The Grass Doctor

When is the best time to plant winter rye grass seeds? I live in the southeast, South Carolina to be exact.?

Also, is there a better alternative to winter rye for a green lawn in the winter?

Public Comments

1. Winter rye can't take the heat. When the temperature is in the 70's (daytime)it will have the best chance or surviving. Rye grows very fast so I hope you like to cut grass often. I don't know of any other grasses but there might be. Rye is cheap and grows very easily and it does look very good in the winter when all other lawns are brown.
2. October. Check out this link even though it is not your state, lots of good info here: http://phoenix.about.com/od/desertplantsandflowers/a/wintergrass.htm
3. If you are planting the winter rye to use as a cover crop you may want to plant just a regular annual rye grass instead. I have seen people struggle in the spring trying to turn it under. Based on where you live I would think that the best time to plant would be last week of Sept. to the third week of Oct. This will give whatever grass you plant a chance to establish roots before the winter sets in. You could check with your local cooperative extension to get a more specific time frame. Good luck.
4. Live there too.. Check this link http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/turfgrassfaq2.html
5. Rye grass is the greenest grass you can find here in the south, Temperatures are good to know but, a rule of thumb would be once you warm season grass starts going dormant. For Bermuda or zoysia they turn yellow/brown. Also use perennial rye that is what is seen on golf courses. Just apply a little starter fertilizer the use the rates for coverage. Remember you can always apply more seed to fill in. If appling over bermuda you can spray out with round up before the bermuda starts to green up without harming the bermuda.
6. Overseeding should be done when the days are warm enough for the seed to grow and the nights are cool enough to reduce the incidence of disease. Thirty days before the first frost, when daytime highs are near 70 °F and nighttime lows are usually above 50 °F, is generally a good time to overseed. This usually corresponds to mid-September in upstate South Carolina and late September in the Midlands and Coastal regions. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) are generally used to overseed dormant warm-season lawns in South Carolina. Although cheaper, annual ryegrass is a second choice to perennial ryegrass, since perennial ryegrass has more desirable turf characteristics.