“War on Zoysia”

~ Elizabeth

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.

My husband sees zoysia grass as a personal affront to his efforts in the front lawn. Since this early spring has been very dry and the ground has already thawed, he saw it as the perfect time to attack the zoysia patch. A massive undertaking involving digging out very deep roots, separating the sod from the dirt, and disposing of the thatch makes way for a compression of the soil and replanting of a DIFFERENT VARIETY of grass seed. He used the same routine on the patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street last fall and was rewarded by a lush growth of grass without zoysia. He hopes to have the same result on this larger area between the sidewalk and the house.

Since we live on a busy street, he has numerous interactions with curious passers-by. Most people cannot understand his hatred of zoysia. In fact there seem to be people who actually plant it on purpose. Needless to say this makes no sense to him. He does offer them a shovel when they talk too long which spurs them to move along.

I suppose each of us who works in our yard has a particular nemesis. As a child I constantly was recruited to clear the invasive Himalayan blackberry vine from our property. As a new homeowner I fought morning glory which twined its way around everything in sight. Not to be confused with the morning glory people plant on purpose, this invasive intruder was impossible to kill. Some people shudder when a dandelion pops up.

Do any of you start wars outdoors?

44 thoughts on ““War on Zoysia””

  2. My Dad hates daisies and moss. I love daisies and there’s no point fighting the moss here. I was always very upset when my Dad used to come to stay and ‘helpfully’ leave my grass with lots of brown patches…

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  3. I had never heard of that grass. I have a ‘small war’ with a bramble that comes through under the fence from next door. I need to set aside a whole afternoon to attack it with secateurs and thick gloves at least twice a year.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. I am constantly at war with the Wicked Wisteria. It attacks our heads unless I whack at it constantly. It undermines the very ground we walk on, pushing up new growth as far as 10 feet from the pergola. I also attack the wild rose bushes that sneak into the border shrubs. They don’t have the guts to stand up and fight in the open.

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  5. Creeping Charlie. In the couple of places I have lived, it is too well-established in all the yards to really get rid of it (plus a lawn that is less than perfect has never really phased me that much), but it spreads so easily that it is inevitably invading my flower and veggie beds. Add the fact that it’s roots spring forth from any little bit that you tear off–even if it has been disconnected from the main plan, and it is a formidable nemesis!

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  6. I have an ongoing war with Lilies of the Valley. They have been here under the giant pine tree since we moved in. They never flower and poison ivy seems to have fallen in love with Lilies of the Valley. An old home with an established lawn and flowerbeds is wonderful, but there are always problems. I must say, your husband offering a shovel was perfect!

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  8. I love your husband’s idea to get rid of the passers-by. We had pampas grass which is damn near impossible to get rid. The roots grow deep and are hard to dig up.

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  9. I’d love invasive bluebells. I tend to leave most weeds to see if they flower, but I do spray the dandelions with lawn weedkiller before they turn to seedballs. Dandelions are like mice: if you have one today, you have a family tomorrow.

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        4. Thank you for checking Elizabeth. Apparently it’s happened to a few of us bloggers on WordPress :-/
          The WordPress happiness team recommend clearing our Cachè or accessing our account from another Browser.
          I’ll see if that brings tech happiness 😉 lol!

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  15. This year we had had so much rain, the weeding has been a relentless task. I also do not like weeds or invaders. My dad is just like your husband. As a girl I remember being part of work parties to pull out the alien plant species which become such a problem in some areas.

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