Which - Ryegrass or Rye Grain?

     I frequently have sites that are under construction through the summer and then ready for planting in the fall.  A fall planting means that certain kinds of seeds, if planted when the rest of the planting is done, will not germinate until spring.  This can alter the type of grass that I specify or how it is planted and it can alter the way in which other seedings are done as well.
     For a fall grass seeding, I can either ensure that a cool season grass is planted or that the planting regimen is modified to meet the demands of the season.  Cool season grasses for American lawns generally include fescue, bluegrass, bentgrass, and perennial ryegrass.  For most of the country now is a good time to plant them.  They will generally germinate at temperatures in the mid 70's and go dormant at temperatures below 50.  So, time your planting accordingly.  Immature seedlings can be damaged or killed by freezing temperatures.  Perennial ryegrass will take five to ten days to germinate, fescue  - seven to twelve, bentgrass - ten to fourteen days, and bluegrass fourteen to thirty.
     There are cases though where the site really dictates that I use a warm season grass for the long term cover.  Ideally, warm season grasses should be planted in the late spring or early summer.  For a fall planting, they should be planted at least sixty days prior to the anticipated first frost.  Under extreme circumstances, I will specify the planting of a bermudagrass in the late fall with the intention that it not germinate until spring.  In this case a late planting can occur as long as the seed in unhulled and a good cover of clean grain straw is used.
     With somewhat off season timing of seeding or with the planting of a bermudagrass in the fall, I can get a nice instant green lawn with the use of ryegrass seed (Lolium multiflorum).  This can be planted with the bermuda or other grass seed and will germinate in five to ten days.  It literally is the solution to instant green.  Later the intended grass can fill in.  This is an annual grass so the plants will not live for a second season, but it is being planted in this case as a temporary plant.  It will need to be mowed throughout the winter and can produce seed that will germinate the following year if mowing is not done in a timely fashion, but you will reap the benefit of a green lawn that holds the soil in place until the intended grass has a chance to germinate.
     For those lawns that are warm season and plugged or sprigged, annual ryegrass can help to hold the soil until the holes have filled in.  It can also be planted when those lawns go dormant to keep a green lawn throughout the winter.
     I often have other areas that are seeded on a site that are not grass.  These might be wildflower plantings or seed mixes intended for a specific use like that used in the bowl of a bioretention area or mixes used for dry sites that will not support a good lawn.  Most of the seed in these mixes will not germinate in the fall, but often fall planting is desirable.  For many of the seed used, being subjected to the freezing and thawing of winter actually triggers germination.  For others, fall seeding might be desirable simply because of timing.  For these fall seed mix areas, I recommend that a seeding of rye grain (Secale cereale) be spread either with the seed mix or on top of it.  Rye grain, sometimes called cereal rye, will germinate in temperatures as low as 34 degrees and will help to hold the seed and soil in place until spring.  It also will act to enhance the soil by capturing nitrogen and recycling potassium.  Ryegrass should never be used in these situations because of the possibility of re-seeding.  Make sure that you get the right kind of seed, or you may end up with a grass that becomes a pest.
     Regardless of what options you take, fall seeding is possible and even in many cases desirable.  Just make sure that you keep in mind the ultimate goal of the seeding, and that you utilize the seed that will provide you with that need.
    

Fall Seeding Considerations

     It is mid September and seeding season in upon us.  That means that it is the prime time of the year to be putting down fall germinating seed.  This is seed for things that grow primarily in the cooler seasons of the year or seed that fair well on the ground for an early spring germination.
     The first fall seed choices that come to mind to most homeowners are the cool season grasses.  People in this area of the country look to plant fescue, bluegrass and rye grass (both annual and perennial) in the fall.  They are looking for a nice green lawn throughout the winter.  Even people who have warm season grasses like zoysia often choose to over-seed them with an annual ryegrass in the fall.  This gives them a nice green lawn throughout the winter.
     A chance conversation earlier today has me once again asking the question.  Why?
     Why do you need or want to have large areas of grass that requires a great deal of water and maintenance?  Are you using that grass for sports?  Do you do a lot of entertaining on your lawn?  Or is it like the majority of lawns in the country merely a green foreground.
     Why does all of that grass have to be green - regardless of the season.  Does green grass in January really look great or does it actually look kind of out of place?  Would that natural wheat color of a dormant warm season grass be just as pretty?  It most certainly would be a lot less work!  Do you really enjoy mowing that green grass in January?
     For the majority of homeowners, a green grass lawn is something that they feel they must have.  It has been drilled into their brains for several generations.  The idea of a green grass lawn actually traces back to the idea of a manor house.  Large estates had green pastures in front of the grouping of buildings that made up the estate with maintained gardens placed between the buildings and the pasture.  These large expanses of grass were kept short by the presence of sheep and cattle and were actually a working part of the estate.  Suburbia does not have these large expansive estates, but we still have the vestige of their imprint in the grass lawns that seem to be a prerequisite to every acceptable home.
     Very few people who live in suburbia actually raise sheep or cattle and very few use their grass lawns for sports or entertaining.  So, again I ask why?  If that area out of your property is going to take some but not a great deal of foot traffic, do you really want or need grass?  Some people like to mow and fuss with grass; so for them grass is therapeutic.  For the rest of us, there are other choices.
     Fall is a wonderful time for planting clover.  It can be seeded alone or in with a grass mix.  By planting it in the fall, you get a stronger and healthier stand of clover in the spring.  White clove can take some foot traffic, and some mowing, but should not be fertilized.  It is a legume and fixes nitrogen from the air.  Adding fertilizer will often kill it.  The advantage in having a white clover "lawn " is that it typically only grows a couple of inches (4-8" so if you do not plan to walk in it much you could simply not mow) and does not need to be mowed often, it blooms in the spring and summer providing pretty flowers and a nice scent and it does not need to be fertilized.  It does attract bees and this does need to be considered when thinking of planting it.  Clover will be dormant when the temperatures fall below freezing, but so will your grass.
     Another possibility is to replace that grass lawn with wildflowers.  If your current lawn is mostly dead, or in the case of my friend from earlier today mostly gone due to erosion, you might want to consider wildflowers.  There are innumerable mixes available to you - some with plant varieties selected that do not get taller than 8 - 12 inches if you still want that manicured look.  These can readily be sown in the fall and will germinate in the spring.  If this option is what you decide upon, I recommend that you plant rye grain and your wildflower seed mix so that you get an immediate green soil cover.  In the spring the rye will die off and the flowers will take over.  Make sure that your mix has annuals and perennials unless you plan to re-seed every fall.  Once your wildflowers are established, plan to mow them once a year in the fall after the seed heads are ripe to keep the tree seedlings down.
     Fall is a great time to think about your yard and what you might want to plant in it that requires seeding.  If grass is not something that you need to have, consider other options.  You might just find that you like your yard better when you are enjoying flowers blooming there or are no longer a slave to it.