# Greg's 2021 TTTF/KBG Journal - Saying Goodbye



## gregonfire

Hi all,

Been lurking on aroundtheyard.com and /r/lawncare for a few months, gaining knowledge and ideas about fixing my crappy lawn. I bought the house a couple years ago, and the lawn was just ok. Recently though, it's been getting a little too weed infested for my liking. Also we got a new pup and he and the other one started tearing up the back yard from playing.

After reading through many posts on the forums, I decided I wanted to put in a new stand of grass, since I'm sure the existing grass was extremely old.

I'm starting this post late, as I just found out about this forum. I have been trying to join aroundtheyard.com for a couple months, but I guess the site isn't very active anymore as far as mods go. I couldn't get my account activated.

Anyway, here is a timeline of what I've done so far, which I'll keep updating:

Doing a 80% TTTF / 20% KBG mix. Using Seed Superstores SS1000 mix, Bewitched KBG and Blueberry KBG

8/10/17: First round of Glyphosate
8/14/17: Second round of Glyphosate
8/20/17: Scalped to 1.5", raked, and spot sprayed Glypho
8/20/17 - 9/2/17: Fallow
9/3/17: Spread top soil / compost mix ~1/4 - 1/2"
9/4/17: SEED DOWN!!
- did final spreading of soil / compost
- dropped starter fertilizer
- dropped milorganite
- mixed seed with soil most seed coat
- did multiple passes with TTTF then both KBG blended together
- sprayed tenacity
- spread m-binder tackifier on steep sections of lawn
- rolled lawn
- beer break
- spread peat moss
- set sprinklers
- more beer
9/9/17: green babies
9/24/17: milorganite at 1/2 bag rate
9/25/17: bayer 24 hour grub killer
9/26/17: first mow at 3.5", adjusted watering to 1x per day
9/28/17: second mow at 2.5"
9/30/17: third mow at 2", watering 1x every other day, urea 1/2lb /k
10/4/17: fourth mow at 2"
10/7/17: fifth mow at 2.5", heritage G, urea 1/2lb / k
10/10/17: mow at 2.5"
10/16/17: urea 1/2lb / k
10/17/17: mow at 2.5"
10/18/17: Tenacity 4oz / acre rate


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## gregonfire

Here are some pictures of my lawn from July. This is the worst it has been in the 2 years we've been living there.


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## gregonfire

Glypho starting to kick in:


















Glypho in full effect and playing with the sprinkler setup:


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## gregonfire

KBG came in from Preferred Seed:










Post-scalping / raking. What a dirty job. Filled about 6 trash cans and 12 home depot lawn waste bags:


























As you can see in the last pic, we had some moss hiding under the grass. I scraped it out with a metal rake before seeding.


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## gregonfire

Spreading dirt / compost. Luckily had my wife, father in law, and brother in law to help. Got it done in a few hours.


























Seed down the next day! Rolling it all in. You can see the steep hill very good from this picture. Was very worried about this spot close to the property line, but the tackifier seemed to help, also we didn't have any heavy rains before the grass germinated.










Needed that beer break during the peat moss spreading.


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## gregonfire

Noticed some very small sprouts on day 5, but day 6 was picture worthy.

GREEN BABIES!!


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## gregonfire

Day 7:


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## gregonfire

Day 8:

Up close shots:


















Pretty even germination so far!


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## gregonfire

Day 9:


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## gregonfire

Day 10:

Sunset pic makes the lawn look so full


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## gregonfire

2 weeks from seed down. Lawn is looking a good bit darker. I reseeded a couple bare spots about 3 days ago. The grass is starting to be around 3" everywhere, close to 3.5" in some spots. Will probably mow this weekend.


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## Sinclair

My goodness! That sure got dark and thick quickly.

Are you pranking us poor KBG germinators? :lol:


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## g-man

This looks awesome. What was your rate of tttf and kbg lb/k?


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## ericgautier

Welcome from a fellow Jerseyan! That is looking great.


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## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> My goodness! That sure got dark and thick quickly.
> 
> Are you pranking us poor KBG germinators? :lol:


Thanks, yeah it surprised me how quickly it filled in! Wasn't expecting it to be so full in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately not pranking! The TTTF is definitely helping it look more full.



g-man said:


> This looks awesome. What was your rate of tttf and kbg lb/k?


Thank you! I used about 29lbs of TTTF and 3 lbs each of Bewitched and Blueberry KBG, so about 6.5 lb/k TTTF and about 1.25 lb/k KBG.



ericgautier said:


> Welcome from a fellow Jerseyan! That is looking great.


Eric, thank you! I have been using your two renos from ATY as a guide for mine! Your backyard reno was the reason I decided to add KBG to mine instead of only using TTTF. Thank you!


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## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Eric, thank you! I have been using your two renos from ATY as a guide for mine! Your backyard reno was the reason I decided to add KBG to mine instead of only using TTTF. Thank you!


Awesome! Glad it helped you out. :thumbup:


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## gregonfire

Question for those experienced with reel mowers. I picked up a reel mower from Craigslist for $20 the other day. I tested it out on a small section of the yard yesterday and it didn't seem to cut very well and also looked like it distressed the grass. Should I attempt to cut the lawn with it this weekend or should I just use my HRX217?

The reel mower is very old and I doubt I'll be able to adjust the HOC. Most of the bolts are rusted / seized. Here's a pic:










Also here are some pics from today, looking down at the grass. Doesn't look nearly as thick from this angle. Is this about normal for 15 days?:


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## ericgautier

Try doing the paper cut test on the reel. Video is for a different brand reel, but should give you an idea. If you really can't adjust the reel.. then I would probably wait until day 25 or so to cut w/ the HRX. Looking back at my notes for the backyard, day 25 was when I did my first cut using my Toro 22".


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## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Try doing the paper cut test on the reel. Video is for a different brand reel, but should give you an idea. If you really can't adjust the reel.. then I would probably wait until day 25 or so to cut w/ the HRX. Looking back at my notes for the backyard, day 25 was when I did my first cut using my Toro 22".


Thanks for the info, Eric. I'll try to paper cut test tonight.

If I do wait to use the HRX, you think it will be ok to wait another 10 days or so? Some of the taller grass is getting close to 3.5-4" and looks like it may start falling over soon. Maybe I should back off the watering? I'm still watering 3x per day.


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## Sinclair

You need to keep watering for the KBG, as it will be just starting to poke through, and will stay low around 1" for a couple weeks to come. All these tall seedlings are likely 100% TTTF.

You might see these seedlings stall now on their vertical growth. Eric will be able to tell you better though.


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## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> If I do wait to use the HRX, you think it will be ok to wait another 10 days or so? Some of the taller grass is getting close to 3.5-4" and looks like it may start falling over soon. Maybe I should back off the watering? I'm still watering 3x per day.


If you can, I would wait. Also, stop watering a day before you plan to mow. Let the lawn dry out a little to minimize damage from walking on it. Then start up watering again after mowing.


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## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> If you can, I would wait. Also, stop watering a day before you plan to mow. Let the lawn dry out a little to minimize damage from walking on it. Then start up watering again after mowing.


Thanks for the info. I did the "paper cut test" with the reel mower last night. Didn't cut the paper at all, just kind of flapped as the reels spun. Not sure if I want to invest the time or $ into fixing it. I may just wait til next weekend (25 days) and use the HRX.


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## social port

Looking over page one of this thread, I can see that your username is very fitting


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## gregonfire

social port said:


> Looking over page one of this thread, I can see that your username is very fitting


Ha! Thanks!


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## gregonfire

Day 16:

Nice, sunny day. Figured I'd take a couple pics during my lunch break. Hell strip (not pictured) is still playing catch up. I reseeded it last Friday, and can see some new sprouts coming up.


















And an obligatory pic of the pups:


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## J_nick

Great job Greg that looks fantastic. You should post more about your sprinkler setup. Looks like you have very even germination.


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## pennstater2005

Looks awesome Greg! I'm jealous of the uniform color :twisted:


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## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> Looks awesome Greg! I'm jealous of the uniform color :twisted:


Thank you!! Yes color has been pretty good so far. The grass is really blowing me away, I really didn't expect results like this so soon.


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## gregonfire

J_nick said:


> Great job Greg that looks fantastic. You should post more about your sprinkler setup. Looks like you have very even germination.


Hey there. I made this crude picture to kind of explain the setup:










The red dots are gear drive sprinklers, the blue dots are impact sprinklers. the 2 front gear drives are daisy chained together, same with the back ones. So I have a total of 4 "zones". I'm using orbit hose timers. All the sprinklers are attached to spike bases. Hope that helps!


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## gregonfire

Looking for some advice about the next steps I should take with my lawn. Here is what I was planning:

This weekend (day 19/20): Milorganite at bag rate
Next weekend (Day 26/27): First mow, Urea 1/2lb n/k
Following weekend (Day 33/34): Urea 1/2lb n/k, Tenacity 4oz/acre rate

Any advice is appreciated!


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## gregonfire

Had an unwelcomed visitor last night.. guessing a raccoon.. See pics of the damage below. Any tips on how I should go about fixing this? Should I re-seed or just wait and hope the KBG fills in the holes? I was leaning towards re-seeding, but I would have to keep up the 3x per day watering. I was hoping to cut back the watering in a few days. Any help is appreciated.


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## g-man

*** should fill those holes. I would be more concern with catching the animal (raccoon or voles). They might be looking for grubs, so look for that too.

Also, I would give it a mow.


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## gregonfire

g-man said:


> *** should fill those holes. I would be more concern with catching the animal (raccoon or voles). They might be looking for grubs, so look for that too.
> 
> Also, I would give it a mow.


Thanks G-man. Thinking I should drop some 24 hour grub killer down to stop the source of food. Didnt think I had any grubs though. :dunno:

Planning to mow Thurs this week at 3.75" then Saturday at 3".


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## g-man

Don't just assume for grubs. Try to look for them.

Mow between 1.5-2.0in. http://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1260#p22697


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## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Don't just assume for grubs. Try to look for them.
> 
> Mow between 1.5-2.0in. http://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1260#p22697


I plan to get that low, but using the 1/3 rule, I was going to step it down over the course of a week. Some of my grass is over 4" tall, others only a couple inches.


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## gregonfire

Patched up the holes the best I could yesterday after work, the damage isn't as bad now. I'm hoping some of the grass that got covered with dirt can recover.

I did see a couple small grubs while filling the holes, so I put down bayer 24 hour grub control in hopes that I will eliminate their food source.

Good news is there was no new damage this morning.

I watered in the grub control last night, but turned off the watering for today. I plan to mow at 3.5" today after work, then take it down to 2.5" on Friday. I'll probably go to 1 deep watering per day from here on out. Also planning to start Urea applications this weekend.

Any suggestions, let me know!


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## pennstater2005

Remember, if those are moles or voles both grubs and earthworms are major food sources. So eliminating grubs will not necessarily eliminate your mole/vole problem. Trapping them will :twisted:


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## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> Remember, if those are moles or voles both grubs and earthworms are major food sources. So eliminating grubs will not necessarily eliminate your mole/vole problem. Trapping them will :twisted:


After inspecting the damage up-close, I don't think it's moles or voles. I put down some milorganite over the weekend, and I think that attracted a raccoon / skunk.


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## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Any suggestions, let me know!


Sounds like a good plan! :thumbup:


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## gregonfire

We have grubs!! Took a quick stroll around the yard at lunch today. Decent amount of dying grubs in the backyard. None in the front that I could see. Still planning to mow after work today, will post a post-mow pic of course.


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## gregonfire

First cut today! Happy with the way it came out. I'm sure it'll look better once I cut it down shorter. Also adjusted watering schedule to once per day for 20 or 30 minutes depending on the sprinkler.


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## ericgautier

Looks healthy! It'll look better once you drop it down some more. Nice job!


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## Sinclair

Time to chop down that fescue and get some light on the KBG babies! :nod: :thumbup:


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## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> Time to chop down that fescue and get some light on the KBG babies! :nod: :thumbup:


Yep! Planning to get it down to 2.5" tomorrow, then 2" on Saturday



ericgautier said:


> Looks healthy! It'll look better once you drop it down some more. Nice job!


Thanks, Eric. Couldn't wait til the 25 day mark, sorry! Yesterday was day 22, close enough :lol:

I'm excited to see how it looks once I get it down to 2".


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## gregonfire

Hey All, urgent matter here. I'm a member of the Air National Guard and will likely be activated for hurricane relief. Problem being that I will be gone for potentially 30-45 days and will likely have no electricity / phone service. If that's the case I need to prepare a schedule for my wife to follow for taking care of the lawn. I need some help!! Please let me know what you think of this list:

9/30 (day 26): urea 1/2lb n / k, water every other day
10/7 (day 33): urea 1/2lb n/ k, tenacity 4oz/acre 
10/14 (day 40): urea 1lb n/k, adjust watering to 2x per week? advice needed
10/21 (day 47): urea 1lb n/k, tenacity again? what rate?
10/28 (day 54): not sure.. 
11/4 (day 61): not sure..

I'll make sure she mows every few days at 2".


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## monty

I would say maybe skip the tenacity? Unless you think your wife can handle even applications.


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## g-man

^ first, she must be an awesome wife to be willing to do all this while you are gone. Taking care of dogs, moving hoses around, ect. She deserves a big reward (ie. a day at the spa)

I would try to do the tenacity before you leave or skip it. It is easy to screw up and you don't want her to kill your reno.

I think the plan applies too much nitrogen. The most I would do is 0.25 lb of N/M weekly. I would suggest 0.25lb N/M every two weeks. This will also help her with having to mow less. This should be enough to keep the lawn going while you are gone.

PS thanks for your service. The folks in Puerto Rico are really suffering.


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## gregonfire

monty said:


> I would say maybe skip the tenacity? Unless you think your wife can handle even applications.


She helped with the glypho apps so I think she can handle it.



g-man said:


> ^ first, she must be an awesome wife to be willing to do all this while you are gone. Taking care of dogs, moving hoses around, ect. She deserves a big reward (ie. a day at the spa)
> 
> I would try to do the tenacity before you leave or skip it. It is easy to screw up and you don't want her to kill your reno.
> 
> I think the plan applies too much nitrogen. The most I would do is 0.25 lb of N/M weekly. I would suggest 0.25lb N/M every two weeks. This will also help her with having to mow less. This should be enough to keep the lawn going while you are gone.
> 
> PS thanks for your service. The folks in Puerto Rico are really suffering.


Yeah she's awesome, she's been quite the help throughout the whole reno. Thanks for the info on the N apps. I got a PM from eric saying the same thing. I misunderstood and thought it was .5 n/k instead of .5 urea / k.

Thanks everyone


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## gregonfire

2nd mow yesterday, brought the HOC to 2.5". Will be at 2" tomorrow and keep it there.


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## gregonfire

Saw this on the front while cutting yesterday.. There are 2 spots like this and only in the front. Any ideas what it could be? What should I do?


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## gregonfire

Here is the same spot a few hours later.. is this pythium blight? If so should I get some Heritage G asap? The temps will be high 60's for the next 7 days or so. We did have a heat wave with high humidity over the last few days. Maybe that caused this?


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## ericgautier

The cottony or spider-web-like stuff I know is Mycelium (usually caused by using Milo), but I think in your case... it does look like pythium blight.

I usually use this site to ID fungus - http://turfdiseaseid.ncsu.edu/


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## g-man

Pythium blight or damping off, I would lean more toward damping off. I would back off the watering.


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## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> The cottony or spider-web-like stuff I know is Mycelium (usually caused by using Milo), but I think in your case... it does look like pythium blight.
> 
> I usually use this site to ID fungus - http://turfdiseaseid.ncsu.edu/


Thanks Eric, that's what I feared it was. I ordered some Heritage G but it won't be here til Weds next week. Is there anything I can put down in the meantime to slow / stop the spread?


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## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Pythium blight or damping off, I would lean more toward damping off. I would back off the watering.


Thanks for the info. I've been watering every other day since Monday.


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## gregonfire

Did my 3rd cut on Saturday, finally down to 2". Going to keep it at this height for a while. Watering every other day. I also put down about 1/2 lb urea / k on Sunday. Heritage G should be here tomorrow and will put it down. The Pythium seemed to stop spreading.


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## ericgautier

Keep mowing, feeding it and watering it. Looking good man!


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## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Keep mowing, feeding it and watering it. Looking good man!


Thanks Eric, will do!


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## gregonfire

Mowed again yesterday at 2". 30 days from seed down. Still some bare spots in shady areas and more squirrel damage in the backyard. How do I deal with them?


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## gregonfire

updated first post with what I've done over the last couple weeks.

The lawn is really starting to darken in color. The leaf blades have gotten noticeably thicker as well. I'm mowing about 2x per week. I'll be mowing again either today or tomorrow and will post some pics. Planning to put down Tenacity in the next couple days as I've just passed my 30 days post-emergence date.


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## gregonfire

also, when is it safe / ok to start edging again?


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## Sinclair

gregonfire said:


> also, when is it safe / ok to start edging again?


I looked back in my thread, and I edged at day 34.

I did so with a manual half-moon type edger though.

If you're using a power edger it might be wise to hold off a little longer.


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## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> also, when is it safe / ok to start edging again?
> 
> 
> 
> I looked back in my thread, and I edged at day 34.
> 
> I did so with a manual half-moon type edger though.
> 
> If you're using a power edger it might be wise to hold off a little longer.
Click to expand...

Mine is a gas powered edger, so I'll wait another couple weeks before I use it. Thanks for the info.


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## gregonfire

Mowed again yesterday at 2.5". Looks good at that height. Had a problem with my mower though, after I was done I noticed a pretty bad fuel leak coming from the air filter. I turned the fuel valve off and plan to take it to Honda today or tomorrow. Luckily my dad has the same mower and offered to let me borrow his (since I have to mow like every 3 days :lol: ). Anyway, it's kind of a bummer since this mower is brand new and my last honda was 30+ years old and gave me no problems.


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## J_nick

Sounds like the float stuck. Should be an easy and cheap fix.


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## gregonfire

J_nick said:


> Sounds like the float stuck. Should be an easy and cheap fix.


Something I can do myself or should I take it in for warranty work?


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## J_nick

That's a hard choice. If under warranty then it's free but who knows how long it will take them to get to it. Buying the parts to fix it would probably be around $20 and could be accomplished with hand tools in under 30 minutes.

Edit: It could easily just be a piece of debris stuck in the needle valve.


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## Lawnfreak

Where did you get your tenacity from and how much is it costing you.


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## gregonfire

Lawnfreak said:


> Where did you get your tenacity from and how much is it costing you.


I got it from amazon, I think it was around $60


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## gregonfire

J_nick said:


> That's a hard choice. If under warranty then it's free but who knows how long it will take them to get to it. Buying the parts to fix it would probably be around $20 and could be accomplished with hand tools in under 30 minutes.
> 
> Edit: It could easily just be a piece of debris stuck in the needle valve.


Thanks for the info. I'll ask the honda dealer how long they expect to take. I can use my dad's mower in the meantime (he also has an HRX) so it's not too big of a deal to wait.


