{"id":63,"date":"2011-09-02T18:11:06","date_gmt":"2011-09-02T18:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southwestsod.wellkeptwallet.com\/?p=63"},"modified":"2020-04-24T04:50:46","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T04:50:46","slug":"time-to-start-planning-your-winter-lawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwestsod.com\/time-to-start-planning-your-winter-lawn\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to Start Planning Your Winter Lawn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September is here.\u00a0 The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are going to start decreasing (thank goodness).\u00a0 So it\u2019s time to start planning for your winter lawn.\u00a0 First off you\u2019re going to have to pick a target date to plant your perennial rye grass.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything you do will be predicated on this date.\u00a0 Ideally, you want to pick a date when nighttime temperatures reach about 55\u00b0 F and daytime temperatures are between 80-85\u00b0F.\u00a0 This usually occurs around the third week of October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check our\u00a0The Arizona Meteorological Network<\/a>\u00a0to find out historical seasonal temperatures for your area.\u00a0 You need to plant your rye grass at the optimal time because if you don\u2019t and plant either too early or too late, you risk poor performance from your rye grass, costing you money and headaches as you wonder why the lawn looks so weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So once you\u2019ve selected your planting date to follow these steps to give you the peace of mind that your winter lawn will be healthy and strong throughout the winter months:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. 25 days before your planting date<\/strong>, stop applying fertilizer (especially ones high in nitrogen).  We don\u2019t want to encourage any more plant growth.  Your bermuda grass should be strong and healthy from the summer growth.  However, to maintain color you can still apply iron (liquid form is recommended).<\/li>
  2. 10 days from your planting date<\/strong>, decrease watering.  Either skip every third day of irrigation or cut each watering cycle by 2\/3.  If grass shows signs of heat stress, increase water.<\/li>
  3. Again, at 10 days before planting<\/strong>, increase mowing height by 35% and maintain regular mowing schedule at this new height.  For example, if you regularly maintain your lawn 1\u201d, you need to raise your new mowing height to about 1 1\/3\u2033.<\/li>
  4. 3 days before planting<\/strong>, verticut your lawn by removing between 40-50% of your grass height.  You may need to do this in multiple cuttings by lowering your mower height after each pass.  Doing this should leave an upright shoot (stolon) with two lower leaves on it.  Remove all the clippings and shut off the water.<\/li>
  5. 1 day before planting<\/strong>, take a spring tine rake and lightly rake the ground to stand up the stolons and scratch up the little thatch you may have.  You need the rye seed to be able to reach the soil.<\/li>
  6. Planting Day<\/strong>:  broadcast your rye grass at a rate of 10-15 lbs per 1000 square feet of yard.  For good coverage divide your seed in two lots and apply them in perpendicular directions.  After application, it\u2019s wise to rake the ground to ensure seed to soil contact.  Applying a 1\/4 inch of mulch is advised to protect the new seedlings from adverse moisture and temperature conditions.  Set your sprinklers to run 3-4 times a day at 10-12 minutes.  Maintain this water cycle until grass has germinated and has grown to about an inch.  Then you can reduce the watering to once a day.  Don\u2019t let the soil dry out.  Maintain soil moisture!<\/li>
  7. 14 days after planting<\/strong>, apply a starter fertilizer such as ammonium phosphate (16-20-0) at rate of 7-10 lbs per 1000 sq\/ft.  Don\u2019t apply it too early because you don\u2019t want the bermuda grass to out compete the rye.  Make sure to water in the fertilizer.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Now, a word of caution, if you have just recently installed a new lawn within 100 days of your planting date, it\u2019s advised that you don\u2019t overseed your new lawn.\u00a0 You want to encourage unimpeded growth to ensure strong root (rhizome) development.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want the new bermuda grass to compete for the sun light, air, water, and nutrients it needs to grow to maturity.\u00a0 But if you do decide to overseed, you will need to take extra care during\u00a0spring transition\u00a0to get rid of the rye grass and encourage strong regrowth from the bermuda grass.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thomas Edison once said, \u201cGood fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.\u201d\u00a0 You have the opportunity to achieve a beautiful winter lawn, so let your planning guide you.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you need additional assistance, don\u2019t hesitate to contact us<\/a>.\u00a0 We have knowledgeable staff waiting to help with your turf needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    September is here.\u00a0 The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are going to start decreasing (thank goodness).\u00a0 So it\u2019s time to start planning for your winter lawn.\u00a0 First off you\u2019re going to have to pick a target date to plant your perennial rye grass.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything you do will be predicated on this date.\u00a0 Ideally, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTime to Start Planning Your Winter Lawn - Southwest Sod<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southwestsod.com\/time-to-start-planning-your-winter-lawn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time to Start Planning Your Winter Lawn - Southwest Sod\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"September is here.\u00a0 The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are going to start decreasing (thank goodness).\u00a0 So it\u2019s time to start planning for your winter lawn.\u00a0 First off you\u2019re going to have to pick a target date to plant your perennial rye grass.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything you do will be predicated on this date.\u00a0 Ideally, ... 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