Annual ryegrass is a really annoying weed. Once infested in your lawn, it can rapidly take over. Make sure that you are using high-quality seed mixes and always remember to get rid of the plant as soon as you spot it in your turf.
Is ryegrass a good lawn?
Kentucky bluegrass is known as the ideal lawn grass, fescues are known for shade and low maintenance, and perennial ryegrass is typically known for speedy germination and not much more. Not that speedy germination is not a good trait to be known for, but perennial ryegrass is much more than a nurse grass.
Gardeners happen to have varying tastes for what they prefer for their lawns. While rye may be a preference for many, some hate it. And would go the extra mile to get rid of it.
Winter rye grass also provides the discerning homeowner with an attractive expanse of green lawn while the rest of the neighborhood is an unattractive brown. Winter rye grass does require the same maintenance as a lawn in the summer.
One thought is that even though perennial ryegrass naturally suits northern climates, southern lawn owners use it extensively. Warm-season grasses used in the south and west, such as Bermudagrass, go dormant and turn brown during cool winter months. Southern lawn owners keep lawns green in winter by seeding perennial ryegrass over existing warm-season lawns in fall.
How do you Mow winter rye grass?
Winter rye grass does require the same maintenance as a lawn in the summer. Maintain the height of the winter grass at 1 ½ to 2 inches, mowing as often as necessary to avoid cutting off more than one-third to one-half of the grass blade at any one time. Scalping the winter grass blades more than this can cause weed growth and weaken the grass.
Heed these tips for the healthiest possible rye grass winter lawn: Keep it mowed around 1/2″ to 2″
Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf
Do not mow until rye grass grows 2″ tall
More.
Mow the rye grass often enough throughout the fall to maintain it at a height of no more than 2 1/2 inches.
Long grass blades cast critical shadows across the topsoil during the summer to maintain a healthy and moist environment for root uptake of nutrients, water and air. Because perennial ryegrass enters dormancy in hot weather, your mowing height should be between 2 1/2 and 3 inches during the summer.
Can You overseed ryegrass in fall?
Perennial ryegrass is often seeded over existing warm-season lawns in fall, just as you might overseed a thinning northern lawn as part of your fall lawn tasks. Fast-germinating perennial ryegrass creates a temporary green lawn for winter months, and then dies out when southern heat returns and warm-season grasses turn green again.