Tweaking saltcedar's comment -- perhaps a mix of perennial and annual rye might work well. For example, a mix of one part perennial and two parts annual. A question for you, ryker-lakes, is -- what kind of tool will you be using to cut up 3 pallets of sod? I am interested because I may do the same.

Quirky: With regard to your comment "The slightest little thing will shade it (zoysiagrass) out.", I respectfully disagree. According to the experts at Patten Seed Company in Lakeland GA, the proprietors of Zenith zoysiagrass, zoysia is adapted to shade in hot climates, with shade tolerance superior to bermudagrass and centipedegrass, but less than St. Augustinegrass. Gil Landry, Extension Turf Specialist at University of Georgia says, "Some cultivars are second only to St. Augustinegrass in shade tolerance. In fact, in the Piedmont area (northern third) of Georgia, zoysia is one of the best choices for shady conditions." Growing grass in the shade is a challenge no matter where you live, but based on these recommendations, it appears to be a reasonable seed choice in the South, since St. Augustinegrass is not available as seed.

Ma Nature provided those deciduous tree leaves to help put organic matter back into the soil. When we rake them up and throw them away we are disrupting that necessary part of nature, feeding the soil. Mulch mow those leaves so they go where they should, back into the soil.

West Virginia is really more fescue country than Zoysia country, if you want my honest opinion. Zoysia turns straw brown at first frost and stays that way until last frost the next spring. Fescues can look very nice over the entire year, but may take a bit of a beating in July. One problem you're having is improper watering--you have the grass trained for short, weak roots. Optimally, you'd want to water once a week (tops), but you have to adjust it to get it there. Right now? Drop to every other day watering for 20-25 minutes. In about two weeks, if it needs irrigation, go to every third day for longer. And so on, until you reach seven days. That's about the best most people can expect in hot weather, although cooler weather won't require nearly that level of watering. Your feeding is off a little bit, but with Milorganite that doesn't matter so much. Still, the optimal dates would be May 1, September 1, and October 1 for you. Then winterize when the grass stops growing but is still green with any good synthetic (it's too cold at that point for the Milo to work very well). That'll increase your winter survival and color. However, if you have your heart set on Zoysia, so be it. I don't know Zoysia types, so I can't say if Zenith is the best choice for you. Below I just ran with it, but listen to anybody who says you should choose another cultivar. Zoysia is a warm season grass, so I'm not sure if you have enough of the season left to get it strongly established--it's almost August. It might be wiser to wait until June of next year. I see that Zenith Zoysia is available in both sod (and plugs as well) and seed. Zoysia, well-fed and well-watered when young, spreads like crazy in any sunny area, so even poorer germination won't matter too terribly much. You'd definitely want to use Round Up, but there's no need (or desire) to till. Just mow the dead fescue as short as you can and bag the dead stuff to avoid having hay all over the place. Then seed straight into the dead stems of fescue, which will help hold the seed and keep the soil from eroding. Starter fertilizer might or might not be required (we'd need a good soil test to be sure), but I don't object too much to using it once at seeding, particularly with the dead fescue stems still there. The phosphorus won't erode very much as long as there's cover. Seed will require two to three daily waterings, lightly, to keep it moist through the period (top dressing with compost or peat moss can help hold the water but is strictly optional). Plugs will need to be kept moist until they establish, and benefit from a slightly moist environment and being well-fed while they spread.