Uh oh! What kind of manure? If it is cattle manure you might be ruining your soil for the next several years. There is an herbicide called picloram being used in certain fields used for cattle grazing. The related herbicide, clopyralid has been banned but somehow they missed picloram. The picloram will not hurt your grass so much, but it will wipe out any trees or shrubs with roots under your grass. I'd stay way away from cattle or horse manure for the time being. Poultry manure is fine, though.

Spring is a bad time to plant grass. What kind of grass are you getting? There will be a sticker on the side of the bag that tells you exactly what species of grass seed it is and what percentage of the bag it is. If it is not bermuda, then you might be in trouble. If it is bermuda, then wait until mid May (in the hottest parts of AZ) to scatter it. Bermuda seed needs hot soil to germinate. Spring is not hot enough.

Answer back and I can get more specific about how to get it growing. Also, where are you in AZ? Soil and altitude make a big difference.

Clever screen name!

Thanks for the follow-up. We are up in the mountains at 6400'. Grass seed is mostly Kentucky with tall fescue. The manure I can get is from cows and horses that are owned by neighbors. Right now I think planting in June when our monsoon rains start is the plan.

Excellent that you know the source of your manure. Now ask the neighbors what herbicide they use. Then visit your feed store to read the labels on those products. You are specifically looking for those two products I mentioned. I'm serious as a heart attack. They had to completely stop selling compost in Washington, Oregon. and parts of California a few years ago because of those herbicides. You won't notice them on grass but they will kill all other plants including trees. One way to test is to plant some beans in little pots. Let them get up to 3-4 inches. Then mix some of your manure into a cup of water. Stir about a tablespoon of the manure into the water and then water the beans with it. If the beans don't die within a few hours, then the manure is probably okay to use.

When you say, Kentucky, it is Kentucky 31 or is it Kentucky bluegrass? There is a big difference. I'm worried that you're getting a good price on weeds (Kentucky 31) and not on the good stuff.

Are you under trees or do you have FULL sun? If you have full sun and would like to have a relatively low maintenance lawn, you could look at some of the wheatgrasses that will grow at your altitude. If you plant them right and mow them 4-5 times per year, you'll be surprised how nice it looks. Here's a pic from Salt Lake City...

{{gwi:79340}}

That looks like a lawn to me but it is wild prairie grasses - wheatgrasses, blue grama, and strawberry clover.