My front yard yard here in San Antonio, TX has been pretty much ruined by a comedy of errors.

Originally sodded (Zeon Zoysia) in Spring 2015 but was tilled in a manner that left things pretty lumpy/uneven. Still looked gorgeous all through summer. I had to leave in the early fall for a six month assignment overseas, and my wife neglected it with regard to watering. Lots died. Decided a sprinkler system was in order.

Sprinklers were installed in Spring 2016. Fantastic. Grass was pretty green again. But now my yard was even MORE lumpy and uneven. Not to worry, I’ve seen the magical transformations done on this forum. I’ll knock that out next year.

Leveling with sand and soil mix done in Spring 2017. Epic failure. Was too soon for my Zoysiagrass due to its slow growth rate, and perhaps it’s not a good idea for Zoysiagrass period - at least not in one big shot. Yard is actually much worse off than it was before with regard to evenness.

It’s almost summer 2018 now, and even with over a year now to repair itself, the Zoysia is still filling in some of the bare spots. Problem is, my oak suckers have gone absolutely bonkers. I’ve never seen it like this before. I used to get maybe ten or so in the actual turf, but now it seems like there are hundreds. My question is why:

1) Is it due to the pruning of the oaks owning up additional sunshine to the ground?

2) Is it due to the turf being sparse, therefore opening it up more readily to the oak suckers?

3) A combo of the above?


Not sure how to manage the situation:

1) Wait it out this summer, see if the grass continues to repair itself, and whether that helps the suckers die down. August to October is when it hits its peak form.

2) Just plan on killing the grass next spring, leveling it appropriately, then re-sodding.

3) Any other ideas?