How To Install a winter lawn
What is a Winter lawn and how do you install it?
A quick guide to winter lawns in Phoenix
Outline:
2 types of grass
Why we overseed in Arizona
Why should I overseed my lawn?
When is the best time to overseed my lawn?
How overseeding works: The Process
Choosing the best type of seed and how much to use
Common mistakes to avoid
FAQs about winter grass.
While most of the country braces for snow, Phoenix homeowners are thinking about… grass. Yes, really. Our unique desert climate allows for green lawns year-round—with a little planning. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about installing a winter lawn through overseeding, and why it’s worth considering for your home.
2 Types of Grass in Phoenix.
Summer lawns (green in the summer)
Bermuda grass
Hybrid Bermuda
St. Augustine
Bermuda grass and Hybrid Bermuda is the most common grass you will find in Phoenix, and it is one of the few grasses that can handle the heat and full sun conditions we have here. Bermudagrass makes a wonderful summer lawn, you can mow it short and it looks good all season long. However in the winter month's this grass will not get enough heat and sunlight to stay green and will turn brown and look raggedy in the winter months. St Augustine is another type of turf we have that does well here in the shade however it can’t be overseeded for the winter month’s.
Winter lawns (green in the winter)
Perennial Rye
Annual Rye
Ryegrass is the typical winter lawn you will see here in the winter time. It does not grow here naturally and dies off in the heat of summer. Every year it needs to be planted in the fall to keep you yard looking green and beautiful. This is one of the most attractive lawns we have here because of its rich green color and soft texture.
Why Should I Overseed My Lawn?
Green grass year round
Better for pets and children to play on.
Aesthetic look of a beautiful lawn.
More Curb appeal.
Installing a winter lawn keeps your yard looking great year round. Its much softer and nicer to play on for your kids and your pets. Bermuda grass turns brown and feels like straw in the winter. When friends and family come over they will be impressed with how green the color of the lawn is and how soft it feels. For many people in phoenix that have come here from the mid-west this type of grass looks the most familiar to them.
When is the Best Time to Overseed My Lawn?
Late Sept-Oct
When night time temps are consistently in the 60's
The best time to overseed your lawn is probably going to be late Sept through October. It can be done as late as November also, but the seed will be slow to germinate. Finding the right window of time to overseed is idea for quick germination and for the health of your lawn. Overseeding to early or to late can hurt germination or your lawn quality.
Watch the weather beginning in mid September and when the night time temps are consistently in the 60's it will be time to begin the process.
Overseeding Process:
Thatch your lawn in August
Mow taller by 30%
Cut back on watering by 30%
Mow lawn to 1"
Check your sprinklers for proper coverage
Overseed with perennial ryegrass
Top-dress seed with Composted mulch
Set your timer to water 3-5x daily
For your lawn to be healthy you should have de-thatched it in August. De-thatching (and Aerating) a lawn in October damages the bermuda grass as it is going dormant for the winter and it won't have the ability to recover before its dormant. This process is best done in August to keep your lawn healthy and free from thatch buildup. (This is a very important point because many people don't understand come summer why their Bermuda Grass is patchy and not filling in the way it was the previous year.)
When you are getting to mid September begin mowing your lawn taller by about 30%. This will allow you to raise the crown on the Bermuda grass a little before you scalp your lawn allowing it to open up more so its easier to get the seed down inside.
Once the temps are right, begin cutting back on your watering to your bermuda grass by 30-45%, you want to stress the bermuda but not kill it by shutting off the water completely.
Now that the temps are low and your mowing higher and you have decided on a date to install its time to shut off the water (several days before) and begin mowing your lawn down to about 1". Remember to only remove 1/3 of the leaf blade at a time, so you may need to mow the lawn several times to get this right. Removing too much at once will rip some of the grass and stolons from the ground making it harder next summer for your Bermuda grass to recover and fill in.
Once the lawn is mowed you may want to use a blower to blow out any excess amounts of grass or thatch you may see at soil level. Now is the time to check for any thatch spots that may give you problems during seed germination. Thatch can almost look like soil at times.
Now its time to check your sprinklers for proper coverage. Important: Change out any leaking, broken or clogged sprinklers and nozzles before you overseed. Having the right amount of water will make germination much quicker and give you a quality result. You don't want to have 60% of the seed come up and then you have to go back and fix sprinklers and run the water for another 2 weeks to germinate a second batch of seed that water bill will be double what it needs to be.
