done with St Aug. Thanks from Orlando.

[@yardii79]

I'm so glad you got empire zoysia. Now I can follow you and take pointers for my grass.

[@fabiancastaneda7394]

Clean slate, very exciting. Will be here throughout the journey. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@jeffwilliams6101]

Well Allyn you didn't even mention the "sponsored" new palm sitting there in the yard! LOL

[@1975oldschool]

It’s nice to just watch something like this that isn’t drama politics, specially in Florida. Keep it coming man. I look forward to your videos constantly

[@Thelawncarenut]

thanks bro

[@danielthompson984]

I’m so excited you started a zoysia lawn. I’ve been deployed for a couple months so I’m super behind on your videos. But I am plugging zoysia into my lawn to replace the high maintenance fescue. Can’t wait to see what you have in store! Always enjoy the mow

[@jamesmiller3388]

I went with Meyer Zoysia grass here in Alabama, previously from Illinois and miss my yankee grass. Zoysia reminds me of fescue so it was a good fit for me

[@ryanknorrlawncare]

Oh yeah! The low mow fever is on.

[@Thelawncarenut]

I want to be one of the cool kids too!

[@reallybadaim118]

Nice! You got to get a reel now. Join the club. And that lawn will start creeping into your neighbors.

[@zeberlyn68]

Allyn, have you ever been told you are Ohio State basketball coach, Chris Holtmann’s, doppelgänger? Couple of silver foxes if you ask me

[@Thelawncarenut]

I have to check out this beautiful man then!

[@richardsmith1161]

Loving this. I'm converting my back lawn to Zoysia, got tired of dealing with the pests and fungus in St Aug

[@IrvingMagik]

Noticed a new palm too... nice!

[@richards5843]

My sister has Empire Zoysia and had a lot of damage from chinch bugs. Sprayed with Dawn dish soap which worked well.

[@danielmedina2159]

2 vids in one day!! What!!!

[@Pmo125]

Personally, if I lived in a warm season area, I would just let that alpha Bermuda take over. Seems like it’s not even worth fighting. Excited to see how your two newly sodded areas work out for you.

[@nicholassuriano6957]

Cool video. We just got over a foot of snow in Ishpeming, Michigan. So while you're enjoying the mow.... I'm enjoying the blow!

[@richardgordon245]

Very Help fully mine revived after patience and some good rains and milo.Yea !!

[@andersbergmann9959]

I have been successful in controlling Wild Bermuda in St. Augustine. I use a combination of Ethofumisate and Atrazine. It stops Bermuda spread and growth. Expensive though!

[@gregau21]

I have Empire as well. I've mowed it low and tall... But I have to be honest, it always looks better mowed around 3". Everyone says not to do it, but my yard is the thickest and healthiest around me. FYI, Empire hates shade almost as much as Bermuda

[@rubenrivera1932]

About time brother, welcome to my world. Thank you ,thank you, and thank you. Finally !!!

[@MariottiMichael]

Happy to have you in the ZOYSIA Fam! (South FL)

[@ryeguy01]

Yess...let your inner cool season grass desires come out. Is there a world where you get so happy with Zoysia that you replace the rest of your lawn with it too?

[@jeff427427427]

Older video but great one on Zoysia. 1" height is certainly possible but I find that it will take a few seasons from the time of new sod to get to that height given the uneven nature of new sod. I find that your stuck at no less than 3" the first year as to prevent scalping, when you start to scalp zoysia your almost guaranteed fungus and its just down hill from there.

[@hurricane1100xx]

WOW... I 5000 sqft to replace with Zoysia that I have planned to do in the spring of 2019. Great timing on this video

[@manga669]

Installed zenith zoysia last September, going to use the simple lawn solutions on it this year. anxiously waiting to see what it’s going to do have followed you and your tips haven’t seen many videos on zenith zoysia as far as care or what the end product will look like.keeping my hops up and now just waiting for it to warm up a bit here in northern Virginia to start my treatment. Love your tips and advice watched everything at least 2x. T

[@JnPon2s]

Awesome video! I just sodded some El Toro Zoysia in by back yard and trying to learn how to care for it along the way.

