News Flash

The City of Allen’s athletic fields will be temporarily closed for overseeding in preparation of the fall season.

Allen’s sports fields that are used for late fall and early spring sports are overseeded with ryegrass, so when the bermudagrass becomes dormant and brown during the winter months, the fields remain green.

The ryegrass turf grows in the dormant bermudagrass base, providing a playing surface that is safe, green and able to recover from traffic. The ryegrass can also be striped with a mower to produce an aesthetically pleasing field. The ryegrass, if dense enough, will also compete with winter weeds like Poa annua.

The transition from bermudagrass to ryegrass in the fall and then the reverse transition from ryegrass back to bermudagrass in the late spring can be a challenging process, requiring a strong knowledge and understanding of both grasses and how they respond to irrigation, fertility, cultivation, growth regulators and mowing. In addition, soil and air temperatures have to be monitored closely.

Allen Parks and Recreation staff begins the overseeding process months in advance of the actual seeding by completing various mechanical processes to prepare the seed bed in the turf. The mechanical process consists of verticutting and vacuuming the thatch (dead grass) from the playing surface and then topdressing with sand. This process opens up the existing bermudagrass to allow seed to soil contact. 

Seed germination takes 5 to 7 days while maintaining a strict watering schedule. The Allen Parks and Recreation Department closes the athletic fields for two weeks during overseeding to allow seed germination, seed growth, reduced watering and mowing before the fields open for play. Overseeding occurs once a year in late September to early October.

Athletic Field Closure Schedule