Early Fall is a great time to begin prepping your Zenith Zoysia lawn for the upcoming dormancy period. Zoysia is a fairly low maintenance grass and does not need much encouragement for a healthy Fall/Winter season.
Prior to dormancy we recommend mowing the lawn low, around 1 ½ inches in height. Remember that you should not cut more than one third of the blade off at a time so you may need to gradually cut back the lawn. Zoysia does best when kept under 2 inches in height throughout the growing season. At this time it is important to bag or rake your clippings. If clippings are left in clumps over the winter season they may create dead spots on the lawn. This same advice goes for stick and leaf debris - try not to let it sit on the lawn too long. Want more mowing advice? Check out our How to Mow blog post.
A final fertilizer application can be made in Late August / Early September for most zones. It is not recommended to apply nitrogen at this time. It may be a good time to add Potassium (Potash) for better winter hardiness if a recent soil test shows insufficient levels of potassium. You do not want to use an extended release fertilizer at this time or fertilize later into the season as you do not want to encourage dead growth (an abundance of thatch) during dormancy.
Winter weeds in Zoysia are not uncommon. To keep weedy growth at bay you can treat with a pre-emergent in September. You may need a second application in about 8 - 10 weeks time. Be sure to follow application directions per the product label.