Winter Lawn Tips

Sustaining a lush, green lawn throughout the year is appealing to many home and business owners. However, the additional water needed for cool-season grasses is difficult to justify when water is such a precious resource, especially now as Arizona contends with an extended drought.

By learning to accept a less than lush lawn during the winter months, property owners will not only realize significant water savings for themselves and their community, they will also save a lot of time and money. So if you’re looking for a reason not to overseed, take a look at these …

10.	Save time – No need to scalp the lawn, prepare the seedbed, seed, water, or mow.

Save water – Getting ryegrass seed to germinate requires watering three times a day or more, and spikes in water usage are always noticeable during the months of October and November when winter rye is seeded. By not overseeding, over 8,000 gallons of water can be saved for every 1,000 square feet of grass each season.

8.	Preserve water quality – Less fertilizers and pesticides will be needed. Much of our water pollution comes from runoff of these products from urban landscapes.

7.	Save money – Save on the cost of seed, labor, water, and gasoline for mowing. Also, wastewater rates are often determined by your winter water usage. If you use more water in the winter, your utility bill wastewater rates will be higher the rest of the year.

6.	Save landfill space - Scalping Bermuda grass creates a great deal of waste for the landfills. Ryegrass clippings can create additional waste all winter and spring.

5.	Save the air – Gasoline mowers and other lawn equipment contribute to our air pollution problems, and the scalping process releases dust and other particles into the air.

4.	Decrease noise pollution – Mowers, weed whackers, and leaf blowers have become a major source of background noise in many neighborhoods. The drone of lawn equipment contributes to an already noisy world.

3.	Save frustration – Problems with seed germination, fertilizers, diseases, and irrigation are all common when planting a winter lawn.

2.	Set an example –We live in a desert and this is an opportunity to demonstrate your community leadership with a responsible outlook towards our water supply (this is the third year that Mesa has asked members of the community to join in this voluntary effort).

Give your Bermuda a break – Overseeding can be stressful for your Bermuda grass. In the fall, scalping the summer grass before dormancy doesn’t allow for adequate storage of energy in the roots. In the spring, the rye competes with Bermuda, and customers often withhold water to transition from winter to summer grass. Unfortunately, this will also stress the Bermuda.

Okay, okay, you say you have to overseed because 1. your spouse will divorce you if you don’t, 2. your homeowner's association (or some other power) says you have to and you need a year to get the policy changed or 3. you just LOVE green grass. Here are some tips to help you be more environmentally friendly:

♦	Overseed selectively – Only overseed if it is extremely important for aesthetics or functional use.

♦	Don’t seed too early - Seed mid-October to mid-November for best results. When you seed too early, it is more stressful on Bermuda grass and warm temperatures (>90 F) cause more disease problems for the ryegrass.

♦	Grass-cycle – If you mow frequently and do not over-water or over-fertilize, you shouldn’t need to bag your clippings.

♦	Water efficiently - Get “Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A Guide for the Arizona Desert” from your Water Conservation Office and water only as much as your grass needs. Make sure your irrigation system is functioning properly.

♦	Use a push or reel-type mower – Not only will you save on pollution, but you’ll get better exercise and it may encourage you to convert to Xeriscape. Electric mowers also save on pollution.