This Empire Zoysia care guide covers an established lawn. We grow Empire Zoysia on our farm at Woodford and deliver it across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. If your turf went down in the last six weeks, start with our new turf starter care plan and when to mow new turf, then come back here.

Key facts: Empire Zoysia care at a glance

Mowing Empire Zoysia

Empire’s recommended mowing height is 25–50 mm. Within that range, choose a height to suit the spot and the season:

• Full sun in the growing season: anywhere in the range works. The lower end gives the neatest finish but means mowing more often.
• Part shade: keep it at the higher end. The extra leaf helps it make the most of the light it gets.
• Autumn into winter: move up to the higher end of the range and leave it there until spring.

Follow the one-third rule: never take off more than a third of the leaf in one mow, and bring an overgrown lawn down over two or three cuts. Empire grows more slowly than couch, so mow when it has grown, not by the calendar.

You may see “2–4 mows a year” quoted for Empire. That figure is for roadside and erosion-control work where the grass is left long. A home lawn kept at 25–50 mm needs mowing through the growing season.

Reel or rotary mower?

A reel (cylinder) mower gives the cleanest finish on zoysia’s fine, dense leaf, especially at the lower end of the range. A rotary mower is fine at the middle to higher settings most home lawns use. Either way, keep the blade sharp, because blunt blades tear the leaf and leave grey tips.

Don’t scalp it going into winter

Scalping, or cutting down into the brown runners and stems, does the most harm in late autumn, when there is no growing season left to recover. The lawn then sits thin until spring and lets winter weeds in. Keep the mower on a high setting from autumn.

Short clippings from regular mowing can be mulched back in, as Empire is a low-thatch grass. After a long gap between mows, catch them so clumps don’t smother the lawn.

Feeding Empire Zoysia in SEQ

Empire needs far less fertiliser than couch or kikuyu. The recommendation for the variety is one feed a year.

• When: in spring, once the lawn has greened up and is growing again. Water it in after spreading.
• What to look for on the label: a lawn fertiliser marked slow-release or controlled-release. Check the N-P-K figures on the pack. Nitrogen (N, the first number) drives leaf growth and colour, and a slow-release form feeds the lawn gradually instead of all at once. Apply at the label rate.
• Winter: don’t feed. The grass is barely growing and can’t use it.

Avoid quick-release, high-nitrogen products in summer heat, as they can burn the leaf. Seaweed products such as Seasol are plant tonics rather than fertilisers, so they don’t replace the yearly feed. New turf waits until weeks 4–6 for a slow-release starter fertiliser, as in the starter care plan.

In humid weather, an orange, powdery rust on the leaf usually means the lawn is short of nutrients. It is mostly cosmetic, but check the lawn had its spring feed.

Watering an established zoysia lawn

Empire’s deep root system means that, once established, it can largely survive on rainfall. In a normal SEQ summer the storms usually do the watering for you. The dry stretch from late winter into spring is when it’s most likely to need a drink.

• Water when it asks for it: the leaf dulls to a blue-grey, starts to fold or roll, or footprints stay flat instead of springing back.
• Water deeply, then leave it: a long soak that wets the root zone encourages deep roots. Light daily sprinkles grow shallow ones.
• Water early in the morning: evening watering leaves the leaf wet overnight, which invites fungal disease in humid weather.

New turf needs regular water for the first few weeks, so follow watering new turf. For dry-year planning, see drought-tolerant turf for Brisbane.

Runners, spreading and repairs

Yes, zoysia has runners. Empire’s runners are highly branching and it spreads quickly compared with other zoysias, which gives it good wear recovery. It is still slower than couch. Runners grow mainly from spring to autumn and slowly in winter, so a bare patch left going into winter usually stays bare until spring. The runners also creep into garden beds, so trim the edges in the growing season.

Patching with Empire rolls

For patches bigger than a dinner plate, or anything you want fixed before winter, patch-returfing is quicker than waiting:

1. Cut the damaged area out square with a sharp spade, taking the old roots with it.
2. Loosen the soil and top it up with under-turf soil so the new turf will sit flush with the lawn around it.
3. Lay the Empire pieces tight against the edges and firm them down.
4. Water them as you would new turf until they root in, then treat them like the rest of the lawn.

Our Empire Zoysia turf is $15.50/m². We cut it to order at Woodford, so a patch matches the lawn you already have from us.

