Perennial Ryegrass – In Bermudagrass

Q: I am terribly frustrated trying to figure this situation out. I have a problem with green grass coming up in my dormant bermudagrass sod. Last year it progressively got worse – to where in January it looked like the whole yard had been overseeded.

A: Good thing you sent me several pictures. I can’t identify green grass blades coming up in dormant bermudagrass but you gave me a nice view of the base of the plant. The purple stem near the root tells me this is perennial ryegrass.

My bet is that the sod was originally overseeded with perennial rye before it was installed as your lawn. Over time, most of the ryegrass has died out but some of it has survived.

Neither annual ryegrass or perennial ryegrass can survive very long in Atlanta summer heat. But as its name implies, perennial ryegrass is more likely to persist a couple of years.

I don’t think you need to do anything about the situation. The rye will not likely survive next summer.

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