Maintaining Zoysia grass - Ask Extension
We had zoysia sod installed last summer and it did great last summer and through the winter. We now need to know how to maintain it. We have some we...
Knowledgebase
Maintaining Zoysia grass #927191
Asked March 31, 2026, 4:14 PM EDT
We had zoysia sod installed last summer and it did great last summer and through the winter. We now need to know how to maintain it. We have some weeds growing, not horrible yet, but we certainly don't want it to become a problem. Can you please advise and maybe provide us with a schedule on what we need to apply and how best to maintain the yard. Additionally, we do have a couple of dogs so if there is something you can suggest to aid in preventing urine burnout, that would be appreciated as well. Thank you so very much for any assistance you can offer. The grass is located in a full sun area
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
There is no remedy for urine "burn" in turfgrass except to promptly dilute the urine with water once it's deposited; no turfgrass is immune to potential urine damage, though at least such damage should be temporary as the grass surrounding the spot grows into the area of dieback.
You can find lawn care information in our Lawns for the Maryland Home Landscape hub, which connects with all of our newly-revised lawn web pages. While tall fescue is the most widely-grown turf type in Maryland, each of the pages will include information about zoysia care as appropriate. For a quick-glance calendar of what tasks to do when, you can start on the Lawn Maintenance Calendar page, which has zoysia information in the bottom third of the page.
Weed growth in zoysia sod is surprising, as sod in general tends to be fairly weed-free for its first couple of years of establishment. Perhaps some perennial weeds that were in the ground below the newly-laid sod grew up through the grass. Zoysia in particular tends to out-compete weeds well once it's filled-in, though sometimes early-spring weeds get a head start on growth while the zoysia is still dormant from winter. The Common Home Lawn Weeds page has an overview of typically-seen weeds in lawns and each weed profile page includes management information, since treatment options can vary depending on the weed species.
Miri
You can find lawn care information in our Lawns for the Maryland Home Landscape hub, which connects with all of our newly-revised lawn web pages. While tall fescue is the most widely-grown turf type in Maryland, each of the pages will include information about zoysia care as appropriate. For a quick-glance calendar of what tasks to do when, you can start on the Lawn Maintenance Calendar page, which has zoysia information in the bottom third of the page.
Weed growth in zoysia sod is surprising, as sod in general tends to be fairly weed-free for its first couple of years of establishment. Perhaps some perennial weeds that were in the ground below the newly-laid sod grew up through the grass. Zoysia in particular tends to out-compete weeds well once it's filled-in, though sometimes early-spring weeds get a head start on growth while the zoysia is still dormant from winter. The Common Home Lawn Weeds page has an overview of typically-seen weeds in lawns and each weed profile page includes management information, since treatment options can vary depending on the weed species.
Miri
