Liquid Overseeding

This year we are joining in with a lot of other clubs who have been "tinting" their Bermuda for the winter.  This is a process of spraying a pigment on the grass prior to it going dormant and then making monthly applications throughout the winter to keep the bermudagrass green without overseeding it with ryegrass. This has several benefits over putting out ryegrass seed. It saves the money from the seed, fertilizer, water, labor and fuel to mow, etc...  It is also better for the bermudagrass transition out of dormancy in the spring. The bermuda won't have to compete with the ryegrass in the spring for sun or nutrients. The pigment also keeps the soil warmer and can help with a faster spring green up because of the warmer soil. 

We made our first application today of our pigment.  We are tinting our intermediate rough this year to give definition from our fairways and rough from the tees. If we get good feedback, maybe we can expand next year and do some larger areas. 

We have tried two different products and will continue to use the one we feel performs the best.  Pigments work different than paints or dyes. The pigments are actually absorbed by the plant and make the plant green from the inside instead of a paint or dye that just bonds to the outside of the leaf.  Paints and dyes wash off or wear off with rain or traffic.  Pigments last longer and give you a more realistic look. In some cases, it is hard to tell a difference from tinted grass and ryegrass.