Will Mixing Lawn Seeds Together Make the Ideal Lawn?

Q. Is it possible to mix Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and Bermuda for year-round greenery and thickness in a lawn?

This is the textural difference between Kentucky bluegrass and an old fashioned tall fescue, probably Kentucky 31.

A. The short answer is no. But if you are satisfied with a hodge-podge for a lawn that will slowly change over to Bermudagrass in full sun, or where irrigation is weak, then this combo is fine. It depends on the level of quality you are willing to accept in a lawn. Most people want a beautiful lawn and this approach will not produce a beautiful lawn.

This is a winter picture of bermudagrass (brown) that has invaded tall fescue lawn area. The irrigated area is too narrow to support lawn grasses and the mowing height was probably short enough to encourage bermudagrass growth. Its the winter so bermudagrass is dormant.

            I understand the temptation. Our valley and the Mojave Desert lie in what is called the transition zone for grasses used for lawns in the US. The transition zone in southern Nevada is not too cold for warm season grasses like Bermudagrass and not too hot for the heat tolerant Kentucky bluegrasses, perennial ryegrasses and tall fescue. The transition zone is a perfect place to grow all the grasses but grow them poorly.

This is an old map from the Lawn Institute (no longer available online) showing the basic turfgrass growing regions. Green is best for growing cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass. The red zone is best for the warm season grasses like bermudagrass and centipedegrass. The yellow zone is ours...the transition zone where both types of grasses will grow.

            These grasses are not managed the same either. Common bermudagrass can be mowed less than an inch, hybrid bermudagrass less than half an inch. But Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue should be mowed at least 2 inches tall. Perennial ryegrass has the most versatile mowing height since it can be mown as low as hybrid Bermuda or as tall as bluegrass or fescue. Your selection of a mowing height will favor grasses that grow best at those heights.

Turfgrasses for Urban Mojave Desert Landscapes

            The winter months favor the cool season grasses like bluegrass, ryegrass and fescues. The summer months favor the warm season grasses like Bermuda. But bermudagrass is aggressive and will choke out other grasses unless you do something about it. This will require work and money on your part.

Lawn Establishment in the Mojave Desert

            Golf courses in Las Vegas were pioneers in using a mix of hybrid Bermuda and heat tolerant perennial ryegrass together during the 1990s. But this mixture was managed yearly. If it weren’t, the Bermudagrass would take over. The Bermudagrass was thinned out and heat tolerant perennial ryegrass, like Palmer and Prelude varieties, were sown back into it in the Fall. These management practices guaranteed a solid stand of Bermuda and rye during the summer months.

Maintaining Tall Fescue in the Urban Mojave Desert Landscape

Maintaining Bermudagrass Lawns in the Mojave Desert