Homeowners, HOAs, businesses and golf courses are encouraged to skip overseeding lawns this fall. It’s a longstanding practice in the Coachella Valley but can be wasteful and unnecessary, especially during the ongoing drought.
Let your lawn go dormant to conserve water and save on seed and extra lawn maintenance. When watered once a month from November to February, most dormant grass grown in the desert will thrive again in the spring.
Also, consider these:
- Current water restrictions prohibit spray irrigation during daylight hours.
- Extra water needed for overseeding can boost your water bill into higher tiers with costly penalties.
- Scalping grass before reseeding kicks up dust, dried grass and pollen into the air causing health problems for some.
- Irrigating nonfunctional turf (decorative mowed grass) is prohibited at commercial, industrial, institutional sites and HOAs. Areas used for recreation or civic events or areas with trees are exempt. Click here for more information on non-functional turf.
Rather than overseeding, take advantage of CVWD’s turf conversion rebate program that gives customers $3 per square foot to replace grass with low-water use, desert-friendly landscaping or artificial turf, CVWD.org/rebates.
For gardeners who insist on overseeding, CVWD offers guidelines to help save water.
Other key suggestions include:
- Wait to overseed until mid-November when cooler temperatures call for less water.
- Overseed a small area instead of the entire lawn.
- Water just enough to keep the seeds moist, not soaked.
- Check sprinklers for leaks and proper operation.
- Schedule irrigation time into more frequent two-or three-minute cycles to reduce the chances of wasteful runoff.
- Limit irrigation once seeds sprout.
For more conservation tips: CVWD.org/conservation.
