Fall Planting For Year Round Grass In Arizona

When driving by your neighbor’s house each fall, you notice that their lawn looks amazing and yours doesn’t. What is their secret? It’s planting grass seed in the fall on their existing lawn.

Turns out it’s not that much of a secret. The University of Arizona Extension Service has many recommendations on how to keep a year round lawn in Arizona. Fall is the time to go green for the winter, by changing your summer lawn over to winter weather grass. It’s also a good time to contact SprinklerDoctors for information about automatic watering systems.

Planting Grass Seed in the Fall

Most use Bermuda grass for their warm weather lawn. When the weather cools, Bermuda goes dormant turning from green to a yellow grassy lawn. What many have found to be the solution to keeping a beautiful year round green lawn in Arizona is planting two types of grass.

The Bermuda will go dormant from September to May while staying fresh underneath. To keep a green lawn in the cooler months, planting ryegrass is the key. The process of planting the ryegrass on top of Bermuda, or any grass on top of another, is called overseeding.

How To Plant Grass On Your Existing Lawn

The optimum time to overseed your grass in Arizona is during the first two weeks of the month of October, when evening temperatures begin to stay below 65 degrees. The best season ends around November 1, due to the fact that dropping temperatures can stall the germination process. Work to be prepared before overseeding, so you can avoid mistakes during the process.

It is important to use the right kind of rye seeds. In Arizona, you will typically find two types, annual rye and perennial ryegrass. They grow differently and you will need to determine which seed will work best for you. The annual costs less but absorbs more water growing a thicker grass and the perennial grows quickly but can do so in patches.

Three Basic Steps For Overseeding

• You have to stop watering the lawn at least one week before you begin. The first step is scalping and thatching your lawn. This helps the seeds to go deeper into the soil.
• Next, is seeding the lawn. You can throw the seeds out in equal quantities or you can use a spreader.
• Lastly, you have to plan a watering schedule. You want to water the seeds three times per day for at least 10-15 minutes. If you don’t do this step, your rye won’t grow. This watering needs to be done for two complete weeks so that, during germination, the seeds get plenty of water.

It typically takes around two weeks to get a good lawn covering of the overseeded ryegrass. It should not be mowed until the grass is about three inches tall.

To go back to your Bermuda grass in the warm months, you can scalp back the ryegrass in May or June, making sure to deeply water the lawn. The Bermuda grass will begin growing again and provide you with a beautiful lawn for the summer.

Call On Us For Your Watering Needs – Year Round!

For lawns, gardens and landscaping, Sprinkler Doctors systems are the best. We can help you be ready for your watering plan after overseeding with ryegrass for the winter.

Serving our Phoenix area neighbors, Sprinkler Doctors can repair or install traditional sprinkler systems for your lawn. You can also call on us to upgrade your system making your irrigation efficient and economical. Please call us today for all of your watering needs at 480-292-1773.