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## gregonfire

Just a quick update:

Dropped the mower off at the dealer, rather them deal with it than me, especially since it's under warranty. I have my dad's HRX for now. Been about 6 days since the last cut so the blades are close to 4" tall. Going to cut today at 3" then again on Thursday at 2.5".

I also put down another app of Urea (1/4lb n/k) yesterday.

I will be putting down my 30 day post-germination app of Tenacity tomorrow at the 4oz/acre rate.

Still watering about every other day. Sometimes every 3rd day. Grass is still very green and becoming darker. Thickening as well, just slowly.

Anything else I should be thinking about doing soon? Still probably a few weeks away from the first frost. Going to be in the mid 70's for the next 10 days.


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## pennstater2005

gregonfire said:


> Just a quick update:
> 
> Dropped the mower off at the dealer, rather them deal with it than me, especially since it's under warranty. I have my dad's HRX for now. Been about 6 days since the last cut so the blades are close to 4" tall. Going to cut today at 3" then again on Thursday at 2.5".
> 
> I also put down another app of Urea (1/4lb n/k) yesterday.
> 
> I will be putting down my 30 day post-germination app of Tenacity tomorrow at the 4oz/acre rate.
> 
> Still watering about every other day. Sometimes every 3rd day. Grass is still very green and becoming darker. Thickening as well, just slowly.
> 
> Anything else I should be thinking about doing soon? Still probably a few weeks away from the first frost. Going to be in the mid 70's for the next 10 days.


Sounds like you are right on track. Wind down mode is here for some of us. Mid 70s for me as well through the end of the week. I've put down my last app of urea before I winterize when top growth ceases. The last couple of years that's been later than normal.

Your grass looks amazing and at least gives the impression you look like you know what you're doing :lol: Mine sometimes not so much


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## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> Sounds like you are right on track. Wind down mode is here for some of us. Mid 70s for me as well through the end of the week. I've put down my last app of urea before I winterize when top growth ceases. The last couple of years that's been later than normal.
> 
> Your grass looks amazing and at least gives the impression you look like you know what you're doing :lol: Mine sometimes not so much


Thanks for the info man. I'll probably do a couple more Urea apps, unless someone can tell me a reason not to.

Yeah, before July I had *no* idea whatsoever what I was doing. Did a ton of reading and that helped, but it's still a learning process for sure.


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## gregonfire

Day 43 Mow @ 3":


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## ken-n-nancy

Sweet!


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## pennstater2005

gregonfire said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like you are right on track. Wind down mode is here for some of us. Mid 70s for me as well through the end of the week. I've put down my last app of urea before I winterize when top growth ceases. The last couple of years that's been later than normal.
> 
> Your grass looks amazing and at least gives the impression you look like you know what you're doing :lol: Mine sometimes not so much
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info man. I'll probably do a couple more Urea apps, unless someone can tell me a reason not to.
> 
> Yeah, before July I had *no* idea whatsoever what I was doing. Did a ton of reading and that helped, but it's still a learning process for sure.
Click to expand...

Only you are looking at your grass. And getting outside and looking at your grass is a big part of making decisions. Articles and general info will only get you so far.

And like I said before, your grass looks awesome so keep doing whatever you're doing. I just show pictures of my yard that look decent. You guys don't get to see the rest


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## gregonfire

Got my HRX back, all covered by Honda.

Day 45 mow @ 2.5", Tenacity tomorrow.

The KBG is now the same height as the fescue, but is still thin-bladed. Hoping it starts thickening up and spreading to fill some gaps soon.


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## Sinclair

You win the 2017 Renovation contest! :nod: :nod: :nod:


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## ken-n-nancy

gregonfire said:


> ... Hoping it starts thickening up and spreading to fill some gaps soon.


Gaps? What gaps?

That looks awesome!


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## ericgautier

Looking good! :thumbup:


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## social port

Sinclair said:


> You win the 2017 Renovation contest! :nod: :nod: :nod:


Nope, he's tied with you


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## Sinclair

social port said:


> Sinclair said:
> 
> 
> 
> You win the 2017 Renovation contest! :nod: :nod: :nod:
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, he's tied with you
Click to expand...

You're kind. Tie goes to he with more square footage. :lol:

I'll do doing my back yard in 2018. It's a challenge.


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## ericgautier

Sinclair said:


> You win the 2017 Renovation contest! :nod: :nod: :nod:


  Hmm... this just gave me an idea. When I used to run a car forum, we used to vote for a ROTM (Ride of the Month) and did a feature about that person/car.

IE:









We should do something similar... 

We then rolled all the ROTM into a Calendar.


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## social port

@ericgautier -- heck yeah :thumbup: 
I love that idea.


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## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> You win the 2017 Renovation contest! :nod: :nod: :nod:


There's a renovation contest?! :lol: Thanks for the kind words.



ken-n-nancy said:


> Gaps? What gaps?
> 
> That looks awesome!


Thank you!! There are a couple spots where no grass grew, also tons of tiny holes from the damn squirrels. Also the one area in the front yard between the tree and the house doesn't get too much sun, so the grass is still kind of thin and blotchy there.



ericgautier said:


> Looking good! :thumbup:


Thanks, Eric!


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## gregonfire

social port said:


> @ericgautier -- heck yeah :thumbup:
> I love that idea.


+1 I like this idea too!


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## pennstater2005

gregonfire said:


> social port said:
> 
> 
> 
> @ericgautier -- heck yeah :thumbup:
> I love that idea.
> 
> 
> 
> +1 I like this idea too!
Click to expand...

One for cool season and one for warm season?


----------



## gregonfire

Put Tenacity down a couple days ago. I am really surprised how little weeds I have in the lawn. The pre-m app of Tenacity did a hell of job.

My question now is what other fall / winter steps should I take before top growth stops?

I plan to continue weekly Urea apps at 1/2lb n /k, and I know to put 2lbs N/k when top growth stops. Anything else? Maybe an app of milo? What about a pre-m? New to all this :?


----------



## monty

gregonfire said:


> and I know to put 2lbs N/k when top growth stops.


I think you should be putting down 1 lb N/k after top growth stops. Which would be able 2 lb Urea/k. At least that's what the Fall Nitrogen Blitz thread calls for.


----------



## g-man

^ Monty is right. 1 pound of nitrogen per ksqft once top growth stops.


----------



## gregonfire

monty said:


> I think you should be putting down 1 lb N/k after top growth stops. Which would be able 2 lb Urea/k. At least that's what the Fall Nitrogen Blitz thread calls for.





g-man said:


> ^ Monty is right. 1 pound of nitrogen per ksqft once top growth stops.


Thanks for the info guys, glad I checked here first :mrgreen:

What about anything else? Pre-m? Any other winterization besides the heavy urea app? Thanks


----------



## gregonfire

Day 51 mow @ 2.5". Edged for the first time as well.

Lawn is looking pretty ridiculous. Can't wait to see how it looks in the spring. My father in law (who is a lawn nut as well) told me the other day I had the best lawn in my town. Have to be honest, that made me feel really good!!

A special thank you to all the members here and the other forum for the plethora of information that helped lead to my reno's success. THANK YOU!!


----------



## pennstater2005

Watch out now, Tru Green might stick their sign in your yard and take credit :lol:


----------



## g-man

You could do a 3 month application of prodiamine to prevent poa annua, but it might be an overkill. You have very good density and the weather has turned really cold, so the probability of getting a poa annua to establish is very very low. I would not bother with it if it was me.

I think you are approaching the withdrawal syndrome. For the next 3-4 months, it is just watching you tube videos, and university reports until we could start back in March.


----------



## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> Watch out now, Tru Green might stick their sign in your yard and take credit :lol:


Ha! I honestly haven't seen a Tru Green truck in my area. I think because it is mostly a blue collar type town, most people do their own lawn work, or just don't care. Makes my domination easy though :lol:



g-man said:


> You could do a 3 month application of prodiamine to prevent poa annua, but it might be an overkill. You have very good density and the weather has turned really cold, so the probability of getting a poa annua to establish is very very low. I would not bother with it if it was me.
> 
> I think you are approaching the withdrawal syndrome. For the next 3-4 months, it is just watching you tube videos, and university reports until we could start back in March.


Thanks, I think you are right. Been so used to being busy with lawn stuff, that now that it's established and the season is winding down, I am starting to have withdrawal. Oh well, at least the first step is admitting I have a problem :lol:


----------



## Sinclair

Now upon us is the season of garage organization!

Fertilizer, herbicides, seed, mowers, trimmers, hand tools, gas cans...

Your lawn is looking great!


----------



## ericgautier

Looking awesome! I like the subie too.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Looking awesome! I like the subie too.


Nice eye . We are a subie family. My 2015 WRX and my wife's 2015 Forester XT.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Nice eye . We are a subie family. My 2015 WRX and my wife's 2015 Forester XT.


^ nice! :thumbup: I've always wanted one... especially a 2011+ hatch.

This was my baby a looooong time ago.


----------



## g-man

I have a 2017 Forester XT. It is a great compromise for a family car.


----------



## j4c11

Count me in as another Subaru fan. Got an Outback currently, Forester before that. Been eyeballing the Crosstrek line lately.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> ^ nice! :thumbup: I've always wanted one... especially a 2011+ hatch.
> 
> This was my baby a looooong time ago.


Looks good man!! I had a 2010 hatch before this one, put down 310hp and 345tq to the wheels:











g-man said:


> I have a 2017 Forester XT. It is a great compromise for a family car.


It really is. It's a blast to drive. Love the paddle shifters. It's great for our 2 dogs. Also the wife loves it.



j4c11 said:


> Count me in as another Subaru fan. Got an Outback currently, Forester before that. Been eyeballing the Crosstrek line lately.


Nice! Love Subaru. They are great, reliable, safe cars. Also very fun to drive  The new crosstrek's are very sexy, but for only a couple grand more you can get the Forester XT.


----------



## g-man

^ I like the Crosstrek too, but it needs the XT engine.

I don't like the understeer of the Forester. The new touring has vectoring. I hope the new platform addresses it.


----------



## gregonfire

Was looking through some past pictures and wanted to share this before / after comparison:

Back yard July 2017:









Back yard October 2017:









Front yard July 2017:









Front yard October 2017:


----------



## Sinclair




----------



## pennstater2005

Those are striking images Greg! Your neighbors definitely secretly hate you :lol:


----------



## LawnNerd




----------



## gregonfire

Thanks fellas. Cheers to the weekend!


----------



## ericgautier

What HOC are you at right now? Looks thick!!! :thumbup:


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Looks good man!! I had a 2010 hatch before this one, put down 310hp and 345tq to the wheels:


Nice! The IS300 I had put down about the same to the wheels with less torque though. I do miss boost and the open waste gate especially now that it is getting colder.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Nice! The IS300 I had put down about the same to the wheels with less torque though. I do miss boost and the open waste gate especially now that it is getting colder.


Sweet! Yeah boost is the best, especially around this time of year! I had an external wastegate as well. Here's a vid (make sure you're not wearing headphones):


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> What HOC are you at right now? Looks thick!!! :thumbup:


HOC is at 2.5"

Tenacity is showing it's effects. Some areas of the lawn are bleaching. Also got about 2" of rain yesterday. Not going to water until next week. I mowed Saturday in preparation of the rain, so I'm good til later in the week once the soil dries out.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Sweet! Yeah boost is the best, especially around this time of year! I had an external wastegate as well. Here's a vid (make sure you're not wearing headphones):


 :thumbup: :thumbup: man I miss boost soooo much. lol.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> :thumbup: :thumbup: man I miss boost soooo much. lol.


Get back on the boost train brother!


----------



## gregonfire

Some recent lawn pics:


































Our lab sure is glad the grass is back. He missed laying in it!


----------



## gregonfire

No real updates here, just waiting for the grass to grow out of the tenacity bleaching. Here's a pic of the back yard from inside the house. Not gonna lie, it's a bit scary!


----------



## g-man

What rate of tenacity you use?


----------



## social port

Love the picture with the dog.

sigh...just when I think that pictures with striping are the best


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> What rate of tenacity you use?


I used the 4oz / acre rate


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> Love the picture with the dog.
> 
> sigh...just when I think that pictures with striping are the best


Ha thanks, yeah he loves laying in the grass. I think you're on to something though.. dog + grass = best lawn pics.


----------



## gregonfire

Happy Holidays everyone!

Not too much to update here. I put down the urea winterizer last week before we got a few inches of snow. My neighbors must have thought I was crazy because it was pitch black out, and here I am spreading fertilizer with my headlamp on. Although at this point they probably wonder if they should be doing what I'm doing too :lol:

Anyway, snapped a couple pics during the snow storm and after, still have very lush, dark green grass.

*I did notice today what looks like a bunch of worm castings in the grass. Like... lots of them. I'm guessing it's because of the snow melting? Any way to battle this or just let it do its thing?*

Cheers!

Before:









During:









After:


----------



## g-man

The lawn in the house next to your in the second image looks dead.


----------



## ericgautier

Greg, nice job!


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> The lawn in the house next to your in the second image looks dead.


Yep, it's all weeds, going to be fun keeping the property line clean next season.



ericgautier said:


> Greg, nice job!


Thanks, Eric!


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Yep, it's all weeds, going to be fun keeping the property line clean next season.


Just over spray a foot or two when you do yours. :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, it's all weeds, going to be fun keeping the property line clean next season.
> 
> 
> 
> Just over spray a foot or two when you do yours. :lol:
Click to expand...

Yeah, good call Eric.

Do you have any advice on the worm casings? They are allllll over the back yard. Haven't had a chance to check out the front yet today.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:



> Do you have any advice on the worm casings? They are allllll over the back yard. Haven't had a chance to check out the front yet today.


I usually leave it alone. Consider it free aeration.


----------



## SCGrassMan

Looks fantastic. I just moved south this year from the northeast. Warm season grasses are awesome, but there are none with that deep green like that.

For the worm casings do everything you can to encourage those earth worms! The casings and the aeration are awesomely helpful for your lawn.

As for the Neighbor I have a similar one who has 4' of property between my line and his driveway. I just had the sod company (with his permission) sod all the way up to his driveway. Because our lawns are both small, when I do weed killer, grub killer, fertilizer etc I offer to do his as well. It's nice for him, but it benefits me to reduce the amount of weeds and bugs in his yard. I have found my neighbors keep their yard nicer when I "help them" do so 

It takes all kinds though... some people will be offended at the offer to help, others will be offended if you stop exactly at the property line. Your mileage may vary.


----------



## gregonfire

Hey all, nothing really to update here, just getting anxious to start working in the lawn again!

Need some advice:
I have a spot close to the house in the front yard that has some bare spots (I'm guessing due to it being pretty shady there). Should I plan on leaving that area alone and using pre-m (granular barricade) over that area and overseed in the fall?

Or should I overseed the area in the spring and use tenacity for that area and barricade for everywhere else? It is really just that one area (maybe 50sqft ) that is a bit patchy.

I would send a pic, but we are covered in snow again :/


----------



## Wolverine

If bluegrass is established it should fill in the thin area. The shade is probably the reason it's not completely filled in though. I would let it ride until it slows down with top growth in the spring. If it doesn't fill in after that, a fescu or PRG may be needed.


----------



## Sinclair

gregonfire said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> 
> The lawn in the house next to your in the second image looks dead.
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, it's all weeds, going to be fun keeping the property line clean next season.
Click to expand...

You could always do what I did...


----------



## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> You could always do what I did...


go on..... :twisted:


----------



## gregonfire

Here is the area with the bare spots. It is close to the house, near a tree. I did trim a lot of the tree back in the fall, so we'll see how it does with sun this year.

Am I ok to use pre-m on this spot or should I overseed?


















Can you guys tell I'm ready for winter to be over???


----------



## g-man

Bare spots? I see some minor thin areas and nothing to worry about. KBG should fill before summer.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Bare spots? I see some minor thin areas and nothing to worry about. KBG should fill before summer.


Thanks g-man. It seems I always over-think these things.


----------



## Sinclair

gregonfire said:


> Sinclair said:
> 
> 
> 
> You could always do what I did...
> 
> 
> 
> go on..... :twisted:
Click to expand...

I painted my neighbour's lawn with Glypho. :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> I painted my neighbour's lawn with Glypho. :lol:


Damn! I looked through your thread but didn't see it posted anywhere.. did your neighbor know you were doing this or did you just start reno'ing it without him knowing? lol


----------



## gregonfire

Picked up some 0-0-7 granular prodiamine today. I seriously can't wait to get back in the lawn.


----------



## gregonfire

Hey all, it's been super nice here in southern NJ the last couple days, I'm getting super pumped for Spring!!!

I found this weird gelatinous goo on my front yard the other day. See pic. Any idea what this is?? I tried picking it up the best I could but it just smeared everywhere. Hoping it's not a fungus (didn't find anything on google). Any help is appreciated.


----------



## J_nick

That looks like the stuff the comes out of my sons diaper after the dog tears into it.


----------



## Pete1313

Did you use soil moist at seed down? If so, the larger granular or the seed coat powder?


----------



## balistek

nice lawn, nice choice in cars. Bought a 2011 wrx hatch SWP new. Wish I still had the thing. Had invidia q300 and some other knick knacks.


----------



## gregonfire

J_nick said:


> That looks like the stuff the comes out of my sons diaper after the dog tears into it.


Really? That's so random. Don't have any kids, so def not a diaper lol.



balistek said:


> nice lawn, nice choice in cars. Bought a 2011 wrx hatch SWP new. Wish I still had the thing. Had invidia q300 and some other knick knacks.


Thanks man! Why'd you get rid of the WRX?



Pete1313 said:


> Did you use soil moist at seed down? If so, the larger granular or the seed coat powder?


Hey Pete, I sure did. Used the powder at seed down back in early Sept last year.


----------



## Pete1313

gregonfire said:


> Pete1313 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did you use soil moist at seed down? If so, the larger granular or the seed coat powder?
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Pete, I sure did. Used the powder at seed down back in early Sept last year.
Click to expand...

Most likely a clump of seed coat. It absorbs moisture and swells into a gel just like the stuff from a diaper as j-nick mentioned. No worries, i would just rake or smear it back in the soil.


----------



## balistek

was having my first kid. i dunno impulse thing. Wanted a bigger, quieter car. Ended up with a accord. Sold that thing. Now I got a 2013 TSX 6spd. Great commuter, gets good MPG as I have a long commute. Looking to get s2k as a 2nd car most likely next year


----------



## gregonfire

Pete1313 said:


> Most likely a clump of seed coat. It absorbs moisture and swells into a gel just like the stuff from a diaper as j-nick mentioned. No worries, i would just rake or smear it back in the soil.


Interesting.. thanks for the info. Wonder why it took so long to swell like that.



balistek said:


> was having my first kid. i dunno impulse thing. Wanted a bigger, quieter car. Ended up with a accord. Sold that thing. Now I got a 2013 TSX 6spd. Great commuter, gets good MPG as I have a long commute. Looking to get s2k as a 2nd car most likely next year


Gotcha, the older TSX trans is soo nice, like butter. The 15+ WRX is way more refined, and quiet. Also does pretty good on gas, I average around 28mpg combined, but gets over 30 on the highway. S2k's are awesome, good luck with the search!


----------



## gregonfire

Anyone have a clue what this stuff is? Looks like super thick grass, growing way faster than everything else. Only noticed it in the hell strips.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Anyone have a clue what this stuff is? Looks like super thick grass, growing way faster than everything else. Only noticed it in the hell strips.


