Do you have any interest left in getting rid of your weeds? If you are having trouble keeping weeds out of bluegrass, then you are sure to have weeds in zoysia. Both are sod forming grasses that are not weed prone when given proper care. My fear is that the same lawn care practices that brought you weeds in your bluegrass lawn will continue to bring you weeds after you have spent a LOT of money switching to a turf like zoysia.

How often do you water?
How long do you water?
How high/low do you mow?
How often do you fertilize and with what?

1. Not often. I do not have irrigation and I do not regularly water nor do I intend to. I water when we get extended heat waves but not on a regular basis
2. 2 1/2 inch spring and fall, 3 1/2 in summer
3. Moved in house 3 yrs ago, prior owner did not do much with the lawn. We had a service do a 6 application service (3 of which included fertilizer spring/summer/fall), aerate and oversead in the fall

Lawn was starting to come around and then we had severe heat wave while we were on a week and half vacation and it torched the lawn. I think the loss of some of the lawn and a wet early spring has brought on heavy weed growth in our unusually warm march.

I have had zoysia in a prior home and once established, it was low maintenance vs the constant need to put down pre emergent, fertilizer, overseed etc.

Ps. I am using weed killer on all of the weeds currently but I am looking for a change. I spend close to $500 a year on the above services including seed and aeration, I would rather spend the $$ on sod on a switch over to zoysia over the next few years if it will eventually be lower maintenance

1. Not often. I do not have irrigation and I do not regularly water nor do I intend to. I water when we get extended heat waves but not on a regular basis
2. 2 1/2 inch spring and fall, 3 1/2 in summer
3. Moved in house 3 yrs ago, prior owner did not do much with the lawn. We had a service do a 6 application service (3 of which included fertilizer spring/summer/fall), aerate and oversead in the fall

Lawn was starting to come around and then we had severe heat wave while we were on a week and half vacation and it torched the lawn. I think the loss of some of the lawn and a wet early spring has brought on heavy weed growth in our unusually warm march.

I have had zoysia in a prior home and once established, it was low maintenance vs the constant need to put down pre emergent, fertilizer, overseed etc.

Ps. I am using weed killer on all of the weeds currently but I am looking for a change. I spend close to $500 a year on the above services including seed and aeration, I would rather spend the $$ on sod on a switch over to zoysia over the next few years if it will eventually be lower maintenance

Central Florida.
This is what I did to my back yard that was mostly weeds (sedges, dollar weed, etc.) that came after a couple of hard freeze winters and poor service from commercial lawn companies. It again became a DIY routine for my yard. Formerly St. Augustine Floratam.
2/24/2011 First application of Roundup
3/12 Second application of Roundup
3/24 Applied starter fertilizer to area
3/25 Third application of roundup
3/29 First shipment and installation of Empire Zoysia plugs
4/15 Finished final planting of plugs
5/25 First mowing of Zoysia
By late summer, Zoysia had covered area well but still not complete - perhaps 90% but still bumpy using the rider mower. Over time the bumpy should go away when the plugs do their job.
Very few weeds growing in Zoysia. By November, no soil showing anywhere among the Zoysia.
2/20/2012 Zoysia slightly brown in some areas - from 2 not-to-hard freezes and very few weeds, primarily dollar weed. Those weeds are probably left-overs and should mostly disappear after I do the first herbicide.
Laying strips of sod on top of the ground will, of course, create a very bumpy ride for a mower - perhaps an inch+ above the bare soil - scalping possible. Considering the amount of work involved with removing the old sod, leveling any spots, then laying new sod -- I would again readily choose killing the existing vegetation, buying and planting Zoysia plugs. If I were going to do 8000 sq ft, it would be done part now, remainder as I felt the urge.

Central Florida.
This is what I did to my back yard that was mostly weeds (sedges, dollar weed, etc.) that came after a couple of hard freeze winters and poor service from commercial lawn companies. It again became a DIY routine for my yard. Formerly St. Augustine Floratam.
2/24/2011 First application of Roundup
3/12 Second application of Roundup
3/24 Applied starter fertilizer to area
3/25 Third application of roundup
3/29 First shipment and installation of Empire Zoysia plugs
4/15 Finished final planting of plugs
5/25 First mowing of Zoysia
By late summer, Zoysia had covered area well but still not complete - perhaps 90% but still bumpy using the rider mower. Over time the bumpy should go away when the plugs do their job.
Very few weeds growing in Zoysia. By November, no soil showing anywhere among the Zoysia.
2/20/2012 Zoysia slightly brown in some areas - from 2 not-to-hard freezes and very few weeds, primarily dollar weed. Those weeds are probably left-overs and should mostly disappear after I do the first herbicide.
Laying strips of sod on top of the ground will, of course, create a very bumpy ride for a mower - perhaps an inch+ above the bare soil - scalping possible. Considering the amount of work involved with removing the old sod, leveling any spots, then laying new sod -- I would again readily choose killing the existing vegetation, buying and planting Zoysia plugs. If I were going to do 8000 sq ft, it would be done part now, remainder as I felt the urge.

Thanks for helpful response. Regarding you plugging of the lawn, how big of an area did youlug and what spacing of the plugs did you do? Also, how long did it take you? Did you have plugs delivered or sod that you had to cut in to plugs?

1500 - 1600 square feet. Spacing 12" apart. I calculated the cost of a plug shipment and found a good break point -- cheapest per plug plus shipping in the quantity I was looking for. Settled on 3 shipments, allowing sufficient time to get each shipment planted. Planted 200 plugs +/- each day. I am 80 and retired so I took it easy. The cost of the shipping is a killer. I had previously bought 16x18 strips of Empire sod at the local box store but gave up trying to cut it. I tried cutting with snap-off blade and utility blade knives. Cutting from sod would have been significantly cheaper.