Overseeding ryegrass in NZ: can NZLA Perennial Rye and Midnight Dark Rye be mixed successfully?
Has anyone had great results with the colour contrast with reseeding with midnight rye on a standard PRG lawn with the sheds of colour? More importantly does it good nice. Cheers
A lot of people (myself included) go for Midnight Dark Rye for a couple of reasons. First is the consistent colour across the whole lawn, and second is the uniform leaf blade. Everything looks the same, which I actually really like. It also makes spotting unwanted grasses a lot easier early on.
With your current PRG, you’ve already got a blend of three cultivars. By overseeding with MDR, you’re effectively adding a fourth, and one that’s noticeably darker. That’s where things can start to look mismatched.
I don’t personally know anyone who’s done that specific mix and been happy with it long term. I do know people who’ve blended NZLA Dark Perennial Rye (which is already a darker multi-cultivar mix) with MDR and had great results, but that’s because the colours are already quite close.
Personally, I wouldn’t do it. If you’re chasing that darker, more uniform look, the cleanest way is to bite the bullet, kill it off, and start again with a single cultivar, which is exactly what I ended up doing.
Blends definitely have their place though. They’re generally more resilient, if one cultivar struggles with disease, the others can carry it. A lot of work goes in to getting blends right.
@Jonny Hicks I was toying yo idea to re seed in spring on my dark rye with midnight… talk me out of it or green light go for it??
@Emm Andrews Dark Rye already contains 30% MDR so you're not really doing much adding more MDR, other than making it a bit darker. I would just stick to the same seed or completely swap to MDR.
@Jonny Hicks Thanks so much for the in depth feedback. Also know that the standard PRG is 3 varieties. I’ll go for the suggestion and reseed with Dark Rye and if I bite the bullet for the full Reno with Midnight. Thanks so much 😊