What is up with this grass?

[AllAmericanLawnCare]

I need to figure out what kind of grass it is for a client...... I'm new to the lawncare biz so don't make fun lol.... Is it just dying?

[mark123]

Lawn care business tips

I can't really tell from the pics. Could be Zoysiagrass. It's a warm season grass and looks like that until the temps warm up. If you're in a northern area Zoysiagrass will only be green for about 3 months of the year. The rest of the time it's dormant (not dead). My first thought was creeping bent grass though but I rethought it after posting. Does it lay down, avoiding cutting, and grow across instead of standing up? What is your location?

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Boughter's Lawn Care Services Mowing and Fertilizing in New Castle, PA

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Last edited by mark123; 04-20-2010 at 07:50 AM.

[AllAmericanLawnCare]

The grass grows up just not very long....

Is there anyway to make the grass green?

[kdexpd]

I live in northeastern Missouri and I have that stuff in my front yard. It drives me nuts because it's been in the same small spot for years and I just haven't had time to deal with it. By the time my accounts slow down, it's green and not noticeable from the street. This year, I tried pulling some up by hand and it came up in clumps. I am also wondering what the heck it is. If it's the same thing as what I have, and I'm willing to bet it is, you better catch it quickly and get a thatching rake. I noticed last night when I was watering the new trees, my regular grass was filling in perfectly around where I had pulled out the "mystery" grass. I originally thought Zoysiagrass, but we've never put down any plug grass here...however I guess it could have been transferred via mower deck from another account. I absolutely HATE plug grass (Zoysiagrass) so this year if I have to Roundup the entire spot and start over, I will. My best recommendation is to use a thatching rake, mechanical or not, and get rid of it before it greens up. Like I said, it comes up easily now and the good grass will fill in on it's own. Be sure to fertilize the area afterwards to promote thickness.

[mark123]

What area are you in??

Originally Posted by AllAmericanLawnCare

Is there anyway to make the grass green?

If it's Zosiagrass then you can make it green by making the temperatures stay in the 80s. If you don't happen to have god-like powers to do this then you wait. Then after about 3-4 months of green it'll be back to a nice straw-colored lawn.

Here's a pic of my neighbor's lawn. You can see where the zoysiagrass is compared to the cool season mix:

[kdexpd]

And THAT is why I HATE ZOYSIAGRASS! Makes your lawn look like it's infested with disease in my opinion. It looks terrible in the spring, and then for like 3 months it turns green, and then goes back to looking like crap in the fall.

[AllAmericanLawnCare]

How much would you charge for dethatching a yard? never done that before....



7343 tarragon lane indianapolis in

thats the address for google maps....

also we would be using rakes not mechanical

[mark123]

Originally Posted by kdexpd

And THAT is why I HATE ZOYSIAGRASS! Makes your lawn look like it's infested with disease in my opinion. It looks terrible in the spring, and then for like 3 months it turns green, and then goes back to looking like crap in the fall.

Actually it's fine in the hot southern climates. It's just not for the north at all. A long while back it was being touted as a miracle grass because it is slow growing and only needs to be mowed once per month. So a lot of the old timers started plugging it into their lawns in the summer. Looked great, didn't grow much and it seemed to be insect repellent. Then when the cool autumn hit, blah. Looks like a dead lawn. It's nigh impossible to get rid of it. Round up and replant is the best plan.