[@ReelLowDad]

I sense a landscape blade in your future

[@Thelawncarenut]

yes can you get one sent to me for free? 😂

[@johngallagher7433]

How would Zoysia do in the transition zone (central NC). How does it do with fungus stress? I love my tall fescue yard when it’s healthy but no mater how diligent I am with preventative measures, I wind up with major damage by the end of the summer.

[@P.Adams626]

Great video. Can’t wait to see what’s next. Love that new palm tree as well.

[@dfields9511]

Empire zoysia is that thicker blade one. I have zeon zoysia in back (lack of sun light). and Bermuda elsewhere. They seem to play well with each other so far. Bermuda will not grow in my back so I put zeon zoysia. Have you ever heard of TifTuf the shade tolerant Bermuda. One of my neighbors got it and wow.

[@jasonfournier]

Empire Zoysia still looks too broad of a blade for my liking. Emerald Zoysia looks more like what I would want, but not sure it can do well in NJ. I see Meyer Zoysia advertised as surviving the north.

[@traviscouncil2124]

Thanks for the kind words, enjoyed meeting with you

[@youngrevival9715]

Frankinlawn like it’s a drunk uncle😂😂

[@AndersVendrup]

Dear Allyn, if your audio is challenged by wind noise, try utilizing a low cut filter in post-production. (Also known as “high pass”). It will help a lot. Best regards and thanks for the content!

[@Thelawncarenut]

thank you I will google that for sure!

[@rymaster4385]

Hey bruh, nice patch. I had a question in mind, but you answered throughout the video. I was wondering why you didn’t treat the soil to cure the wild Bermuda and torpedo grass roots before laying the new sod. However it will be nice to use those new tools in your box to combat those issues down the road.

[@scottyoung001]

Can’t wait to see how this side of the lawn does! You should post some footage of how you cultivated and put it in if you have that footage!

[@Brettsgrasscapades]

We will all be glad to see you join us reel men Allyn!

[@dannycutchin7684]

Loving the content. Is there any reason why you chose the empire over the other varieties such as innovation, or citrazoy? I just plugged some bare spots in my NC lawn with innovation

[@Gkrissy]

Love this video, very helpful. I have this grass.

[@jakegump]

Nice!!! I have Zoysia baby! Wooooo!

[@JackBristow12345]

Dude, need more videos. I'm in the north and just did my last mow. Need lawn care nut videos to get me by!

[@Jeffhuebner]

Looking great! I love Zoysia!

[@artgumbus]

I am very interested in how your new Zoysia plot does. I have a lawn here in the Northeast that had Zoysia in it when I purchased the home in 1989 (many moons ago). The Zoysia here is very resilient. You essentially cannot get rid of it if you try. However it does turn a golden brown in late October until it wakes up in early May. It feels great under foot and it resembles a soft padded carpet. Virtually no northern weeds will dominate it at all. It also thrives in full sunshine areas but in the shade of trees, well it kind of peters out and gives way to Kentucky Bluegrass. So I have a mix therefore of sun zoysia and shade bluegrass. I notice that it has less reliance on fertilizer so I have been using the rate of 1LB of nitrogen per 1000 sq feet per year. This has been Milo in spring, summer, fall and last in early October before it goes dormant. Here I use Solucal Humic in the sprint which provides lime and humid acid. I use a grub killer in late May (here) over the entire lawn. It does like 1" of water per week. It will become distressed in very dry periods but can bounce back. It does not really go dormant in the summer like KBG does when the temperatures get really hot over a long period of time.

