Korean Lawn Grass - 0.5 kg Seeds

Korean Lawn Grass (Zoysia japonica) is a fine-to-medium textured, warm-season turf grass that forms a dense, tough, weed-resistant mat by spreading stolons and rhizomes. Its stiff blades give a hard-wearing, carpet-like lawn that turns straw-coloured in cold spells and greens up again with warmth.

It is used chiefly for ornamental and utility lawns, landscaping turf, golf and sports surfaces and slope stabilisation, and is valued for its excellent drought, heat and wear tolerance once established. It performs well across the warmer plains of India in full sun, needing less water and mowing than many other lawn grasses, though it is slow to knit together.

• Family: Poaceae
• Native region: East Asia (Korea, Japan, China)
• Mature height: 5-15 cm (mown turf)
• Growth rate: Slow to establish, then dense

Zoysia seed germinates better after treatment, so soak the seed in water (or a dilute KOH/potassium-nitrate solution) before sowing to soften the hull. Prepare a fine, level seedbed, broadcast and lightly rake or roll the seed into the surface, then keep it constantly moist; germination takes about 21-30 days. Establishment is gradual as the grass fills in by runners over the first season.