My guess is either onion or garlic grass.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> My guess is either onion or garlic grass.


Thanks eric, but it is apparently Star of Bethlehem, as referenced in this thread.


----------



## sicride

That it is, good luck. Mine appears to be 10-13 times worse than it was last year... Wonder why? Ugh


----------



## gregonfire

sicride said:


> That it is, good luck. Mine appears to be 10-13 times worse than it was last year... Wonder why? Ugh


Yeah it's really strange. I've never seen this weed before, and now it's popped up all over the place. A couple spots on my lawn (only the hell strip), but all along other properties on my street. I didn't notice it on any other streets in my area while walking the dogs. Really weird...


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Thanks eric, but it is apparently Star of Bethlehem, as referenced in this thread.


Ahh.. thanks!


----------



## gregonfire

Anyone have experience with this product?

www.amazon.com/dp/B00D0JHB5K/

Looking for a good post emergent herbicide to use this year. Also need it to kill star of Bethlehem.


----------



## ericgautier

^ no experience with that particular one.

Label doesn't list star of Bethlehem.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> ^ no experience with that particular one.
> 
> Label doesn't list star of Bethlehem.


I forget where I saw it but doing research on SoB, a study showed 2,4D and triclopyr were both somewhat effective against it.

I tried digging up some of them, and while effective, there are decent size gaps in the grass now. Would prefer to spray them I guess.


----------



## gm560

gregonfire said:


> Anyone have experience with this product?
> 
> www.amazon.com/dp/B00D0JHB5K/
> 
> Looking for a good post emergent herbicide to use this year. Also need it to kill star of Bethlehem.


I have used it before, but never on the lawn. I tank mixed it with roundup to kill some english ivy that just would not die. It was very effective. I dont know why, as 2, 4-D and Triclopyr are usually selective herbicides, but domyown classifies Crossbow as non-selective and states "This product is not labeled to be applied to home lawns."

https://www.domyown.com/crossbow-specialty-herbicide-4d-triclopyr-p-4545.html?sub_id=4544

Other people definitely know more on the subject, but I would be pretty careful with it around my grass. It obliterated the ivy.


----------



## gm560

Have you seen these?
https://search.domyown.com/search?view=grid&w=Bethlehem


----------



## gregonfire

Looks like another 8-12" of snow today and tomorrow... no pre-m down yet.

Question about a spring fertilizer.. from reading on here, it seems that it's usually not needed if you do the fall nitrogen blitz. I technically didn't do it because of the reno, but I did apply urea all through october, and did a winterizer app of urea in december.

I noticed my lawn is definitely "greening up", but wanted to make sure I couldn't help it out with anything else. I have some milorganite ready for once the weather gets warmer.


----------



## chrisben

The bare spot with the seemingly perfectly straight line, does this line correspond with the edge of the gutter overhang?
If so, you may well have a gutter issue...


----------



## gregonfire

chrisben said:


> The bare spot with the seemingly perfectly straight line, does this line correspond with the edge of the gutter overhang?
> If so, you may well have a gutter issue...


Nope, more like tracks from the mower. I noticed that in a couple spots. Gutters are fine.


----------



## gregonfire

So this happened yesterday....










Doubtful it'll melt by this weekend so I can apply pre-m....


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire I'm in the same boat as you. Hopefully weather warms up next week.


----------



## gregonfire

Got out and raked the back yard yesterday. Didn't have time to do the front, will hopefully finish up today.

Also spot-sprayed some weeds again with spectracide. Seems to be doing a great job on the Star of Bethlehem. Hopefully it's killing the bulbs underground too.

I noticed this weed that didn't seem to be affected by the spectracide from the original spray a little over a week ago. Anyone know what it is and how to kill it?










Here is how the lawn is currently looking:

















There are tufts of grass popping up in the back, is this normal? Front seems to be evenly growing / greening.


----------



## gregonfire

First cut of the season!!! Weather is finally warming up here and felt the grass needed a trim. Finished up raking a couple days ago and got the pre-m down.


----------



## Budstl

Looks great!


----------



## gregonfire

Alright, need some advice regarding spring fertilization. I've done some reading and have gotten mixed suggestions on what to do.

From what I understand, following a fall urea fertilization program with a urea winterization, you shouldn't need any type of fertilizer in the spring. However, because the lawn is newly renovated and still not "mature", I've seen some people suggest a starter fertilizer when the grass greens up.

Curious what the knowledgeable people of TLF think regarding this situation.


----------



## g-man

For a new lawn, spoon feeding in spring is helpful to get it to thicken up.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> For a new lawn, spoon feeding in spring is helpful to get it to thicken up.


What should I be spoon feeding with? Starter, milo, something else? Thanks


----------



## g-man

I would do synthetic. Starter is a good option for the extra phosphorus, if you are low.


----------



## Pete1313

g-man said:


> I would do synthetic. Starter is a good option for the extra phosphorus, if you are low.


+1.

Last renovation I used ammonium sulfate in the spring and then switched to milorganite for summer. This year, which is the first year after a reno as well, I will be using urea and then make the switch to milo for summer. For me, I'm shooting for .25 lb/M of N weekly in the spring. A new lawn needs the extra N. Use judgement. If it's looking good, go alittle lighter on the N.


----------



## GrassFarmer

Pete when do you planing on starting your .25lb of N and how much N total are ya thinking before summer?


----------



## Pete1313

GrassFarmer said:


> Pete when do you planing on starting your .25lb of N and how much N total are ya thinking before summer?


Not until the grass wakes up and starts growing. If I had to guess, it will be sometime early/mid May. This has been a cold spring in NW IL. I will update my thread when I start. As far as how much, I will let the grass decide. If it looks ok and can get by on less, I will. If it needs to fill in more, I might push it, but make the switch to milo before the summer heat sets in (if we even get summer heat this year... :roll: ).


----------



## Green

Pete1313 said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> 
> I would do synthetic. Starter is a good option for the extra phosphorus, if you are low.
> 
> 
> 
> +1.
> 
> Last renovation I used ammonium sulfate in the spring and then switched to milorganite for summer. This year, which is the first year after a reno as well, I will be using urea and then make the switch to milo for summer. For me, I'm shooting for .25 lb/M of N weekly in the spring. A new lawn needs the extra N. Use judgement. If it's looking good, go alittle lighter on the N.
Click to expand...

+2

Pick the fertilizer that best matches your need and what your soil is low in. If you need P and K, use starter that has both, as mentioned. If you need K, but not P, get a fertilizer that has K, but not P (such as the Scotts Step 4 that I just bought to use on the grass I planted late last Summer). You probably won't need to apply much of anything for a couple of weeks, since you winterized properly. You'd be surprised how far just 0.25 lb of N per thousand every two weeks goes in the Spring.


----------



## Turfguy93

Pete1313 said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> 
> I would do synthetic. Starter is a good option for the extra phosphorus, if you are low.
> 
> 
> 
> +1.
> 
> Last renovation I used ammonium sulfate in the spring and then switched to milorganite for summer. This year, which is the first year after a reno as well, I will be using urea and then make the switch to milo for summer. For me, I'm shooting for .25 lb/M of N weekly in the spring. A new lawn needs the extra N. Use judgement. If it's looking good, go alittle lighter on the N.
Click to expand...

+2 this year on my new lawn I'm doing .25 lbs N/M weekly in April and then .125 lbs N/M per week in May both from urea. From June- August I plan on doing .10 lbs N/M per week from a 15-2-15 growth products product. Spoon feeding is the key!


----------



## gregonfire

@g-man @Pete1313 @Green @Turfguy93

Thank you all for your info!! Much appreciated.

When you guys say ".25 lb/M of N", what does the M stand for?

I didn't do a soil test so I'm not sure if my soil _needs_ the extra P and K. Would you suggest just sticking to Urea in that case, or still going with a starter fert?

Thanks again everyone!!


----------



## jessehurlburt

M= 1k sq ft.


----------



## g-man

M = 1000 sqft


----------



## gregonfire

@jessehurlburt @g-man

Ahhh I always knew it as "K".


----------



## J_nick

gregonfire said:


> @jessehurlburt @g-man
> 
> Ahhh I always knew it as "K".


I think the industry started using "M" instead of "K" to avoid confusion with potassium (K) as "M" is 1000 in Roman numerals


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> First cut of the season!!! Weather is finally warming up here and felt the grass needed a trim. Finished up raking a couple days ago and got the pre-m down.


I'm jealous! :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

Busy but productive weekend!

Put down Lesco 18-24-12 starter ferilzer at a .25lb N / M rate. I plan to do this weekly or biweekly. Not sure yet. Will switch to milo in June.

Spot sprayed some weeds, sprayed some poa with tenacity, picked up around 80 bags of mulch, and cleaned up some flower / plant beds. Weather is going to be in the 60s-70s this week so I'm hoping things start really kicking off soon!


----------



## social port

I've found those light granular applications to be tricky. I may be totally mistaken, but when doing a recent light application, the granules did not SEEM to flow as quickly compared to a full hopper. Learning curve for me.

Congrats on getting to start your lawn season in full force.


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> I've found those light granular applications to be tricky. I may be totally mistaken, but when doing a recent light application, the granules did not SEEM to flow as quickly compared to a full hopper. Learning curve for me.
> 
> Congrats on getting to start your lawn season in full force.


I don't recall having any real issues with the flow. The Lesco granules were similar in size to milorganite and flowed pretty evenly as far as I could tell. I did a separate application for the front and back, so only had around 5lbs of product in at a time.


----------



## social port

gregonfire said:


> so only had around 5lbs of product in at a time.


Ahh...there's the difference. Some of my apps were 1 pound in the hopper. I did not notice the problem when I used 3 pounds or more.


----------



## g-man

For light applications (ie Urea), I like using this: https://www.amazon.com/Scotts-71131-Wizz-Hand-Held-Spreader/dp/B011HY5Q1K/


----------



## social port

g-man said:


> For light applications (ie Urea), I like using this: https://www.amazon.com/Scotts-71131-Wizz-Hand-Held-Spreader/dp/B011HY5Q1K/


Geez...that is totally the right tool for the job, and it never even occurred to me. Thanks for the recommendation.


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> 
> For light applications (ie Urea), I like using this: https://www.amazon.com/Scotts-71131-Wizz-Hand-Held-Spreader/dp/B011HY5Q1K/
> 
> 
> 
> Geez...that is totally the right tool for the job, and it never even occurred to me. Thanks for the recommendation.
Click to expand...

 :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## M_GEEZY MW

@gregonfire 
Great reno! I just read threw your entire thread from start to finish. Looking for inspiration as I am contemplating a fall reno of my back yard that has been demolished by moles/Dogs and shade, plus it is so bumpy that it is a pain to mow so I want to flatten it smooth during renovation. Not sure what the heck is going on with this winter still hanging on; as I write this it is currently snowing in Cincinnati! 
@Sinclair - I haven't seen your reno thread, but I would love to. is there a link to it?


----------



## gregonfire

M_GEEZY MW said:


> @gregonfire
> Great reno! I just read threw your entire thread from start to finish. Looking for inspiration as I am contemplating a fall reno of my back yard that has been demolished by moles/Dogs and shade, plus it is so bumpy that it is a pain to mow so I want to flatten it smooth during renovation. Not sure what the heck is going on with this winter still hanging on; as I write this it is currently snowing in Cincinnati!
> @Sinclair - I haven't seen your reno thread, but I would love to. is there a link to it?


Good luck man and welcome to TLF. There is plenty of info and knowledgeable people on this forum. I'd recommend starting your own thread and posting pics.


----------



## gregonfire

Dropped another spoonful of nitrogen this morning due to rain being forecast for this afternoon.

Sprayed my 2nd app of tenacity on the Poa Annua infiltrating my back yard near the door. So far it seems unharmed :/


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## gregonfire

Lawn is starting to wake up!!!

HOC: 2.5"
Bagged problem areas, mulched everwhere else.


































Back yard has some areas that haven't woken up yet, hence the "splotchy-ness"


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## g-man

It's looking great. Mulching project next?


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> It's looking great. Mulching project next?


Thanks! Yep, probably next weekend. I'd really like to re-define the mulch beds, but will probably wait til next year after the grass thickens and spreads a bit first.


----------



## Budstl

That walkway edge is sweet.


----------



## crunk

gregonfire said:


> more squirrel damage in the backyard. How do I deal with them?


I know this was from last year, but I'm having some issues with squirrels too. Did you figure out anything that keeps them away? I've tried Cayenne pepper. It works for a little while. I put grass plugs in, and they dig them up.


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## iowa jim

What edger do you use to get those kind of results. :looks awesome:


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## gregonfire

Budstl said:


> That walkway edge is sweet.





iowa jim said:


> What edger do you use to get those kind of results. :looks awesome:


Thanks fellas. I use a Craftsman edger, I really like it. It was affordable and has been really reliable.



crunk said:


> I know this was from last year, but I'm having some issues with squirrels too. Did you figure out anything that keeps them away? I've tried Cayenne pepper. It works for a little while. I put grass plugs in, and they dig them up.


No I didn't figure anything out. I just let them go. It doesn't happen that often, and I figure the grass will fill in any little holes they make.


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## gregonfire

Hey guys, I was nominated for May's LOTM. If you think what I'm doing here as a lawn noob is worthy, I'd really appreciate your votes! Link is stickied at the top of the page.


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## social port

gregonfire said:


> Lawn is starting to wake up!!!
> 
> HOC: 2.5"
> Bagged problem areas, mulched everwhere else.


The warm and fuzzy feeling I get when looking at this picture suggests that I may be transitioning from turf obsession to...
turf addiction :?

Oh, and this


Budstl said:


> That walkway edge is sweet.


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> The warm and fuzzy feeling I get when looking at this picture suggests that I may be transitioning from turf obsession to...
> turf addiction :?


Haha, I'm right there with you man.



social port said:


> Oh, and this
> 
> That walkway edge is sweet.


Thanks, love the way a tightly edged lawn looks.


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## ericgautier

@gregonfire edging on point man! My reno is on its 2nd year and my edges are nowhere near that.


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## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire edging on point man! My reno is on its 2nd year and my edges are nowhere near that.


Thanks Eric. Really? What kind of edger do you use?


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Thanks Eric. Really? What kind of edger do you use?


I have a stick edger, but my grass still has a fill in more on the edges. :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

Did a lot of work today!

Started working on the mulching project. I re-defined one of the mulch beds in the back, looks SO much better!! Added some stepping stones leading up to the hose, cut the grass. Enjoy the pics!


























































Power washing the front porch and walkways tomorrow.


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## Budstl

Mulch beds look great. Almost as good as that lawn. Thick and lush.


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## gregonfire

Budstl said:


> Mulch beds look great. Almost as good as that lawn. Thick and lush.


Thanks Bud! Was a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it.


----------



## pennstater2005

@gregonfire What's your HOC? Looks good :thumbup:


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## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> @gregonfire What's your HOC? Looks good :thumbup:


Just bumped it up to 3", thanks dude


----------



## gregonfire

Power washed the walkways, sidewalks, and front porch. What a huge difference. Didn't get any good pics though.

Yesterday I dropped milo at 2x bag rate and also put down some preventative fungicide.


----------



## Pete1313

The finishing touch with fresh mulch. Looks so nice!


----------



## gregonfire

Pete1313 said:


> The finishing touch with fresh mulch. Looks so nice!


Thanks Pete! Appreciate the comments!


----------



## gregonfire

Cut today! Temps hit 90 here so I put down some water this morning. Came home and the lawn was dry and long so I gave her a trim.

3" in the back, 3.5" in the front. There are still some slow growing spots in the back, the rest is growing like crazy! Is this normal?


----------



## social port

gregonfire said:


> Temps hit 90 here


90 in Jersey already. It seems like you all just got rid of the snow.


gregonfire said:


> There are still some slow growing spots in the back, the rest is growing like crazy! Is this normal?


I don't know, but I can tell you that I have very different rates of growth across the lawn in my fescue--I've noticed variation even within the same 'zone' (2000sqft area).

That grass looks so healthy and happy--exactly how I feel when looking at it


----------



## Turf Jitsu

Wow, such a beautiful lawn.


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## ericgautier

@gregonfire the user name is fitting. Lawn is on fire. haha. What made you go to 3.5" already?


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## probasestealer

Looks good man


----------



## GlennBlake

gregonfire said:


> Did a lot of work today!
> 
> Started working on the mulching project. I re-defined one of the mulch beds in the back, looks SO much better!! Added some stepping stones leading up to the hose, cut the grass. Enjoy the pics!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Power washing the front porch and walkways tomorrow.


The dark green colour of the grass looks magnificent @gregonfire :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> 90 in Jersey already. It seems like you all just got rid of the snow.
> 
> I don't know, but I can tell you that I have very different rates of growth across the lawn in my fescue--I've noticed variation even within the same 'zone' (2000sqft area).
> 
> That grass looks so healthy and happy--exactly how I feel when looking at it


Yep been upper 80's the past few days and hit 90+ yesterday. Crazy! Thanks for the comments



ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire the user name is fitting. Lawn is on fire. haha. What made you go to 3.5" already?


Thanks Eric. I cut the back first at 3" and it seemed like I was cutting a bit too much off, so I kicked it up to 3.5 for the front. Should I keep it lower at this time?



probasestealer said:


> Looks good man





GlennBlake said:


> The dark green colour of the grass looks magnificent @gregonfire :thumbup:





Turf Jitsu said:


> Wow, such a beautiful lawn.


Thanks for the positive comments, guys. Much appreciated.


----------



## gregonfire

Had to share this pic from my home camera. Makes me so happy.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Thanks Eric. I cut the back first at 3" and it seemed like I was cutting a bit too much off, so I kicked it up to 3.5 for the front. Should I keep it lower at this time?


Gotcha. :thumbup:

I like a lower HOC as long as I can, but do bump it up to 3.5+ during summer months.


----------



## vnephologist

Looking really nice! I'm envious of the color.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Gotcha. :thumbup:
> 
> I like a lower HOC as long as I can, but do bump it up to 3.5+ during summer months.


What do you usually like to keep it at this time of year? 2.5?


----------



## gregonfire

vnephologist said:


> Looking really nice! I'm envious of the color.


Thanks, it's getting really dark! I feel like I always cut the lawn in the afternoon just before sunset, so whenever I take pics it always has the "golden hour" glow on it, which gives it more of a bright green color. The lawn really is nice and dark!


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> What do you usually like to keep it at this time of year? 2.5?


Yes, I'm currently at 2.5". Then will use PGR to keep it there for awhile. :twisted:


----------



## Pete1313

gregonfire said:


> Had to share this pic from my home camera. Makes me so happy.


Looks beautiful!



gregonfire said:


> 3" in the back, 3.5" in the front. There are still some slow growing spots in the back, the rest is growing like crazy! Is this normal?


I would consider it normal, and am seeing it this year as well and have seen it in the past on my previous renovations. It is like a "spring sprout and pout". Even with a monostand, some areas take off and others look thinner bladed/compact and don't even get cut. The way I look at it is the grass is doing what it needs to do, building roots, and will start growing when it's ready. If I had to bet, in a few weeks it will all come to life and look more uniform. Put on some small doses of N, but don't force it with too much N at once.


