Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
Will Zoysia Grass Choke Out St. Augustine Grass?
Will Zoysia Grass Choke Out St. Augustine Grass?. Both warm-season grasses, zoysia and St. Augustine grasses relish warm soil and air temperatures. With different blade textures and winter cold tolerances, these two grasses are not often deliberately grown together -- one species will be the weed and the other desirable.
Both warm-season grasses, zoysia and St. Augustine grasses relish warm soil and air temperatures. With different blade textures and winter cold tolerances, these two grasses are not often deliberately grown together -- one species will be the weed and the other desirable.
Features
Zoysia grass, with thin, soft leaves, grows more slowly than St. Augustine grass. Zoysia also tolerates drier soils as well as much chillier winter conditions; it turns tan in color when dormant. St. Augustine grass grows quickly with stiff, coarse blades. It falters in dry soil and dies back in subfreezing cold.
Effects
If the environmental conditions favor one grass species over another, "choking out" may occur. For zoysia grass to overtake and smother St. Augustine grass, the soil must become drier to favor the zoysia's slower growth and cause the St. Augustine to wither. In light shade or subfreezing winter weather, zoysia will persist even when dormant, but the St. Augustine will be partially to fully killed.
Considerations
Zoysia grass is typically mowed short, as low as 1 inch, far too short for St. Augustine grass to still display green leaves. Zoysia doesn't overtake St. Augustine unless the latter withers, weakens from pests and diseases and dies.
