I have zoysia in my front yard here in northeast Texas. Does anybody else have this type? How often do you water and what height do you set your mower? Right now I've got my mower set on 3.5" and I water roughly 10 minutes three times per week.

Which cultivar of zoysia do you have? Different cultivars prefer different maintenance practices.

To be honest I don't know. I bought the sod 3 years ago.

Agree with above that knowing what variety you have would be more helpful, even just the main type of if it's a japonica or matrella.

That said, mowing height is like most other warm season turfgrasses: you can mow it higher if you want to water less and let it's roots develop more depth or mow it lower for a cleaner look, but you'll need to water more frequently.

Zoysia is more drought tolerant than St Augustine or Bermuda so I'd think you'd be ok with 30 minutes of watering a week with the temps we have right now. Are you watering in the early morning? Watering mid day is very inefficient and you lose a lot to evaporation. Early evening can be bad as you don't want a lot of water not being absorbed and getting fungal problems so make sure you're watering in the morning.

I have mine set to water starting at 4:00am I believe.

You're better off watering 1x per week at 30 minutes vs 3x at 10.

3.5" is really high. I have Pallisades and I keep it about 1,5-2" & mow weekly.

I also bag and compost the clippings to top dress later. Helps prevent thatch build up.