Zoysia matrella
Zoysia - Manilla Grass
A-1 (protected by Australian Plant Breeder's Rights and United States Plant Patent), Shadetuff® (registered trade mark of GeneGro Pty Ltd).
Shadetuff® zoysia is a medium- to fine-textured turfgrass variety suitable for use in home lawns, domestic, commercial, recreational and environmentally sensitive areas. Shadetuff® is vibrant green in colour and handles wear, salt and very shady conditions. The main pro or con about Zoysia grass is the turf species is slow to establish, spread and grow vertically (tall). However, from a maintenance view point Shadetuff® requires less attention than other common warm-season turfgrasses like blue and green couch. If mowing infrequently, Shadetuff® will scalp and take considerable time to recover. Operators need to make sure mower blades are sharp and will not tear or damage leaf blades when the turf is mown. This is unsightly and can cause secondary problems like disease occurrence.
Shadetuff® zoysia performs well from full sun through to heavy dappled tree shade (80 % reduction in sunlight), though growing more slowly as shade increases (Elite Green, no date). A benefit of zoysiagrass is that it is less common to see attacks by army worm and sod web worm. The high fibre and lignin present within the leaf blades, which also assist for wear tolerance, make it tough for such attacks. To put it simply, the foliage is "too" tough and unfavorable for chewing mouthparts of such pests.
Pests, disease and weeds
Check to see which Pests, Diseases and or Weeds this turf variety may be susceptible to and how to successfully control them in your home lawn or sports turf.
