overseeding bermuda with bent grass

mr****@ao*.com – posted 24 September 2001 11:41

I live in Southern CA and have a Tifgreen bermuda lawn – I want to overseed this year but I have heard that rye grass is hard to get rid of in the summer – is bent grass a better option and if so – what type? Thanks

ELJefe – posted 03 October 2001 17:12

Ryegrass can’t survive the low mowing heights on bermudagrass lawns, so after you overseed, you must mow slightly higher during the winter, usually about 1.5 to 2 inches.As warmer weather returns, and the bermuda starts active growth again, start to mow lower and lower each week until you get back to a normal mowing height for Tifgreen.

If you use annual rye, it dies out naturally in the summer, and if you use perennial rye, it can’t handle the low mowing heights, so as the bermuda gets active, it will squeeze the rye out as it competes for water and nutrients in the lawn.

Bentgrass would be harder to remove once established, except for the fact that it is such a high maintenance grass, it may not survive the winter in the first place.

Annual rye is about $10 for 10 pounds, and would cover about 1000 square feet of lawn overseeding.Good Luck!