El Toro grass, also known as El Toro zoysia is native south specific and East Asian grass. Most commonly used in tropic regions for different purposes like in lawns, cricket ground, football stadium, etc. it is highly worn resistance but if the damage is done to this plant it would take a lot of time to heal. Thus it is preferred to plant this in places where it could not suffer such strain. It is one of the best quality grasses in the market.
As compared to other plants it is more resistant to drought, heat, salinity, etc. many kinds of grass couldn’t strive in shades but el toro zoysia grass is not one of them. It can grow in sun and shade both.
The Appearance of El Toro Grass
El toro zoysia grass is dark green having great texture with strong leave blades. Unlike other plants that change their color in the winter season, This plant retains its color in winter the longest.
Variety of Toro zoysia grass
El toro grass can be planted by both the seeding method and the propagation method. ‘Zoysia japonica’ is the species of this plant that has the potential to grow by seeds. The Two most popular verities of seeds of Toro ‘Zoysia japonica’ grass are ‘Zenith’ and ‘Compadre’ both are good quality seeds with high resistance to many diseases like dollar spot, brown patch, etc. Both of these seeds are similar to each other In terms of texture. Other varieties can be planted by propagation only ‘Z. matrella’ is one of those varieties.
Soil Used
Unlike other soils, there is a vast variety of soils in which Toro zoysia grass could be planted ranging from a ph. of n 5.8 till 7.5. The growth of this type of grass is year-round not just in a specific season.
Installing El toro zoysia in existing lawn
Before installing the lawn firstly the whole lawn should be cleared by killing the existing grass either through plowing or applying chemicals in the grass. then through limestone or another way the ph. should be made optimum for the growth of El toro zoysia.
Ways to plant
Establishing El Toro Zoysia by Plugging
Plugs are made of about 3 to 4 inches in diameters and planted 7 to 15 inches apart. The plugs are planted just slightly below the surface of moist soil.it will take about 7 weeks for the plant to get established. The spacing due to plugging would be covered after 17 months of planting the grass.
Establishing El Toro Zoysia by Seeding
El Toro grass takes a long time as compared to other varieties of grass to grow by seeding. But there are some chemicals available to fasten this process. By these chemically treated seeds, El Toro grass will start to develop in 14 to 15 days. While it will be fully mature in less than 13 weeks. to get a desired dense El Toro grass about 1 pound of seed should be sowed in 500 sq ft.
if seeding is done at a higher rate than that would be futile as this is the optimum level of seeding. After seeding, rolling is highly appreciated as this will ensure more contact of seed with the soil. Spread a tiny layer of soil after that. It should not be fully covered with soil as this would stop the contact of seed and light. El Toro zoysia needs light to fully grow.
Establishing El Toro Zoysia Grass Sod
El toro zoysia can also be established by calling a sod home depot. They would place the el toro zoysia sod in your garden. It would be exactly like growing It in your garden but you will have to take care of it like any other grass after it is planted. It is also cheap as you could place it for less than 1 dollar per square foot.
Watering of El toro grass
Improper watering is the reason for the dame of plants. The el toro zoysia sod requires at least 9 days to 1.5 weeks of moist soil at the initial stages of the plantation. After it is established which takes about 9 weeks after that less amount of water can be provided. In the hot summer, season water is for 3 to 4 days a week, while in winter 5 to days a week. Until the top 6 inches of the grass is moist.
This is utterly necessary for healthier grass good quality grass. we can check the moisture level by trying to penetrate a hard object in the ground like a screwdriver. If the screwdriver goes inside 6 inches of grass easily then your watering objective is achieved. The grass should be watered after 4 am. Watering between 4 pm and 4 am is discouraged. The areas in shade should be watered less than the area in sunlight.
Mowing
Mowing height varies from 1 to 2 inches. It depends on the owner of the garden what length he prefers. It is preferred to mow at least twice a month during the non-growing season. While the grass should be mowed once a week in the growing season. Many types of mower can be used for the mowing of this grass but reel mower is highly preferred. Grass clippings highly reduce the attractiveness of the garden so they should be removed as soon as they grow.
Dormancy
When the temperature drops and the temperature of soil reach below 40 degrees. El toro grasses rate of growth is reduced. In such a time it doesn’t need mowing, water, or fertilizer. The color of grass changes from green to brown and reddish-brown until there is a rise in soil temperature. To make the grass green again dye can be applied to it. It would be hard to deduce that dye is applied on the grass if done properly.
Fertilizing El Toro Grass
The fertilizer used before seeding of the grass would be ample for the first month of growth after that moderate amount of fertilizer should be used during the growing season of the el toro grass. In the case of dormancy, fertilizer should be added in spring to recover from it.
Clippings are used to determine whether the grass requires fertilizer. if the number of clippings is reduced or they are not growing at the same phase as they used to, then fertilizer is needed by the grass. Two fertilizers that are most beneficial for the grass are Marathon All Season Fertilizer and Gro-Power.
Diseases, Insects, And Weeds
El Toro Zoysia grass is highly resistant to more insects, weeds than any other grass. If the grass is getting its required nutrients (from fertilizer) and the water it requires then there is a high probability that grass won’t be affected by the said insects, pests. In case the grass is infested by weeds be very vigilant in using chemical products as they can harm the plant if used more than the required amount.
Related Post
Dethatching El toro grass
It is usually found that every 2 years or so spongy thatch is developed. This is because the fertilizer and water given to the grass are more than its requirement. Moreover, improper mowing practices also contribute to the development of thatch. The only way to get rid of this problem is by dethatching the lawn. Use a mower to cut the grass to One-fourth inch. Detaching is best suited in spring. As dethatching in spring would lead to a speedy recovery. Just apply the necessary fertilizer and water after dethatching.
Salient features of Toro zoysia grass
This variety of grass is much more tolerant of cold and heats both than any other grass. it is also drought-resistant it can be planted on tilted surfaces such as hillsides and slops as, unlike other plants, it hangs out on the tilted surface. Its requirement for water, fertilizer (as it requires low nitrogen), mooing is less than any other grass thus it has less maintenance.
This variety doesn’t need pesticides if an adequate amount of water and fertilizer is given it will on its resist insects and bugs. It is also highly tolerant of traffic than its counterpart. Plus it has a very attractive thick green growth. It could be planted in areas closer to the sea due to its high tolerance of salt.
These were some of the ways and methods that could be used while planting El toro grass. This grass has an edge over any other grass due to its many amazing features and should on your top priority while thinking about the type of grass to plant in your garden.
