One of the questions that I receive from people moving to the Valley of the Sun relates to having a lawn. Yes, there are people who have lawns here in the desert. What surprises many people, though, is that we have summer lawns and winter lawns.
Why do we have winter grass and summer grass in Phoenix?
The desert climate in Phoenix means that the winter and summer are very different. In the summer, we use Bermuda grass since it tolerates our triple digit temperatures. Bermuda grass is dormant during our winter months. For this reason, if you want your lawn to be green all summer, you have to plant winter rye grass.When should I plant winter rye grass?
Winter rye grass is usually planted in October. A general rule is that when the temperatures at night are consistently around the 60°F range, you are ready to plant.How do you plant winter rye grass?
First you must scalp and dethatch the summer grass. That means that you must cut it back and thin it to allow room for your new grass. The planting of the rye grass in the winter is called overseeding, because you are planting rye seed over the existing Bermuda.When do you plant summer grass?
If you've already had Bermuda grass in the summer, you don't have to replant it at all. It didn't die last winter, it just became dormant waiting for warmer temperatures. Around May it will start to grow again. In May it starts to get hot outside, so make sure your lawn is getting enough water to grow.If you are planting summer grass for the first time, you can do so from seed, but the easiest way to have a great looking lawn is to lay sod.
When does the winter rye grass die?
Rye grass will start to die in early May when our temperatures get to around 100°F. Stop watering the grass for a couple of weeks to let it die out, and then begin watering again to awaken your dormant Bermuda summer grass.How come some people don't plant winter rye grass at all?
There are basically two reasons that people will have only summer grass. First, planting winter rye grass takes some effort. It isn't terribly difficult, but you do have to do it! Second, having a lawn uses quite a bit of water. Some people conserve by not planting an additional lawn in the winter.Tip: If you are a golfer, you now know what it means when golf courses tell you that they are overseeding. You can expect a pretty choppy golf course, where the grass is thin. Toward the end of the overseeding schedule, you may find that the grass is long and the rough is longer, because the golf courses don't want to trim the grass too early.
More About Lawns and Grass in Phoenix
Lawns, from the University of ArizonaGrowing Bermuda and Rye Grass in Phoenix Arizona, by Phoenix Tropicals
