Empire Zoysia in Melbourne.

Hi, I notice in all the web info about empire turf there is very little mention on how it preforms year round in the cooler climate in SE Australia like Melbourne. The is a pinch of info that it was laid at yarra glen golf course but not how it went. I would really like to try this grass. None of the turf farms grow it and say that it does not perform in Melbourne. So is there any info to back up all the claims? Can you go somewhere in public in melbourne and see how it is growing year round?
Thanks.

There is a job in Narre Warren on the corner of Cranbourne - Narre Warren Rd and Pound Rd. It is in the entrance to Casey College in the median strip and on the left hand side along the roadside as you drive into the school enterance. This Empire has been growing here for over 3 years now and it has perfromed very well at this site. Empire does tolerate Melbourne conditions but what you need to remember is that it will go dormant through the winter and loose colour and wont actively grow, much the same as couch grass in Melbourne. It is best to avoid high wear or high traffic areas with Empire in Melbourne as through the winter when it is not growing it will tend to wear more and due to it being slower growing than other turf grasses it will take longer to come back in this situation. For low maintenace and low wear areas Empire will perform well in Melbourne it requires significantly less mowing and edging compared to other grasses like couch and kikuyu. I have attached a photo of the site in Narre Wareen where it has been used this photo was taken back in March of this year. It is accessible to the public so check it out for yourself.

Thanks for the response Banksia, I had already made the decision and ordered empire before reading your post. So when you say high use, is a domestic backyard with a couple of active small boys considered high use? In the case of winter wear is it worth blending/overseeding with fescue or the like for year round green and harder wearing? I am over the other side of town to check the Casey site but next time I am there I will have a look.

A backyard with 2 small active kids should be fine. Yes you can oversow with an annual rye grass, this will give you winter colour in Melbourne and Empire does oversow well with rye grass. If you fertilise your Empire with a good complete fertiliser in autumn late March early April this will also help with winter colour retention.

Thanks again Banksia. In hindsight it would have have been great to know the winter damage slow recovery issue, ozbreed could have put this disclaimer on it for southern oz. It basically rules it out ever getting a dog.. Have to say it doesn't fill me with that much confidence that it "should" be ok. Would the annual rye provide winter use/wear protection if damage is a problem? Also does it handle shade as advertised eg 40% ? Again thanks for responding and providing info that is not available anywhere on the net.

Basically if you have a little dog I think Empire would be fine, but if you have a big one, then Empire and any Buffalo in Melbourne would be tough going. Provided it gets enough sun I would suggest a male sterile Kikuyu. If you have shade then Sapphire Buffalo was number one in shade in the Department of primary industry trials, and did ok in wear tests, but shade and a big dog maybe too much for any grass.

Does anyone have any experience with empire turf in the central queensland region? Or if it would be suitable for this climate?

Pagey

Empire has been used in many jobs around QLD from Cairns to Tweed even at Emerald and recently on a main roads job towards Mt Isa.

Depending on where you are you might want to wait till its a little warmer to plant the Empire Mid August onwards will be ok.

Empire does really well in Queensland. It loves the heat and humidity. As it has underground runners, it is far more drought tolerant than Buffalo types.