Last year I made reference to the colder temperature germinating ryegrass varieties and how effective they were. I am going to put further emphasis on this fact. We are watching some of these varieties germinate well into December. If you were to go on the belief that October 15th was the cutoff date for seeding you would be missing out on one very effective tool in the field manager’s arsenal. Seed is relatively inexpensive and to let bare areas in your field remain so all winter, without trying to encourage turf cover, will no doubt give you a stand of annual bluegrass – which is going backwards. So call your seed resource person and have them bring you up to speed on these cooler temperature germinating ryegrasses. The only drawback to seeding in the monsoon season is “not” rotting seed but seed going “down-stream”. It is for this reason that you want any seeding that is done to be pushed into the soil. Let the players do this with their cleats or again find a way to press it into the soil. I am well aware the freezing cold can damage some of the newly germinated seeds but surprising enough we still see good results when it thaws in the spring. You will be pleasantly encouraged with the results.