Kansas State University

search

K-State Turf and Landscape Blog

Category: Zoysiagrass

Management Guides to Reduce Winterkill in Warm-Season Turfgrasses

Posted on by Teresa Roberts

By Ross Braun, Ph.D., Kansas State University 

It is September, winter is coming, now is the time to think about strategies to reduce winterkill risks in your warm-season turf. Last winter (2024-2025) was a tough one on some of our warm-season turfgrass managers. There were extensive reports of winterkill in zoysiagrass and bermudagrass areas on golf courses and sports fields in Kansas, Missouri, and many other areas in the transition zone. Winterkill injury is not easily identified until the warm-season grass is finished greening up in the spring (usually mid-to-late May in KS). At which point, you notice dead turf areas that never greened up with no active growth (Figure 1). What also didn’t help this spring was the below-average temperatures in May, with slightly below-normal precipitation amounts at the same time. This slowed down the spring green-up of our warm-season turfgrasses (zoysiagrass, bermudagrass, and buffalograss) and delayed the recovery needed in some areas, so that it did not start until mid-June or later. These winterkill risks will always be present, and some years we unfortunately see it more than others, but I still think warm-season turfgrasses are a solid choice for turfgrass managers in the transition zone because we can reduce a lot of management inputs (water, fertilizer, pesticides, mowing) compared to growing cool-season turfgrasses.

Over the past two years, my colleagues at other universities and I have collaborated to create “management guides” for bermudagrass and zoysiagrass managers, especially those in the transition zone that experience greater risks of winterkill. You will likely recognize that the authors include many familiar names of turfgrass scientists, as well as the wealth of knowledge they bring to these articles. These guides are written to help you identify potential vulnerable areas, the causes of winterkill, and offers solutions to prevent and recover from winterkill. I encourage you to check out these articles; they are both “open access,” meaning the authors have already paid for them to be freely available to the public (not behind a paywall). You can read them online or download each as a PDF to read on your computer or phone. I hope these management guides assist in decision-making and help to reduce potential winterkill risks in warm-season turfgrass systems.

Management strategies for preventing and recovering from zoysiagrass winterkill https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.70050

Management strategies for preventing and recovering from bermudagrass winterkill https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20302

 

Figure 1. Increased winterkill in West Lafayette, IN, in 2018–2019 in low-lying, poorly drained areas. The site was ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) maintained as a golf course fairway. The photo was taken on May 24, 2019 by Aaron J. Patton.

Zoysiagrass Cultivars to Consider in Kansas

Posted on by Jack Fry

Options for sod producers, golf courses, and lawns

K-State has been closely involved with Texas A&M University on release of zoysiagrass cultivars over many years.  Sod producers in Kansas can consider these cultivars for grow-in and release to the industry.

Vegetative Zoysiagrass

Meyer Zoysia

Meyer (Z. japonica) is the cultivar that has been widely used in Kansas and was released in 1951 from the USDA, Beltsville, MD, and the USGA, Far Hills, NJ. It has been widely used over many areas since it was released in the 1950s.  Breeding efforts have been continuing to develop cultivars that are well suited for the Midwest – more below.

Innovation Zoysia

K-State has worked closely with Texas A&M since 2004 in development and release of new zoysiagrass cultivars that have good cold tolerance.Innovation was released from Texas A&M and K-State in 2015, and is the first zoysiagrass for our region that has a fine texture, high quality, and cold tolerance equivalent to Meyer. It was a breeding release that involved a cross between Z. japonica and Z. matrella. Z. japonica has the cold tolerance and Z. matrella has fine leaf texture. This is a unique cultivar with a finer texture than Meyer but also has cold tolerance. It is presently provided by Sod Solutions to sod producers.

More details here

Innovation zoysiagrass in Olathe Kansas.

Chisholm Zoysia

Chisholm (Z. japonica) was released in 2012 from Texas A&M and K-State. It has a coarser leaf texture, but is deep-rooted, has good drought tolerance, and would perform well in southern Kansas. More details here

Chisholm zoysia at John C. Pair Horticultural Center near Wichita, KS.