----------



## gregonfire

Pete1313 said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> Had to share this pic from my home camera. Makes me so happy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks beautiful!
> 
> I would consider it normal, and am seeing it this year as well and have seen it in the past on my previous renovations. It is like a "spring sprout and pout". Even with a monostand, some areas take off and others look thinner bladed/compact and don't even get cut. The way I look at it is the grass is doing what it needs to do, building roots, and will start growing when it's ready. If I had to bet, in a few weeks it will all come to life and look more uniform. Put on some small doses of N, but don't force it with too much N at once.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, Pete. Appreciate it. Glad to know it's normal. I've been putting down about 1/4 lb N/M every week, but am taking this week off.


----------



## gregonfire

Got the other flower bed in the back yard edged and mulched today. I used some of the KBG that I had cut out and plugged some bare areas from either the dogs or squirrels. Pics!


----------



## pennstater2005

@gregonfire Awesome! I love that contrast between dark green grass and dark mulch.


----------



## gregonfire

Cut again yesterday. Tried the single / double stripe method on the front. The HRX doesn't stripe too well. I ordered the checkmate lawn striper, should be here tomorrow. Anyone use that striper?

HOC: 3"


----------



## gregonfire

The lawn is darker than it appears in the pictures. I don't know why. The one (dark) picture above was taken from inside my car and it is a more accurate representation of the color.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life

It has a lot to do with the white balance in the camera. The software is trying to balance the dark and light parts of the picture and usually takes an average. With a bright sky, it makes everything else lighter to try and compensate for it. You need to change the white balance setting to center only and point the center focus on what you want to get a better color. Or, you can edit it in the computer... Cameras don't have anywhere near as wide a range of visible light as people so the sky is too bright to capture in addition to the ground. You can help this by not capturing any sky at all in your photos. Also, you don't want the sun on your camera lens, so shade the lens with your hand or stand under something so the sun isn't hitting the lens before you take the picture.


----------



## gregonfire

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> It has a lot to do with the white balance in the camera. The software is trying to balance the dark and light parts of the picture and usually takes an average. With a bright sky, it makes everything else lighter to try and compensate for it. You need to change the white balance setting to center only and point the center focus on what you want to get a better color. Or, you can edit it in the computer... Cameras don't have anywhere near as wide a range of visible light as people so the sky is too bright to capture in addition to the ground. You can help this by not capturing any sky at all in your photos. Also, you don't want the sun on your camera lens, so shade the lens with your hand or stand under something so the sun isn't hitting the lens before you take the picture.


Thanks for the info, I figured it had to do something with the lens / software. I'm using my iphone 7+ to take pics, so probably not the best for accurate colors.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life

Phones these days are quite good so just stand in shade and make sure there isn't any sky or bright white stuff like siding on the house in the phone before you take the pic. It's crazy but maybe stand on the car and point the phone down at the lawn? Hehe! You'll truly be a LCN then!!!


----------



## gregonfire

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Phones these days are quite good so just stand in shade and make sure there isn't any sky or bright white stuff like siding on the house in the phone before you take the pic. It's crazy but maybe stand on the car and point the phone down at the lawn? Hehe! You'll truly be a LCN then!!!


Ha! I already feel like a clown taking pics of my lawn all the time, imagine the neighbors (who probably already think I'm crazy) seeing me on top of a car taking pics of the grass :lol:


----------



## g-man

My don't think it anymore, they know I'm lawn crazy.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life

The neighbors are whispering "Honey, Greg's in the lawn again. That's the third time this week." We're probably all viewed as nuts but your lawn looks super awesome! I had a quick chat with the neighbor and his wife was getting on his case saying "Why can't our lawn look like that?" So, I guess I got him in hot water... :?


----------



## social port

gregonfire said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> 
> Phones these days are quite good so just stand in shade and make sure there isn't any sky or bright white stuff like siding on the house in the phone before you take the pic. It's crazy but maybe stand on the car and point the phone down at the lawn? Hehe! You'll truly be a LCN then!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Ha! I already feel like a clown taking pics of my lawn all the time, imagine the neighbors (who probably already think I'm crazy) seeing me on top of a car taking pics of the grass :lol:
Click to expand...

Same. I can't help but feel a little self-conscious taking so many pictures-and even looking for "the perfect shot."


----------



## gregonfire

Posted a question over in the irrigation forum, would love it if anyone knowledgeable could help out.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2775


----------



## Togo

Greg you're lawn is looking amazing!

Also I just got the checkmate stripe kit and it works very well, so you should like yours.


----------



## gregonfire

Got the checkmate lawn striper installed yesterday. Installation was pretty straightforward. The striper is extremely heavy duty and very rigid. Worked pretty well!

Overall, I'd recommend it to anyone considering one. It will take a bit getting used to when making turns at the fence lines where there is minimal turning room.

*Disclaimer: these pics were taken early this morning with an overcast sky / no sun


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life

Wow! That looks super awesome! I assume everyone is using the gci discount code? I just picked up one myself! Can't wait!


----------



## gregonfire

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Wow! That looks super awesome! I assume everyone is using the gci discount code? I just picked up one myself! Can't wait!


Thanks! Yep I used the 10% discount code from GCI.


----------



## Togo

That's looking really good Greg


----------



## gregonfire

Got some help in the irrigation subforum regarding my current setup. I'm making some changes 

Current setup is 2 orbit gear drives and 1 rain bird impact covering the front and the same for the back.

I am converting everything to hunter pgp ultra's, and adding 2 more heads front / back for a total of 10 heads for the entire yard.

Going to do one head in each corner of the front, with one head in the middle doing a 360.

The back is a different story, as it's not really rectangular. I'll have to play around with it. I'm not as concerned about the back as the trees provide a good amount of shade come summertime.


----------



## gregonfire

Got the lawn cut today, was away all last week. Cut at 4", will do 3" tomorrow, and then 2.5" by the weekend. Gotta get some air down to the soil.

I have some grass areas that seem to be stuck laying down, couldn't cut them. I had to go back over multiple areas and kind of kick the grass up then go over it with the mower again. Any tricks to get grass to stand up? I'm guessing its the KBG. It seems I have wayyyyy more KBG than I originally thought, even though i did a 80/20 mix.

No pics, looks crappy right now.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> I have some grass areas that seem to be stuck laying down, couldn't cut them. I had to go back over multiple areas and kind of kick the grass up then go over it with the mower again. Any tricks to get grass to stand up? I'm guessing its the KBG. It seems I have wayyyyy more KBG than I originally thought, even though i did a 80/20 mix.
> 
> No pics, looks crappy right now.


It could be the Bewitched. I see it on my backyard tttf/kbg mix. Bewitched seems to grow more lateral. :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> It could be the Bewitched. I see it on my backyard tttf/kbg mix. Bewitched seems to grow more lateral. :thumbup:


Any tips to get it to stand up? I tried using the blower which kind of worked.

The problem I noticed (especially this past week with all the rain) is it's laying on top of other grass and suffocating it. I should note I'm mainly only having this issue in the back yard, which has a lot of traffic from the dogs and me going in/out the shed.

The front has a couple of these problem areas but not nearly as bad as the back.


----------



## ericgautier

Blower is a good trick. Once you mow it back down, you should be ok. Could be your mower does not have such a strong suction at 4" HOC vs lower HOC?


----------



## g-man

Mow at hoc 2in.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Blower is a good trick. Once you mow it back down, you should be ok. Could be your mower does not have such a strong suction at 4" HOC vs lower HOC?


I've read that the HRX has poor suction at heights at or above 3", I can see that now.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Mow at hoc 2in.


You don't think 2" will be too short for the TTTF?


----------



## gregonfire

Cut at 3" yesterday, didn't snap any pics but here is a screen shot today from the home camera










back yard still has lots of areas that are matted down. I tried using the blower and it wasn't too effective. I will probably try lightly raking it today. Also hoping suction is better once I get down lower. Will cut at 2.5" on friday, then will try to bring it down to 2". Plan to keep the front at 3".


----------



## gregonfire

Couple pics from yesterday afternoon. Some brown spots due to all of the rain last week. It should grow out of it fine though (hopefully)


----------



## gregonfire

Hoc: front 3", back 2.5"
Expecting rain tomorrow so I dropped some N, ~.33lb/m


----------



## Powhatan

gregonfire said:


> Hoc: front 3", back 2.5"
> Expecting rain tomorrow so I dropped some N, ~.33lb/m


Looking good :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

Damn this brown patch is doing a number on my grass. I put more heritage g down yesterday and ordered eagle liquid fungicide to put down as well.

The front is ok but the back yard is really taking a hit. Between the brown patch, the matted down grass issues, and the rainy NJ weather, I can't get ahead of the back yard. I want to get it to 2" but I can't cut it fast enough.

I am frustrated.


----------



## ericgautier

Sorry to hear about the brown patch issue. What's your HOC currently at?


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Sorry to hear about the brown patch issue. What's your HOC currently at?


back is at 2.5", front is at 3"

after seeing it yesterday afternoon and this morning, it's not as bad as I made it seem in my last post.

I'm hoping the weather holds out today so I can cut again, gonna bring the back to 2" and leave the front at 3", I'll try to snap some pics.


----------



## Sinclair

I'm having disease pressure too. I think the fact that we went straight from winter into hot humid weather made our first year grass especially vulnerable.

Things are supposed to return to more seasonal this week and next. Hoping it stays cool and relatively dry.

I was cutting at 4". Took t down to 3.5" when I noticed the disease creeping in, and ya, I can't mow enough. Every day is probably needed but the neighbours and wife already think I'm nuts mowing every other day!

Hang in there, you're LOTM September.


----------



## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> I'm having disease pressure too. I think the fact that we went straight from winter into hot humid weather made our first year grass especially vulnerable.
> 
> Things are supposed to return to more seasonal this week and next. Hoping it stays cool and relatively dry.
> 
> I was cutting at 4". Took t down to 3.5" when I noticed the disease creeping in, and ya, I can't mow enough. Every day is probably needed but the neighbours and wife already think I'm nuts mowing every other day!
> 
> Hang in there, you're LOTM September.


Yeah that's gotta be it. Plus down here in NJ we had straight rain for like 10 days straight, which allowed the grass to get too long and fall over, causing my matting issues (plus I have 2 dogs that like to play in the backyard).

Hoping it recovers quickly


----------



## gregonfire

Couple pics from my cut yesterday, 2.5" back, 3" front


















Here is an up-close shot of the matting / disease in the back yard


----------



## gregonfire

3" front, 2.5" back

Sharpened my mower blades the other day, can tell a noticeable difference in the cut.


----------



## ericgautier

Nice double wide!


----------



## pennstater2005

Color is beautiful @gregonfire

Nice stripes too!


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Nice double wide!





pennstater2005 said:


> Color is beautiful @gregonfire
> 
> Nice stripes too!


Thanks dudes  Front is looking pretty ridiculous!


----------



## g-man

It looks very dense and full, good work. As the summer heat/humidity shows up, be very diligent in checking for fungus. The extra density will not let a lot of air flow and could give you problems.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> It looks very dense and full, good work. As the summer heat/humidity shows up, be very diligent in checking for fungus. The extra density will not let a lot of air flow and could give you problems.


I guess the thickness is a blessing and a curse then huh. I have literally no weeds in my lawn, but now fungus pressure is increased.

I'll be out of the country for the rest of the year, so it'll be up to the wife to keep the lawn alive...


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> I'll be out of the country for the rest of the year, so it'll be up to the wife to keep the lawn alive...


Wow.. that is a long time. Stay safe man. I'm sure she will take care of the lawn just fine. Just leave her detailed notes. :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be out of the country for the rest of the year, so it'll be up to the wife to keep the lawn alive...
> 
> 
> 
> Wow.. that is a long time. Stay safe man. I'm sure she will take care of the lawn just fine. Just leave her detailed notes. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks man, luckily I'll be in the same time zone and will have phone service so I can walk her through stuff.


----------



## SJ Lawn

@gregonfire Nice color ! What is your estimate on how much KBG is currently in your front lawn ?


----------



## gregonfire

SJ Lawn said:


> @gregonfire Nice color ! What is your estimate on how much KBG is currently in your front lawn ?


Thanks man. I have no idea, I put down 80% TTTF / 20% KBG at seed down, but I'd say it's probably closer to 60/40 now.

I used around 6lb / k TTTF and 1.25lb / k KBG


----------



## TLFU

Greg, how hard is it to attach the CheckMate?

Another gr8 NJ lawn. :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

TLFU said:


> Greg, how hard is it to attach the CheckMate?
> 
> Another gr8 NJ lawn. :thumbup:


Thanks! Took about 30-40 minutes, pretty easy.


----------



## gregonfire

Some pics from my last couple cuts:


----------



## Alex1389

@gregonfire Lawn looks great, man! I'm in Northern NJ and planning a renovation of my backyard this year. I'm too scared to do the entire property all at once!

Read through your thread here and I'm curious as to what made you decide to use TTTF with KBG? I was thinking of doing a straight KBG renovation in the backyard, but I'm not sure I can deal with the germination times! I noticed feller NJ'er @ericgautier also went with a similar blend as you. Both of your results are making me reconsider a straight KBG renovation . . .


----------



## ericgautier

@Alex1389 I have done 2 renovations now. My backyard is TTTF+KBG mix. The backyard was my first renovation (2014) and as you mentioned was kinda afraid of germination times with KBG. The TTTF+KBG mix gives you best of both worlds (fast germination of TTTF and repairability of KBG). Then in 2016, I got the bug again. This time though I went with a Monostand KBG. I learned a ton from doing the backyard and I felt I was ready. KBG definitely takes more patience and you have to act fast when/if things start to happen (ie: fungus). As long as you got the basic down, you shouldn't have any issues with either TTTF+KBG or just KBG. Start a journal and we'll help you as best we can! :thumbsup:


----------



## gregonfire

Alex1389 said:


> @gregonfire Lawn looks great, man! I'm in Northern NJ and planning a renovation of my backyard this year. I'm too scared to do the entire property all at once!
> 
> Read through your thread here and I'm curious as to what made you decide to use TTTF with KBG? I was thinking of doing a straight KBG renovation in the backyard, but I'm not sure I can deal with the germination times! I noticed feller NJ'er @ericgautier also went with a similar blend as you. Both of your results are making me reconsider a straight KBG renovation . . .


Welcome to the forum and congrats on your venture into the world of lawn renovations.

Basically to echo eric, I wanted the ease of TTTF plus the spreadability / repairability of the the KBG. I was initially going to do only TTTF but I found Eric's reno on the other forum and basically copied his idea. I used the SS1000 mix from seed superstore, which is a mix of 3-4 TTTF seeds, and I used 2 different types of KBG so that I don't lose all my grass if one type gets a disease.

The success of your reno will be up to you, so research research research! Good luck man


----------



## gregonfire

More cut pics. Still doing 3" front and 2.5" back, I like it at that height.

Plan on finally testing out the sprinklers this weekend as it's going to be the first full week without any rain this season.


































Here's an up-close shot from the back yard. Nice density and thickness. I love the way it looks after a fresh cut.


----------



## social port

gregonfire said:


> I love the way it looks after a fresh cut.


Me too!
I'm nominating you and @Sinclair for LOTM.
Most of the cool season lawns around here have browned quite a bit


----------



## JDgreen18

Wow just read rhis whole post great pics. Im defiantly doing TTTF & KBG mix Ive been on the fence about what kind of seed I was gonna use on my reno in the fall...thanks for the info. You said you went to seed superstore?


----------



## gregonfire

JDgreen18 said:


> Wow just read rhis whole post great pics. Im defiantly doing TTTF & KBG mix Ive been on the fence about what kind of seed I was gonna use on my reno in the fall...thanks for the info. You said you went to seed superstore?


I used seed superstore's SS1000 mix, which is a blend of TTTF. I got the KBG from preferred seed. Good luck with your reno!


----------



## gregonfire

Couple pics from the weekend. It was brutal the last couple days here in SNJ. Hot and humid. Luckily I got the lawn watered.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Happy pup!


----------



## JDgreen18

Wow that grass is fantastic...I'm so confussed not sure if I should do an all KBG or what you did. What made you pick this grass type?

Nice lookin dog btw


----------



## gregonfire

JDgreen18 said:


> Wow that grass is fantastic...I'm so confussed not sure if I should do an all KBG or what you did. What made you pick this grass type?
> 
> Nice lookin dog btw


Thanks man, check out the previous page of my thread, another member asked the same question and both Eric (who has the same grass mix) and I answered. :thumbup:

It's really up to you what type of grass you want to do. I would have preferred a full KBG lawn, but I figure over time the lawn will transition to much more KBG and less TTTF as it spreads.


----------



## gregonfire

Can anyone tell me if this is fungus or heat stress?

Just noticed it today, looks like it's dying and feels like it lost all of its moisture or something, almost like pine needles


----------



## Pete1313

Could be heat or drought stress. Pull a few soil samples from the area and see if it is dry.


----------



## g-man

^ +1 that's looks like a fine fescue. Maybe creeping red.


----------



## pennstater2005

g-man said:


> ^ +1 that's looks like a fine fescue. Maybe creeping red.


Agreed. I have some of that in my front and backyards. I always thought it was some type of FF.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> ^ +1 that's looks like a fine fescue. Maybe creeping red.





pennstater2005 said:


> Agreed. I have some of that in my front and backyards. I always thought it was some type of FF.


No way it's FF. Just a couple days ago it was thicker bladed grass. I didn't plant any FF seeds in my lawn, only TTTF and KBG.


----------



## gregonfire

Pete1313 said:


> Could be heat or drought stress. Pull a few soil samples from the area and see if it is dry.


Hoping that's all it is, thank you


----------



## g-man

Then it could be worst: POA t. Those blades look really thin, I still think it could be creeping red.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Then it could be worst: POA t. Those blades look really thin, I still think it could be creeping red.


Here is a pic of the same spot from June 14th:


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire have you been watering?


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire have you been watering?


I watered the front Friday last week, according to my tuna can test it put out just under an inch.


----------



## Roosterchest

I thought it was a fine fescue as well which goes dormant pretty easily. I really doubt that tall fescue is having heat stress with regular watering and mild temps. That stuff can usually go a few weeks without water before showing signs of stress.


----------



## SJ Lawn

@gregonfire Take a screwdriver and poke it in several spots and do the same in another section of your lawn where the turf is green and thick. Could be a localized dry spot.


----------



## gregonfire

Roosterchest said:


> I thought it was a fine fescue as well which goes dormant pretty easily. I really doubt that tall fescue is having heat stress with regular watering and mild temps. That stuff can usually go a few weeks without water before showing signs of stress.





SJ Lawn said:


> @gregonfire Take a screwdriver and poke it in several spots and do the same in another section of your lawn where the turf is green and thick. Could be a localized dry spot.


Sorry guys, was on a trip and didn't check the forums. It is definitely heat stress. I watered the shit out of it Sunday and then ran the sprinklers yesterday morning. The problem area looks much better and more normal this morning. Will have to pay extra attention to that spot moving forward.


----------



## gregonfire

Didn't get many pics of my last couple cuts so here ya go.


















