Fall is just around the corner and DLC is preparing your common areas for the seasonal change. Overseeding is scheduled for the end of September.

Crews are dropping mow heights and cutting back on irrigation water to prepare the turf. After overseed, we will be irrigating during the daytime hours, with varying start times, to help the new Ryegrass seeds germinate.

We continue to clean up from the summer monsoons, clearing out silt and debris to prevent erosion and removing any damage, such as broken tree branches.  We are currently assessing the trees at Eastmark that were damaged by storms and working on a plan for replacement.

The monsoons allowed us to reduce our irrigation usage in July and August, saving your community money. We are running regular assessments of your irrigation system to check that it is functioning properly. We are also cleaning your drip filters along Signal Butte Road.

Our maintenance crews are into their fourth cycle of tree pruning in your streetscapes. This will reduce the risk of pests and storm damage.

Cycle work continues, as crews are trimming any overgrown trees and shrubs and cleaning up fallen bean pods. We are currently trimming shrubs in your parks.

The rain, humidity and falling temperatures are friendly to weeds and our spray technicians are treating any growth with post-emergent herbicide as needed.

DLC will be giving an educational talk on the topic of arbor management at Eastmark on September 13th from 6:00-8:00pm. We hope to see you there.

More about overseeding
The return of cooler temperatures marks a major milestone for turf landscape in the desert. It’s the time that those who want to maintain green turf in parks and lawns through the winter need to overseed Bermuda grass with winter Ryegrass.

Overseeding is the process of transitioning summer Bermuda grass out and bringing in winter Ryegrass. We overseed because Bermuda grass grows well in the summer but goes dormant during the winter months.

Dormant Bermuda grass has a brown, blonde, straw like appearance and will remain that way until spring. Ryegrass however, stays green and vibrant through the cooler months, then dies out with the summer heat.

When DLC starts to overseed, typically the irrigation in the turf areas is reduced by half and mow heights are lowered to suppress the growth of the Bermuda and open up the soil for the Ryegrass. In addition, the turf is aerated to help the ground receive additional water and nutrients.

After that, the Ryegrass seed is laid down. As the grass germinates, we will be watering frequently to keep the delicate seed bed moist. We encourage you not to walk or play on these areas as the grass germinates and until the new grass receives its first mow, typically in 3 to 4 weeks.

To learn more about overseeding, type in “overseed” in the handy search function located at the top right of the DLC Learning Center.