Seed heads on Empire Zoysia

In early spring, Empire sends up small purple seed heads. This is normal. They are non-fertile, so you can’t seed a lawn from them. Mow them off at your usual height, and don’t drop the mower to chase them.

Seed heads at other times of year usually mean the lawn is stressed, for example from dry soil, poor soil or low nutrients. Check your watering and feeding. Empire is sold as turf, not seed, and grass seed vs turf in Queensland explains why.

Empire Zoysia in shade

Empire has medium shade tolerance, around 40–50%. That is better than couch and kikuyu, but not as good as Sir Walter buffalo. Turf Queensland ranks buffalo first and zoysia second for shade. It advises at least 4 hours of direct sun, ideally between 10am and 2pm, and mowing a little higher in shade. Our shade-tolerant turf guide compares all three of our varieties.

Weeds, grubs and armyworm in zoysia

A dense Empire lawn crowds out most weeds, which get in where it is thin, scalped or shaded. If you use a herbicide, check that the label lists zoysia as a safe turf, and follow its rate and temperature limits. Hand-weed turf under six weeks old.

Empire is less susceptible to lawn grubs, but not immune. Watch for patches that brown off suddenly from late spring to autumn, especially after storms. Our lawn armyworm guide explains how to confirm the pest, and grubs, diseases and weeds covers the other common problems.

Empire Zoysia vs Zoysia tenuifolia (“no-mow” or Korean velvet grass)

They’re both zoysias, but they aren’t the same grass and they do different jobs. Empire is a variety of Zoysia japonica, grown as a lawn you mow, walk and play on. Zoysia tenuifolia is a different species, sold as Korean velvet grass or “no-mow” grass. It has a very fine leaf and, left unmown, grows into soft humps and mounds. It is mainly used as an ornamental groundcover, such as between pavers or in feature gardens, rather than as a family lawn.

The care in this guide is for Empire. We grow and supply Empire Zoysia. We don’t supply Zoysia tenuifolia.

A year of Empire Zoysia care in SEQ

Empire is dormant in winter but holds its colour well. In frosty hinterland spots it may brown off after a frost, then regenerate once it starts growing again. For care across all our varieties, see the year-round lawn care plan and our seasonal turf care guide.

Frequently asked questions

Patching, extending or starting an Empire lawn?

If you’re patching or extending an Empire lawn, the turf calculator works out the square metres you need. Empire Zoysia is $15.50/m², cut fresh at Woodford and delivered across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. If you’d rather someone else looked after it, our Brisbane lawn care services can help.

Still deciding whether zoysia suits your yard? Compare Empire Zoysia and Sir Walter, and check how much sun you get with our shade-tolerant turf guide.

Key facts: the 4-week schedule for watering new turf

We’ve grown turf at Woodford since 1994 and supply new lawns across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and this schedule follows our first 6 weeks of new lawn care plan. Treat it as a starting point: wind, heat, shade, soil and rain all change how fast new turf dries, and the tug and footprint tests below tell you when to adjust. Rain counts towards every amount in the table.

Day 1: watering in straight after laying

The first watering matters most. Freshly cut turf has only a thin layer of soil and roots, so it relies on the water you give it. Water each section as soon as it’s down, not when the whole job is finished.

How much water on day one (the catch-cup test)

You want roughly 25 mm of water on day one: enough to soak the turf and wet the soil underneath about 100 mm down. To see how long that takes with your sprinkler:

1. Put three or four straight-sided containers (tuna tins or plastic cups) on the turf in different spots across the sprinkler’s reach.
2. Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes.
3. Measure the average depth of water in the containers with a ruler.
4. Work out how long it takes to reach 25 mm. The sprinkler run-time table further down does the maths.

Then lift the corner of a slab. The soil beneath should be wet, not just damp on top. If it’s dry, keep going. On heavy clay, if water starts running off, stop for half an hour and then finish the soak.

Wet the soil before you lay

Bone-dry soil pulls moisture out of new turf from below. Lightly water the prepared underlay before delivery so it’s moist but not muddy. For getting the ground ready, see our site and soil preparation service, how much soil to put under turf and how to lay turf on Queensland clay.

Want it laid and watered in for you? Our team can prepare the ground, lay the turf and water it in on the day. See turf installation or ask for a free measure and quote. Building a new home? Our front and backyard turf packages cover the whole yard.

