My quick tip of the week is to not to let the dead ryegrass remain around in your lawn and take up valuable space that could be occupied by bermudagrass or paspalum.

It may seems like the summer is an awful time for grass to grow in the desert, but it loves the heat and it can’t wait for the little bit of humidity  to arrive.  If you still have weak areas of grass it is a great time to get the dead material out of the lawn and give your grass space to spread as the weather becomes optimal for growth.  The easiest way to get rid of this material is to lightly verticut or run a thatch rake over the bad areas and fill them in with sand.  The heat and humidity will give the grass a boost and the stolons will start to creep into the areas that were once bare. 

If the areas are large fill them in with some sand to give the grass a growing medium and from there watch your grass take off.   A good balanced fertilizer during this time of the year is excellent such as 15-15-15, 6-20-20, or 21-7-14.  if you need to push the growth an application of 21-0-0 will be your best bet.  Dont get carried away with the 21-0-0 or you will build up a large organic layer. 

Have a good week and keep sending me your questions and pictures.

Jay

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