I am looking to overseed my Bermuda lawn with rye.

I have been told all kinds of different tales on how to do it right. Can you provide me with some insight about:

1. scalping the existing lawn
2. what type of seed to use
3. how much seed to apply
4. how much and how often to water
5. anything else I should be aware of

Check out the lawn forum.
There is tons of info on the FAQ pages about growing organic healthy rich lawns.

Seems to me I replied to this one somewhere, but for those reading it here, here it is again.

Overseeding bermuda with rye is a mistake. The biggest problem is that it delays the return of the bermuda in the spring. Why? The rye provides too much shade for bermuda. In an attempt to green up the bermuda, most home owners start watering too much. Then the weed seeds sprout before the bermuda returns and you end up with weeds helping to delay the return of the bermuda.

Interesting. I know people who say the opposite...that rye crowds out spring weeds and that the slow returning Bermuda is worth it.

We will see...my lawn is already a bright green sea of rye.

I overseeded with Rye as well. I make a switch in the fall from Bermuda and lots of summer annuals to Rye and a lot of pansies, viola and snapdragons. I just can't stand a dead looking landscape for several months.

I've found that in Spring that if you wait to see Bermuda coming back near your house, let the rye get a little longer than normal and then scalp the c*** out of it the rye seems to really weaken and the bermuda comes back while it recovers. I keep my Bermuda at a height of less than a half inch until the 100 degree weather hits and it has gotten so thick that once it comes back, it chokes other grasses and weeds out pretty effectively.

I understand the argument against it - and you do have a few weeks of splotchy 'interim' lawn in the spring but for me at least, having that deep, dark green all winter is worth the extra effort.... OK, and I enjoy cutting the grass Nothin quite like fresh ryegrass clippings to throw a blowtorch into the compost bin and finish it off come Spring.