Zoysiagrass Varieties: Choosing the Right Type for Your Lawn

General Traits

Slow-growing, dense, durable turf adapted to lower two-thirds of Georgia. Spreads by stolons and rhizomes. Feels spongy underfoot vs. Bermuda's firmness. Best established by sod; seed difficult to harvest.

Major Varieties

• Zoysia japonica (Japanese/Korean lawngrass): Coarse texture, excellent cold tolerance. Can be seeded but vegetative preferred.
• Meyer (Z-52): Improved Z. japonica; medium texture, good cold tolerance, faster spread. Often marketed as "super grass."
• Zoysia matrella (Manilagrass): Finer than Z. japonica, less cold tolerant than Meyer, more than Emerald.
• Emerald: Hybrid (Z. japonica × Z. tenuifolia). Dark green, very fine texture, good shade tolerance, high density, low growth. Prone to thatch if over-fertilized; cold tolerance marginal north of Atlanta. New growth from base, few brown stems. Moderate winter hardiness, fair shade tolerance. Difficult to overseed.
• El Toro: California-developed; coarser than Meyer, fast-growing, tolerates rotary mower, less thatch than Meyer.
• Zenith & Companion: Seeded varieties; rapid establishment, dense, light shade tolerance.

Zoysiagrass Trade-Offs

1. Slow to cover → costlier establishment.
2. Less drought-tolerant than common Bermuda.
3. Recommended only for homeowners willing to provide required maintenance (reel mowing, periodic dethatching, more irrigation).

See also: Excellent guide to zoysia varieties (link in original).