Yes it is cause for celebration when we drop down to the low 90s...in late October. The big thing you have going for you in Sacramento is the unfettered sea breeze. The fact that you were able to do it once and have it look that nice says it can be done...unless that was right after you seeded. New seed is pretty resilient until the heat kicks in. Bermuda is like a predator and will continue to invade. There is simply no getting around that. If you can kill it, please report back with specifics. I forgot to respond to your watering plan for this year. I would not rely on soil moisture sensors. They may be better than I think, but what really works is visually inspecting the grass. When the grass looks wilty, it needs water. I have been doing an experiment in my lawn since Oct of 2011. That is when I stopped mowing. The idea is to see how long it can go without water. This lawn is on the edge of the Texas desert where temps run just over/under 100 degrees for several months. There is still one shady spot in my lawn where I have not provided supplemental water for 16 months. I'm not sure how deep the roots go there, but the surface soil has to be dry as a bone. Still the grass looks pretty good (for 30-inch tall grass). The point is you need to watch the grass, not the soil. Deep watering and tall grass promotes deep rooting. Deep roots can draw moisture from deeper in the soil for a longer time. Thus deep watering on an infrequent basis is the mantra.

The NTEP site for WA lists 06 data. Here are a few and I'd say any blend with 1 or more of these cultivars would be pretty good. ASP6002 (BPR), CABO II (IS-PR 233), DELAWARE XL (PICK 01-2), CALYPSO 3 (MS2), APR 1648, GRAY STAR (PST-2LGL), PLEASURE SUPREME (PM 103), CUTTER II (PM 101), PM 102, ASP6005 (AJM), D04-11T,FIESTA 4 (PICK F4), HALO (KN42), PALACE (IS-PR 273), SR 4600 (SRX 4SP), SUNSHINE 2, ASP6003 (TRS), D04-1667, DP 17-9499,EXACTA II GLSR (LTP-611-GLSR),GL-2, MACH I, PRESIDIO (CNV), TR47, 1G SQUARED (APR 1664), ASP6004 (EXS54),ASP6006 (LPFG),BAR LP 4920, DERBY XTREME (IS-PR 268),GALATTI (DP 17-9502), MMW, PIZZAZZ, EDGE II (AC2), FIREBOLT (PRG HS-01-09), GPR, HOMERUN (RG3P),KOKOMO II (IS-PR 235),LINE DRIVE GLS (APR 1797),PALMER IV, SILVER DOLLAR ,AMAZING GS (IS-PR 276),BUENA VISTA, CHARISMATIC II GLSR (LTP-PG-GLSR However I'd take the NTEP ratings carefully. If you check the maintenance schedule it may not match how you keep the grass. I have a bag of Lesco's certified rye blend on hand for the fall, so I can't report specifically on it now, but will next spring.

It's a long shot. It's highly unlikely that rye would starve bermuda of water or nutrients to the point of death. The reason it's brown is because it requires high nitrogen fertilizer like turfbuilder or lesco 39-0-0 every 30 days approximately. It also requires frequent mowing once fertilized to prevent scalping which will turn it brown. The sod farmers want you to know that bermuda is drought tolerant. And this is true. It tolerates drought. But that doesn't mean it will be green during a drought. It means it will grow back when the rain returns. In fact you can spray your lawn with roundup 7 times and have it dormant or without leaves for nearly a year and it will still come back. IF you've done all of this then perhaps you had too much cold weather for the type of bermuda that you planted and it died from that. Also unlikely in tenn.

+1 bpgreen. They have different habits, growth rates, water requirements, and fertilizer requirements, too. There's nothing wrong with mixing them, but the results to a Lawn Whacko are somewhat disappointing. The average person would probably be fairly pleased. Bluegrass lawns require tremendous patience, and even the patient get IMpatient when Day 12 dawns and the stupid lawn has maybe ten percent color and you're pouring water on it and the weather refuses to cooperate... But I digress. :-) I know I just have to wait and in another week to 10 days I should have the start of a nice lawn. Now imagine that in the average Joe or Josephine. Joe isn't going to tolerate that, he microwaves his dinner and wants the lawn NOW. Hence the ryegrass, which pops up in five to seven days tops compared to KBG's 14 to 21 days. At that point, Joe stops watering (we're talking the average person here) and gets some of the KBG but not all of it. That's OK, the rye does well enough. Rye also fights chemical wars with surrounding plants to make sure it's the only thing growing. It can't kill an established plant, but it will keep other seeds from germinating. New rye probably doesn't do a good job at that, but future overseeding with anything but rye becomes difficult. Look up "alleopathy" if you're interested in learning more.