[@artgumbus]

One other thing, Zoysia can spread to other areas if you bring clippings via the mower deck to non zoysia areas. Also, I suspect that St. Augustine could travel into the Zoysia areas via the same method. Are you going to use one mower for the Zoysia area and perhaps another for the other grass types in your lawn? Zoysia can travel about 3' per year here in CT where it is dormant many months, I wonder if that would be 6' per year in climates such as your where it does not go dormant??

[@RVALawnLove]

Awesome man, I can’t wait to see how it looks once it’s established. Also interested to see how the sprays they gave you turn out as well!

[@LlyleHunter]

Thank You for your service Allyn. Will Empire Zoysia stay green in the dog days of summer. Some norther zoysia varieties go dormant above 85*.

[@lambert1702]

Yes, the hotter the better.

[@PeterGregg]

I almost feel alienated now lol. But you still have St Aug grass in the front right? Most of South Florida has St Augustine so now I appreciate you going forward, but what about me?? I think this is becoming too uplevel for me. The biggest things I have learned is to use Milo and Blindside. My grass looks so much healthier and I am happy - even bought an Ego even though we have a yard service lol. My excuse is it is my exercise to just cut the grass whenever I want :)

[@Thelawncarenut]

yes I now have Palmetto St Aug and Floratam St Aug

[@shmiggz]

Is Zeon Zoysia not popular there? I prefer it over Empire...but Empire is still nice. Are you worried about the Zoysia spreading over in to your neighbors lawn?

[@SamuelBiller]

shmiggz I think Zeon is the same or very close to Geo Zoysia in this area. Sod Solutions has it has an option. Travis pushes Empire over Geo. He claims Geo is more temperamental. I went with Geo at my property in South Tampa and I’m happy with it. Geo is a bit more shade tolerant than Empire and I think it’s prettier.

[@Marc2k6]

That grass is super thick my Mom has it on her front lawn and you can hear the mower laboring to cut through it. Sounds like a different mower as soon as it get to the other grass!

[@faamecanic1970]

Oh yes!! I had empire zoysia installed this past July. Installer did a shit job and I have been coaxing it back to life all summer using your tips. Looking forward to specific tips for this fall and spring!

[@faamecanic1970]

Interesting.... the ding dong that installed my emp zoysia said to keep it high. I think over the winter I’ll take it down to 1 inch...

[@chriscat9]

I would be concerned about not killing the existing grass before re-sodding. There could be live roots left from the undesirable grass. On a clean slate, sodding with zoysia & when it gets established you can throw away your weed killers!

[@SamuelBiller]

chriscat9 My concern as well. That’s not the recommended approach. I suppose he wants to tackle the infestation with chemicals but that could be extremely challenging on new Zoysia which grows slow and is sensitive until it’s firmly established.

[@r3andfam986]

Loving all these uploads

[@non-masteryproductions6910]

Sellout!!! No really, it is awesome that you were able to make an opportunity to have a LCN grass lab for us to follow. Look forward to seeing what all you have in store.

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

Thanks for the update Allyn.😁👍👍

[@timwashington824]

I'm sure your yard is going to look immaculate are you down in Florida and Could you tell me where did you get your cool glasses at and what's the name of them?

[@futbolplaya07]

I’m so happy you have this opportunity. I knew this was the best option for you to grow the channel and the community. I just wish you would’ve quit your day job earlier 😉. This is awesome and I can’t wait to see the content.

[@jayfirebaugh]

Wow! That Zoysia looks great!

[@gtc731]

Hey!, new Palm tree Al!!!!!

[@turnerroberts843]

i live in jacksonville, florida. i am going to get 5000 square feet of empire zoysia from a company called roundtree sod. unless you recommend someone else. however, my question is when you mow your zoysia do you catch your cuttings or just let them throw on the yard?

[@eddiem3804]

I installed Empire Zoysia grass a few months ago and I love it.What is the best fertilizer to use in Florida? Are there different fertilizers for the fall / winter, spring and summer?

