The cool temperatures have settled in and so has the start of the yellow ryegrass season. Amazingly enough, here in the desert we do get pretty cold during the winter months and a few days of hard frost is enough to wreak havoc on your lush ryegrass or now completely dormant turf. Read the rest of this entry »

The month of December is a time of slow growth for your winter ryegrass.  We won’t start to see the resurgence of growth until early February when the temperatures start to warm back up.  Since we typically receive the majority of our harder frosts during December-February it is a great time to get outside and adjust your clock for the winter season.  If you are still running a summer watering schedule on your lawn, or if you haven’t adjusted your clock since you overseeded now is the time to make some changes.  Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday was an eye opening day for several people in the turfgrass industry as West Coast Turf played host to Dr. Ronny Duncan for a workshop on how to grow paspalum at our Scottsdale farm.  He also gave some tips on keeping color and winter hardiness for bermudagrass and St. Augustine.  Many people are still opening up to the idea of growing a different grass than bermuda, but the paspalums is where the turf industry is quickly heading.   Read the rest of this entry »

At this time of the year there is not a warm season grass that is going to have time to root into the ground without having ryegrass to help it establish itself into the soil.  We are just beginning to get into the season of having cool nights and mild days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put down sod.  Read the rest of this entry »

As we begin the month of November (and we are about 4-5 weeks into the overseed season) it’s time to make sure your lawn is ready for the winter.  Winterizing your lawn with overseeded turf is quite different than getting it ready to go dormant for the winter.  We have been blessed with some warm temperatures so far this fall keeping our non overseeded turf green, but as temperatures move into the 50’s at night you will start to see a sudden decline in non-overseeded turf growth. 

Read the rest of this entry »

About once a month it is always good to post some of the most frequently asked questions during that time period as well as some that I know many of you may have.

I overseeded too early and lost some of the seed to the heat, when do I know I need to reseed? Read the rest of this entry »

As the weekend draws closer my nerves are starting to rise and it’s not because it is time almost time to overseed your lawn (but we’ll discuss that!) or that another Division II school is coming to Ann Arbor to embarrass my Wolverines (we’ll talk about that, too!).  This weekend I will be running in my first “Ultra Marathon” and the goal is to complete 46.2 miles (75K).   Read the rest of this entry »

As we inch closer to temperatures that are in the overseeding range, it’s important to be ready and prepared for the process.  I am going to draw out a step-by-step process for you today on how to overseed, and attach a short video on doing so.  I think everyone can have a successful lawn this winter, and next summer if you follow these instructions.  A thriving overseed can be accomplished when the nighttime temperatures are in the 60’s, high quality seed is used, and you don’t get too aggressive with the scalping of the lawn. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you put off installing grass over the last few seasons or has your turf become a little weak over time?  Did you know that there is not a bad time in the southwest to renovate your lawn.  We are lucky to have a year round grass season here and there are several options depending on what works best for you.  

While you often see most golf courses and landscaping jobs installing the majority of their grass in the summer months, it is attributed to a slower time of the year for them.  There is very little play on a golf course during the summer months and it allows them to tear up areas and redo them before the majority of people come back to the club for the season.  The other reason we often see summer renovations is because it is optimal bermudagrass and paspalum planting weather, and before they get golf cart traffic, players, and the everyday wear and tear it is necessary to have a nice bermudagrass or paspalum base.  Golf courses can struggle a little bit with overseeded grass because of the traffic, while homeowners don’t have to deal with these issues.  So why do I bring all that up?  My point is that when these projects are not going on in the summer it leaves many more contractors available to do good quality work at your home. Read the rest of this entry »