Question
Hi C.J.
I live in Los Angeles and have a mostly marathon "evergreen" lawn, but in the
winter it gets a bit pale and thin.  This year, I tossed some winter rye on it
and it germinated nicely, but now it's looking a bit muddy and tired.  Did I
make a huge mistake in seeding a marathon lawn with winter rye? (I used to
do it on St Augustine lawns in my past homes when they were dormant, but
thought it was ok to do it on a Marathon lawn at this house as well.)  Did I kill
my Marathon lawn, or will it come back in the spring?
Thanks for your time!
Stan

Answer
Hi Stan,

Nah, you didn't hurt anything by throwing down some Rye. it's likely other factors that are causing the muddiness.  The northern grasses, even Tall Fescues just don't make the same thick carpet that southern grasses do. St. Augustine is far thicker, more naturally.

Your lawn is just growing slower, and is less able to recuperate from stresses. This leads to muddiness. That's part of the cooler temperatures.

Unless there's something else going on that I can't see, that's probably the deal. I'd just recommend trying to limit foot traffic as much as possible so the damage won't be as significant.

Good luck Stan!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com