[@JeffPalmer941]

Curious: Couldn't tell from the video.. Did you sink a border in between your yard and the neighbors so that your zoysia doesn't invade them, and their yard doesn't try to invade yours?

[@WEALRO]

Are you keeping the St Augustine in the rest of the yard best part about your channel is maintenance and if you're going to re-sod the entire thing a lot of people don't have money to do that

[@robertbelcher1493]

LAWN CARE NUT, THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEW. I LIVE ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF ATLANTA, GA AND I HAVE MOSTLY EMERIAL AND ZEON ZOYSIA. WILL THE EMPIRE TAKE SHADE AT ALL? THANKS! ROBERT.

[@Mr._Craig]

Love the shirt you had while laying the sod!!

[@llamacebu216]

Have you ever tried putting rabbits fur whatever around the speaker on your camera.. It works great for blocking out the wind. I believe that's what Casey neistat uses. Haven't watched him in ages but I'm sure it's something like that

[@Thelawncarenut]

yes I have a dead cat on the mic but it blew right through it

[@tandfloyd]

So what kind of prep did you do ahead of time? Grub treatment, Milo app, top soil, and green county apps? Great job!

[@RookieGardner]

so your front lawn will have a high side and a low side? won't that look odd? maybe I misunderstood

[@CamdenGardenSolutions]

The Zoyzia looks great mate !

[@webeducation]

It had been shown that Ethofumesate + Atrazine will stunt and brown Bermuda in St. Augustine. They will each do it, but combined it's more effective. However both are considered dangerous to use. I've got the same exact issues with the Torpedo and Bermuda grass invading, crabgrass is the least of my worries now, lol. Dismiss NXT however is labeled to supress torpedo. Am really considering the Zoysia, but does it have the power to choke out Bermuda?

[@connorlewis8547]

Come to oregon and I can show you the grass seed fields that produce grass seed. Tall fescue, prg, etc.

[@almyers8074]

Can you elaborate on preparation before installation of zoysia turf?

[@UchihaSumairu]

Do you have any experience with emerald zoysia in Florida? I'm in Deltona and I purchased a house with a disgusting lawn. Especially the back is partly 3 ft tall plants of some kind. I intend to slowly cut all that down and maybe do some landscaping to make it pretty but the "grass" is prolly pure crab grass or something. I want something soft and capable of growing in shade for the back if possible

[@PlasmaHH]

In editing, can you check if your program has a feature for better jump cut audio transitions? There are some really hard clicks, and in those sections where you do a lot of jump cuts its reather annoying with headphones (keep in mind I need to have them on really loud to drown out my coworkers)

[@TheLawnGuardian]

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

[@jason-ge5nr]

Allyn... question. Northern Illinois 61350 and I am plugging zoysia this spring on an existing lawn. Is there any reason or cause to not apply preemergent when I see the forsythia? My thought is that I will put 3 inch holes in the barrier of prodiamine, but what I dont disturb can only benefit the growth of the existing grasses, and the plugs that will spread. The current lawn is a mix of clumping tall clumping fescue and rye. Thank you

[@BrandanTheBroker]

Hey you never did tell us how you felt about the Toro sponsorship, but I love Zoysia

[@phillipstevens6628]

County ordinance here is front lawn HAS to be St Aug. thought about zoysia in back, but gonna wait. Can’t wait to see it settle in. I’m sure it’ll love you as much you’ll love it.

[@StrikitRich]

County? Not HOA?

[@phillipstevens6628]

Yes. It may be city. It is a new construction. When I built I asked about different lawn types. That’s when I was told that it has to be St. Aug.

[@appalachianturf814]

Looking forward to part 2!

[@canalboating]

That sod looks to be quite bumpy / uneven are we going to see a Connor Ward style sand topdressing to level it ?

[@PaulJamison]

Awesome Video!!!

[@donaldjwright57]

I see a real mower coming your way

[@tomwallis722]

Interested to see how lawnify compares to the N-Ext line. You should do a comparison ;)