History of Zoysia

Pre 1900’s

Zoysia grass was first described by the botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753. And it wasn’t until 1900 when it was introduced to the United States. Although it is native to Asia, including parts of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, zoysia grass was introduced into America from Australia.

Early 1900’s

In the early 1900s, Zoysia was introduced to the United States. It is believed that it was brought over from Japan by way of Korea. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) began testing the grass and its tolerance to different climates in their greenhouses around 1906. Over time, they cultivated a new variety of Zoysia called “Mana” (now known as Zoysia japonica) that would eventually be called Meyer’s Grass after a USDA botanist named Frank Meyer.

Eventually, people started growing and selling different varieties of Zoysia commercially, but due to the fact that it grew slowly compared to other varieties like Bermuda or St. Augustine grasses, its popularity didn’t really take off until after WWII when better lawn mowers were invented that could handle slow-growing grass varieties like zoysia without getting jammed up every five seconds.

1950 – Present

Zoysiagrass is used to construct golf courses in warm climates and lawns throughout the United States. It is planted in gardens, parks, resorts, athletic fields and along highways. Meant to be a grass that can withstand a heavy foot traffic, you find it in commercial areas with high recreational use as well. Zoysia grass also holds up well under drought conditions as well as being durable to diseases, insects and other pests making it one of the most popular lawn grasses on the market.

Zoysia grass has been used for lawns since 1902 when J. H. Crum turned his attention from raising orchards to establishing turfgrass farms at Altadena near Los Angeles, California. His first experiment was with a sod from Japan which he named “Meyer Zoysia” after Frank N. Meyer who had brought this species of grass back from Asia on one of his expeditions for the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The nickname “Meyer turf” stuck.

Zoysia grass is a great choice for any lawn.

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, infrequent mowing grass that can take a beating from foot traffic and still look gorgeous then Zoysia will be your go-to. Zoysia is also ideal for areas that have high salt or high heat. In fact, the more varied the conditions, the better chance Zoysia has to thrive. So whether your lawn is full of kids, pets or weeds (or all three), Zoysia is an excellent choice