Took a trip up to Tree House Brewing with my wife and another couple over the weekend. Here was my beer haul, pretty impressive!


----------



## gregonfire

Fresh cut yesterday. Bumped the front to 3.5", back still at 2.5". Put down some Eagle fungicide a couple days ago. Got to try out the new battery powered chapin sprayer thanks to @Tsmith


----------



## social port

gregonfire said:


> Didn't get many pics of my last couple cuts so here ya go.


 :clapping:


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> :clapping:


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire looks awesome!!


----------



## Tsmith

Looks great @gregonfire


----------



## gregonfire

Hello TLF friends, been a while.

Some of you may know I'm in the air national guard. My unit got activated last month and I've been out of the country since, hence the lack of updates.

Wanted to check in and let everyone know the wife is taking great care of the lawn, and it is still (mostly) green! The heat has been killer in NJ lately.

Here's a pic from the home camera:









Until next time...


----------



## g-man

You wife deserves a price, maybe send her a day at the spa gift certificate. It is looking great.


----------



## gregonfire

Wife sent me a couple pics after she cut the grass.

Looking pretty good!


----------



## JDgreen18

Nice...love the dog too


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Wife sent me a couple pics after she cut the grass.
> 
> Looking pretty good!


Looks great! She did an amazing job. Hope all is well. :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Looks great! She did an amazing job. Hope all is well. :thumbup:


Thanks Eric. Doing well here, just really hot lol. Staying busy, time is going by quick so far!


----------



## gregonfire

Sorry about all the dog pics, those are the ones I get the most. Back is still being cut at 2.5, front at 3.5. Wife said the brown spots in the front are green again, and no signs of fungus. Yay!


----------



## gregonfire

Hello again TLF friends

Roughly one year ago I killed my "lawn" and did a renovation.










Also have a nice growth comparison for you from some plugs I did back in the spring:

May 5









May 30









Aug 15









I really like KBG


----------



## Green

Long distance lawncare...looking good!


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Looking great Greg. Still amazed at the transformation you made in 1 year. Also thank you for your service.


----------



## Mrotatori

looks awesome, I am in awe. I hope mine comes out half as good as yours


----------



## LawnNerd

gregonfire said:


> Wanted to check in and let everyone know the wife is taking great care of the lawn...


Oh, just rub it in our faces Greg! Not only do you have a great lawn, you even have a Unicorn Wife who takes care of the lawn while you're away! :lol:

Just messing. Lawn looks great still! Get home soon man!


----------



## Sinclair

Did your neighbour start a reno!?


----------



## gregonfire

Sorry for the late responses, everyone. I don't get on here much for a couple reasons - first it makes me jealous, and second I'm super busy here. I saw someone nominated me for LOTM for September.. I really appreciate that. I don't even care if I win - the fact that you guys think my lawn is worthy of that makes my day. We all put in tons of time, effort, money, blood, sweat, etc. into our lawns and to have someone notice all of that work and say it looks good makes it all worth it 



Green said:


> Long distance lawncare...looking good!


Thanks! It's been easy, but once the fall fertilization starts it will get a bit more tricky.



Jconnelly6b said:


> Looking great Greg. Still amazed at the transformation you made in 1 year. Also thank you for your service.


Thanks, same here. It has really exceeded all expectations. I have to say it would have failed without the help and knowledge of the members of this forum! And it's my pleasure, this is just part of the job every once in a while :thumbup:



Mrotatori said:


> looks awesome, I am in awe. I hope mine comes out half as good as yours


Thank you, don't worry it'll turn out great! Try not to over-think things too much. Post a lot of pics! good luck with your reno!




LawnNerd said:


> Oh, just rub it in our faces Greg! Not only do you have a great lawn, you even have a Unicorn Wife who takes care of the lawn while you're away! :lol:
> 
> Just messing. Lawn looks great still! Get home soon man!


Haha yeah she's pretty great. She puts up with my silly "rules" with the lawn, but she understands. She was out there helping me during the reno process so she gets it. She's going to hate me once the fall fertilization starts though.

2 months down, 4 to go!



Sinclair said:


> Did your neighbour start a reno!?


I don't think so, why? I highly doubt any of my neighbors would do that lol.


----------



## LawnNerd

gregonfire said:


> 2 months down, 4 to go!


I know that feeling. I was FL. Army NG from '04-'10, and was in the sand lot from '05-'06. If you need anything, let me know man.


----------



## gregonfire

LawnNerd said:


> I know that feeling. I was FL. Army NG from '04-'10, and was in the sand lot from '05-'06. If you need anything, let me know man.


Thanks a lot brother I appreciate that, and thanks for your service. Luckily I'm not in the sand this time. I was in 2010 though..


----------



## gregonfire

NJ has been going through a heat wave recently. Wife sent me some pics, and the lawn is browning pretty significantly in some areas. She's been watering twice a week at around .75" each time. I guess the grass just can't keep up with the heat.

Think it's going dormant or is the brown stuff dead?


----------



## g-man

Or fungus. Pictures?


----------



## gregonfire

@g-man


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> NJ has been going through a heat wave recently. Wife sent me some pics, and the lawn is browning pretty significantly in some areas. She's been watering twice a week at around .75" each time. I guess the grass just can't keep up with the heat.
> 
> Think it's going dormant or is the brown stuff dead?


The weather has not been nice here. I see forecast for showers but it never happens. We might not be watering enough for the "heat" lately (I know I have been slacking on watering and have areas like that).

I would try dropping some Scotts DieseaseEx.


----------



## g-man

It looks dry.


----------



## Green

I would say it's alive, but dormant. Mine is worse...I have what I think are a few actual dead patches. If she can do an extra watering on one of these hot days' mornings, that should keep it from getting worse. Like mine, your lawn's ET rate is probably higher than the amount of water put down, and therefore in a slight water deficit.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> The weather has not been nice here. I see forecast for showers but it never happens. We might not be watering enough for the "heat" lately (I know I have been slacking on watering and have areas like that).
> 
> I would try dropping some Scotts DieseaseEx.


Yeah the heat has been crazy from what my wife tells me. I hope it breaks soon. I'll have her put some disease ex down soon.



g-man said:


> It looks dry.


Yep that's what I'm thinking too.



Green said:


> I would say it's alive, but dormant. Mine is worse...I have what I think are a few actual dead patches. If she can do an extra watering on one of these hot days' mornings, that should keep it from getting worse. Like mine, your lawn's ET rate is probably higher than the amount of water put down, and therefore in a slight water deficit.


That's what I was thinking as well. I had her water every day alternating front yard / back yard until this weekend, which is "supposed" to bring some rain.

Should I have her rake out the dormant patches or leave them?


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> That's what I was thinking as well. I had her water every day alternating front yard / back yard until this weekend, which is "supposed" to bring some rain.
> 
> Should I have her rake out the dormant patches or leave them?


Since it was in the 90s just a few days ago, I would have said leave it alone to help protect anything that's trying to come back. I still think that as long as it doesn't mat too bad and there's still air flow, it's likely ok for now. The only areas I've raked in mine so far are those I've overseeded.

If there's still some green mixed with the brown everywhere, consistently, it should recover in a few weeks. If there's no more green left in areas, then it could be dead (for Tall Fescue). It seems that Turf-Type (Continental) Tall Fescue does "incomplete dormancy", where it retains a bit of green when it goes dormant, and just stops growing. This is also backed by the research. That's what it looked like was shown in your photos. But I think I may have some patches with no more green left (not good) in mine...


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> Since it was in the 90s just a few days ago, I would have said leave it alone to help protect anything that's trying to come back. I still think that as long as it doesn't mat too bad and there's still air flow, it's likely ok for now. The only areas I've raked in mine so far are those I've overseeded.
> 
> If there's still some green mixed with the brown everywhere, consistently, it should recover in a few weeks. If there's no more green left in areas, then it could be dead (for Tall Fescue). It seems that Turf-Type (Continental) Tall Fescue does "incomplete dormancy", where it retains a bit of green when it goes dormant, and just stops growing. This is also backed by the research. That's what it looked like was shown in your photos. But I think I may have some patches with no more green left (not good) in mine...


Thanks for the info Green, appreciate it. Apparently the up close picture from above is the worst spot, and it's not very big. So that's encouraging.

We got a huge thunderstorm last night. According to the tracker, we got about 1.5-2" of rain. And the best part - with that storm brought in some cooler weather 

I think fall is near. Looks like mid to upper 70's next week.

I'm so sad I'm missing the best part of the year for a lawn


----------



## gregonfire

First fall split-app of pre-m was put down along with bag rate milorganite application.

What problems might arise if I go over the suggested annual rate of prodiamine?

Per Eric's suggestion, Scott's disease ex will be put down this weekend as well.


----------



## gregonfire

Wife sent me some pics of the heat damage... she started raking some of it out..

Not sure how to proceed here, I'm guessing start the fall nitrogen and hope KBG fills in the gaps?


----------



## njlawner

I had a very similar front lawn by end of august so I ended up taking down my hoc to 2 inches and dethatched and pulled everything out with my mower, then threw down milo first weekend and then ringer just last weekend and the grass looks a lot greener. I'm also debating whether to start with urea now that the lawn is looking a little healthier.


----------



## g-man

Greg, I would lower your hoc. It is too high and encouraging fungus.


----------



## gregonfire

njlawner said:


> I had a very similar front lawn by end of august so I ended up taking down my hoc to 2 inches and dethatched and pulled everything out with my mower, then threw down milo first weekend and then ringer just last weekend and the grass looks a lot greener. I'm also debating whether to start with urea now that the lawn is looking a little healthier.


Thanks for the info man, giving me a little hope! I appreciate it. She put down milo about 2.5 weeks ago, doesn't look like it did much yet.



g-man said:


> Greg, I would lower your hoc. It is too high and encouraging fungus.


I'll have my wife lower it to 2.5". She was cutting at 3". Should I have her rake out the rest of the dead stuff? It is dead right? dormant grass doesn't mat down like that does it?


----------



## g-man

Yes, the top part is dead, the crown might still be good. Taking the dead stuff out should help.

You should move closer to Indy, so I could do in house lawn consultations.


----------



## Alex1389

You're in good hands here, @gregonfire. I wouldn't panic on this. Rake out the dead grass and start the blitz. The KBG should fill in. Weather looks pretty good for the next 7-10 days, so I would definitely drop your HOC. I dropped mine to 2.25" today.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Greg we are all in the same boat man. We took a beating in NJ the last few weeks.

I would see if your wife could get that Disease Ex down sooner than later.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Yes, the top part is dead, the crown might still be good. Taking the dead stuff out should help.
> 
> You should move closer to Indy, so I could do in house lawn consultations.


Thanks Gman, appreciate all that you do.



Alex1389 said:


> You're in good hands here, @gregonfire. I wouldn't panic on this. Rake out the dead grass and start the blitz. The KBG should fill in. Weather looks pretty good for the next 7-10 days, so I would definitely drop your HOC. I dropped mine to 2.25" today


Thanks for the reassurance Alex. I told my wife to drop it to 2.5" for the next cut and to bag it to pick up the remaining dead stuff after she rakes. She's going to start with urea this weekend.



Jconnelly6b said:


> Greg we are all in the same boat man. We took a beating in NJ the last few weeks.
> 
> I would see if your wife could get that Disease Ex down sooner than later.


Yeah it sucks man, hoping it recovers quick. My wife was telling me how bad it was. She was watering every other day and that still wasn't enough I guess.

She put the disease ex down a couple weeks ago.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Sounds like you got a good lady there. I know I sure appreciate all the work mine helps me with in the lawn too.


----------



## gregonfire

Wife had a busy weekend, wish I was home to help her.

She de-thatched the yard, bag mowed at 2.5" HOC, and put down the first app of urea at 1 lb / k.

It rained lightly all day today, so I'm hoping we start to see some recovery later this week.


----------



## gregonfire

@Jconnelly6b how's your lawn looking, any recovery yet? Wife said our lawn hasn't changed much since putting down the urea app.


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> Green said:
> 
> 
> 
> Since it was in the 90s just a few days ago, I would have said leave it alone to help protect anything that's trying to come back. I still think that as long as it doesn't mat too bad and there's still air flow, it's likely ok for now. The only areas I've raked in mine so far are those I've overseeded.
> 
> If there's still some green mixed with the brown everywhere, consistently, it should recover in a few weeks. If there's no more green left in areas, then it could be dead (for Tall Fescue). It seems that Turf-Type (Continental) Tall Fescue does "incomplete dormancy", where it retains a bit of green when it goes dormant, and just stops growing. This is also backed by the research. That's what it looked like was shown in your photos. But I think I may have some patches with no more green left (not good) in mine...
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info Green, appreciate it. Apparently the up close picture from above is the worst spot, and it's not very big. So that's encouraging.
> 
> We got a huge thunderstorm last night. According to the tracker, we got about 1.5-2" of rain. And the best part - with that storm brought in some cooler weather
> 
> I think fall is near. Looks like mid to upper 70's next week.
> 
> I'm so sad I'm missing the best part of the year for a lawn
Click to expand...

Just an update on mine...it recovered as much as it's going to, but there are still a few dead spots, so I'm reseeding those that bigger than 3 inches or so.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

@gregonfire mine should probably be disqualified for the comparison. I scalped to 2.5" on 9/15 and then put down starter fert, OG, Mag-i-Cal, and seeded. Then I sprayed Tenacity and PGR.

BUT.... For the first 10 days or so after even the color was still looking very rough, and then the last few days the existing turf has seen a marked improvement. I think after this current bout of rain you should be looking good by end of this weekend.


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> @gregonfire mine should probably be disqualified for the comparison. I scalped to 2.5" on 8/15 and then put down starter fert, OG, Mag-i-Cal, and seeded. Then I sprayed Tenacity and PGR.
> 
> BUT.... For the first 10 days or so after even the color was still looking very rough, and then the last few days the existing turf has seen a marked improvement. I think after this current bout of rain you should be looking good by end of this weekend.


Awesome, thanks for the update. I'm hoping that whatever died will get filled in with KBG. It would be nice to have more KBG than TTTF eventually.


----------



## Alex1389

Hey @gregonfire, how is the lawn looking at that 2.5" HOC?


----------



## gregonfire

Alex1389 said:


> Hey @gregonfire, how is the lawn looking at that 2.5" HOC?


Hey alex.. I haven't seen any pics, but they wife says she hasn't noticed any improvement since lowering the HOC and dropping the first app of urea last weekend. She'll be cutting it this weekend and putting down another app of milorganite. I'll ask her to send me some pics.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Awesome, thanks for the update. I'm hoping that whatever died will get filled in with KBG. It would be nice to have more KBG than TTTF eventually.


Hopefully it turns around now that the weather is getting cooler. I have areas too (side strips especially). I just plan to rake it up good, feed it and keep up with mowing.


----------



## gregonfire

Wife sent me a pic of the front (the most damaged side of the lawn). She cut it at 2.5" and put down bag rate milorganite. She said she noticed a minor improvement since the last time she cut it, so that's some good news. Here's the pic:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Hopefully it turns around now that the weather is getting cooler. I have areas too (side strips especially). I just plan to rake it up good, feed it and keep up with mowing.


Yeah I really hope so! Looks like the next few days will be nice and cool :thumbup:


----------



## samjonester

Glad it seems to be turning around! Hope you have a thick lawn again soon. Is that why you added KBG to your seed mix? I actually got the idea to mix a bit of KBG into my TTTF reno from your reno posts.


----------



## gregonfire

samjonester said:


> Glad it seems to be turning around! Hope you have a thick lawn again soon. Is that why you added KBG to your seed mix? I actually got the idea to mix a bit of KBG into my TTTF reno from your reno posts.


Thanks Sam. Yes, that's exactly the reason. Repairability. I also chose 2 different KBG cultivars for disease resistance. The TTTF mix has I believe 4 different cultivars as well.

My hope is that as the TTTF dies off due to heat stress, the KBG will take over and I will have a mainly KBG lawn.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn is taking its grand old time with the recovery. Only minimal change since I last updated according to the wife.

She put down urea at 1lb / k and watered in this past weekend.

FIL put down sod on the side of the house that was all rocks before. Here are some comparison pics:

Before pic, last year during the reno process we cleared this area out. There was a huge tree stump in there and tons of rocks.









Here is the finished pic, I think it's a TTTF blend of sod. Not from HD or Lowes. Not my first choice, but it's better than dirt..


----------



## Jconnelly6b

That looks much better on the side there. Mine has popped back pretty well after all the rain.

I wonder if with all the rain you may need even more N?


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> That looks much better on the side there. Mine has popped back pretty well after all the rain.
> 
> I wonder if with all the rain you may need even more N?


Thanks, it is definitely a nice change.

As far as the lawn recovery, I think I underestimated the amount of TTTF in the lawn and probably should have overseeded this fall. It is tough not being home to look at how things were happening though. Worst case I'll just wait til next year to overseed.


----------



## JDgreen18

gregonfire said:


> My hope is that as the TTTF dies off due to heat stress, the KBG will take over and I will have a mainly KBG lawn.


I'm just curious as to why you would want this. Do you just like the look of kbg better or rather have the repairability of an all kbg lawn?. Or is there something else you don't like.
When I was first picking my grass type I was your lawn journal and said I'm def doing TTTF and kbg as I absolutely loved the look. Then I changed my mind again and went all kbg. 3 weeks ago I did a smaller reno on the other side of my back yard, it was tttf and kbg. It's even better in person. To be honest I kinda wish I did this in my whole back yard. I'm still pretty happy with my kbg and it will get better with time but there just something about the tttf and kbg mix I just love.


----------



## gregonfire

Alright guys.. I need some help. My wife sent me pics today of the lawn and it's just so depressing to look at. I don't know what else to do at this point. 2x apps of urea have been applied, 2x apps of milorganite, disease ex last month, gets cut regularly, plenty of water..


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire does the grass feel dry when you walk on it? Have you checked your mower blades? Are the blades dull?


----------



## Green

No worries...the KBG should take over those bare spots between now and the beginning of July. Maybe there was disease or insect damage back in August. I know I mentioned my lawn a while back. I ended up having to reseed some spots. I suspect insects, like chinch bugs might have played a minor role in my case.


----------



## Green

JDgreen18 said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> My hope is that as the TTTF dies off due to heat stress, the KBG will take over and I will have a mainly KBG lawn.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just curious as to why you would want this.
Click to expand...

Me, too. But since you're ok with decreasing TTTF levels, no worries about the dead areas...they will fill with new KBG before Summer.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire does the grass feel dry when you walk on it? Have you checked your mower blades? Are the blades dull?


I'll ask my wife and report back. I'm sure the blades need to be sharpened but Jess won't and doesn't know how to do that..


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> No worries...the KBG should take over those bare spots between now and the beginning of July. Maybe there was disease or insect damage back in August. I know I mentioned my lawn a while back. I ended up having to reseed some spots. I suspect insects, like chinch bugs might have played a minor role in my case.


That's relieving to hear. If I knew how bad the damage was, I wouldn't have had her put down pre-m and had her overseed. She's not very good at sending pictures, and she didn't make the damage out to be as bad as it was.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> JDgreen18 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> My hope is that as the TTTF dies off due to heat stress, the KBG will take over and I will have a mainly KBG lawn.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just curious as to why you would want this.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Me, too. But since you're ok with decreasing TTTF levels, no worries about the dead areas...they will fill with new KBG before Summer.
Click to expand...

