Is An Annual Rye Grass Right For Your Lawn?

If you are in a warm season region then you may be frustrated each winter as you watch your lawn lose its color. It may even turn an unsightly yellow or brown. This is natural and no amount of water or fertilizer will change it. Your lawn has become dormant for the winter. The upside for you is that you won’t really need to mow during the winter.

For those that really miss having a strong green lawn, there are a number of options. The easiest is use an annual winter Rye Grass. One of the benefits of an annual grass is that, come spring, this grass will die back leaving your summer grass free to come to life again. The downside to a winter Rye Grass is that you will need to reseed every fall.

Reseeding a lawn is not that difficult. I highly recommend using a lawn care tool such as the Grass Stitcher. Seeding straight on top of a lawn is a hit and miss approach that will see some areas thick and lush while others are bare – hardly an attractive sight when are you looking for an even cover. The Grass Stitcher opens the thatch sufficiently to allow the seed to come into contact with the soil below. Add a little water and your seed should start to germinate within 5-10 days and start to thicken after about three weeks.

An annual winter Rye Grass is dark green, can look good in most lawns, and as we mentioned, will readily die back come the spring. This is ideal for those looking to have a great green lawn over the winter. A word of warning, however, annual winter Rye Grasses require regular mowing, so if you’re looking to put your feet up for the winter, forget it – service your mower instead so it’s ready to go to work again.