When searching for the best grass for your lawn, what do you look for?
Ryegrass is a common turfgrass among many homeowners due to its pros. It germinates quickly and can also handle foot traffic. But wait, there’s more.
If you’re considering seeding your lawn with ryegrass, here are some pros and cons of ryegrass you might want to keep in mind.
Contents
- What Does Ryegrass Look Like?
- Pros and Cons of Ryegrass
- What are the Pros of Ryegrass?
- 1. Fast Germination Rate
- 2. High Traffic Tolerance
- 3. Ryegrass Chokes Out Weeds
- 4. Ryegrass Is Good for the Soil.
- 5. Ryegrass Helps Clean the Air
- 6. Ryegrass Adapts Well to Different Soils
- 7. It Is a Good Nurse Grass.
- 8. Ryegrass can tolerate shady areas
- What are the Pros of Ryegrass?
- 1. Ryegrass May Be Difficult to Kill in Spring.
- 2. Some Varieties Don’t Make It Through the Winter.
- 3. It Can Be Difficult to Mow.
- 4. Ryegrass can affect other grasses
- 5. Ryegrass requires constant care and maintenance
- FAQs on Pros and Cons of Ryegrass
- Does winter ryegrass die in the summer?
- When does annual ryegrass die?
- Is ryegrass good for lawns?
- What benefits does ryegrass offer to your yard?
- Author
What Does Ryegrass Look Like?
Ryegrass is an aggressive cool-season grass that thrives in coastal areas with moderate year-round temperatures.
From a glance, it’s easy to identify ryegrass due to its growth pattern(clumps/bunches). Its leaves are narrow and bright in color.
The back of the leaves is extremely shiny compared to the front, and the tips are tapered. Ryegrass’s base (below ground) is generally reddish-purple, with seedlings leaking a clear sap when crushed.
Ryegrass has a medium texture with parallel leaf margins. It is a bunch-type grass, which grows in clusters and spreads through secondary shoots or tillers.
Mature ryegrass can grow up to 2 feet tall if not mowed.
There are various species of ryegrass, namely:
- Perennial Ryegrass
- Annual Ryegrass
- Wild Ryegrass
- Cereal Ryegrass
- Marshall Ryegrass
- Italian Ryegrass
The most common species found in lawns are perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass. However, annual ryegrass is not commonly used since it only has a durability of about a year, after which it dies out.
Pros and Cons of Ryegrass
What are the Pros of Ryegrass?
1. Fast Germination Rate
The germination period for ryegrass ranges between 5-10 days when the soil is adequately prepared and has sufficient moisture. If you’re looking for quick results over a short period, ryegrass is the perfect candidate for your lawn.
Provided the growing conditions are right, perennial ryegrass can go from seed to mowable lawn in under 23 days.
Speaking of growth, ryegrass requires at least 60 to 90 ample days for development before first snow kicks in to survive through winter.
2. High Traffic Tolerance
Unlike other species of grass, ryegrass has a high tolerance to wear. Ryegrass can maintain its quality even when exposed to frequent traffic. It is used in golf courses and tennis courts for this quality.
This implies that your lawn will still look visually appealing even after your kids and pets play on it.
Due to its fine-bladed characteristic, it can handle both human traffic, animal traffic, and car traffic. It is, therefore, suitable for areas experiencing high traffic or areas most frequented, such as sports fields, parks, and relaxing grounds.
Also read: Creative outdoor golf statues
3. Ryegrass Chokes Out Weeds
Ryegrass has a fast growth rate, enabling it to outdo and even outgrow stubborn lawn weeds. Hence, ryegrass offers your lawn a natural solution against unwanted plants and most common weeds found in lawns.
So planting ryegrass means cutting down on herbicides for a while.
Due to its fast growth rate, it forms a ground cover over a huge land area in a short duration of time. If mixed with a sod species like Kentucky Bluegrass, you don’t have to worry about weeds on your lawn.
Also read: What herbicide will eliminate everything except Bermuda?
4. Ryegrass Is Good for the Soil.
Ryegrass can be said to be an ambassador against soil erosion. It grows fast in a short period, thereby spreading its roots deep into the soil. The roots hold the soil together, preventing it from being carried away by water.
Apart from preventing soil erosion, ryegrass also enhances the soil’s nitrogen content.
What’s more, it also improves soil aeration through its root system that breaks down the hard soil surface creating small perforations that air can fit through.
As you know, compacted soil can hinder plants growth due to poor drainage that can cause lawn fungus.
Besides, when ryegrass dies, it creates organic matter, contributing to healthy soil.
5. Ryegrass Helps Clean the Air
Just like other plants, ryegrass also undergoes the process of respiration, whereby it takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen into the atmosphere that is useful to humans and animals.
