Rye Grass
 

I'm strongly considering digging up the St Augustine grass in a small fenced in side yard and replacing it with perennial rye grass. Love to hear from anyone who has had any experience with rye grass in TV. Does it stay green all year, is it ok in hot weather, etc.?

Here is a lot of info on rye grass...http://www.ryegrasses.com/

Definitely sounds like a "cool" weather grass to me. I think if "Perennial rye was the answer here in the Villages, more people would be using it...but I dont see that taking place....should say something.

I don't think it would survive the heat. It's a cool season grass that is why they overseed with it. Why not go zoysia and just live with the browning in the winter?

I thought one could only replace his grass with similiar grass. If one had St. Augustine grass he could only plant St. Augustine. Are we free to plant Rye grass if we so choose?

Rye grass is definetly a cold weather lawn cover. Another type of rye works really well down here. Rye whiskey.

hmmm. I've heard of smoking grass before. Never drinking it. :024:

Rye Grass
 

I have lived in Florida for twenty five years (near Tampa) and up until recently there were only two major grass varieties used in Central Florida. They are St Augustine and Bahia. They are very wide bladed grass which holds up very well to the heat of the summer and disease. People from the north sometimes look at this grass as undesirable because it reminds them of grab grass up north. Rye grass will not hold up to the summer heat or disease. Rye grass sometimes is used in the winter to make the grass greener and to give the grass a more fine textured appearance. Recently Zoysia grass form South America has been introduced into central Florida. I believe The Villages was a early user and introduced this on new construction about four years ago. It has been very successful. It is a much finer grass and looks more like the northern grasses. It is resistance to Cinch bugs and tolerates drought.

thanks Ray.

Thanks Ray, it's good to hear from a seasoned transplant. Please chime in when we newbies and wanabees need help, or even worse, dispense wrong information.

Most IRISH wiskey is rye wiskey.