Perennial Ryegrass – Not Perennial in Georgia

Q: I planted perennial ryegrass four weeks ago and it is so beautiful. Is there any way I could keep it coming back every year?

A: Perennial ryegrass is perennial in areas where summer temperatures don’t go much over 80 degrees. It is not perennial in Georgia because our summers are too hot and humid. If you use it to protect the soil from erosion in winter, it’s best to kill it with glyphosate (Roundup, etc) in May and plant grasses that are perennial, like bermudagrass, zoysiagrass or centipedegrass in its stead.