I wasn't expecting so much of it to die off. I always wanted a KBG lawn, but with it being my first reno I chose the more "noob friendly" TTTF with the added KBG for repairability. Oh well.


----------



## samjonester

That's gotta be disappointing! You went with 80% TTTF/20% KBG, right? You've probably got a pretty high percentage of KBG plants to TTTF plants actually on the ground then? You really will get to test that repairability!

If you want it to turn KBG, then a pre-emergent and fertilizer were likely the right move. If you want to keep it a good mix with TTTF, then an overseed would have worked better. FWIW 100% KBG would probably have taken a similar hit.

It definitely doesn't look beyond repair! Many of the nicer lawns in my neighborhood got hit harder than that this year. Wet spring with lots of disease followed by a dry July.

I'm sure the smaller gaps will fill in through the fall and spring. You could start a few indoor pots later this winter to plug the larger areas and get a jump on spring growth when things green up.

You're lucky you got the help, a mow and blow company would definitely have killed your lawn while you were away! My wife would have refused to spread milorganite. She'd say it smells too bad :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

Hello Everyone

Been a while.

The lawn took a big hit while I was gone, my wife did her best and I appreciate her efforts but it's not looking too great. I'm hoping it looks better once the spring flush comes.

There are a lot of patches of grass that died and are now exposed dirt. I'm assuming they died from the heat. Hopefully the KBG can fill in. The overall state of the yard is brown / green even split. Last winter my lawn was super green, but I'm assuming that's because it was a fresh lawn from seed.

I spot sprayed some weeds (chickweed, star of bethlehem) and plan on hitting it again this weekend. I picked up some granular prodiamine, fungicide, and grub-ex which I plan to put down in about a week (GDD tracker says we're almost in the optimal timeframe).

I plan to spoon feed starter fert once the grass comes out of dormancy to hopefully encourage some KBG spreading.

Here is a picture of the backyard from a couple weeks ago. The front is more green than this, but has similar dirt patches.


----------



## Chris LI

Give it a little time to come out dormancy and fill in. Did you fertilize heavy in the fall? If it looks weak coming out of dormancy, you could spoonfeed it with some urea. Also, a few of us on TLF bought the Pro Plugger recently. That might be an option to fill in those bare spots. It's still a little early for me to use it, but I'm ready to go. Temps in our general area are starting to rise, so you should see some improvement soon.


----------



## g-man

@gregonfire Hey welcome back. I think she did a great job. It was a challenging year. Some nitrogen and I think that will recover nicely once the weather warms up.


----------



## samjonester

Can't wait to see it in the spring! Looks pretty normal compared to my neighborhood in South Jersey. My reno just greened up and started growing within the last week, so you should be seeing it soon. It was one of the brownest in the neighborhood going into January! Last winter was super mild... I remember ripping out bushes, cutting down a tree, and putting in a fence... all in February, so I'm not surprised to hear that this winter was harder on the color.

How large are the bare spots in diameter? Did you start with fungicide this early last year? Trying to figure out my timing this year for my first year with preventative fungicide.


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire welcome back!


----------



## gregonfire

Thanks for the warm welcome back, guys.

This past weekend I raked the yard, pulled out a decent amount of dead stuff, leaves, sticks, etc.

Put down the following:
-Granular prodiamine, full app
-GrubEx
-Bayer Fungus Control (preventitive)
-Spot sprayed weeds

I chose to put down the full Prodiamine app instead of doing split apps because I plan to do a fall overseed and want all pre-m to be out of the soil so it doesn't prevent any germination from happening.

There are a few large bare spots in the lawn. I thought about seeding them, but ultimately chose to do some plugs once things get moving. The good news is there are already some KBG rhizomes coming through in most of those areas.


















































These pics are from the worst areas in the back yard. I didn't grab any pics of the front, but it's pretty similar. It seems to me that most of the TTTF has died, which I'm ok with. I have plenty of seed leftover from my reno, not sure if it's still usable though as it'll be a couple years old soon.

I am pretty sure this is some sort of undesirable grassy weed, can anyone help me ID this?? It's a neon green color.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

It's either Japanese stiltgrass or annual rye. Weekly tenacity at 1 tsp per 2 gallons has been knocking my patch back. I just did my third app on Saturday. I think one more and it's completely toast.


----------



## Green

Definitely not Stiltgrass.

I'm not familiar with Annual Rye, so I can't comment on that. But I'll add Poa Trivialis to the possible list.

Greg, as far as seed, I've had mine keep well for 4 years no problem, sometimes even 5 or 6 (but not always) in the basement. So I'd try to use it before the 5 year point.


----------



## Budstl

Annual rye will usually have clasping auricles and will grow up right.


----------



## gregonfire

I was hoping it wouldn't be Poa Triv. Guess I'll try some Tenacity starting next week (going on vacation) and if that doesn't do it i'll hit it with some glypho.


----------



## gregonfire

Grass is slowly starting to green up. I'm thinking of putting down an app of starter fert I have left over from last year. LESCO 18-24-12. Not sure on what rate to apply N, so any ideas are welcome.

I am also seeing a bunch of Poa A starting to show and seed. I pulled a bunch out yesterday and plan to spot spray everything with Tenacity this weekend.

Hoping to be back mowing in the next couple weeks.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Grass is slowly starting to green up. I'm thinking of putting down an app of starter fert I have left over from last year. LESCO 18-24-12. Not sure on what rate to apply N, so any ideas are welcome.


How much of the bag is left? If my calculations are correct, a full bag (50lbs) yields about 2lbs N for 4500 sq ft.

Check out this fert calculator - http://agebb.missouri.edu/fertcalc/


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> How much of the bag is left? If my calculations are correct, a full bag (50lbs) yields about 2lbs N for 4500 sq ft.
> 
> Check out this fert calculator - http://agebb.missouri.edu/fertcalc/


I can't remember. I used it for spoon feeding last year, so I'd say at least 30lbs are left, I can always buy another bag though.

I'm not sure if I should do one app of like 1lb N/M or do some spoon feeding like 1/4 or 1/2 N/M every week or two weeks.


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire I would do 1/4 every week (or two). Spring flush is a few weeks away imo and I'd rather not push it too much just yet.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire I would do 1/4 every week (or two). Spring flush is a few weeks away imo and I'd rather not push it too much just yet.


Good idea. I'll start with 1/4 lb this weekend and see how it responds. I think I'm just getting the bug and want things to get going so I can get back in the lawn. I have to try to be patient.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

I pushed mine @gregonfire I'll let you know how it goes. I've already mowed once and will likely mow again tomorrow though.

I probably put down 0.5 lbs N yesterday and about half of RGS was urea. Off I go!


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> I pushed mine @gregonfire I'll let you know how it goes. I've already mowed once and will likely mow again tomorrow though.
> 
> I probably put down 0.5 lbs N yesterday and about half of RGS was urea. Off I go!


What and when was your first fertilizer app? I'm going to do my first one this weekend.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> What and when was your first fertilizer app? I'm going to do my first one this weekend.





Jconnelly6b said:


> I gave in and threw down the last of my urea this evening. Then I figured why not mix in the sample bag of Screamin' Green, the 8 or so lbs of urea would have been hard to distribute evenly. Then I thought, while I'm st it I have a 1/3 bag of OceanGro that was opened 6 months ago, why not mix that in too.
> 
> Hope it rains tomorrow!!!


https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2753&start=600#p142990


----------



## gregonfire

The past couple days each morning I've gone outside and picked about 8-10 different Poa A clumps out of the ground. I'm finding this to be an effective way of getting rid of them. The soil is still damp from the night so they are easy to pull out of 
the ground, and they are easy to spot. I went the tenacity route last year, and while effective, it took too long to see results.

I'm not sure why or how I have so many of them. My wife put down the Pre-m last year, maybe it was too late?

I was planning on putting down a fertilizer app, cleaning out the shed, starting up all the equipment and sharpening my mower blade this weekend, but now the forecast looks like rain all weekend. Guess I'll try to get the fertilizer app down friday and have nature water it in for me.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

I did on Monday evening (4/8). I don't know weight but I would imagine I put 10 lbs of Urea, the free sample 10 lb bag of Screamin Green, and tossed in another 4-5 lbs of Ocean Gro for fun.

If I do my math correct, (.46x10 + .1x10 + .06x5) I put down total 7.5 lbs N over my 13k sq feet for 0.58 lbsN/1000. Pretty good little shot to start the season.

I also had Rutgers do 3 seperate soil tests on my yard, I'll finally post those in the soil fertility forum.


----------



## gregonfire

So i've been continuing each morning to pull up the Poa A I see in the back yard and it amazes me how much KBG i have. I put down (or so I thought) and 80/20 TTTF/KBG mix but as it looks right now it's gotta be close to 90% KBG.


----------



## gregonfire

Look at all this Poa. There's an infestation in my back yard.










Planning on doing a clean-up mow at 2-2.5" HOC, then dropping down the remainder of my Lesco fertilizer before the rain tonight. I have about 16 lbs left which will be a little under .6 N/M for my yard. Should be a nice wake up for the lawn. I'll reassess next week, but will probably drop down to .25 N/M weekly or bi-weekly.

I also purchased a pro-plugger at the recommendation of some members here. Once things get going I'm going to start plugging some bare spots.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Greg I have an absurd amount as well. I'm doing weekly apps of Tenacity to knock them down. So far non have gone to seed, and if I stunt them enough so it stays that way I will consider it a win.

Tomorrow will be my 4th app.


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> Greg I have an absurd amount as well. I'm doing weekly apps of Tenacity to knock them down. So far non have gone to seed, and if I stunt them enough so it stays that way I will consider it a win.
> 
> Tomorrow will be my 4th app.


Wish I started earlier, I'll probably do my first app this weekend, but I'm trying to get as much of it out by hand while it's easy to spot.


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> Look at all this Poa. There's an infestation in my back yard.


I have a Poa infestation, too...but the Triv type. This has to be worst year for Poa ever (in the past 6 years) in the Northeast, from all the rain last Fall and Winter. And I killed so much of it last year and the year before! I saw it starting in October, and figured this happen.

Good luck with the annua. Keep pulling it out and using Tenacity.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> I have a Poa infestation, too...but the Triv type. This has to be worst year for Poa ever (in the past 6 years) in the Northeast, from all the rain last Fall and Winter. And I killed so much of it last year and the year before! I saw it starting in October, and figured this happen.
> 
> Good luck with the annua. Keep pulling it out and using Tenacity.


Thanks Green. Yeah I noticed it is much worse this year, hopefully next year isn't as bad - I'm trying to pull as much of it as I can.


----------



## gregonfire

Busy weekend --

In between the rain showers friday evening I was able to get my fert down. I used the remainder of my 18-24-12, which was about 16lbs.. so about .55 N/M. I'll reassess in a week or two but will probably stick to biweekly apps of .25 N/M.

Saturday I spot sprayed weeds around the yard with spectracide, then a couple hours later got the backpack sprayer going with tenacity and sprayed some Poa.

Does tenacity take care of clover? I noticed a couple patches in the front yard. I sprayed it hoping it'll take care of it.

I noticed today that overall the lawn is looking more green and is starting to grow. I'll probably do a first mow sometime this week.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

It might lighten it a bit, but my experience it will not kill it. Gotta use triclopyr for that.


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> It might lighten it a bit, but my experience it will not kill it. Gotta use triclopyr for that.


I was curious so I looked it up on Tenacity's website:










Looks like it will control clover both pre and post emergence. What's interesting is that it has a no for Poa Annua.


----------



## g-man

The use of tenacity for POA a is off label, but it does work. Someone posted an article about it yesterday in the cool season folder.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> The use of tenacity for POA a is off label, but it does work. Someone posted an article about it yesterday in the cool season folder.


Interesting. Thanks for the info @g-man

Noticed the lawn is greening up pretty nicely from my cameras. Here's a couple screen shots:


----------



## g-man

I think the dog wants to go inside the house. He/she might be hungry. Labs are always hungry.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> I think the dog wants to go inside the house. He/she might be hungry. Labs are always hungry.


He'd sit out there all day if he could. You're right about him always being hungry. He lives for food. and walks. ..and belly rubs :lol:


----------



## g-man

Labs are very good driven. They will do anything for a treat. We miss our lab.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Labs are very good driven. They will do anything for a treat. We miss our lab.


They are the best. I wish he would stick around forever. He'll be turning 8 this May.


----------



## gregonfire

Here's some KBG rhizome action to start your Wednesday off right!


































Can't wait for the flush to see how things fill in.


----------



## gregonfire

Not too much to update on:

Did my first mow this past Wednesday - 2" back yard, 2.5" front yard. Noticeable green-up, nothing picture worthy yet.

Applying .25 N/M today and will spot spray weeds Sunday after all the rain.


----------



## gregonfire

Hope everyone had a nice Easter.

These pics hurt to share, but gotta post them for progress comparisons later. Lots of thin / bare spots and bleaching from Tenacity right now, but at least the grass is growing and the color is a good dark green. Best area of the grass right now is the side yard where my FIL installed extra sod he had.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

I think that looks good! I would say a few weeks and most of those spots will thicken and disappear.

Dogs are adorable.


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+

Great pics Greg! Just curious, those lighter spots, are they POA or where the dogs may have done their business?


----------



## gregonfire

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Great pics Greg! Just curious, those lighter spots, are they POA or where the dogs may have done their business?


Thanks man, the lighter spots are poa and the surrounding desirable grass that are bleached from Tenacity


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> I think that looks good! I would say a few weeks and most of those spots will thicken and disappear.
> 
> Dogs are adorable.


I hope so man, thanks!


----------



## gregonfire

Did a quick cut yesterday - 2.5" HOC. Been having to mow every 4-5 days. Things are slowly improving.

I do have a couple brown / lime green spots in the front yard.. any ideas what it could be? Maybe some fungus?

Back yard: still some uneven growth, hoping it all wakes up soon.









Side yard: the sod is doing great and is currently the best looking part of my lawn.









Front yard: these pics make it look pretty good, still a decent amount of holes / bare spots

















And the yellowish spot i found in the front yard. Need some help identifying what's going on here:


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn looked good from across the street while on a walk. Had to take a couple pics.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

That color is beautiful!


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> That color is beautiful!


Thanks man, it's getting there.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> And the yellowish spot i found in the front yard. Need some help identifying what's going on here:


Has this spot gotten any better?


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Has this spot gotten any better?


I haven't checked it in a couple days. I'll look today and let you know. Do you think it's fungus?


----------



## gregonfire

@ericgautier

Minor difference it looks like.. maybe a little thinner in the middle now?


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> @ericgautier
> 
> Minor difference it looks like.. maybe a little thinner in the middle now?


hmm.. looks like LDS (localize dry spots), try poking around the soil maybe some rocks/debris underneath.


----------



## gregonfire

Can someone tell me if this is good grass or some type of weed? The stalk is very rough and hard.. almost like a baby tree stem. It looks like KBG but I'm not sure.


















And some obligatory dog pics..


----------



## g-man

It looks like fescue to me


----------



## Green

Correct. TTTF going to seed. That thing st 5:00 position looks like a short rhizome that broke when you pulled up the plant.


----------



## gregonfire

Thanks for the info @g-man and @Green.

Got some work done over the weekend:

Friday: Mow at 2.5" HOC
Saturday: put down an app of bayer fungicide, fert at .3 N/M, and tried out some soil solutions root hume.

Also got our garden planted. Tilled the soil, added some compost and peat moss, then leveled it out. Ran out of room so we had to put some plants in pots. We have pickling cucumbers, red onion, green onion, shallots, banana peppers, jalapenos, ghost peppers, basil, and trying out some brussel sprouts.


----------



## gregonfire

Slowly but surely filling in gaps and thickening up. Color is on point, though.


----------



## iowa jim

Pretty lab, i have a chocolate. What is that red bush in the front lawn it looks nice?


----------



## social port

@gregonfire color is not the only thing on point. Your edges are always superb :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

iowa jim said:


> Pretty lab, i have a chocolate. What is that red bush in the front lawn it looks nice?


Thanks man, labs are the best!! I'm not sure what the bush is.. it was here when we moved in.



social port said:


> @gregonfire color is not the only thing on point. Your edges are always superb :thumbup:


Thanks man


----------



## gregonfire

Did another cut after all the rain we had the past few days. 3" front, 2.5" back. Things are starting to come together. I'll probably hook up the roller this weekend and get to striping on my next cut 

Planned for the near future:
- 1st milo app
- level area where sod meets existing turf and couple other minor spots (bought a couple bags of sand)
- plug large bare areas
- fix mulch bed / grass borders

No pics of the front, will try to grab some today


----------



## Jconnelly6b

hot dang that looks beautiful


----------



## samjonester

Nice recovery! Your lawn is back to looking like the poster child for a TTTF+KBG renovation.


----------



## JDgreen18

Love it &#128077;&#128077;


----------



## gregonfire

Jconnelly6b said:


> hot dang that looks beautiful





samjonester said:


> Nice recovery! Your lawn is back to looking like the poster child for a TTTF+KBG renovation.





JDgreen18 said:


> Love it 👍👍


Thanks dudes. I was sweating at the start of the season, but the KBG is saving the day.


----------



## gregonfire

Things are in full-swing here. Happy with the lawn's progression so far this year.


----------



## Pete1313

It is looking good! :thumbsup:


----------



## ericgautier

Yo.. that is looking sweet!


----------



## gregonfire

Pete1313 said:


> It is looking good! :thumbsup:





ericgautier said:


> Yo.. that is looking sweet!


Thanks guys, means a lot coming from you both.


----------



## DiabeticKripple

Nice domination! Best in the neighbourhood?


----------



## gregonfire

DiabeticKripple said:


> Nice domination! Best in the neighbourhood?


By far, but there's hardly any competition.


----------



## g-man

To me this is a another example of how nitrogen makes a big difference in a lawn.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> To me this is a another example of how nitrogen makes a big difference in a lawn.


spoon feeding FTW!!


----------



## Green

Excellent look. Back to where it was a year or so ago!


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> Excellent look. Back to where it was a year or so ago!


Getting there. There are still some bare spots but most have filled in significantly. I'll be posting a progression pic of some of the spots at some point.


----------



## Butter

@gregonfire Looking good! I like how you use the front side walk to establish your stripes.


----------



## gregonfire

that color though...


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+

Fantastic color and density! Awesome


----------



## gregonfire

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Fantastic color and density! Awesome


Thank you!


----------



## gregonfire

Sorry for the lack of updates, been busy here.

Some things I've done recently:
- Memorial Day Milo app at 2x bag rate
- put some sand down in some uneven areas
- grub ex app
- had to remove the checkmate striper because of some hardware problems, I reached out to the manufacturer and they are sending me some replacement parts
- clover is taking over the front yard, bought some WBG CCO to hopefully knock down the problem.

Grass is still filling gaps and the overall health of the lawn is fantastic. I really didn't expect it to bounce back to where it's at now based on how things were looking in the winter.

Here are some random pics from the last couple weeks:


----------



## gregonfire




----------



## ericgautier

Did you get new wheels on the suby?

