The grass has the same characteristics as Meyer Z-52 Zoysia, but is a finer blade grass. If a rotary mower is used, the blade must be sharp and mowing should be weekly. The root system is very drought tolerant as the stolons grow underground, which also makes it more cold tolerant. Once established with a dense turf, it is highly weed resistant and wear resistant to foot traffic. Emerald Zoysia provides more weeks of green color in the fall after frosts than bermudagrass, and can grow in moderate shade.
Zoysia can be an acceptable turf with low fertilization.
All of the four recommended, with the possible exception of 609 Buffalo Grass, tolerate and even thrive in periods of excessive rainfall. Four years of field drought resistance studies were completed on grasses growing on a modified sand root zone. Degree of leaf firing was used as an indicator of dehydration avoidance and post-drought shoot recovery was used as the indicator for drought resistance. Significant drought resistance differentials were found across the cultivars and among the species. Results were consistent with the first three years of the study among the bermudagrass, seashore paspalum, St. Augustine grass, and buffalograss cultivars.