Annual Ryegrass Italian Ryegrass

Annual Ryegrass is a cool-season grass whose scientific name is Lolium multiflorum. This type of grass germinates very fast and as a result, quickly establishes itself. Some gardeners will use this grass type as a temporary planting to have a quick lawn. This type of grass will last for one year only and does not tolerate cold or heat very well. It can also grow in clumps that do not make for a nice looking lawn. It has a relatively poor to medium shade tolerance and also needs lots of water to keep it growing and looking healthy.

Annual Ryegrass – Fertilizer

You should plan on .3 to .5 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per growing month. This will keep the grass healthy for the season. Gardeners can mow this grass to a height of 1.5 to 2 inches in height, longer during dry conditions.

This type of grass is not recommended if you want that golf course smooth green look to your lawn. Annual Ryegrass does not mow cleanly and as mentioned only lasts for one year at the most. In areas where summer grass is replaced by winter grass, ryegrass is sometimes used to create a quick lawn to be replaced later by permanent grass.