6. Ryegrass Adapts Well to Different Soils
Ryegrass performs well in most soil types and can be used in lawns to overseed other grass types. Ryegrass is a cool-season grass that germinates relatively fast.
Therefore, it is used in winter to overseed other lawn grasses to preserve the green color in lawns.
Also read: Perennial ryegrass compared to Kentucky bluegrass
7. It Is a Good Nurse Grass.
A nurse grass is a grass species with a fast germination and growth rate that you can plant together with another grass species with a slow germination speed to protect it in order to increase its germination potential.
Ryegrass makes for a perfect nurse grass due to its fast germination rate. It offers shade to the other grass species as they germinate and helps choke out weeds.
8. Ryegrass can tolerate shady areas
Perennial ryegrass can be your solution if your yard has a lot of shades. This grass can tolerate shade and can grow in constant direct sunlight.
However, it can turn brown in areas with scorching sun. In this case, you may need to water it daily to maintain the green color.
What are the Pros of Ryegrass?
As much as Ryegrass has many advantages, it also has a few demerits that might make you opt for another type of grass for your lawn. Here are a few you should know.
1. Ryegrass May Be Difficult to Kill in Spring.
When the weather is warmer and wetter during spring, some ryegrass species adapt even better than during winter. This will give you tiresome work when you decide to eliminate the grass from your lawn, especially when you want to plant a different species of grass.
This is because ryegrass grows in clumps, and these clumps produce seeds fast. Since the seeds have a short germination period, the seeds would have sprouted in just a matter of days. This cycle is usually tiresome and difficult to end.
Also read: Best herbicide for dandelions safe for lawn grass
2. Some Varieties Don’t Make It Through the Winter.
Ryegrass have fair resistance to cold but can be damaged by harsh blizzards and extreme winters. During winter, the temperatures can get extremely low, below the optimum temperature that can support the survival of the grass.
Especially for older grass that has reduced resistance to cold, they may die before the winter ends.
3. It Can Be Difficult to Mow.
Ryegrass stems are tough, which means they can give your lawnmower blade a hard time, especially if it’s not well sharpened. To mow ryegrass efficiently, make sure to sharpen your mower blade properly before cutting your lawn.
4. Ryegrass can affect other grasses
As you are aware, ryegrass is a highly competitive grass. Thus, when grown with other grasses, it can hinder their growth. Due to its rapid growth, other turf grasses will not develop well. They can even die due to lack of enough nutrients, water, and sunlight.
5. Ryegrass requires constant care and maintenance
While ryegrass is tough, it requires constant maintenance to keep it healthy. You’ll need to have a proper planting, watering, mowing, and fertilization schedule.
Besides, you’ll need to overseed regularly to improve its appearance, which can cost you a lot of money.
FAQs on Pros and Cons of Ryegrass
Does winter ryegrass die in the summer?
Winter ryegrass performs well in moderate temperatures. But it cannot survive in areas with extreme heat or cold.
Even though this grass can become dormant during extreme temperatures, it will eventually die.
When does annual ryegrass die?
Annual ryegrass is likely to die when the temperatures are above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides, it can last about 8 weeks during the colder months.
But during adverse temperatures, ryegrass becomes dormant slowly and eventually dies. However, you can reseed this grass after the dry season and still get a lush, green lawn.
Is ryegrass good for lawns?
Ryegrass is a cool-season grass that can grow in different types of soil. Its fine texture and good color make it a good solution for lawns. Besides, it grows fast.
Thus, your lawn will look beautiful throughout the year. Apart from this, ryegrass can tolerate high foot traffic. As you know, pets and kids love playing on the grass.
In this case, you may need grass that can recover quickly. Ryegrass provides a durable playing surface, making it perfect for lawns.
Also, ryegrass can tolerate shades. Thus, if you own trees and tall buildings, you can consider this grass. However, if you want a permanent lawn, ryegrass is not a good option because it dies each year.
What benefits does ryegrass offer to your yard?
Ryegrass dies annually. But it flourishes in the early spring and late fall. During these seasons, it grows fast and forms a thick, green lawn.
This cool-season grass offers many benefits.
Here are 6 benefits of ryegrass
1. It is durable, making it a perfect fit for areas with high traffic.
2. It is a natural solution for controlling weeds
3. It establishes quickly
4. It prevents soil erosion
5. It improves the soil structure
6. Ryegrass dies when the temperature rises, allowing you to return to warm-season grasses easily.
Ultimately, ryegrass is a good turf grass if you’re just looking for a quick solution to cover up your lawn.
In winter, you can also overseed ryegrass in other turfgrasses to keep your lawn green during the cold days.
Despite the cons listed above, ryegrass is still a great option to homeowners for good-looking, low-maintenance turf grass, especially in the cold season.