Oh, nice lawn too. :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Did you get new wheels on the suby?
> 
> Oh, nice lawn too. :lol:


Thanks man! Nope, still the same NT-03's.


----------



## gregonfire

Hey guys

Been noticing a lot of brown blades in the grass so I plucked a couple and took an up-close shot. Any idea what this is? Some sort of disease maybe? Rust? I put down Bayer fungicide about 2 weeks ago. Maybe I need something stronger? Any help is appreciated.


















@g-man @ericgautier


----------



## ericgautier

@gregonfire I don't think it is Rust (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/rust_15/).

My best guess, it is either Dollar Spot (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/dollar_spot_1/) or Leaf Spot (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/leaf_spot_7/).

Do you remember what is in Bayer Fungicide?


----------



## Sinclair

I have a bit of this popping up in my lawn also - I think it's leaf spot.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> @gregonfire I don't think it is Rust (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/rust_15/).
> 
> My best guess, it is either Dollar Spot (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/dollar_spot_1/) or Leaf Spot (http://www.msuturfdiseases.net/details/_/leaf_spot_7/).
> 
> Do you remember what is in Bayer Fungicide?


Active ingredient is propiconazole .51%. I have some Eagle 20ew with the active ingredient Myclobutanil 19.7%.


----------



## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> I have a bit of this popping up in my lawn also - I think it's leaf spot.


I agree, it does look like leaf spot.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Active ingredient is propiconazole .51%. I have some Eagle 20ew with the active ingredient Myclobutanil 19.7%.


Seems according to the Fungicide Guide, Myclobutanil doesn't control leaf spot.  Looks like Azoxy can though.


----------



## SNOWBOB11

Does look like leaf spot. Propiconazole should help. Azoxy Is probably the best for it Though.


----------



## gregonfire

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Does look like leaf spot. Propiconazole should help. Azoxy Is probably the best for it Though.





ericgautier said:


> Seems according to the Fungicide Guide, Myclobutanil doesn't control leaf spot.  Looks like Azoxy can though.


Thanks for the info. Looks like Scott's disease ex is the quickest option to get this fixed, unless you think a spray is a better way to go.


----------



## Jconnelly6b

I personally don't blanket spray fungicide I think it smells way too noxious. I haven't tried Azoxy yet in liquid but but Myclobutanil and Proiconazole a very strong when spraying.

I broadcast granular and will spot spray hot spots with Eagle/Prop as needed for curative.


----------



## gregonfire

Put some azoxy down last weekend and finally had to bust out the sprinklers for the heat this week. Things are looking good.

I'll get around to posting new pics at some point....


----------



## JDgreen18

gregonfire said:


> Put some azoxy down last weekend and finally had to bust out the sprinklers for the heat this week. Things are looking good.
> 
> I'll get around to posting new pics at some point....


Looking forward to seeing your pics always loved your lawn.


----------



## gregonfire

Have some lime green colored spots in the back yard.. can't pin down what could cause this. Anyone have any ideas? Pic for reference although it's hard to tell:










Besides that just maintaining. Put my July 4th milo app down and then it dumped an inch of rain an hour or so later. Most of it probably washed away :evil:

Put down another app of humic acid and a preventative app of eagle fungicide. Been pretty rainy here the last week or so so I haven't had to water much.

Mowing at 3.5" front, 3" back.


----------



## gregonfire

Finally some good pics.


----------



## Green

@gregonfire, wow, in the second to last photo, the drinking cup and sprinkler head look eerily similar...


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> @gregonfire, wow, in the second to last photo, the drinking cup and sprinkler head look eerily similar...


LOL! I didn't notice that.


----------



## ken-n-nancy

gregonfire said:


> Finally some good pics.


Sweet! Well done!


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Looks right about perfect.


----------



## gregonfire

Still having this issue with the light colored grass blades. Not sure what is going on here. Grass appears to be healthy but the color is almost a lime green color. Hard to tell in pictures but much more noticeable in person.

Any ideas?


----------



## gregonfire

OK, after doing some googling, it seems that over-fertilization may cause the grass to look like that. The only thing I can think of is after my last application of milo (~Jul 6th) it downpoured super heavily. My back yard is on a slope so I'm thinking the milo shifted down the slope with the rain and accumulated at the low spots, which is where the light green color is. Thoughts?


----------



## gregonfire

Mowed some double wides yesterday. Pixel night sight shot for ya.


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> OK, after doing some googling, it seems that over-fertilization may cause the grass to look like that. The only thing I can think of is after my last application of milo (~Jul 6th) it downpoured super heavily. My back yard is on a slope so I'm thinking the milo shifted down the slope with the rain and accumulated at the low spots, which is where the light green color is. Thoughts?


Could just be new growth from rhizomes?


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Could just be new growth from rhizomes?


Didn't even think of that. Is that a normal thing that happens?


----------



## JDgreen18

gregonfire said:


> Mowed some double wides yesterday. Pixel night sight shot for ya.


Looking sharp...nice dark green color. What is your hoc


----------



## gregonfire

JDgreen18 said:


> Looking sharp...nice dark green color. What is your hoc


Thanks, 3.5" front, 3" back


----------



## gregonfire




----------



## fusebox7

gregonfire said:


>


Now THAT is a mighty fine looking green carpet you have there  Well done!


----------



## gregonfire

4/29/19








7/17/19









The magic of KBG


----------



## gregonfire

fusebox7 said:


> Now THAT is a mighty fine looking green carpet you have there  Well done!


Thanks man!


----------



## Phaseshift

Man what an awesome journal and beautiful lawn!! Great job Greg! You give newbies like me motivation for the fall. What was your reasoning of adding the KBG to the SS1000? And also how long did you wait until you let the pups back on the grass?


----------



## gregonfire

Phaseshift said:


> Man what an awesome journal and beautiful lawn!! Great job Greg! You give newbies like me motivation for the fall. What was your reasoning of adding the KBG to the SS1000? And also how long did you wait until you let the pups back on the grass?


Thanks man. KBG has the ability to spread through rhizomes, so it can fill bare spots in your lawn. It's honestly what saved my lawn after the hit it took last summer. I would highly recommend adding it to your mix if you're planning to renovate.

I can't remember how long but i'd say probably a couple months before the dogs were allowed back on it. Luckily my neighbor is cool and let them do their business on his yard.


----------



## gregonfire

Nothing crazy to update on.. spot sprayed weeds and just been trying to keep the lawn happy with watering. Back yard has enough shade, but the front struggles in this heat we're having.


----------



## gregonfire

Nothing to update on.. just trying to get through all this heat. Not having an irrigation system is such a PITA.


----------



## gregonfire

Found this in the front today. Anyone know what it is?


----------



## rob13psu

gregonfire said:


> Found this in the front today. Anyone know what it is?


Not 100% sure, but it looks like creeping bentgrass to me.


----------



## Green

rob13psu said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Found this in the front today. Anyone know what it is?
> 
> 
> 
> Not 100% sure, but it looks like creeping bentgrass to me.
Click to expand...

Most likely.

But, I have also seen Ryegrass, and possibly KBG do that. It's called "false crowning".


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Greg I get some spots of the same. Light it up with Tenacity, and add in Triclopyr if you have it. Good all around spray to get the rest of the weeds in the yard too.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> rob13psu said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not 100% sure, but it looks like creeping bentgrass to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Most likely.
> 
> But, I have also seen Ryegrass, and possibly KBG do that. It's called "false crowning".
Click to expand...

So weird, is there a good way to tell which one it is?


----------



## gregonfire

Please tell me this isn't what I think it is :shocked:


----------



## gregonfire

Besides the issues above, had a productive LDW.

- milorganite at 1.5x bag rate
- fall pre-m applied at full rate
- root hume (humic/fulvic acid) applied at 4oz/m rate
- mowed - 3" back, 3.5" front.. plan to drop this down to 2.5" back, 3" front in the next week then keep it there for a while.


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> So weird, is there a good way to tell which one it is?


Not easily. Maybe with a good magnifier you could tell. I would do that, then try Tenacity, because it clearly isn't your good grass.


----------



## gregonfire

Got the front and back down to 3". Will keep it there a couple weeks then down to 2.5" for the rest of the season.

Back is looking absolutely phenomenal. Front is recovering from the heat nicely.

Applied WBG CCO today to combat the patches of clover trying to take over the yard.


























I still can't believe the transformation the yard made from the beginning of the season until now. Can't wait to see how it looks after the blitz gets going.


----------



## ericgautier

Looks awesome!


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Looks awesome!


Thanks man! I'm ready for fall weather.


----------



## gregonfire

Put down my second app of N yesterday. Trying out something new.. hopped on the hype train and got some CarbonX.

There have been a lot of good reviews with this fert, but what intrigued me was including a granular version of RGS and the claim that it helps with localized dry spots, which is a problem for me in my front yard.

Time will tell, but I plan on using this the rest of the season.

Anyone have some experience with it? Especially with it helping out with LDS?


----------



## JDgreen18

You will love CX, takes about 5-7 days...lawn is looking quite nice I must say.


----------



## gregonfire

Noticed some fungal pressure on parts of the yard so I dropped Scott's DiseaseEx yesterday and watered in.

Also purchased some SLS soil loosener to try out. I am a fan of their root hume so I figured I'd give this a shot.



JDgreen18 said:


> You will love CX, takes about 5-7 days...lawn is looking quite nice I must say.


Thanks man, yours as well. Did you notice any difference with LDSs if you had any? There are a few places in my front yard (which gets a lot of sun) where no matter how much water I put down, toward the end of July they just go dormant due to heat stress. I'm hoping CX + some soil loosener will help.


----------



## social port

gregonfire, the lawn is looking great, as usual. Question, though:


gregonfire said:


> Please tell me this isn't what I think it is


What do you think it is?
Can you pull a sample or two to photograph?
Have you noticed any seedheads?


----------



## gregonfire

social port said:


> gregonfire, the lawn is looking great, as usual. Question, though:
> 
> 
> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> Please tell me this isn't what I think it is
> 
> 
> 
> What do you think it is?
> Can you pull a sample or two to photograph?
> Have you noticed any seedheads?
Click to expand...

My thought was bermuda.

I ripped it out after I took that pic. It hasn't grown back yet, but I know it will.


----------



## social port

@gregonfire, I'm not certain, but I think there is a strong chance.


----------



## gregonfire

Tried out the SLS Soil Loosener yesterday.

As most of you know from reading my journal, I have a problem with dry spots in my front yard. Partly due to the fact that I do not have underground irrigation. To try and combat this, I've tried using SLS humic/fulvic, which had great results but not in the plants ability to retain the water. My hope with the liquid aeration is that it will allow more water to penetrate into the soil and to the roots, instead of running off (my yard is on a slope).

I'll update in a week or two with my results.

















https://i.imgur.com/dwvTLsB.mp4


----------



## gregonfire

Getting a head start on the Poa infestation that plagues my back yard every spring :shout:


----------



## Alex1389

Color is looking great! How's that soil loosener working out so far?


----------



## gregonfire

Alex1389 said:


> Color is looking great! How's that soil loosener working out so far?


Thanks man. I wanted to wait a little longer to come to a final conclusion, but after the initial watering-in, I did one full irrigation cycle (~.75-1") and it seems to me that the front is looking a lot better. Definitely more green and not looking so stressed out. I'm going to give it til the end of the weekend to really see though. We're supposed to have some rain (finally) and cooler temps after today.

The long term test will be seeing how the LDS's in the front yard look come July-August next year. I plan to use the soil loosener in spring and fall, with possibly one additional application to the front yard early to mid July.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn looked beautiful from across the street while I was walking the dogs. Had to take a pic.

Nothing new to update on, just watering, cutting, and fertilizing. Enjoying the cooler weather.


----------



## Chris LI

:thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

Brought the HOC down to 2.5". Looks good at that height.


----------



## Green

Pretty clear of disease! Wish I could say the same on mine.


----------



## gregonfire

Dogs enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend:


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> Pretty clear of disease! Wish I could say the same on mine.


I hit the fungicides hard when I saw some leaf spot coming in. The only brown I have right now are dead spots from summer and some dying bentgrass.

What kind of disease pressure are you having?


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> What kind of disease pressure are you having?


Mainly Rust. And it's bad enough that the grass has a brownish cast overall, and in some places, has actually turned a dormant-looking brown even though there's enough moisture. It also coated the lawnmower a little bit, and you can see the orange powdery stuff when mowing. I'm going to hit the hardest-hit area with an extra fertilizer application, and all the affected areas are getting sprayed with Ammonium Sulfate. Hopefully that'll bring it back. I get hit with it every year from August or September to November. Last year was really bad; all the lawns around here seemed to be affected. I used to think I got hit worse because I used a PGR through the Summer and into the Fall. But this year I only used it in the Spring, so that really has nothing to do with it.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> What kind of disease pressure are you having?
> 
> 
> 
> Mainly Rust. And it's bad enough that the grass has a brownish cast overall, and in some places, has actually turned a dormant-looking brown even though there's enough moisture. It also coated the lawnmower a little bit, and you can see the orange powdery stuff when mowing. I'm going to hit the hardest-hit area with an extra fertilizer application, and all the affected areas are getting sprayed with Ammonium Sulfate. Hopefully that'll bring it back. I get hit with it every year from August or September to November. Last year was really bad; all the lawns around here seemed to be affected. I used to think I got hit worse because I used a PGR through the Summer and into the Fall. But this year I only used it in the Spring, so that really has nothing to do with it.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's crazy. Hopefully it recovers soon. I luckily haven't had any rust just some leaf spot. I do have some dead areas though. I took some pics which i'm going to post shortly.


----------



## gregonfire

Did a quick cut yesterday. Back is still looking good. Front has some problem areas. I noticed those spots don't get much sunlight so I'm thinking about expanding a mulch bed out over that area to eliminate it. Not sure what else I can really do. It looked great the first year of my reno then went downhill about a year ago and hasn't recovered. The mail man also uses that area as a walkway every day, which doesn't help.


----------



## Green

My worst rust areas look almost that bad (fairly brown, but have coverage). You still have a couple of more weeks to do Nitrogen as you're fairly coastal in Southern NJ and a little further South...I only have one week here, as I'm about 15-20 miles inland and a bit further North.

It's rough in the shade this time of year due to sun angle. CT also has some of the worst daylight hours in the afternoon through December in the entire country, or at least in the entire Northeast, once the clocks change. It has to do with the relation of time zone, latitude, and longitude. Sunset is 4:23PM in December. Just going slightly Southwest to NYC is a huge improvement.


----------



## Chris LI

Green said:


> My worst rust areas look almost that bad (fairly brown, but have coverage). You still have a couple of more weeks to do Nitrogen as you're fairly coastal in Southern NJ and a little further South...I only have one week here, as I'm about 15-20 miles inland and a bit further North.
> 
> It's rough in the shade this time of year due to sun angle. CT also has some of the worst daylight hours in the afternoon through December in the entire country, or at least in the entire Northeast, once the clocks change. It has to do with the relation of time zone, latitude, and longitude. Sunset is 4:23PM in December. Just going slightly Southwest to NYC is a huge improvement.


^+1
Did you sneak over and take a photo of my yard? :lol: 
I've had rust issues in my Bewitched and am nursing it back to health with urea apps (both granular/soil and a couple of spray/foliar). It's slow, but getting better. I dropped some prg seed in one bad spot, to hopefully help.


----------



## gregonfire

Sorry for lack of updates. Not much going on with the yard recently. It's been raining quite a bit so I haven't had to water. Will probably do one more CX app next week then just mow til she goes dormant.


----------



## gregonfire

Still the greenest in the neighborhood :thumbup:

Last app of CX down yesterday. Now the wait til she goes to sleep for the winter.


----------



## samjonester

That top shot! That's the humble brag of domination lines :lol: Does your neighbor have zoysia?


----------



## Chris LI

Really nice, Greg! That looks like some sod that just came off the truck. :mrgreen:


----------



## gregonfire

samjonester said:


> That top shot! That's the humble brag of domination lines :lol: Does your neighbor have zoysia?


I'm not sure. It's some type of warm season grass. It's actually starting to spread into my yard a little. Need to figure out a way to stop it next year.


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Really nice, Greg! That looks like some sod that just came off the truck. :mrgreen:


Thanks a lot man, def owe it to the CX. It's like a super shot of dark green color.


----------



## ericgautier

Looking awesome!


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Looking awesome!


Thanks man!


----------



## gregonfire

Posted this in the NJ forum, but it's dead. Trying my luck here:

My back yard is turning brown, but it doesn't look like a "going dormant" brown, more like a fungus brown. I know we've had some warm days followed by cold again, but is it possible to have fungus in the winter? And if so, what can I do about it?


----------



## g-man

Pictures?


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Pictures?


These are the best I can get for now. Sorry about it being dark.


----------



## g-man

I'm not sure what it is going on.


----------



## Green

Greg,

My grass looks like it's rotting a bit since it's been cloudy and moist. It's not necessarily disease, but dampness. Maybe you have a similar situation? It's pretty weird, but also makes sense since it's dormant.

I think the sun today helped. Did it for you?


----------



## Chris LI

I can't tell what's going on, but the second photo shows the turf looking very matted. Maybe some light raking/backpack blower action can fluff it up and get better air circulation.


----------



## gregonfire

@g-man @Green @Chris LI

Here is a better picture. I think the grass looks so matted in the original pics is because it was raining and everything was wet.


----------



## Green

Looks good to me. I think it'll be fine once it dries out.


----------



## Chris LI

It looks like there is a little fungal activity going on there. Right below the leaf in the center there is a long kbg leaf blade with a lesion smack dab in the middle of the blade. There appears to be several other lesions if you zoom in and look around. I don't have an ID for you, but I wouldn't worry too much, as it's probably too cold to apply a fungicide right now, and it doesn't look too terrible, either. I would continue to monitor it and consider an earlier than normal first mow to take the dead tips off, to try to stimulate growth. The mild winter is confusing Mother Nature, so extra vigilance is probably your best course of action, for now (and maybe the light raking/blower work, too). Keep us posted. Maybe someone else will chime in with some ideas.


----------



## gregonfire

@Green @Chris LI

Thanks for the info, guys. Probably just me worrying. It has been pretty warm here and the plants are definitely confused. I'll plan to do what you said - rake/dethatch (once it gets dry), do an earlier mow, etc.

Thanks for the help. I'm eager to get back in the lawn.


----------



## kds

I just went through this entire thread and you did such a good job with it! I'm excited to follow along as it wakes up this spring!


----------



## gregonfire

Whelp, guess it's time to rename the thread for 2020.

Put down pre-m yesterday so I guess it's officially the start of the 2020 lawn season :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

kds said:


> I just went through this entire thread and you did such a good job with it! I'm excited to follow along as it wakes up this spring!


Hey! Sorry I'm just seeing this post now. Thanks for the kind words!


----------



## gregonfire

Got outside yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Busted out the electric detatcher and went over the whole lawn, then did a clean-up mow with the HRX. Debating on when I should throw down my first app of fert. I'll probably wait a week or two.

Also, my neighbor's zoysia has been slowly creeping into my lawn. Is there a good way to stop it besides glypho?


