Zoysia Grass (as a weed)
Zoysia spp.
While Zoysia is a popular choice for high-end lawns in Middle Tennessee, it is considered an invasive weed when it begins to encroach into a fescue lawn. It is a warm-season perennial grass that spreads aggressively via both above-ground stolons and below-ground rhizomes. Because it forms an incredibly dense, carpet-like mat, it can easily choke out fescue grass.
The primary issue with Zoysia in a fescue lawn is the aesthetic mismatch. Zoysia has a different color, texture, and growth rate than fescue. Most importantly, Zoysia goes completely dormant and turns a straw-brown color in the winter (typically from October to April), creating unsightly brown patches in an otherwise green fescue lawn during the winter months.
How to Identify Zoysia Grass (as a weed)
- 1Forms extremely dense, carpet-like patches in the lawn.
- 2Leaves are stiff, wiry, and often have a slightly prickly feel.
- 3Turns a distinct straw-brown color in the winter while fescue stays green.
- 4Spreads via thick, creeping runners that are difficult to pull up.
Treatment & Control
Controlling Zoysia in a fescue lawn is very difficult because both are grasses. Selective control requires specialized professional herbicides applied during the summer when the Zoysia is actively growing. At Mr. Lawn Care, we use specific suppression products in our summer treatments to keep Zoysia from expanding. In cases of severe infestation, non-selective spot treatment (killing everything in the patch) followed by fall renovation and reseeding is the only way to completely remove it.
Quick ID Guide
Visual identification is the first step in effective weed control.Zoysia Grass (as a weed) is a grassy summer that is common in Middle Tennessee lawns.
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