Yeah I have to agree with Texas-weed. A shorter summer means the Bermuda has less time to recover before going dormant again so it is definitely more risky to overseed with rye the shorter your warm season is. Now, back to leveling. I would like some more opinions about the soil I should use. Sharp sand vs rich mix. I looked up what the rich mix has and it is 47% topsoil, 30% "clean sand", 12% compost/manure and 3% gypsum. That doesn't add to 100 but it's close. I have used this stuff before in garden beds so I know that the consistency is good, screened well, etc. I would love to use it for nutrients it would provide vs sand but I dont want so much o it to decompose that in a couple of years it's like I didnt put anything down. So with that lets hear some more opinions. Oh, I also purchased a used tru cut 20" reel today with 4 hp Honda engine. The shop is sharpening/adjusting it and then it's ready to go! Anyone ever tried to make a homemade roller bar to replace the front casters? 200 bucks for a roller on a 550 dollar used tru cut seems a little much. Just curious...

Reseeding bermuda is not really done in the spring either. You will see a lot of advertising and see giant bags of bermuda seed starting in February but resist the urge. Bermuda seed takes best when the soil is very hot...as in July. What kind of bermuda do you have now? If you have a sodded variety I would suggest you do not seed it under any circumstances. Seeded and sodded varieties are like two different plants. If you mix them, it will always look weedy.

Thanks for your response. Could you also give me advice in regards to the amount of seed to re-apply? I didn't know that overseeding requires 2 to 4 times higher application rates so I applied what my spreader suggested for a regular rye application. I applied 8 lb per 1000 sq. feet, so I should have applied at least 16 lb per 1000 sq. feet??? So, do I need to apply only the remaining 8 lb per 1000 sq. feet now? Or do I need to apply as if I am overseeding for the first time and apply 16 lb (or more?) per 1000 sq. instead? In regards to rye weakening the bermuda... Well, I truly HATE my lawn almost half of the year when bermuda is dormant & brown. If it will look weak only in spring but recover in June / July, it is still preferable for me. I will observe how the bermuda looks like next summer and maybe decide on another solution to get rid of bermuda (such as replacing it with St. Augustine maybe?). I am just hoping that maybe the rye will die off quicker in early summer due to our climate here. We have a mediterranean climate, but quite a hot version of it for summer times. I believe our weather is hotter than Southern CA. So, looking at the current state of my lawn, how much should be the new rye seeds that I will apply (hopefully tomorrow) ??? 8 lb / 1000 sq. feet is enough, or should I apply more - 15- 20 lb??? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all your thoughts. It looks like Perennial rye is the favourite. Luckily that is one that I can find at our local nursery. bpgreen, yes, I've had some small bare patches for quite some time now (where I dug weeds out last year), so I figured whatever grass I have is pretty much a "non-spreader". Since I haven't overseeded properly for several years, I think it is time to do so and thicken things up. Hopefully, with my continued organic program, I'll start to get one of those environments conducive to good growth (: Looking forward to it! By the way, everyone here is so helpful. I really appreciate all your help. Thank you.