October is overseeding time at Fountain Park and that requires many changes to the irrigation scheduling for about a month. The shorter days and cooler temperatures of the fall and winter months cause Bermudagrass to go into hibernation. By overseeding with Ryegrass, we enjoy green grass within Fountain Park all winter long.
What is overseeding?
Here in the southwest, we grow two types of grasses to maintain that beautiful green year-round. During the hot, hot summers we grow a warm season turf called Hybrid Bermudagrass, then during our cool winters we grow a cool season grass, Ryegrass. Ryegrass is most commonly found in established lawns in the north half of the country.
What does the overseeding process look like?
With more than 30 acres of grass, this process takes several weeks to cut back the Bermudagrass to make room for the Ryegrass to grow in. A process called scalping occurs on the existing Bermudagrass, with the spreading of Ryegrass seed and fertilizer to plant the seed in the soil. Sufficient watering must occur to germinate and allow the Ryegrass to become established since we see very little rain. During overseeding, the Ryegrass seed must remain moist during the day to optimize germination in the warm sunshine, if allowed to dry out the tender seedlings will die.
How will overseeding impact my daily walks around our beautiful fountain?
For successful grow-in of the Ryegrass, our overseeding watering schedule operates throughout the day, beginning just after sunrise at 7am and continues through the afternoon until 7pm. With more than 30 acres of turf to keep wet, our irrigation system operates four cycles per day through more than 200 valve zones that run over 1,000 sprinklers which takes multiple hours per cycle. As a result, it is likely irrigation will be in operation during peak park usage times and will cause the walking path to be wet and potentially slippery.
During overseeding, the Town encourages park users to walk carefully, remembering that wet sidewalks can be slick. This schedule is only temporary, and staff will resume standard nighttime irrigation cycles by early November. Signage is posted around the park with the irrigation information. Rest assured staff will be keeping a close eye on progress with the hope that this temporary inconvenience is offset by the green grass we enjoy year-round.