It is only just now warm enough to germinate bermuda seed in South Texas. In Pasadena the soil might warm up enough by late June or July. It's not air temp that matters, it's soil temp.

Here are some elements of bermuda and fescue lawn care which pertain to you. Bermuda and fescue require opposite mowing care. Fescue is mowed high while bermuda should be mowed low. Fescue can tolerate shade whereas bermuda cannot tolerate any shade. Even the fescue grass which is now germinating will provide too much shade for bermuda to grow. Fescue is not a great choice for the Southland given the water situation in SoCal. Fescue does not spread when the dogs tear it up.

With water being an issue, a better choice for dogs would be to simply mulch the yard about 6 inches deep using tree trimmings shredded by the tree company. Dogs like the feel under foot. They can dig in it and not hurt anything - you come back later and fill in the holes with your foot. Dog urine odor should not be a problem like it is on normal soil dog yards, because the compost is full of microbes which decompose the urine. Dog poop can be buried in the mulch, again, using your foot. Or it can be left alone if children aren't going to bother it. The natural processes that decompose dog droppings take about 4 days to convert it back into essential elements "melting" into the mulch. And mulch doesn't need to be watered once a week like grass does.

Huh - I would have thought Pasadena would be warm enough; we've had a streak of 95+ degree days the last two weeks.

Anyhow, I will think seriously again about mulching.

Thanks for the input!