Week-by-week watering for new turf

Week 1: keep it moist, little and often

For the first 7 to 10 days, the turf and soil surface should never dry out, or sit soggy. In warm weather that usually means two or three light top-ups a day of a few millimetres each: early morning, around midday and early afternoon. Give the joins, edges and any slabs next to paths, driveways or brick walls extra attention, as these dry out first. In cool, still winter weather, one watering a day is often enough. Laying in winter? See the best time to lay turf in Queensland.

What new turf should look like after 1 week

By the end of the first week the slabs should lie flat and hold their colour, and the joins should be no wider than on laying day. A little yellowing on cut edges is normal. If gaps are opening, edges are curling or the leaf has turned a dull blue-grey, water more often. Don’t expect it to be rooted yet.

Week 2: once a day, a bit longer

Cut back to one watering a day, but run it a little longer so the water gets below the turf into the soil. This is when new roots start to grow into the soil. In winter, every second day is usually plenty.

Week 3: every second day, deeper

Water every second day and give more each time. Letting the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings makes roots grow down after the moisture below. In warm weather, most new lawns are firmly rooted by around weeks 2 to 3.

Week 4: two to three deeper soaks

Move to two or three soaks a week. In summer, aim for about 25–30 mm a week in total, including rain: for example, two soaks of 12–15 mm. In winter, one or two soaks a week is usually enough. Watering less often but more deeply is what builds a drought-hardy lawn with a deep root system.

After week 4: established-lawn watering

Once the turf is rooted and you’ve mowed it a couple of times, water only when the lawn tells you it’s thirsty (see the footprint test below), then give it a deep soak. Rain counts, so check a rain gauge before you turn on the tap. For the rest of the year, follow our seasonal turf care guide.

Haven’t ordered yet? Work out how much turf you need, with delivery, in the turf calculator.

How long to run your sprinkler

How long to water new turf depends on your sprinkler, not the clock: output varies several times over between sprinkler types. Once the catch-cup test shows how much yours puts out in 15 minutes, use this table:

Is 20 minutes enough? It depends on the sprinkler. If yours puts about 5 mm in the cups in 15 minutes, 20 minutes gives you roughly 7 mm. That suits a week-2 watering and is more than a week-1 top-up needs, but it falls well short of the day-1 soak and a little short of a week-4 soak. Always check by lifting a corner of a slab and looking at the soil.

Best sprinkler for new turf

Choose one that wets the whole area evenly without you walking on the turf to move it. An oscillating sprinkler suits square and rectangular yards and gives a gentle spray. An impact (ticking) sprinkler throws further, so it suits large or odd-shaped areas, but check the cups near and far from the head. A hand-held hose is handy for dry edges and joins but can’t give an even soak. Pop-up systems often miss corners, so run the catch-cup test on those too.

Adjusting for Brisbane and Sunshine Coast conditions

Summer heat and storm season (October to March)

Hot sun and afternoon winds can dry new turf in hours, so stay at the top of the schedule; the week-1 midday top-up matters most on hot days. If a storm soaks the lawn, skip the next watering, but a quick sprinkle doesn’t count.

Watering new turf in winter (May to August)

SEQ winters are dry but cool, so warm-season grasses root more slowly and need much less water. Start at about half the summer schedule. Soggy, cold soil slows rooting, so overwatering is the bigger risk.

Brisbane clay versus Sunshine Coast sand

Heavy clay and builder’s fill, common in Brisbane estates, soak up water slowly and hold it longer. If water runs off or pools, split each watering in two with a half-hour break, and water a little less often. Sandy Sunshine Coast soils drain and dry fast, so they usually need more frequent light waterings in weeks 1 and 2.

Watering by turf variety

• Sir Walter buffalo turf: follows the same 4-week schedule as the table above. In full sun, water it exactly as written. It’s often laid in part shade, and shaded areas dry out more slowly, so check under a slab corner before each watering there and skip it if the soil is still wet.
• Empire Zoysia turf: needs regular water to establish, but once its deep roots are in it needs less supplementary watering than most lawns. It establishes best from spring to autumn and grows slowly in winter, so a winter-laid Empire lawn needs patience and less water, not more.
• Wintergreen couch turf: a full-sun couch that roots quickly in warm weather. Laid in open, sunny yards, it can dry out fast in week 1, so keep up the frequent light top-ups until it grips.

Still deciding which grass to lay? Compare all three in our turf varieties guide.

