Zoysia grass is a highly favored warm-season turf across Georgia, prized for its dense, carpet-like texture and resilience to hot summers. During colder months, this grass enters dormancy, resulting in the characteristic straw-brown color that blankets many lawns throughout winter. As spring approaches, homeowners anticipate the return of the vibrant green color, marking the beginning of the active growing season. The precise moment this transition occurs is governed by specific environmental conditions that vary significantly by year and location.
The Soil Temperature Threshold
The most important factor determining when Zoysia grass wakes up is the temperature of the soil, not the air temperature. Zoysia initiates breaking dormancy and producing new green shoots when the soil temperature, measured at a depth of four inches, consistently reaches 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the trigger point for the grass’s rhizomes and stolons to allocate stored energy toward new growth.
Air temperature can be misleading because it fluctuates wildly in early spring, while the soil acts as an insulator, taking much longer to warm up. A few days of sunny, 70-degree weather will not be enough to warm the dense soil sufficiently for sustained green-up. This lag means the grass may remain dormant until the ground itself has absorbed and maintained the necessary heat.
Microclimates within a single lawn further illustrate the importance of soil temperature. Areas that receive full, unobstructed sunlight will green up noticeably faster than shaded spots, such as those beneath large trees or on the north side of a house. These shaded areas hold moisture longer and remain cooler, delaying the heat absorption required to reach the 60-degree threshold.
How Location in Georgia Impacts Timing
Because Georgia spans a wide range of climate zones, the green-up timeline for Zoysia grass varies considerably from the coast to the mountains. The consistent warmth of the southern part of the state allows for the earliest transition out of dormancy. In South and Coastal Georgia, including areas like Savannah and Valdosta, the grass typically begins to show initial signs of greening up in late March to early April.
Moving north into Central Georgia, which encompasses the Atlanta Metropolitan area and cities like Macon, the timing shifts due to cooler early spring nights. Homeowners in this region generally see the first major signs of green-up around mid-April. However, in years with late cold snaps or inconsistent night temperatures, full, uniform greening may be delayed significantly, sometimes extending toward mid-to-late May.
The latest transition occurs in the higher elevations and mountain regions of North Georgia, such as Blue Ridge. Here, the final risk of frost lingers longer, keeping soil temperatures lower into the spring. Zoysia grass in these northernmost areas can be expected to fully green up between late April and early May, often a full month later than its counterparts on the coast. This geographical difference highlights the necessity of monitoring local conditions.
Essential Care Immediately After Green-Up
Once the Zoysia grass shows a sustained, uniform green color, several maintenance tasks become relevant to ensure a healthy season. The first step is the initial mowing, which should involve cutting the turf lower than its normal summer height. This process, often referred to as scalping, helps remove the remaining dead, straw-colored leaf material from the winter and encourages uniform new growth.
It is important to ensure the mower blades are freshly sharpened for this first cut to prevent tearing the new, delicate green tissue. Removing this dead material improves sunlight penetration and air circulation to the soil surface, which helps warm the ground faster and accelerate the full transition out of dormancy. The collected clippings should be removed from the lawn to prevent smothering the new growth.
Weed control and fertilization require careful timing relative to the green-up phase. Pre-emergent herbicides, which prevent annual weeds like crabgrass from sprouting, should be applied much earlier, often when soil temperatures hit 55 degrees Fahrenheit, before the Zoysia wakes up.
Fertilization must be delayed until the grass is fully out of dormancy and actively growing, typically three weeks after the initial green-up. Applying fertilizer too early wastes nutrients, as the grass cannot absorb them, and the excess nitrogen can fuel the growth of warm-weather diseases like large patch fungus. The first application should be a nitrogen-heavy, slow-release product, using approximately half a pound of actual nitrogen per thousand square feet.