Easy Living in the Sunshine – Florida’s Top Choice for Low-Maintenance Lawns

By Susan Shalhoub

A soft-underfoot grass that can be grown anywhere in the Sunshine State; a grass that’s safe for kids to play on without foot-traffic pattern marks left behind; and a grass that provides a nice foundation for any pet-park atmosphere you may want to create in your backyard for the family dog.

Valerie Smith with Sod Solutions says that EMPIRE® Zoysiagrass also checks the boxes for its resiliency when planted in the wintertime in Florida.

“It’s a medium-wide blade, and even though it may turn brown during periods of drought, it’s because it’s going into a state of dormancy as a defense mechanism to preserve itself until regular watering resumes. Then, it will quickly bounce back to its full health once it’s no longer under stress,” she said.

Background behind the blades

EMPIRE Zoysia is one of the many premium sod varieties offered by Sod Solutions. Valerie said that the company works with private breeders and university researchers to ensure clients get grasses that deliver peak performance.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how well a type of sod does once it’s planted if it requires laborious upkeep. No one wants to spend their days on or behind a mower any more than necessary, after all. Maintenance is another important aspect of considering a grass’s suitability for Florida homeowners.

“EMPIRE requires less mowing because it grows taller at a moderate rate,” said Valerie.

That isn’t to say, however, that the grass type isn’t robust.

People who choose EMPIRE enjoy the effects of its durability and dense growth habit. If a bare spot should appear – say as the result of damage – it will quickly fill in with grass before weeds can pop up. “It’s resistant to nuisance weeds,” Valerie said.

Low-maintenance, weed-resistant and the fact that EMPIRE Zoysia also stands up to chinch bugs – plant-eating ground bugs that create large swarms – is another bonus. As Valerie points out, this sod’s weed-, insect- and even disease-resistance means less cost (and application time) for homeowners.

This time saved is better spent playing soccer with the kids outside, throwing the ball to the resident pup, holding a barbecue with the neighbors, and just walking barefoot in the grass – all the things for which EMPIRE Zoysia is perfectly suited.