DALZ 1701 Zoysia – Vegetative

In 2022, after 10 years of research evaluation across multiple states in the transition zone, a new zoysiagrass cultivar (experimental name DALZ 1701) was released by Texas A&M, K-State, and Purdue.  A standard cultivar name for this will soon be available; it will likely be provided by sod producers in the next couple of years.  Highlights of DALZ 1701: • Freezing tolerance of DALZ 1701 is similar to Meyer and Innovation • Exhibits superior heat tolerance than Meyer and has performed well in Dallas, TX • Drought tolerance is better than Meyer  • Has dark green genetic color and better fall color retention than Meyer • Exhibits superior tolerance to large patch, take-all patch, mites and hunting billbugs than Meyer. More details here

DALZ 1701 (larger area above) and Meyer (small plot area below) after 30 days with only 1 inch of rainfall and no irrigation in Olathe, KS.  Meyer is showing significant drought stress, but DALZ 1701 is not.

Seeded Zoysiagrass

Zenith Zoysia – Seeded

Zenith (Z. japonica) is a seeded cultivar that was released in 1993 and has performed well in Kansas and is available through purchase online. It has been well established on several golf courses in the state and has performed very well. More details here 

LEARN MORE ABOUT ZOYSIA IN THIS RECENTLY UPDATED EXTENSION DOCUMENT:  Zoysiagrass in Kansas

 

Thinking Ahead to Factors that Can Impact Freeze Injury of Warm-Season Grasses

Posted on by Jack Fry

 

Winter injury in certain areas where warm-season grasses grow in the transition zone is not unusual.  Specifically, here are the things that can have a significant impact on winter injury of zoysiagrass and bermudagrass:

 

 

 

  • Selection of a less cold hardy warm-season grass: There is a relatively short list of bermudgrass and zoysiagrass cultivars that are best adopted to the transition zone, including Kansas. Here are a few of each of those species that are relatively good through winter, but that doesn’t mean they can’t suffer winter injury:

Zoysiagrass – Meyer, Innovation, Zenith (seeded), Chisholm

Bermudagrass – Tahoma 31, Latitude 36, Northbridge, Yukon (seeded), Monaco (seeded)

 

  • High Nitrogen levels: High levels of nitrogen fertilizer through the growing season, or nitrogen applied in the fall can have a more significant impact on winter injury.

 

  • Shade: Shade reduces photosynthesis and carbohydrate production by grasses, and can significantly reduce the potential for a species/cultivar to survive cold temperatures.  Trimming trees or removing them may be required to enhance cold hardiness.

 

  • Traffic: Significant traffic on the soil and turf prior to winter can have a significant impact on the turf and result in higher levels of winter injury.  Traffic control (not allowing excessive traffic) and effective aerification can help enhance its survival.

 

  • Excessively wet soil: It’s not unusual for warm-season turf that sits in a low area (often on golf course fairways) where water accumulates can have a greater impact of winter injury.  High levels of water in the soil will impact these grasses when severe cold arrives.  Improved drainage can help protect these areas.

 

  • Lack of snow cover: Snow is very beneficial to protect warm-season grasses prior to excessively low temperatures.  For example, several years ago we had snow cover in Olathe, KS when temperatures were at least -15 F and no winter injury occurred.

 

  • Grass not fully acclimated for cold temperatures: There is a greater chance of freezing injury if temperatures get quite low when the grass had not fully acclimated to cold. Example – excessively low temperatures in November or December can have a significant impact.  Likewise, the same may occur during late winter or early spring when warmth approaches and then that is followed by excessive cold.

 

  • Exposure to wind on high level areas: This can often cause desiccation in winter if exposed to strong wind when there is no snow cover.  If expected in the near future, it may be useful to apply water on these elevated areas before the excessive cold arrives.  Or…some type of cover to protect the surface.

National Turfgrass Evaluation Program: Access Kansas Results and those from Many Other States

Posted on by Teresa Roberts

By Jack Fry, Professor and Commercial Turf Extension Specialist

The National Turfgrass Evaluation program is a cooperative effort between the non-profit National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, Inc., and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  NTEP is headquartered at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland.  NTEP started in 1980 with J.J. Murray.  For many years, Kevin Morris has been overseeing NTEP.

Zoysiagrass NTEP spring green up in 2023 at Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center.

