that weight may be reduced to about twenty pounds. True, the.roots may become 
dry. And dry roots:do not respond so quickly to the transplanting. Frequently 
the newly planted sprigs from such turf will appear dead for a month or two 
after being put back into the ground. But they seldom fail to recover and to 
proceed to vigorous growth. Zoysia sod has been left unplantcd for several 
months and still grown rapidly when planted. Moisturo, however, should always 
be supplied when possible. If the sprigs torn from the piece of sod are kept 
wet, as in’a bucket of water, their readiness to grow is greater, but such pro- 
cedure is not always feasible. 
The tearing apart of the stock to be planted is not so simple as it sounds. 
So tough is the mass of tangled roots in a bit of mature Zoysia turf that a 
novice may find it very difficult to pull it apart. The earlier directions of 
Zoysia experts called for cutting the sod with a hatchet into plugs of a few 
inches square. But constant experimenting has convinced us that better results 
are obtained by tearing small pieces from the stock, using a 2 x or heavier 
timber to hold the sod under foot during the process, If all.soil has been 
shaken from the planting stock, and especially if the stock is young (that is, 
has not been growing more than two years), it is possible to tear out the sprigs 
by hand. 
All Zoysia turf sold by the nurseries is not alike.- The olcer, heavier= 
rooted stock is gencrally grown on heavier clay soil’and sold with the soil 
‘still in the roots. This turf should be several years old’ to sive its createst 
‘value. The.lighter, younger stock -- frequently only one year from its first 
setting -- is generally grown on light sandy soils. This can be shipped more 
economically (after shaking out the soil) anc is easier to handle, but does not 
possess so dense a root system as the older stocke The cost to: the nursery 
differs for these two different methods of growth, The rapid turnover of stock a 
and the much greater ease of digging and handling reduces: the cost of the sand- 
grown bareeroot stock somewhat below that of the clayegrown Zoysiae 
Although Zoysia will succeed in almost any soil, it pays. to prepare the 
ground for planting with much care, Grasses generally resent acidity below 
pH6, and the authors prefer to use basic slag on such soils. It is easy to in- 
corporate fertilizer and humus. ‘and lime into the top four inches of the soil 
when using a rotary tiller, but “the advisability of doing so must depend upon 
the soil with which you start. The whole surface should be a finely prepared 
seed bed to give plenty of loose fine soil for packing about the roots. of the 
sprigs ef grass as they are planted. Furrows are cut into this. soil (on con= 
tour lines ifthe slope requires. it, at distances of“approximately ten, inches), 
and sprigs of grass torn from the planting stock are planted in the furrows at 
about ten-inch intervalse The soil must be packed in around'the roots, leaving 
the blades in’ the air, -Just as far as possible the grass should be kept moist 
during this ak aida and the hose should be used freely afterwards e. 
It would scem that {nie distance between the sprigs would determine, the 
length of time required for coverage by thé crowing Zoysia. To a certain extent 
this is true, but the difference between a five-inch spacing and a teneinch 
spacing will not make a corresponding difference tin the time required-to fill 
the spacee The pause before runners are sent out may be the same in both cases. 
But when the runners start vigorous growth, they make short work of: filling in, 
sul MAINTENANCE ) 
After planting is completed, the eround’rolled or tamped gad thoroughly 
watered, the difficult first year of care begins. Water is the first essential, 
Keep the ground moist. _In dry weather it‘pays to use the hose every day. After 
growth has started as indicated by the appearance of surface runners, fertilizer 
should be applied lightly but frequently. A good commercial fertilizer such as 
Vigoro or Velvetgreen with a fairly high nitrogen content, every three or four 
' weeks at the rate of five pouncs per thousand square feet, is satisfactory. 
. Chilean nitrate, ammonium nitrate, or urea, may be used to advantage, but these 
high nitrogenecontent fertilizers are not safe to apply without great care to 
avoid burnings 
As the growth of Zoysia proceeds, the competition from weeds and other grass- 
‘es sets in. Close mowing will reduce much of this competition, but for the 
~ groundehugcing Bermudagrass and Crabgrass and Quackgrass mowing may not be suf- 
 fieient. In that case, hand weeding or the use of selcctive weed: killers may be 
ri baat ; . yey 
iy 
To provide against, liskips" or weak spots in the ‘icy ibe is‘ well to set out 
a brood-stock bed or patch from which pieces can be taken ‘to’ mehd. such defects. 
As the Zoysia completes its fill-in, the edges of the lawn ‘will very slowly 
spread over even a concrete walk or driveway or into an adjoining garden or plot 
