CitraZoy Zoysia in Zone 9b Winter Park Florida
1. What Citrazoy Is:
Citrazoy is a next-generation Zoysia japonica hybrid cultivar jointly developed by:
University of Florida (UF/IFAS)
Texas A&M AgriLife Turfgrass
Breeding Program
• Sod Solution
It underwent 11+ years of controlled breeding, selection, and performance testing before release. Citrazoy was specifically engineered (via traditional breeding, not genetic modification) to outperform older zoysia cultivars in Florida and the Southeast.
2. How Citrazoy Was Created (Breeding Science)
A. Selection of Parent Lines
Researchers evaluated hundreds of zoysia accessions with genetic backgrounds from:
• Japan
• China
• Southeast Asia
• Existing U.S. cultivars
Target traits included:
• Cold tolerance
• Extended chlorophyll retention (reduced dormancy)
• Superior disease resistance
• Fast establishment
• Medium-fine texture
• Shade adaptability
• Improved drought performance
These parent lines were chosen based on multi-year data before any crosses were attempted.
B. Controlled Cross-Pollination
Zoysia naturally cross-pollinates by wind, so researchers:
• Isolated parent plants under mesh cages
• Collected, transferred, and controlled pollen movement
• Produced thousands of hybrid seedlings, each with slightly different genetic combinations
This is classic plant breeding — selecting the best individuals from a massive initial population.
C. Harsh Stress Testing Across Climates
Seedlings were grown under “stress trials” in:
• South Florida (humidity + disease pressure)
• Central Florida (shade + rainfall variation)
• Texas (drought + heat)
• Transition zone states (freeze cycles)
Plants were intentionally subjected to:
• Cold nights
• Low fertility
• Shade
• Drought
• Scalping
• Heavy traffic
• Disease inoculation (large patch, leaf spot)
Only the most resilient individuals survived all categories.
D. Multi-Year Culling & Trait Selection
Out of thousands of hybrids:
• Hundreds failed in year 1
• Dozens remained after year 2
• Only a handful reached final replicated trials
Citrazoy consistently demonstrated:
• Delayed dormancy / prolonged chlorophyll retention
• Superior cool-weather color
• Excellent large patch resistance
• Strong rooting and establishment
• Attractive medium-fine blade texture
This is why Citrazoy behaves differently — its genetics were intentionally assembled from the strongest performers in each category.
E. Clonal Propagation (Uniformity)
Once selected, Citrazoy is propagated vegetatively (sod, plugs, sprigs).
Every piece is a clone of the original elite plant.
This preserves:
• Genetic consistency
• Performance consistency
• Color uniformity
Citrazoy is also grown under strict Certified Sod production to maintain purity.
3. Key Advantages of Citrazoy
• Reduced dormancy / better winter color
Citrazoy maintains chlorophyll and delays dormancy triggers related to photoperiod and temperature. This results in greener turf through cold snaps.
• Superior disease resistance
Particularly strong against:
• Large Patch (Rhizoctonia)
• Leaf spot complexes
• General decline syndromes
• Faster rooting and establishment
More vigorous lateral expansion than Empire or Geo.
• Medium-fine texture
More refined appearance with less thatch pressure than older varieties.
• More consistent performance across properties
Because Citrazoy is new, controlled, and tightly monitored.
4. Why Older Cultivars Show Wildly Different Performance in the Real World
Cultivars like Empire, Palisades, Zeon, and Geo are 15–25+ years old. Over decades, they’ve experienced the two forces Citrazoy was designed to avoid:
A. Genetic Drift in Older Cultivars
Although sod is clonal, plant clones accumulate somatic mutations over time.
When sod farms expand mother fields using material from drifted sections, these mutations become part of the production stock.
Effects include:
• Coarser or finer blade variations
• Changes in cold response
• Differences in disease susceptibility
• Shifted color or density traits
• Uneven growth rates
This explains why two Empire lawns planted the same year can behave completely differently.
B. Off-Type Infiltration
Over time, older cultivars accumulate:
• Volunteer Bermuda patches
• Mutated zoysia off-types
• Other cultivars creeping in
• Environmental stress-induced mutations
These off-types are often not visible until they mature in a home lawn.
C. Environmental Selection at Sod Farms
The same cultivar grown on different farms will adapt differently due to:
• Soil type
• Temperature patterns
• Fertility practices
• Shade vs full sun exposure
This creates multiple “versions” of the same cultivar at the industry level.
D. Lax QC Standards in Older Cultivar Systems
Empire, Palisades, and Geo were released before strict certification protocols existed.
Sod Solutions only introduced tighter QC systems in recent years — too late to standardize the old cultivars.
5. Why Citrazoy Avoids These Issues
Because it is new and under strict certification:
• Young, clean foundation stock
• Audited production fields
• Minimal drift
• Minimal off-types
• Tight quality control across growers
Result: Citrazoy lawns look and behave consistently across different properties, climates, and installations.
6. Real-World Verification (Example: 470 Hillandale)
After a week of cold conditions (30s–40s at night; 60s–70s daytime):
• Citrazoy at 470 Hillandale retained excellent color
• No bronzing
• Replacement sod matched well
• Canopy remained uniform
This real-world behavior matches Citrazoy’s documented traits from research trials.
7. Bottom-Line Summary for Colleagues
• Citrazoy is a modern, highly engineered zoysia hybrid bred for color retention, disease resistance, and consistency.
• Older cultivars vary widely in performance because of genetic drift, off-types, and inconsistent production practices.
• Citrazoy eliminates these issues by starting with superior genetics and enforcing strict production standards.
• In Central Florida, Citrazoy is the most consistent and best-performing residential Zoysia option currently available.
