Considering winter Rye grass over seeding? It’s that time of year again to consider over seeding your Bermuda lawn with Rye grass. This is usually done in October once the temperatures get to low 70’s/60’s at night. There are several benefits of over seeding your lawn with Rye grass. The biggest benefit is having a nice, beautiful lawn all winter long. I personally like the look of Rye grass lawns over the Bermuda yards we have in Arizona. Winter Rye grass over seeding also helps to keep weeds at bay in your lawns. Yards that go dormant often have weeds in the spring from the rains. The Rye grass helps to keep the weeds under control. Dormant lawns are tracked in your house from your shoes and on your pets and tend to make a big mess. If you had a weed problem last summer in your Bermuda lawn, late Feb. is a good time to put pre-emergent in your grass to prevent the weeds from coming back in the summer. This will keep the seeds from germinating and turning into weeds. Do not use pre-emergent in your lawns towards the end of the summer if you plan to over seed or your winter Rye grass will not take.
Winter Rye grass does not need a lot of water but it does take more than a dormant lawn would. You also have to keep it mowed during the winter and need to fertilize to keep it lush and green all winter. In the spring, you will cut the Rye grass to about an inch to stress it so the Bermuda grass can come back in. In May you can start to fertilize the Bermuda lawn to keep it healthy during the summer months. If you have weeds, this is the time to use weed and feed to fertilize and treat the weeds.
Check out this step by step guide to winter Rye over seeding