Overseeding 101

On Sunday, T and I overseeded our lawn (no need to do anything with the backyard since we don't have any grass back there...yet!).  Again, I think it's necessary for another brief tutorial/info session for the non-Phoenicians (as well as those Phoenicians without yards!).  Many people with yards in AZ put in two different lawns for the drastically different seasons.  This is also what all the golf courses in the Valley do and how they keep the greens/fairways so green and beautiful year-round.  Hearty bermuda grass is always on the lawn (it just goes dormant during the winter) and can be left as is throughout the winter (usually turns slightly brown though).  But if you so choose (as we did), rye grass can be put in over the bermuda to last through early Spring.  Rye grass has soft, long blades with a deep green color.  Rye can be put down after the risk of 100+ degree days are mostly past, but before it gets too cold (risk of early frost).  The ideal timing for this weather is during the first 2 weeks of October -- clearly, we're running a little bit behind, but we're still ok.

The first step in the process is to mow the bermuda down to almost nothing.  T is the mower in the family, so I followed him with the second step (and arguably the worst step in the whole thing): thatching.  

This is the act of raking up the loose grass with a heavy metal rake while aerating the dirt a bit.  We especially had trouble thatching the areas of our lawn that have hardened stucco/concrete on it -- it appears that when work was done on the house, before we owned it, the stucco and concrete was disposed of in the front yard!  I may not have looked like the most serious landscaper because as T will tell you, "C is the only person I know who does lawn work in flip-flops."  What can I say?  It was hot and I left my nasty sneaks in MA.  But I have to note that I was wearing my "Just Married" flips, so I think it was very apra poe.

After thatching, rye seed is laid using a spreader (borrowed from my dad).  Then mulch/fertilizer is spread over the most bare spots (at a minimum).  The final step is to water.  This is more difficult for us since we don't have our flood irrigation activated yet, nor do we have sprinklers, so we have to water the lawn with the hose.  Stay tuned to see if we actually get any new blades...