NTEP trials are underway at three locations in Kansas.  At Olathe, trials are being done on fine fescue (planted in 2020), tall fescue (planted in 2020), and zoysiagrass (planted in 2019).  The fine fescue and tall fescue trials are low maintenance trials in Kansas, but not at all locations, which are mowed at 2.5 inches, receive no supplemental irrigation, and are fertilized with only 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. applied annually in autumn.

 

 

The zoysiagrass NTEP trial in Olathe is mowed at 0.75 inches 2 to 3 times weekly and receives 1 to 1.5 of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. applied annually in early summer.

At the John C. Pair Center, the NTEP bermudagrass trial (planted in 2019) is being done and you’ll also find a specific article in the 2023 Turfgrass Research Report regarding their performance:  https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr/vol9/iss5.

Graduate student Dani McFadden evaluating creeping bentgrass NTEP trial at Milburn Country Club in Overland Park, KS.

In Overland Park, the NTEP creeping bentgrass putting green trial (planted in 2020) is being conducted at Milburn Country Club and maintained as they do other putting greens at the course.  Steve Wilson, golf course superintendent at Milburn CC, has been very courteous to allow use of their nursery green area for this trial to be conducted and he oversees management of the site.

 

 

 

 

You can view data Kansas and multiple other locations from 2021, 2022 and many other years for trials conducted.  The NTEP website allows access to data and results from all NTEP trials.  Find information here:  www.ntep.org

2023 Turfgrass Research Reports are Available

Posted on by Teresa Roberts

The 2023 Turfgrass Research report is now online.  This year’s reports are:

  • Herbicide Effects on Establishment of Zoysiagrass from Sprigs in Two Consecutive Years
  • Aerification Effects on ‘Innovation’ Zoysiagrass in 2020-2022
  • Effects of Glyphosate Applied at Different Times on Dormant Zoysiagrass Cultivars in the Transition Zone
  • 2019 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Bermudagrass Test: 2022 Data

Winter Injury Noticeable on Warm-Season Grasses

Posted on by Jack Fry

Winter injury has shown up in Kansas and many other states on some warm-season grasses, including bermudagrass and zoysiagrass.  Low temperatures came in mid-December at levels that were not common for warm-season grasses to deal with when they have not reached maximum cold acclimation.  For example, daily low temperatures did not exceed 10 F between Dec. 22nd and 27th in Olathe, KS. In addition, little or no snow cover was out to help protect turf and wind speed was high (approached 30 mph during this period in Olathe) which could have caused desiccation damage as well.  Temperatures during this period reached a low of -7 F.  Winter injury has also been reported in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas on both bermuda and zoysia.  Injury tends to be most common in areas that have high levels of traffic, shade, or excessive thatch.  There are also many different “micro-climates” across areas that can result in different levels of injury – from excessive to none.

‘Latitude 36’ bermuda experienced winter injury at the Olathe, KS Horticulture Center.
Injury on a Z. matrella variety in KS.  Varieties of this species tend to me more cold sensitive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter injury on zoysia cultivars in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program in Olathe. Those damaged are Z. matrella cultivars, used primarily in the southern U.S.
‘Meyer’ winter injury on golf course fairway with north-facing slope.

FARM to LAWN: Enhancing the Production, Establishment, and Marketability Success of Zoysiagrass Sod

Posted on by Jack Fry

K-State, Texas A&M AgriLife-Dallas, and Purdue University received a grant from the US Dept. of Agriculture (multi-state specialty crops block grant) to focus on production, establishment, and marketing of zoysiagrass sod.  A primary goal of research at Olathe is to evaluate how “farm” practices, including grow-in practices at the sod producer, may influence the performance of sod after it is harvested and laid at a site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three zoysia cultivars sprigged in June 2021 (photo above left) and appearance of the same plot area in June 2022 (photo above right) at the Olathe Horticulture Center. Grow-in is being influenced by mowing height and nitrogen rate, which could influence thatch accumulation and performance of newly laid sod (to be harvested in spring 2023)

Learn more information about this project here: https://dallas.tamu.edu/research/farm-to-lawn-zoysiagrass-sod-project

And, if you’re a Twitter follower, this may be of interest to you:  @ZOYSIARESEARCH