Brown Grass

I have tried to be patient, I really have but....I have grown to envy our neighbors lawns. Along with our 1959 cape code, the hubs and I are also proud owners of a dense front lawn (the back is a different story) of "zoysia" grass. I don't really know much about grass, and apparently all grass is not equal. It's now mid-April and so many neighbors already have lush green lawns to mow. But not us. Noooo, our grass is still brown and ugly...awesome.

Thanks to Google, I did some searching today on "zoysia" grass and found this and am slightly horrified:

ZOYSIA GRASS PROBLEMS:

Invasive – Zoysia grass is a very invasive grass. The reason you can plant plugs and not have to seed the lawn is because zoysia grass will crowd out all other species in the lawn. Then when it has taken over your lawn it will start in on your flower beds and your neighbor’s lawn. (Seriously? How can I control my grass?!)

Temperamental color – Another one of the zoysia grass problems is that unless you live in a consistently warm climate, the color of your lawn can go rapidly from green to brown at the first sign of cool weather. This can leave your lawn looking unsightly for a good part of the year. (Thanks, I know.)

Slow growing – While this is touted as a good feature because it means that you don’t need to mow as much, it also means that you zoysia grass lawn will have a harder time recovering from damage and heavy wear. (We should be ok here...we have neither kids nor pets running around our lawn...just other peoples kids and pets. Ha.)

Zoysia Patch or Rhizoctonia Large Patch – Zoysia is prone to zoysia patch disease, which can kill the grass and give it a rust color as it is dying. (Great, the zoysia grass people are probably in cahoots with the lawn care people which means we will probably have to buy some special and expensive fertilizer!)
 
Thatch - Another one of the facts about zoysia grass is that is prone to thatch problems. While you will have less mowing, you will have to do more thatch control, which is significantly more labor intensive. (Well that's encouraging....labor intensive!?)

Difficult to remove – One of the most frustrating zoysia grass problems is the fact that it is near impossible to remove once it become established. If you decide to plant zoysia grass, you are making the decision to grow it for life. (Brown grass in the burbs, just what I've always wanted.)

In warm weather, zoysia grass problems are fewer and the benefits are greater and this grass is worth looking at. But if you are in a cooler climate, planting a zoysia grass lawn is just asking for trouble. (Awesome.)

I never thought I would be begging for green grass!