Landscape: Time to Tend the Grass

LANDSCAPE — TIME TO TEND THE GRASS
Fall is here. This is the time to scalp the warm season lawns and overseed with a cool season turf blend. October is a key transitional month in the turf lifecycle. The warm season grasses begin to go dormant, which can cause lawns to look unhealthy and more brown. The lawns are not dead, but in order to keep the lawns looking lush and green, the warm season turf needs to be scalped and new cool season turf seed blend needs to be applied. Although the final results of this process look great, the process itself is somewhat lengthy and not aesthetically pleasing.
The scalping and overseeding this season will only apply to the front yard lawns maintained by the Association and will not include green belt areas as we continue to explore ways to save on water usage.
The dethatching and overseeding process is as follows:
■ The irrigation will be shut off in all lawn areas to allow them to dry out.
■ Lawns will be cut at the lowest motor setting possible and will leave the exposed dirt.
■ The lawns will be overseeded with a perennial rye blend.
■ In approximately one (1) month the seed will begin to germinate and there will be beautiful new grass.
■ During this one-month germination period, the water will be on several times a day in small increments each time.
As always, the grass will look bad for a little while, but once seeded and watered

LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE
By now our final big landscaping project of 2026 in
front of the clubhouse is complete. Over the coming months
we should see the new plants filling in and complimenting
the established landscaping. We are especially pleased to
see our Niguel Shores Dolphin Statue become a more prominent
feature.
The Landscape Committee is working with Harvest to
address areas of concern throughout the community. The
most noticeable problem is the amount of weeds, which is
not helped by the hot weather and the restrictions on using
pre-emergent weed preventers. Harvest will continue to use
its work force to combat the weeds.
We have also been preparing a proposal for our 2027
Landscape Committee Budget that will include improvements
around the community using the approved plant palette.
Focus areas are the entrance gates and monuments as
well as street entrances in the Custom Homes area.
We appreciate the interest many community members
have shown in wanting to help with our special project in
front of the Community Center. We will be in contact soon!
—Vicki Sheff