What am i doing wrong cod question?

I have a question about Zoysia grass. I live in Falmouth on Cape Cod, Mass.

• I have been putting alot of effort into my lawn over the past few years to no avail. I admittedly do not have a green thumb in any sense. Because of this I am interested in planting Zoysia in my yard. After doing some research on the web I am somewhat confused by the very conflicting opinions on planting Zoysia in my area. Some info claims that zoysia will be green only two or three months a year, is slow spreading and generally a poor choice for my area. Others, mostly people claiming to have Zoysia in my area, say they get six months of color, it fills out a lawn in one or two years and is mostly problem free. I very much rely on doing research before making decisions like this so the polarized views are making it difficult. What's even more confusing are the very negative comments about the time Zoysia lays dormant. The majority of lawns in my area, including my own, turn yellow three to four months out the year anyway. What's two more months? I'd like to get an unbiased opinion of Zoysia in my area. What type of Zoysia is best for my zone? Are plugs or seed the best choice? What is the best time to plant in my zone? Would you be able to suggest a reputable dealer? I greatly appreciate any information you could provide. Thank you.

• Answer:

  I'm not in Falmouth, but I am in New England. The plugs are better, yes, I've tried both. The only real drawback I've found to them is they're annoying to put in, they don't like shade (a problem for me, you'll have to decide for yourself). If there's too much shade it is slow to spread, but I don't have any problems with it going brown. The only time it has is during a very bad drought, but as soon as I watered it, it greened up in a day or two, while the rest of the grass that wasn't Zoysia just stayed dead... It's green from end of April to early May thru October generally. I don't know how fast it actually spreads, as I said, my yard is very shady, so it's slow, but I add a little more each year and it seems to be doing well. Best time to plant is after all frost danger, but before the end of June, wait much longer and it may die from drought or not enough time to harden before winter. Email me if you want more specifics, mine's been in place for about three years now, maybe four?