Get a good quality spreader and read the manufacturers setting so that you are putting down about 5-6lbs of seed at a time per 1000 sqft. (Remeber your total to put down is 10-15lbs per thousand square feet.) You want to put your seed down in 2 opposite directions so that there are no spots that are missed. So you will do for example a north-south pass on your lawn then an east-west pass. Use a drop spreader around the edges so you don't throw seed into your gravel areas. (You can also spray a 2ft wide area around the entire lawn with pre-emergent to keep the seed from coming up in the gravel.)
Once your seed is down you can use a mulch roller to apply your composted mulch over the entire lawn area. Check the back of the bag for coverage specifications. You want to put down about a 1/4" thick layer of much over the seed. Another option is to use your hands by putting the mulch in a wheel barrow and then throwing it out over the lawn skimming the surface. I suggest gloves for this as the much stinks and the smell will stay on your hands for the rest of the day.
Now that all the hard work is done its time to set up your timer properly. Now each house and each system is a little unique here so there is no one way to do this unfortunately. However i can give you some guideline and tell you what to watch out for. When setting up your lawn timer you want to make sure you are watering 3-5 times a day. If its still pretty hot out (end of sept beginning of October) I would suggest 5 times a day. The run times on your stations will vary depending on what type of nozzles and heads you have and how good and effective the coverage of your irrigation system is. (tip: if your bermuda grass had dead dry spots in the summer don't expect your winter lawn to be much different.) Make sure you have head to head coverage and proper pressure, hire a pro to access it if you have doubts.
Sprinkler Type
Fan spray Nozzle: 3-5min
Rotating Streams: 5-7 min
Rotors 1 stream thick body: 6-8 min
Start Times 4am, 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm
The most important thing is to make sure the ground is staying wet but you don't get any standing water. Standing water will rot the seed and keep it from germinating. Even periodic standing water can damage seed. When you first turn your system on there will probably be no standing water when you run it for a cycle or 2. After the system has been running for a full day or two go out and make sure there is no standing water on the lawn or dry spots during the day. This will ensure proper germination of your seed.
Because you will be watering so often during the day make sure plants area set to run after sunset so they don't interfere with you lawn watering. Once you are back to watering once a day on the lawn you can switch the plants back to watering in the am again.
Fertilization. Once your seed breaks bud and you can see small green stems in your yard its time to put down the starter fertilizer to feed your new seedlings.
The Waiting Game
After all that work you will be in no rush to get the lawn mower out and begin mowing. However you will want to start to see some green soon though! Watch the lawn as it grows you will want to make sure you watching it fill in and sprout up. after about 7-10 days or so you should see the green tips of the seedlings poking through and growing. Once the lawn has germinated you can begin cutting back on your watering gradually.
If you plan to mow your winter grass at about 2" tall you will want to check your lawn once it reaches that height. When it reaches your desired mowing height pull on the seedlings, if they provide a little resistance to being yanked out its time for your first mow. Make sure to bag the clippings. Remember don't mow more than 1/3 of the tip of the leaf. If you cut off too much you will rip some of it out of the ground.
Regularly fertilize your new lawn 4 weeks after the starter fertilizer you should put down a balanced fertilizer application on the lawn to help it fill in.
If you want to have a nice green lawn through the first freeze in winter make sure you put down an application of iron rich fertilizer before it gets too cold. Maybe November or early December.
How To Choose the Best Type of Seed
Perennial Ryegrass
Annual Ryegrass
Perennial Ryegrass is the most common type of winter grass that is used here in phoenix. It germinates quickly and it has a vibrant dark green color and can last into the heat of spring and even into parts of the summer. It is one of the most popular choice when overseeding because of its appearance, durability and quick germination.
Annual Ryegrass is another less popular option to overseed your grass with. It is less heat tolerant, not as dark green as the perennial rye, its thinner, nor does it hold up as well under traffic. However this grass is easier to get rid of come summer when you transition back to Bermuda grass.
I suggest using a high quality perennial rye seed. Make sure you check the bag that is certified to be almost weed free. Many quality companies will have a 99% weed free guarantee.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Make sure there is no thatch build up on your lawn, this will hinder germination
Make sure to cut your lawn low enough before seeding
Use a high quality seed
Make sure your timer is set to run every day. Just one day without water will kill most of the seed.
Don't wait for your first mow. Don't let the grass get 6" tall then mow it down to 2" it will damage the lawn and make a poor quality winter lawn for most of the season.
Fertilize with iron before the temps drop or your lawn will be yellow till spring.
Make sure to fertilize regularly (ev 4-6wks) or your lawn will be thin and short.
Mow often! Make sure your mowing every week.
Why Hire a Pro?
Expertise with timing, seed selection, and application
Saves time and ensures even coverage
Avoids common mistakes