Over- or under-watering? How to tell

The tug test: from the end of week 2, gently lift the corner of a slab. If it comes up easily with no roots holding it, it hasn’t rooted yet; keep going with the schedule. If it resists and you can see white roots going into the soil, it’s rooting and you can move to the next week’s schedule.

The footprint test: walk across the lawn and look back. If your footprints stay flat for more than a few minutes, the grass is short of water.

If yellowing or patches don’t improve once the watering is right, it may be a disease or pest problem. See our guide to grubs, diseases and weeds.

Patchy new lawn? If parts of the lawn still aren’t coming good, our lawn care services in Brisbane can take a look.

Best time of day to water new turf

Early morning is best: it’s cool and calm, so less water is lost, and the leaves dry off during the day. Avoid regular evening watering, as leaves left wet overnight in humid SEQ weather are prone to fungal disease. The exception is week 1, when midday and early-afternoon top-ups stop new turf drying out.

Watering around mowing, fertilising and foot traffic

• Mowing: skip the watering before the first mow so the surface is firm and the mower doesn’t leave ruts. For when and how low to mow, see when to mow new turf.
• Fertilising: hold off until the lawn is established. Around weeks 4 to 6, apply a slow-release starter fertiliser and water it in well, following the product label.
• Foot traffic: keep off the lawn as much as you can in the first two weeks. Set up hoses and sprinklers so you can move them from the edges, and step on a board if you need to cross wet turf.

Printable 4-week watering chart

Print this or screenshot it and stick it near the back tap. Tick a box each time you water.

In winter, tick one box a day in week 1 and about half the boxes after that.

Frequently asked questions

Get your new lawn off to the right start

Turf watered well for its first four weeks roots quickly and needs far less water afterwards. Still planning? The turf calculator shows how much you need, or our team can lay and water it in for you. For fertilising and mowing, follow our starter care and maintenance plan, and check our turf FAQs or more new lawn care guides.

Key facts: first mow by variety and season

These timings are a guide for home lawns in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Whatever the calendar says, the turf decides: if it fails the tug test, wait a few more days.

Our new turf care plan covers the full first six weeks, including watering, the first mow and fertilising. Not sure which variety you have or want? Compare them on our turf varieties page.

When to mow new lawn turf: how to tell it’s ready

New turf is ready to mow when the roots have knitted into the soil underneath. Mow earlier and the mower can drag the rolls or pull up loose pieces. Don’t mow at all in the first week.

1. The tug test

Grab a handful of leaf near the edge of a roll, or gently lift a corner, and pull upwards. If the turf lifts easily or you can feel it peeling away from the soil, it has not rooted yet. If it holds firm and you can feel the roots resisting, it is ready. Test a few spots, including the edges.

2. The height check

Turf is usually delivered with a short, even cut. Once it is rooted, wait until the leaf has grown noticeably taller than the height you plan to cut to, so you are only taking off the top third. Sir Walter and couch put on height quickly in warm weather. Empire Zoysia grows more slowly, so by week 2 or 3 it may have rooted but barely need a trim. If so, leave it until it has grown enough to need one. Our Empire Zoysia care guide covers mowing it once it is established.

3. The footprint check

New lawns are watered heavily, so the soil underneath can stay soft. Walk across it. If your shoes sink, the soil squelches or you leave deep footprints, skip watering for a day or so and let the surface firm up before you bring the mower out. Our new turf watering schedule shows how to taper watering over the first 4 weeks.

When to mow new Sir Walter buffalo turf

Sir Walter buffalo is one of the most popular home-lawn turfs in south-east Queensland. Laid between September and March, it usually passes the tug test at around 2–3 weeks, and in a hot, humid Brisbane summer it can be ready at 10–14 days. Laid in the cooler months, give it 4–6 weeks and go by the tug test rather than the date. See the best time to lay turf in South East Queensland for how the season changes rooting.

Buffalo has a broad, soft leaf and grows in a dense mat, so a first cut that is too low will scalp the runners and leave yellow patches. Start with the mower on a high setting and come down gradually over the next few mows. Sir Walter handles shade well, but in shaded parts of the yard, leave it higher permanently: the extra leaf helps it make the most of the light it gets. Our guide to shade-tolerant turf for Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast explains how much sun each variety needs.

First-cut height vs long-term height

The first cut tidies the lawn without stressing new roots, so it should be higher than you will mow long term. The long-term height is about density, colour and weed resistance. Mower settings vary between brands, so measure with a ruler the first time rather than relying on the numbers on the dial.

