Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)
What does it look like?
A vivid, candy-apple green color is this grass' hallmark, and it features a wide leaf blade that comes to a point. Its leaves are glossy on the bottom side, and the plant is often red at the base or crown.
How does it grow?
Annual ryegrass has shallow roots and spreads only by tillers. It will establish itself often in little more than 20 days.
How does it rate for the average homeowner?
Its ability to provide quick, green growth makes annual ryegrass very popular with contractors, but homeowners beware! It only lives for one season. That means it comes up in the spring or fall of one year, but will be gone the next. What's left is bare ground, weeds, and all the work of starting a new lawn!
In what kinds of climates / conditions does it flourish / languish?
Annual ryegrass does best in fall and spring when temperatures are cool and in the summer when temperatures are moderate, not hot.
Does this kind of grass mix well with other grasses?
The wide leaf of this grass makes it somewhat incompatible with Kentucky bluegrass and fine-leafed fescues. And while it can be used to over seed dormant Bermuda grass, the turf quality is not as high as with Perennial ryegrass.
Unique qualities:
- Only lasts one season
- Good for temporary cover
- Does not develop thatch
- Very fast to establish (3-7 days to sprout)
Recommended grass height, fertilizer rate, amount of water:
- Mowing ranges between 1.5-4.0 inches. Grass does well at 3-4 inch mowing height. Do not mow below 1 inch.
- Fertilize with 3-4 lbs total Nitrogen applied per 1,000 square feet annually.
- Water 1-2 inches per week during summer months to keep actively growing.
