We all know the saying, ‘The grass is greener on the other side’. That may be true, especially if your neighbor overseeds their Bermuda grass with winter rye. Since we live in the Sonoran Desert, let’s start a new saying, ‘Go for Gold,’ where we embrace Bermuda grass’ golden hue as it goes dormant during the cooler winter months. In addition to saving gold (a.k.a money), there are many additional benefits to skipping overseeding this year, and every year.

Save time. Don’t stress about scalping your grass, seeding or mowing. Let your Bermuda grass sleep all winter long, so you can enjoy the nice weather doing fun activities, not mowing.

Set an example. Despite the great snowpack on the Colorado River, Salt River and Verde River watersheds, the effects of long-term drought and a drier, hotter climate, mean conserving water is imperative to life in our desert region. Show your community you care about the water we all share by embracing a gold-colored lawn during the fall and winter months.

Save frustration. Planting a winter lawn is not a simple project and can take a lot of time and effort. It requires finding the perfect time for seed germination, adding fertilizers and adjusting your irrigation system to ensure the rye grass becomes established.

Save money. Planting rye seed requires special tools most homeowners don’t have at home, which usually means hiring a professional landscaper. Even if you do the work yourself, the cost of seed, water and tools can add up. Every year the city of Glendale recalculates each customer’s sewer usage based on their water use billed from January through March, meaning the more water used during these months to water your lawn, the higher your utility bill will be the rest of the year.

Decrease noise pollution. Mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers are major sources of noise in many neighborhoods that nobody enjoys. 

Preserve water quality. Using less fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn reduces the pollution of stormwater traveling into the storm drain and our environment.

Give your Bermuda grass a break. Overseeding can be stressful for your summer grass. Scalping Bermuda grass before it goes into dormancy prevents the roots from storing the energy needed for survival. When the summer grass begins to wake up in the spring, it must compete with the rye for sunlight, water and nutrients.  Overall, the process of overseeding is harmful to the health of summer grass.

Save water. Spikes in water usage are always noticeable during the months of October and November when winter rye is seeded since the germination process requires watering three times a day or more. Overseeding your lawn with winter ryegrass can use more than 8,000 gallons of water for every 1,000 square feet of grass. Avoid overseeding your lawn with winter grass. Ryegrass needs water every few days, whereas dormant Bermuda grass needs water monthly – even less if we get winter rains.

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

Save the air. Gasoline lawnmowers and other lawn equipment contribute to our air pollution. Worst of all is the scalping process which releases dust and other particles into the air.

Want to do more to conserve water outdoors? Consider removing your thirsty lawn and applying for a landscape conversion rebate. If you don’t want to part ways with your summer lawn, we are now offering a landscape irrigation technology rebate for residential customers who upgrade to high-efficiency irrigation technologies. Learn more at glendaleaz.com/rebates or call (623) 930-3596.