As the summer grows closer I’m finding IT something of a challenge finding information that is seasonal, or at least consistent with what businesses are doing at this time of the year. About three months ago I met someone whose lawn I assumed was dead after the snow melted. Turns out the grass wasn’t dead, but dormant. The grass is called Zoysia. The grass is used by golf courses and playgrounds. It needs very little watering and will take over the lawn from weeds or crabgrass. This grass isn’t as simple as just laying it down. It can take three seasons to take over your lawn and took me about three weeks of mornings plugging for Zoysia. See below.

So I started doing some research. Hiring a proper landscaper is the best way to take care of your lawn. But this summer I am taking the plunge and doing everything on my own. First thing I did was Google Zoysia and learn how to purchase and plant the grass. The beauty of YouTube isn’t (only) those bizarre kitten videos. What I love is you can search on any subject, like “How to plant Zoysia grass” and you’ll get a great video on the first hit! Then I needed a lawnmower. In hindsight, it’s clear I should have shelled out the money and gotten a new one. I got a great used one on eBay, but no bag, which is about the cost of the lawn mower itself.

If you want to see some cool sprinklers, they have some that connect to the Internet and can be managed via a phone app. But I am old school and doing this with my hose.

Now, how to order the grass? There are many farms that will send you sod (very expensive), seeds (hit or miss) or plugs. I had no reference point and couldn’t get anything local until after I ordered my first two boxes of plugs. One orders a box of plugs from the Internet-based farms. Once you receive the plugs you also get an auger. You make a roughly 1×1-inch hole in your lawn with the auger, which you connect to a hand-held drill. I didn’t know that you needed a drill and tried this by hand. I figured there has to be a better way. Back to YouTube. I find this tool called the ProPlugger—nothing on Amazon worth ordering except the ProPlugger—and the owner made the videos and replied to my email! The ProPlugger looks like a green pogo stick. It will store about five plugs that you can discard or make soil from. With the ProPlugger you have perfect holes for plugging.

I tried to use the ProPlugger on the Zoysia sod I got from the Internet. When that didn’t work, I tried a utility knife and three types of shears, but nothing worked. Sure enough a serrated kitchen knife did the trick to make these plugs. But I felt I should try to get the Zoysia locally. Locally turned out to be Exit 2 on the Turnpike, two hours each way. I bought some fresh Zoysia, which was better but not by much. Ordering from the net is pretty cool. You get the sod in a box wrapped in a plastic bag. Make sure to start plugging ASAP.

I will admit a Duck Dynasty-type, Jewish, red-bearded guy stepping on a green Pogo stick on the lawn will surely get questions from your neighbors.

The Zoysia grass plugs look like hay with vines in the soil. The closer you plug the more the Zoysia will overtake the lawn. It takes about 45 days for the Zoysia to bud. I write this praying that all of this will work. Something you may want to purchase is some potting soil that you’ll put back in your holes when you’re plugging.

This Zoysia plugging has been a pretty much my new obsession, my son says. Once you go Zoysia you can’t go back. It’s so robust it could grow into your flower beds. Make sure you put up a plastic guard to prevent that. You will need to water the Zoysia plugs for 15 days and you shouldn’t cut the plugs for the first two weeks. If you do, make sure the lawn mower is at the highest setting.

Here are some amazing tools and videos to learn about Zoysia plugs. Bill Carney from ProPlugger.com has the best videos. There are other ways of making the plugs but the ProPlugger will save your back and make perfect plugs. For UnGarbled-tech readers ProPlugger.com is offering 10 percent off. Enter GARB as the sales code. I ordered the plugs from two places over the Internet that deliver.

The videos from Bill Carney from ProPlugger.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfp8SJ6z8E

Here are the farms I ordered from: Zoysiafarms.com and hillbillyturf.com

The Internet, Google, UPS and some Amazon make your lawn into something amazing.

If anyone has any questions, email me at [email protected]

Shneur Garb is the CEO of The Garb Consulting I.T. Group. Any comments or questions email [email protected].

By Shneur Garb