An appropriate turf area has it’s place in a xeriscape. I know this — but it’s still hard for me to plant grass in the desert. I am living in a house that once had wall-to-wall grass. Probably about 2500 square feet of it. And then it was neglected for a year. Meaning: no water. So, I probably don’t have to explain what happens when you fail to water in Phoenix but for those of you wondering, it decimates a landscape. Ideally, you have a landscape of natives that can handle low water situations. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.
So, I have a yard of mud.
About 1,500 square feet will get the desert adapted treatment. I have already planted a number of things that, once established, can live with little or no water. But the patchy Bermuda grass lawn will be someone else’s fight in the future. For now, I am going to plant winter grass and spend my water that way. I need all the help I can get against the muddy paw syndrome that has plagued us! I’ll keep you posted.
I bought perennial rye seed and used a hand spreader. I am using a combination of Kellogg seed topper and grass clippings as the seed cover. The irrigation system is not up to the job so I bought a series of sprinklers and a timer to do the three waterings a day that it will need for the next week or so.
