Annual Ryegrass

 

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

 

wrote:


Critter salad.

 

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 wrote:

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

gloria p

 

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.


wrote: