| For a Green Winter Lawn (and Maybe Some Peace of Mind), Plant Cool-Season Grass |
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 Horticulture: April 2006 Other Horticulture Articles |
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by Dooly Barlow |
This month might not seem like the right time to be thinking about dry, hot fall or the dead of winter, but please allow me to give you a scenario of what has happened to some folks who had dormant, dry, warm-season grass next to their houses when the unspeakable happened.
On a windy day (somewhat normal in the southwest), smoke can be seen from a great distance, and, though you see smoke quite frequently, it might be several miles away; you really don't know its precise location. You try not to think about the potential severity of the situation. Surely, someone isn't burning off a pasture under these conditions. Then, while you're away from home, comes the dreaded phone call from a neighbor that might go something like this: "Hello? How close is the fire to my property? Oh no! I'm on my way!"
Let me stop here. I don't know anything about fire control, but I do know green grass burns slowly. This article will give you a method for doing something to give you a little peace of mind – plus a green lawn – during the winter when everyone has a dormant warm-season lawn. In April, which is the second-best month to seed cool-season grass (the prime month is October), you can overseed with a cool-season grass such as annual ryegrass. This seed will germinate fairly quickly – two weeks if soil temperature is 55 degrees or above and adequate moisture is available. Green grass will impede the movement of fire. Cool-season grasses have been used as green fire lanes near fencerows as well as other non-targeted areas. The seeding rate should be light enough (6 to 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet) to receive a stand, but not enough to over-power the warm-season permanent grass, which is, in many cases, bermudagrass. To keep the growing grass green, keep the soil moist. You can select from 20 or more varieties of cool-season grasses or combine them in a blend. Bermudagrass is allowed to take over the cool-season grass once the soil temperature approaches 60 to 65 degrees and above and adequate moisture is present. Mow the lawn short to assist the transition of cool-season out and warm-season in, which allows sunlight to reach the bermudagrass.