Annual Ryegrass

[brooklyn1]

Critter salad.

[gloria.p]

I'm not disagreeing with Brooklyn but it could also be due to the heat and drought.

gloria p

[Fran]

No, sorry, critters aren't the real issue - annual rye grass is a cool weather grass that dies as soon as it has gone to seed. It may come back from seed next year, depending on water, etc. I live in NC, and can tell you that you have a few options -

1) bermuda grass - it is completely dormant in the winter, and green once it warms up to ~50 F in the spring. It's aggresive and will spread everywhere there is enough light. 2) fescue - it needs a fair amount of water in the heat of the summer, but thrives in spring and fall. It needs to be frequently cut at 2.5

- 3" to thrive and look its best.

3)zoysia - it does not need anywhere near as much mowing as the other two, but also spreads everywhere.

[James]

I have a vacation cabin in the mountains of NC, at 4200 feet elevation.

In early June, I planted annual ryegrass, in a partly shaded area. It came up in about 15-20 days, and was *real* thick and green.

We then left the mountain and returned in early August. The ryegrass was all gone !!

Why didn't the grass last all summer? Did it have enough sunlight to germinate, but then die back because of too much shade ?

There was a drought of several weeks in early July, but that was after the seed had germinated, and looked good.

What is the most likely reason the ryegrass was strong and thick in early June, but totally gone by early August ?

Thanks !!

James

[James]

Hmmmmmmmmmm... you think a lot of common critters eat ryegrass ? What type of critters might do this ?

I had not thought of this, but it is food for thought...

James

[James]

Fran, you don't mean to imply that it is "normal" for annual rye grass to grow for three weeks and then die ?? I doubt many folks would use it if this were normal....

I do think the heat and semi-drought was the most likely cause....

thanks everyone !!

James

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annual rye grass is a cool weather grass that dies as soon as it has gone to seed.

[FarmI]

That is what annual ryegrass does.

It sounds like you are confusing annual ryegrass with perennial ryegrass.

[David Hare-Scott]

James, Fran actually knows this stuff.

David

[David Hare-Scott]

I just realized there are two Frans one explicit the other cloaked. The message is the same.

D

[Frank]

Deer will eat grass but it would not be a favorite food and in the summer, the whole world is one big salad bar to them. I, too, doubt that critters are your problem.

[brooklyn1]

If not grass what do you think is the main diet of deer during summer, and rye grass is one of their favorites... rabbits love it too, so do woodchucks, and of course Canada geese. Dairy farmers plant rye grass as a forage crop. Foraging critters will eat most anything green but rye grass is a favorite. In early August in South Carolina it wouldn't have gotten cold enough to kill off annual rye. And I know from living most of my life on Long Island that rye grass handles drought very well. Unless yoose can prove with eyeball documentation that the rye grass disappeared otherwise I'm sticking to critters. The deer near the cabin likely wouldn't have eaten the grass while someone was living there but be certain they were just waiting for an opportunity... and then yoose left... that grass patch probably lasted maybe three days.

[James]

Emilie, that is very interesting !! thank you !

James

-------------------------------- James yes this is true. Annual rye is used with a Bermuda lawn to give a green look thru winter. Bermuda is used in Hot summer areas, but it goes brown and dormant over winter. AnnRye is seeded in early fall and is green over winter until hot weather arrives, then it dies. It is seeded right into the bermuda.

So if you seeded it in June, there wasn't much time left for a cool weather grass to live.

Emilie

[kate]

I usually use annual rye, often called winter rye here, as a cover crop. If I get it in early enough - late September say, I will usually have a lovely mini field of rye over the winter.

Kate mid TN

[FarmI]

Well I'm not really trying to be 'cloaked' as lots of people know my name is Fran :-)). Only one ng I post to has the sort of environment where posters are expected to put a sig on their posts - sadly I usually forget to do it.

[FarmI]

When you say 'cover crop' do you mean that you use it as a green manure? It's good for green manure.

[David Hare-Scott]

You only post to one "serious" NG? Which is that? What is this then?

D

[brooklyn1]

[kate]

Yes, that's what i mean. And it's pretty, too!

>

[Bill who putters]

Info on tomatoes from above site.

OR

[FarmI]

I wouldn't call it a 'serious' ng (at least it's no more serious than this one given that it similalry involves people with a passion for their pastime), but it's the only one where the other posters like to know a name.

It's a craft based group and the same people have been posting there since the year dot so know each other well. Most ngs have the sort of environment where posters don't give a rat's posterior what a person is called.