Winter to Spring: Lawn Transition Tips

In many regions, spring means the arrival of warmer weather accompanied by refreshing rain showers. However, in the desert southwest, it often translates to sweltering temperatures with sporadic rainfall.

In a few weeks, the transition season will start, you’ll notice your dormant warm-season grass gradually replacing the winter ryegrass. The rising temperatures will begin to weaken the ryegrass, causing it to wither away. It’s typical to observe parched areas emerging in your once flawless lawn as a result.

While it may be disheartening to see sections of your exquisite lawn starting to deteriorate, it’s crucial to recognize that this process is beneficial. Variations in soil texture, compaction, or sprinkler coverage inevitably lead to certain areas drying out faster than others. It’s essential to investigate any potential sprinkler malfunctions, but if the issue is simply a transitional dry spot, there’s no cause for alarm. To address these spots, we suggest using a sturdy toothed rake to remove the dead ryegrass that accumulates on the surface. This decaying material tends to obstruct sunlight and water from reaching the Bermuda grass beneath. Additionally, maintaining your lawn at a height below ¾” during this period and employing power raking or verticutting techniques can effectively eliminate dead debris, preventing it from shading your summer grass.

Maintaining a low mowing height is a key strategy to weaken the ryegrass as the season progresses. Unlike the fall overseeding process where scalping is necessary, simply reducing your mowing height and clearing away any dead material suffices. Following this, it’s beneficial to kickstart your bermuda grass/paspalum with fertilizer. For bermudagrass lawns, we recommend applying 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet using ammonium sulfate 21-0-0. Achieving this nitrogen amount entails applying 5 pounds of product per 1000 square feet. Utilize a small scale to weigh the fertilizer in a bucket, then adjust your spreader accordingly to ensure precise application based on the amount used.

Maintaining a low mowing height is a key strategy to weaken the ryegrass as the season progresses. Unlike the fall overseeding process where scalping is necessary, simply reducing your mowing height and clearing away any dead material suffices. Following this, it’s beneficial to kickstart your bermudagrass/paspalum with fertilizer. For bermudagrass lawns, we recommend applying 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet using ammonium sulfate 21-0-0. Achieving this nitrogen amount entails applying 5 pounds of product per 1000 square feet. Utilize a small scale to weigh the fertilizer in a bucket, then adjust your spreader accordingly to ensure precise application based on the amount used.

Once the bermudagrass/paspalum begins to outpace the ryegrass, it signals a successful transition. Don’t be alarmed if this occurs gradually or if certain areas pose occasional challenges; such occurrences are entirely normal, and with the advent of hotter temperatures, these gaps will swiftly fill in.

One often underestimated factor during transition is excessive watering. Overly watering the lawn can provide enough sustenance for the ryegrass to persist for several more weeks. While this may seem beneficial for imminent events, it isn’t conducive to the overall health of your grass. To expedite the process, reduce your watering regimen by 30-40% and allow the ryegrass to naturally thin out. Employing techniques such as raking, verticutting, and mowing shorter can also aid in removing excess grass, but adjusting your water usage will hasten the transition. I recommend watering no more than 3-4 times a week during this transitional period. Once the ryegrass has receded, a watering schedule of every other to every third day for 20-30 minutes should suffice during the summer months. Depending on your sprinkler nozzles and soil composition, you may need to run longer irrigation cycles to ensure water penetrates 6-8 inches into the soil. You can verify this by probing the ground with a screwdriver; if it meets resistance in the top four inches, it indicates the lawn requires more watering.

Maintaining Your Lawn Without Overseeding (Exiting Dormancy)

Just as with overseeded turf, now is an opportune moment to revitalize your lawn with fertilizer. We recommend applying ammonium sulfate 21-0-0 for bermuda grass. Ensure you water these products in for ten minutes after application.

Temperatures are still relatively cool, so you’ll notice some growth but not enough the need of a summer watering schedule just yet. For the next month or until temperatures consistently reach 95 degrees, there’s no need to water more than a couple of mornings a week. The cooler mornings offer respite to your lawn, and if you don’t observe dry spots or footprints lingering in your lawn, there’s no urgency to water. To gauge the moisture content in the leaves, simply walk over the lawn and observe if the grass springs back up. If the lawn appears bluish-gray and footprints are slow to disappear, consider watering the following day.

Summer weeds have begun to emerge, and they can proliferate rapidly if left unchecked. We recommend staying vigilant by manually removing them whenever feasible and spot spraying with 2,4-D when their numbers become excessive. When dealing with clover, opt for a product containing the active ingredient Trichlopyr. As with all herbicides, it’s imperative to meticulously read and adhere to the label instructions. Excessive herbicide application can prove highly detrimental to your lawn.

You don’t need to verticut or power rake until summer, but now is an opportune time to aerate if compaction is a concern. Many companies offer aerification services for around $250 per 1000 square feet. Prices may vary depending on location, but this is a rough average to consider.