Bermuda grass in Arizona is the perfect grass to endure long, hot summers... But unfortunately, it goes dormant in the cooler winter months....
Seeding your Arizona lawn each fall with Rye grass will give you a beautiful, rich, green lawn that will last all winter long!
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Typically in central Arizona the best time to seed for winter grass is the first two weeks of October. The general rule is is time to seed for winter grass when your overnight temperature first starts to drop below 66 degrees.
The 8 simple steps on how to seed a winter lawn in Arizona:
MOW: Set you mower height down to around 1" and mow your old summer Bermuda grass lawn down low. Grass clippings can be left on the lawn.
PREP: Use a metal bow rake to remove thatch and loosen the top layer of soil for the new Rye grass seeds. Remove or break-up any large dirt clods, and level out the surface - filling in any low spots.
BUY: Purchase a bag of Perennial Rye grass seed, and a bag of starter lawn fertilizer, available at most Home improvement stores and big name chain stores. You will need one pound of seed for every 100 square feet (10' x 10') of lawn space.
SEED: Use a hand or push type lawn spreader to broadcast the seeds out, making passes in two different directions to give good solid coverage. Follow instructions on the seed bag about how much to use depending on your type of seed spreader.
FERTILIZE: Distribute starter lawn fertilizer using your same broadcast spreader, following instructions on the bag about the amount to distribute.
RAKE: Very lightly go around the yard one time with a flexible leaf type rake. This will help set the seeds into the ground giving them a light covering of top soil.
WATER: Lightly water the grass - but do not flood the lawn as this can cause puddling and wash away seeds. Keep your lawn continuously moist for the first 5 to 7 days, watering 4 or 5 times a day for about 5 to 10 mins each time. Water in the early morning and late afternoon. After the new grass starts to appear you can cut back watering to twice a day in the morning until it gets fully established (in 3-4 weeks).
MAINTAIN: The new grass can be mowed for first time when it reaches a height of 3 1/2" (in 6 weeks). Watering can be done once every week in the early morning.