Now that the weather has changed and you are ready to spend more time outside, you will obviously want to have a beautiful winter lawn.  That means overseeding your warm season grass with rye seed.You have a few choices when it comes to which seed to use.  When you walk up to the counter to purchase seed you will notice that there are both “perennial rye” and “annual rye” seed available.  Annual rye  is much cheaper, but let me tell you why….. While they both have quick germination rates during October and November, “annual ryegrass” lacks the dense stand of turf, wear/heat tolerance, and color you expect from your winter lawn.  The annual ryegrass is not breed to hold up to lots of traffic, for color, or to handle days when we get too hot in early spring when the bermudagrass is still laying dormant.  Plus it is hard to mow.  For those reasons, I strongly recommend that you use a “perennial ryegrass” seed.  That’s  the key if you want a healthy and lush winter lawn.

When buying seed it’s extremely important to check the seed tag for germination rates, inert matter, and percentage of weed seed. You may find a seed that looks significantly cheaper, but you will probably be paying for it as the weather warms and annual broadleafs begin to sprout. A good solid stand of turf will push those weeds out and give your lawn that look of a professional field.  This is a good case of “getting what you pay for.”

As I have mentioned previously, you will want to use 10 lbs. of seed per 1000 sq. ft. of turf area, and there is no reason to go any higher. Since the average Arizona lawn is only 700 sq. ft. we have put our exclusive BOBSeed on the market in a convenient 10 lb. bucket that is the perfect amount.  Any extra is easy to store till next year or to fix some weak areas from your pets.  This is the same seed we use on our sod farms as well as at several professional and minor league sporting venues such as Chase Field (the home of your Arizona Diamondbacks!) and the Rose Bowl.  So you can be sure it is top quality seed.  To find “BOBSeed” in your area  go to www.westernsod.com/bobseed.php.    

If you have any questions about what to buy, or exactly how to overseed,  just click on the “Ask Jay” button to the top right of the page, and I’ll help you out. Please be sure to sign up to receive all my  blogs as I post them so you can stay on top of the health of your lawn.

 Until next time remember–“Life is short. Sod it!” Or in this case–“Seed it (with BOBSeed)!”

 Jay

 PS…..  Please know that BOBSeed is a perennial ryegrass seed meant for a winter lawn.  It is NOT  a replacement for, or the same as  BOBSod bermudagrass.