Pros & Cons of Overseeding with Winter Rye Grass

Overview: Rye overseeding in the winter is common on commercial real estate. Perennial Rye grass is a deep green, and provides beautiful color on properties during winter months. However, before planting Rye, know in advance the pros and cons of working with Rye grass.

Process: Our clients enjoy the results, but are sometimes not aware of the process of overseeding Rye. It is labor-intensive and can create a mess that tenants do not like. The process begins by scalping the primary turf for proper germination. Once scalped, we remove the clippings. What is left is short, brown turf with little to no thatch at its base. This allows Rye seed to make direct contact with the soil for proper germination.

The second step involves watering and keeping the ground wet until the Rye seed is fully germinated. As with any seed, Rye will die if not kept moist after the initial watering. The irrigation system is set to water two or three times per day in brief increments. We continue this watering schedule 2 to 4 weeks, depending on weather and soil conditions.

Once the Rye grass germinates, we apply a granular fertilizer to aid growth and ensure a lush winter turf. Properly established Rye grass will last well into late spring or early summer.

Pros of Rye: The result of overseeding with perennial Rye grass is rich, lush and beautiful commercial real estate that shows well in winter months. Rye also does a good job of hiding weeds when combined with a year-round weed control and treatment program.

Cons of Rye: Over the years, Rye seed has been engineered to be heat tolerant to the point that some believe it is a year-round turf. It is not. In Texas’s 100 degree temperatures Rye will die off, leaving brown patches where it has choked out the primary turf. For this reason, it is important to cut back Rye, transitioning it out of the property in the spring. However, even this is not always possible.

In many cases it is necessary to budget for overseeding with Bermuda or Fescue each year to help transition from Rye and keep a property in show condition as temperatures change.

After years of overseeding turf with Rye, the primary turf can become weak. This allows weeds to become dominant due to the thin turf. Effective weed control can eliminate the weeds but the turf can remain thin and bare.

Rye overseeding requires winter watering, increasing property watering costs.

Night time temperatures are often near or below freezing in winter months, causing freeze sensors to disable the controller and suspend night time winter watering. For this reason, it becomes necessary to water winter Rye in the late morning or early evening. Such watering schedules can create issues with tenants and can present added accident exposure when water freezes.

Rye properties are more susceptible to grub damage.

Rye Tips:

• Do not apply fall pre-emergent treatments to turf that will be overseeded with Rye. It will interfere with germination and stunt growth of Rye grass.

• Scalp and overseed while soil temperatures are warm. The Rye seed will germinate more quickly.

• Begin cutting the Rye shorter and reduce watering in mid-April to stress the Rye and allow the primary turf to emerge.

• Broadcast turf areas with a grub control in the summer. Properties that have been overseeded with Rye are more susceptible to grub activity than non-Rye properties. You cannot guess where grub activity will occur, so it is important to broadcast the treatment across the entire turf area.

• Do not overseed with Rye every year. You will be amazed at what one or two years without Rye grass will do for a turf in decline.

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