Q: I mow my zoysia lawn every two weeks but the blade rips the grass out, even though it’s sharp. I had to adjust the mower height up because the grass is so thick that my mower stalls every few feet when I cut.
A: If your mower is stalling, you aren’t mowing often enough. The mower blade is hitting tough stems instead of tender grass blades. Zoysiagrass has a lot of silicon in its cells, making it tough on blades. In addition, it looks reasonably level even when allowed to grow for two weeks, fooling you into delaying mowing. Zoysia should be mowed to a height of 1.5 inches. That means you should mow when the grass reaches two inches high, whether it looks like it needs mowing or not. Lower your mower height one notch now and mow every week. Mow at the correct height next spring.