Sir Walter buffalo

First cut on a high setting. Over the next three or four mows, step down to your normal home-lawn height. Keep shaded areas, and any part that cops heavy summer heat, on the higher side.

Empire Zoysia

Empire Zoysia has a finer leaf and grows more slowly than couch, so it needs mowing less often. Make the first cut at the top of its range, then settle into its recommended mowing height of 25–50 mm. Growth slows right down in winter, when it may hardly need mowing at all.

Wintergreen couch

Wintergreen couch grows quickly in warm weather, so it is often ready for a trim early. It suits full sun and can be kept shorter than buffalo, but only if you mow often. If you mow less, keep it higher so each mow never takes more than a third of the leaf.

Step-down schedule for the first four mows

Rather than dropping straight to your target height, lower the mower a notch at a time. This is the pattern we suggest for turf laid in the warmer months.

In winter, stretch the gaps between mows to match growth. If the lawn has barely grown, don’t mow it.

How to mow new turf without damaging it

• Sharpen the blades first. Blunt blades tear the leaf instead of cutting it, which browns the tips and gives disease an easy way in.
• Follow the one-third rule. Never remove more than a third of the leaf height in one mow.
• Mow when it is dry. Wet leaf clumps and tears, and soft soil ruts under the wheels. Skip the morning watering on mowing day.
• Use a light mower if you can. A push mower or light rotary is kinder to new turf than a heavy ride-on.
• Turn gently. Lift the front wheels on turns rather than pivoting, and avoid tight turns on the joins between rolls.
• Catch the clippings at first. For the first few mows, use the catcher so clumps of clippings don’t sit on top of the young turf.
• Go easy on the edges. Edges are the last part to root, so hold off trimming them hard with the whipper snipper until they pass the tug test too.

How long before mowing new turf? Queensland factors that change the timing

We have grown turf at Woodford since 1994 and supply lawns right across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. The weather has more say over the first mow than anything else.

• Spring and summer (Sep–Mar): warm soil means fast rooting. This is when turf is most likely to be ready at the early end of the range.
• Storms and the wet season: after heavy rain, new turf can be too soft to mow safely for several days. Wait for the footprint check to pass, even if the grass is getting long.
• Humidity: growth can surge in humid weather, so check a new lawn every few days in summer. If it gets too long, you end up taking off more than a third in one go.
• Winter slowdown (Jun–Aug): warm-season grasses grow slowly in the cool months. Turf laid in winter may need very little mowing until spring.
• Shade: shaded turf grows and roots more slowly. Test shaded areas separately and keep them mown higher.
• Brisbane vs the Sunshine Coast: the calendar is much the same across SEQ, but hinterland and inland areas often have cooler winter nights than the coast, so winter-laid turf there can take a little longer to root.

Once the lawn is established, our year-round lawn care plan explains how mowing changes through the seasons.

Mown too early or too low? Signs and fixes

New turf usually recovers if you give it time.

• Rolls shifted or edges lifted: press them back down firmly by hand or with a roller, water them in and don’t mow again until they pass the tug test. Tight, staggered joins at laying time help prevent this (see how to lay turf).
• Yellow or brown scalped patches: raise the mower a few notches, keep the soil lightly moist and let the leaf grow back before the next cut.
• Wheel ruts in soft soil: stay off the lawn until the soil firms up, then topdress lightly to level the ruts.
• Frayed, whitish leaf tips: your blades are blunt. Sharpen them before the next mow.

If patches are still thin or discoloured a few weeks later, the cause may be something other than mowing. Our page on grubs, diseases and weeds can help you work out what is going on.

Watering and fertilising around the first mow

Ease back on watering in the day or two before the first mow so the soil is firm and the leaf is dry, then water as normal afterwards. By this stage most new lawns are moving from daily watering to deeper, less frequent soaks. The Starter Care & Maintenance Plan sets out watering week by week and explains when to apply a slow-release starter fertiliser (around weeks 4–6). For more common questions about new turf, see our turf FAQs.

Frequently asked questions

Just laid your new lawn?

Keep the Starter Care & Maintenance Plan handy for the first six weeks. If you’d rather hand the mowing and feeding over, our Brisbane lawn care services can take it from here. Turfing another part of the yard? The Turf Calculator works out how many square metres you need and what it will cost, or we can quote turf installation for you.