Someone one told me zoysia is a upgraded bermuda grass. good luck on doing anything!i've fought bermuda for 40 years--it's winning!mulch, black plastic, spray--you name it, i've tried it--heard its good for horses, maybe i'll give up and turn them into it---

I turned most of my Zoysia lawns into flower beds. I just dug the entire area out as deep as I could and turned the zoysia upside down in the holes, then piled lasagna on top. A lot of work, but I wanted to aerate the clay soil and use the turf as food for worms.

This spring, I covered the entire back lawn thickly with cardborads and newspapers, then layered wood mulch on top. I displace the mulch, replenish the paper as I collect it then rake the mulch over the area again.

I use all kinds of paper I can find: corrugated boxes, catalogs, junk mail, cereal boxes, etc. I find it the best way to recycle junk mail. There is just so much of it that I fill a box every two weeks. Too much waste for the landfills.

The back lawn was full of weeds before I got rid of it. So far I have had only to dig out a stubborn prairie dock. Everything else seems to be contained. I plan to plant minor bulbs and minature tulips & daffodils there this fall.

I'm not a fan of the warm-season grasses (bermuda, zoysia) much at all. They look great for 2-3 months, and are brown the rest of the year around here. In my experience, the cool season grasses (fescues for shade, ryegrass, bluegrass, etc. for sun) look nicer for longer, and while any grass will occasionally need taming, I don't think they're nearly as unruly.

I do understand why people like the warms, though--they're soft and when they look nice, they look really nice.