Establishing Winter Lawns Sometime the occasion arises when it is just too late in the fall for the establishment of the desired turf species. Many people do not appreciate the brown color of the warm-season grasses during the winter months and prefer to have something green. The ryegrasses are well suited to take care of these two problems. There are two types of ryegrass grown for lawns in Mississippi. It also is referred to as Italian ryegrass.
Annual ryegrass is quick to germinate and is often used to overseed the warm-season grasses.
The warm-season turf is sometimes vertically mowed lightly to allow the ryegrass seed to get good soil contact, but the seed is often just spread on top of the established turf and watered in. Annual ryegrass is lighter green and slightly coarser than perennial ryegrass. It does not act as a perennial in Mississippi, however. Perennial ryegrass is finer leaved and darker green than annual and is the preferred grass for overseeding athletic fields. Planting time is important in ryegrass establishment.