It may come as a surprise to some that the Phoenix area is home to some beautiful lawns. Quite a bit of work is required to maintain a well-kept lawn in the desert, especially since we have summer lawns and winter lawns. Winter is just around the corner and it is the opportune time to prepare your rye grass for the upcoming months.
Since the summer climate and winter climate differ so much in the desert, lawns see different types of grass throughout the year. Bermuda grass is popular in the summer because it can handle the harsh temperatures of the Valley of the sun. To help keep your Bermuda grass green through the whole summer, it is important to have rye grass during the cold season.
When the temperatures start to fall to 60 degrees or below at night, usually in October, is the best time to start planting your rye grass for the season. You want to make room for the rye grass, so you must cut back and thin the Bermuda grass. Planting rye grass is known as overseeding because you are planting the rye seed over the Bermuda grass.
Rye grass usually starts drying out in April or May, when we start seeing triple digit temperatures. Around this time, stop watering the rye grass for a couple of weeks to help it dry out. To awaken the Bermuda grass for the summer, start to water again after the rye grass has dried out.
It does take a lot of effort to have rye grass, which is why everyone doesn’t have it. It isn’t really difficult, just time consuming and it does require a lot of water. But if you want to have the best grass all year long, you need to take care of your Bermuda grass in the summer and your rye grass in the winter.
Helpful Tip: Beware of overseeding when on the golf course. Overseeding can cause choppy courses and that is never fun when playing a round of golf. Most courses alert the public on when they plant to start the overseeding process. Check with your golf course before heading out.