Best used for
- Ornamental lawns at hotel, corporate and residential frontages
- Courtyards and viewing lawns that are not walked on
- Podium and terrace lawns where a fine texture matters
- Between stepping stones and around water features
Lawn and groundcover
Korean Grass
The fine, soft, deep-green ornamental turf of premium Indian landscapes — beautiful, slow, weed-resistant once closed, and completely unsuited to foot traffic.
About Korean Grass
Zoysia is the fine-textured turf that Indian nurseries sell interchangeably as Korean grass, Mexican grass or carpet grass; the trade names are not botanically consistent and specifications should carry the botanical name and a sample. What is consistent is the character: a very fine, dense, deep-green mat that looks materially more expensive than Bermuda.
Its two real advantages are density and weed resistance. Once a Zoysia mat has closed, it crowds out most weeds without herbicide, which reduces long-term maintenance despite the slow start. It also holds colour later into the northern winter than Cynodon, which matters at a corporate frontage in December.
Its limitation is traffic. Zoysia wears and does not repair itself quickly — a party on a Korean grass lawn leaves marks for months. Use it as a visual surface, and put Selection-1 where people actually walk.
Do not use where
- Play areas, event lawns and any high-traffic surface — it does not recover from wear
- Projects needing quick cover; from plugs it takes months
- Deep shade
| Botanical name | Zoysia tenuifolia / Zoysia japonica |
|---|---|
| Family | Poaceae |
| Also called | Mexican grass, Zoysia, Velvet grass, Carpet grass (trade name) |
| Mature height | Mown at 15–25 mm; often left unmown as a mounded carpet |
| Spread | Slowly by stolons; forms a dense mat |
| Growth rate | Slow |
| Sunlight | Full sun to light shade — tolerates more shade than Bermuda |
| Water need | Moderate; more drought-tolerant than it looks once established |
| Soil | Drained loam with good topsoil depth |
| Climate | Warm plains; holds colour longer into a North Indian winter than Cynodon |
| Flowering | Insignificant |
| Spacing | Laid as sods, or plugged at 100–150 mm centres |
| Planting window | February–March and June–September |
| Establishment | 3–6 months to closed cover from plugs |
| Maintenance | Moderate |
| Pollution tolerance | Moderate |
| Drought tolerance | Moderate |
| Transplanting | Sods lift and relay well but re-knit slowly. |
Care
Season-by-season care calendar
| Season | What to do |
|---|---|
| February–March | Light scarify and top-dress. Feed at a low rate — Zoysia does not want the nitrogen a Bermuda lawn does. |
| April–June | Mow every 2–3 weeks at 20 mm, or leave unmown for a mounded look. Water deeply twice a week. |
| July–September | Main growth window. Repair worn patches now, when knitting is fastest. |
| October–January | Minimal mowing. Colour holds well; reduce irrigation substantially. |
Troubleshooting
Common problems and what causes them
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Wear patches that never recover | Foot traffic on a species that repairs slowly | Re-plug in monsoon and re-route the traffic — paths, stepping stones or a Bermuda transition strip. |
| Thatch build-up and spongy surface | Dense stolon mat accumulating over years | Scarify and top-dress every spring. Neglected Zoysia lawns become spongy and then patchy. |
| Slow, patchy establishment from plugs | Species characteristic, worsened by weed competition | Weed diligently for the first four months, or lay full sods instead of plugs when time matters. |
Plant with
Species that work alongside it
palms
Royal Palm
Roystonea regia
The default statement palm for Indian boulevards and corporate entrances: a smooth grey concrete-like trunk, a green crownshaft and an arching feather crown that reads clearly at 80 km/h.
- Height15–20 m mature (25 m on old specimens)
- WaterModerate
- MaintenanceModerate
flowering shrubs
Ixora
Ixora coccinea
The dense, compact, glossy-leaved flowering shrub used for formal massing at entrances and along walkways — dependable in the south and east, fussier about winter in the north.
- Height0.6–2 m depending on cultivar
- WaterModerate
- MaintenanceModerate
flowering shrubs
Plumeria (Frangipani)
Plumeria rubra / obtusa
A sculptural small tree with fragrant waxy flowers and thick grey branches — the specimen plant for entrances, courtyards and temple landscapes.
- Height3–6 m
- WaterLow
- MaintenanceLow
avenue trees
Tabebuia (Pink Trumpet Tree)
Tabebuia rosea
The tree that turns whole streets pink for three weeks in late winter — medium-sized, well-behaved and increasingly the signature avenue tree of Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
- Height8–15 m
- WaterModerate
- MaintenanceLow
Korean Grass — frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Korean grass and Mexican grass in India?
In practice, very little — Indian nurseries use both names for fine-leaved Zoysia species, sometimes for the same plant. Specify by botanical name and approve a physical sample before supply.
Can you walk on Korean grass?
Occasionally, yes; routinely, no. It wears quickly and repairs slowly. Design paths through it rather than expecting the lawn to absorb traffic.
Is Korean grass low maintenance?
Lower than Bermuda once established — less mowing, fewer weeds, less feeding. The cost is a slow, weed-sensitive establishment period of three to six months.
Related
Guides and services
Species selection · 5 min read
Lawn Grass in India: Which Grass for Which Site
Which lawn grass for which situation — traffic tolerance, water demand, mowing load, shade behaviour and ten-year running cost, with the honest case for using less lawn.
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Landscape Execution and Plantation
Full softscape execution for campuses, townships, industrial sites and public realm — from soil and levels through planting, lawns and irrigation to a working maintenance handover.
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Landscape and Greenery Maintenance (AMC)
Annual maintenance contracts that keep planted assets looking deliberate — with a written calendar, defined KPIs and reporting instead of an unscheduled crew.
Service detailSpecifying Korean Grass on a project?
We supply, plant and maintain across India. Send the site conditions and quantities and we will confirm whether this species is the right call before you order it.