Overseeding Explained
By
Dale Samar
Rancho
Manana Golf Club
While
most courses have successfully transitioned from Winter Rye to summer
Bermuda grass by now and the courses are starting to really look good, it’s
time to tear up the turf and overseed again.
But Why?
The
diversity of the climate in Phoenix makes it hard to
grow one type of grass during the entire year. Bermuda grass, which is the base grass
for most valley courses, can’t grow during the cooler temperatures of Phoenix winters especially
after the first frost. Thus, we must
overseed, which means we mow the summer grass
down to a minimal height after drying it out for a week or so. We then drop the Winter Rye seed, which
takes about 5 days to “Pop” (germinate) and within 10 days provides a
pleasing shade of green to the entire course. While it continues to mature and thicken
for several weeks, it can be played upon in less than two weeks from the
time seed is dropped. Most courses
are closed for 12 to 19 days. While
greens and fairways may be a little longer and wetter than normal for a few
weeks upon opening, the courses can still be very enjoyable to play
especially considering the temperatures are starting to cool down from the
summer heat.
