Zoysia

Question

I want to make my 3 flower beds into just rock gardens for low maintenance. What would be the best grass and weed killer to get down to the roots of zoysia? My lawn is zoysia and it got in the flower beds. I was going to spray them every 3 or 4 days, but not sure what to kill it with. I am not going to plant any other kind of plants in the beds. I thought I would wait till next spring to put in the rock, and does putting 3 layers of newspaper under the rock help keep out weeds and grass? My nephew lays tar paper down first, the kind they use on the roof. Would that work better or does it help at all? Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

Zoysia grass is a very invasive grass. It can be difficult to control. Small areas of Zoysia can be treated with a non-selective type herbicide, such as Round-up. However, this type of herbicide can potentially kill any plant it comes in contact with, so be careful when spraying around plants you want to keep!

For best results, apply the herbicide when the Zoysia grass is still green, actively growing and not dormant or under drought stress. Since Zoysia grass may regrow, more than one application will probably be needed. Since Round-up dissipates rather quickly, it shouldn’t pose any problems with future planting.