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6 Best Zoysia Sod Grass Varieties for Dallas
Of all the warm-season grasses planted in Dallas, none has become more widely used in the last decade than Zoysia Grass. Native to regions of Southeast Asia, Zoysia was introduced to the United States back in 1911. Growing best in planting zones 6-11, Zoysia grass is primarily planted in the southern and south-central parts of the United States. On the whole, all varieties of Zoysia sod are known for a degree of shade tolerance, dense growing turf, drought resistance, and slow growth habits. However, there are many different varieties of Zoysia to choose from, and they all have some differences, we believe Zoysia is among the best sod grass types for North Dallas. In this article, we have selected the 6 best Zoysia sod grass varieties and provided descriptions below.
The following three varieties are all considered thin-blade or fine-blade varieties of Zoysia grass: Zeon, Zorro, and Emerald.
Zeon Zoysia Grass
Zeon Zoysia is generally known for its more vibrant green-colored appearance and very soft texture. Zeon is also frequently chosen as a grass for golf courses, when laying new sod, and considered the best for walking barefoot. Needing only 3.5 hours of direct sunlight each day, Zeon offers one of Zoysia’s higher levels of shade tolerance.
Zorro Zoysia Grass
Zorro Zoysia offers one of the darkest green varieties of Zoysia. Due to the fine blade and soft feel, Zorro is also a very popular choice for golf courses and sporting fields. While not quite as shade-tolerant as the other fine-blade varieties, Zorro still grows with only 4 hours of daily sunlight.
Emerald Zoysia Grass
Emerald Zoysia is the most popular and readily available fine-blade Zoysia grass. Having a medium green blade, Emerald will tolerate full sun but can also grow happily with only 3 hours of direct sunlight. Emerald would be our choice for installing new grass as it is the most shade-tolerant of all of the fine-blade Zoysia varieties.
The following three varieties are all considered wide-blade varieties of Zoysia grass: Jamur, Palisades, and El Toro.
Jamur Zoysia Grass
Jamur (pronounced “jammer”) is a medium- or wide-blade Zoysia grass variety that is often described as bluish green in appearance. Jamur Zoysia needs only about 4 hours of direct sunlight each day and is slightly more drought-tolerant than other Zoysia varieties.
Palisades Zoysia Grass
Palisades Zoysia is the most well-known and readily available of all the medium- or wide-blade Zoysia grasses. While you may not ever notice a significant difference, Palisades grows a bit faster than some of the other Zoysia varieties. Palisades only requires between 3-4 hours of daily sunlight and is among the easiest sod grasses to care for.
El Toro Zoysia Grass
El Toro Zoysia is one of the newer grass varieties that was developed in California. El Toro has a darker green turf color when compared to other wide-blade Zoysia grass. El Toro is the fastest-growing of all the Zoysia varieties.