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> Also, my neighbor's zoysia has been slowly creeping into my lawn. Is there a good way to stop it besides glypho?


A neighbor has had success using Tenacity to keep it from spreading. I hear the related herbicide Pylex is useful too (probably moreso...you can search in here), but more like 5x-7x more expensive.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> A neighbor has had success using Tenacity to keep it from spreading. I hear the related herbicide Pylex is useful too (probably moreso...you can search in here), but more like 5x-7x more expensive.


Yikes.. yeah $264 for a 4oz bottle of Pylex. I'll look into using tenacity since I already have it. Thanks for the info :thumbup:


----------



## gregonfire

Couldn't wait any longer.. first fert app of the season.

CX - 3lbs/M

Should be a nice wakeup for the grass. I have a lot of patches in the back that are growing like crazy from all the dog pee :lol:

Overall, coming out of "winter" the grass is looking insanely good and healthy compared to last year. I think this season is going to be crazy.

I started using some new products at the end of the season and look forward to using them again this year.
-SLS soil loosener
-CX
-SLS root hume


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Couldn't wait any longer.. first fert app of the season.
> 
> CX - 3lbs/M
> 
> Should be a nice wakeup for the grass. I have a lot of patches in the back that are growing like crazy from all the dog pee :lol:
> 
> Overall, coming out of "winter" the grass is looking insanely good and healthy compared to last year. I think this season is going to be crazy.
> 
> I started using some new products at the end of the season and look forward to using them again this year.
> -SLS soil loosener
> -CX
> -SLS root hume


 :thumbup: :thumbup: should be a nice boost with all the rain this week too.


----------



## gm560

I don't think I am going to be able to make it much longer either. Being home all day it is killing me to not get out there.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn is greening up nicely. Will probably have to mow in a few days.


----------



## gregonfire

Did another cleanup mow on Friday and spot sprayed weeds. Some spots are growing more than others. The hell strip has pretty even growth so far.

I noticed some patches that are growing extra fast, I know the one is stiltgrass but I'm not sure about the other one. Anyone have any ideas what it could be?


















Stiltgrass:









Unknown:


----------



## g-man

I dont think that's stiltgrass. It looks like POA t.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> I dont think that's stiltgrass. It looks like POA t.


I had it in the same spot last year, someone identified it as stiltgrass. Here is the pic from last year. I hope it's not triv.









Any idea about the 2nd unknown grass?


----------



## Alex1389

Green up looking great! I second that it looks like Poa T.


----------



## g-man

Stiltgrass







- extension.UMD.edu.


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> Stiltgrass
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - extension.UMD.edu.


Yep def not stiltgrass. I assume the only / best way to get rid of Poa T is glypho, right?


----------



## gregonfire

Gotta get out and powerwash everything. The weather hasn't been very good for it though, hoping to get to it this weekend.


----------



## Chris LI

The color is looking good! The cherry blossoms make me feel warm. We still have at least a couple of weeks for the ones in our area to bloom.


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> The color is looking good! The cherry blossoms make me feel warm. We still have at least a couple of weeks for the ones in our area to bloom.


Thanks Chris. The lawn is getting darker and darker every day. CX doing it's job :thumbup:


----------



## Green

@gregonfire, I agree with Triv for the first one. The second is likely Ryegrass...easy to dig out and replace with soil. Or leave it if you don't care.


----------



## gregonfire

Busy weekend.

Mowed on Sunday HOC 2.5". Some grass is still not growing, other spots growing like crazy. Front is looking good though, nice and dark.


















Started my powerwashing project as well. Got the front siding done as well as the patio. Long overdue:










Also noticed this imposter grass growing in the back yard. Anyone know what it is?


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> Busy weekend.
> 
> Also noticed this imposter grass growing in the back yard.


More Triv? There are all different types that look different...


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> Busy weekend.
> 
> Also noticed this imposter grass growing in the back yard.
> 
> 
> 
> More Triv? There are all different types that look different...
Click to expand...

Oh yay


----------



## gregonfire

Started working on the mulch beds the last couple days. I re-defined the smaller one in the back and used some of the KBG that had spread into the bed to do some plugs. Probably should have powerwashed the fence first.

Check out the roots on one of the KBG plants I pulled up!


















Wife got the side and front beds done, but didn't take any pics.

Plans coming up:
- preventative fungicide (scott's granular)
- grub-ex
- root hume liquid app
- soil loosener liquid app

Will probably start my spoon feeding fert in the next week or two. Plan to use my Lesco starter 18-24-12, aiming for .25N/M every week to two weeks


----------



## Budstl

Lawns looking good. Beautiful pup! That's some good root structure on that kbg. Looks like it's around 6" or so.


----------



## gregonfire

Budstl said:


> Lawns looking good. Beautiful pup! That's some good root structure on that kbg. Looks like it's around 6" or so.


Thanks bud appreciate the comment! Yeah I was surprised it was that long especially in the mulch bed since I don't fertilize that area.


----------



## gregonfire

Got the sidewalks and walkways power washed. Everything's looking real good so far this year.


----------



## Chris LI

Color looks great and it looks like it's beginning to fill in. :thumbsup:


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Color looks great and it looks like it's beginning to fill in. :thumbsup:


Yeah we'll see what happens. I'm giving that thin spot from the first pic this spring/summer to fill in, otherwise I'm turning it into a large mulch bed. Been having trouble with that spot the last couple years. It doesn't get much sun in the fall.


----------



## Chris LI

I have a similar issue, but the area is in an area of the backyard, so it's not as prominent as your front yard. Maybe plugging some of those areas this spring will help, along with spoonfeeding. Have you tried overseeding shade tolerant TTTF/KBG? Some good TTTF cultivars with Mazama should help. I wouldn't give up yet. What about thinning tree branches?


----------



## gregonfire

Forgot to update some things I did recently:

- Grub Ex 
- Scott's fungicide preventative app
- SLS soil loosener
- SLS soil hume


----------



## Jconnelly6b

:bandit:


----------



## social port

Freakin' carpet. I love that lawn.


----------



## ericgautier

Wow. Looking good!


----------



## Alex1389

That color!


----------



## gregonfire

Thanks everyone for the comments!!!

Plans for this week:
- 2nd CX app
- Finish the last mulch bed (re-defining and adding mulch)
- Spot spray weeds
- Mow, mow mow


----------



## Butter

Absolutely one of my favorite yards! Looking good!


----------



## gregonfire

Butter said:


> Absolutely one of my favorite yards! Looking good!


Thanks a lot, man. I appreciate that!


----------



## gregonfire

Couple new ones from yesterday's cut


----------



## JDgreen18

Looking good...nice color. What's HOC?


----------



## gregonfire

JDgreen18 said:


> Looking good...nice color. What's HOC?


Thanks JD. HOC is 2.5". Gonna keep it there til it starts getting hotter.


----------



## gregonfire

Decided to drop some of my Lesco 18-24-12 starter fert instead of CX.

Put down a little over .5 N/M just in time before the rain came yesterday evening.

Didn't see any weeds so I don't think I need to spot spray. Saw some clover though so I'll prob do some WBG CCO in the next week or so.


----------



## Alex1389

Yard is looking great. I always have had great luck with that Lesco starter. Didn't use it this year though.


----------



## gregonfire

Alex1389 said:


> Yard is looking great. I always have had great luck with that Lesco starter. Didn't use it this year though.


Thanks man. Same here, it was my go-to before I started using CX.


----------



## Chris LI

gregonfire said:


> Alex1389 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yard is looking great. I always have had great luck with that Lesco starter. Didn't use it this year though.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks man. Same here, it was my go-to before I started using CX.
Click to expand...

That can't be coincidental...the Lesco starter was my go-to 15 years ago, before I switched over to all organic, when my wife was pregnant with our 1st. The kids are older and don't play in the yard so much now (books and electronics), so I'm not strictly organic anymore. Your lawn is quite the selling point of CX, and I've become quite interested in it and the XGRN 8-1-8 (due to my K deficiency). For the CX, you mentioned that you put down 3 lbs/k towards the end of March. How many lbs of N did that translate to? I'm checking my math(0.72)...is what I came up with. It seems like you are quite happy with it. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it?


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> That can't be coincidental...the Lesco starter was my go-to 15 years ago, before I switched over to all organic, when my wife was pregnant with our 1st. The kids are older and don't play in the yard so much now (books and electronics), so I'm not strictly organic anymore. Your lawn is quite the selling point of CX, and I've become quite interested in it and the XGRN 8-1-8 (due to my K deficiency). For the CX, you mentioned that you put down 3 lbs/k towards the end of March. How many lbs of N did that translate to? I'm checking my math(0.72)...is what I came up with. It seems like you are quite happy with it. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it?


Chris, you are correct with your math. The last couple years I did spoon feeding since the lawn was newer those years. This year I felt it was mature / established enough to do a bigger dose of N less frequently. I'm very happy with the results. I would say CX gets an 8/10, it would be a 10/10 if the price was a bit cheaper. But I'm happy to pay the price for these kind of results.


----------



## Chris LI

Greg, thanks for the responses. I'm strongly considering adding their products and will be contemplating how to incorporate them into my plan.


----------



## gregonfire

Hey all, if you like what I'm doing here, please go vote for me for lawn of the month!! Cheers &#127867;&#127867;


----------



## gm560

gregonfire said:


> Hey all, if you like what I'm doing here, please go vote for me for lawn of the month!! Cheers 🍻🍻


I do, so I did. :thumbup:


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Hey all, if you like what I'm doing here, please go vote for me for lawn of the month!! Cheers 🍻🍻


 :thumbup:


----------



## Butter

I was your first or second vote! Great job!


----------



## Chris LI

:thumbsup:


----------



## gregonfire

@gm560 @ericgautier @Butter @Chris LI

Thank you guys so much :bandit:


----------



## Carlson

Wow man, the color on that thing is insane. It looks fake! (And I hope you understand I mean that as a compliment!)


----------



## gregonfire

Carlson said:


> Wow man, the color on that thing is insane. It looks fake! (And I hope you understand I mean that as a compliment!)


Thanks man, appreciate it! CarbonX is a wonderful thing. Really makes the bluegrass pop that dark green/blue color.


----------



## Carlson

I may need to grab some when I'm due for some N - and after I use up some bottles of N-Ext stuff I still have. Maybe once I'm a little further out of dormancy I'll spray some Green Effect for that iron greening/bluing. &#128516;

Used their XSoil and XSt the last two weekends and have been pleased with the results so far. We'll see how my overseeding reacts to it over the next couple weeks.


----------



## gregonfire

Some freshies from today. Wife did the cut. 2.5"


----------



## gregonfire

Busy weekend.

Finished up the large mulch bed in the back. Felt bad throwing out some KBG, but the new defined edge looks so nice.


























Also, the the spotty area in the front is filling in nicely. Should be pretty thick by the time summer rolls around.

4/14









5/4


----------



## Chris LI

Damn, that's beautifully dark blue-green and thick! I hope that area in the front holds up in the shade during the summer, so the idea of the mulch bed solution dies on the vine. :mrgreen:


----------



## ericgautier

Mulch bed looks nice! I need to do the same to my fence area... :thumbup: any tips?


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Damn, that's beautifully dark blue-green and thick! I hope that area in the front holds up in the shade during the summer, so the idea of the mulch bed solution dies on the vine. :mrgreen:


Thanks man, me too. If it keeps up the way it's going I think we'll be ok. I had the tree trimmed quite a bit last fall too so that should help get more sunlight down there.



ericgautier said:


> Mulch bed looks nice! I need to do the same to my fence area... :thumbup: any tips?


Thanks man. I just use a flat shovel to make my line and go about 3-4" deep. Then I use a garden rake to make a nice smooth transition between the high and low parts. Lastly, just add the mulch so it sits about 1" below the grass.


----------



## Butter

Clean bed edges and fresh mulch really make the turf pop. Great job!


----------



## gregonfire

Butter said:


> Clean bed edges and fresh mulch really make the turf pop. Great job!


Thanks man. It's a pain to do, but the payoff is worth it.


----------



## Emerald

Absolutely beautiful!


----------



## gregonfire

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. Been super busy with our bathroom remodel.

Did the following over the last few days:
- Fungicide app - noticed some leaf spot coming in with the humid weather
- CX app at .5lbs N/M - wanted to do milo, but out of stock at the local big box stores
- SLS Root Hume - 5oz/M rate
- SLS Soil Loosener - 1oz/M rate
- Mowed 3" front, 2.5" back

Also got the garden planted:
- pickling cucumbers
- habaneros
- scotch bonnets
- jalapenos
- blueberries
- red onion
- green onion
- watermelon


----------



## Chris LI

Nice, on various items in the post! Good to know there's another pepper guy on TLF.


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Nice, on various items in the post! Good to know there's another pepper guy on TLF.


Yep love me some peppers. Did ghost peppers last year but the wife wouldn't eat them.. too spicy. So I settled for something a little more mild this year lol.


----------



## gregonfire




----------



## gregonfire

Some recent pics


----------



## Chris LI

I love the density and blue tones in the last photo. :thumbsup:


----------



## gregonfire

Had some nasty weather last week. Lots of rain and we lost power for a few days. Finally got to mow yesterday, kind of overgrown so I did 3.5" front and 3" back.


























Also more progress pics of the spotty area in the front:

4/14









5/4









6/8


----------



## fusebox7

gregonfire said:


> Chris LI said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice, on various items in the post! Good to know there's another pepper guy on TLF.
> 
> 
> 
> Yep love me some peppers. Did ghost peppers last year but the wife wouldn't eat them.. too spicy. So I settled for something a little more mild this year lol.
Click to expand...

I was catching up on your journal - great work - very jealous! I wanted to comment because your pepper talk reminded me of a story when I was a kid. I grew up in the country and my dad had several gigantic gardens. We grew a TON of bell peppers. My dad was always one to save the seeds from each year's harvest and replant them in our greenhouse the following late-winter/early-spring. One year almost all of our peppers were HOT... come to find out our neighbor next door was growing hot peppers and our pollinator friends did some crossing with our bell peppers. My dad was PISSED! LOL. After that, we started sourcing the seeds from my grandma's garden


----------



## gregonfire

fusebox7 said:


> I was catching up on your journal - great work - very jealous! I wanted to comment because your pepper talk reminded me of a story when I was a kid. I grew up in the country and my dad had several gigantic gardens. We grew a TON of bell peppers. My dad was always one to save the seeds from each year's harvest and replant them in our greenhouse the following late-winter/early-spring. One year almost all of our peppers were HOT... come to find out our neighbor next door was growing hot peppers and our pollinator friends did some crossing with our bell peppers. My dad was PISSED! LOL. After that, we started sourcing the seeds from my grandma's garden


Ha! That's pretty funny. The thought of a spicy bell pepper intrigues me though.. How did they taste?


----------



## fusebox7

@gregonfire It was so long ago I have no idea other than my dad hated/still hates spicy foods. I love them and wish I had some legacy seeds


----------



## gregonfire

fusebox7 said:


> @gregonfire It was so long ago I have no idea other than my dad hated/still hates spicy foods. I love them and wish I had some legacy seeds


Aw man, he's missing out. I love spicy stuff. Makes everything taste better imo.


----------



## Chris LI

fusebox7 said:


> @gregonfire It was so long ago I have no idea other than my dad hated/still hates spicy foods. I love them and wish I had some legacy seeds


I would have loved to have some of those spicy bell peppers to make stuffed peppers!


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> I would have loved to have some of those spicy bell peppers to make stuffed peppers!


Dude that sounds amazing!


----------



## gregonfire

Across the street shot. Back to 3" front, 2.5" back.


----------



## gregonfire

The spotty area in the front is almost completely filled in now. Had low expectations after last year, but I'm really impressed with the growth this year. Thanks CX!


----------



## ricwilli

Wow, read your entire journal. Great read and congrats on a REALLY GOOD LOOKING lawn. You did all this with no soil test, no iron addition and no underground irrigation. Very impressed. I was looking into the ss1000 seed but that is some expensive seed. Plus the KBG seeds. I guess the wow factor of it makes it worth the price.
I noticed that when you saw some fungi on the lawn, you threw some fungicide down. It seemed like you did this a lot. Maybe I didn't pay attention to the dates. Did you treat all the lawn or just the spot where it needed it? Can you put to much fungicide on a lawn?


----------



## JerseyGreens

Beautiful lawn and one great Reno in our Garden State!

Let me ask you a question as I believe the Topsoil/Compost combo you put down before the seed helped out a lot.

Can you tell me where you got it from?

Thanks!

FYI - I'm doing a lawn reno in 2020. 100% BlueBank (the new Midnight). The local NJ guys are pretty pumped to see how it turns out.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Beautiful lawn and one great Reno in our Garden State!
> 
> Let me ask you a question as I believe the Topsoil/Compost combo you put down before the seed helped out a lot.
> 
> Can you tell me where you got it from?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> FYI - I'm doing a lawn reno in 2020. 100% BlueBank (the new Midnight). The local NJ guys are pretty pumped to see how it turns out.


Hey man, thanks for the comment. I got it from peach country in Mullica Hill. They also have a location in Williamstown. I called them and told them what I was looking for and they blended it for me, and delivered right in front of my house out in the street.

Good luck with your reno, look forward to seeing your progress! Do you have a thread started yet?


----------



## JerseyGreens

thanks for sharing that information!

Nope - just got the GLY delivered today so it's starting to get real...I'll def startup a new post.

Are you in the NJ sub?


----------



## gregonfire

ricwilli said:


> Wow, read your entire journal. Great read and congrats on a REALLY GOOD LOOKING lawn. You did all this with no soil test, no iron addition and no underground irrigation. Very impressed. I was looking into the ss1000 seed but that is some expensive seed. Plus the KBG seeds. I guess the wow factor of it makes it worth the price.
> I noticed that when you saw some fungi on the lawn, you threw some fungicide down. It seemed like you did this a lot. Maybe I didn't pay attention to the dates. Did you treat all the lawn or just the spot where it needed it? Can you put to much fungicide on a lawn?


Hey man, yep I always forget to do a soil test, which is something I should definitely work on.

I know a lot of people like Hogan's seed, which I think is a blend and a little cheaper. I didn't know about it at the time so I got the SS1000. I'm happy with the results and I guess you get what you pay for sort of..

The irrigation has been ever evolving and quite a challenge but I really only have to deal with it for a 3ish months out of the year. This house was never a long term living situation so I didn't think it'd be worth it to have underground irrigation installed. Definitely a must at my next house.

Where I'm at, it get's extremely humid which causes fungus, so I try to stay on top of the fungicides as much as possible. There is a limit per year, which it states on the bag/bottle, but I don't come anywhere close to that. I suppose you could do isolated treatments, but I like to apply to the whole lawn as it also can act as a preventative and not just a curative. Hope that helps.


----------



## JerseyGreens

hate to double post but did you (re)screen what they delivered through a contraption or just go ahead and throw er down as delivered. I'm sure it was screened but just checking!


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> thanks for sharing that information!
> 
> Nope - just got the GLY delivered today so it's starting to get real...I'll def startup a new post.
> 
> Are you in the NJ sub?


No problem. Just realized you're more north of me. I'd suggest doing some searching for a farm supply store and give them a call. They will probably provide a similar service. Start figuring it out now though so you have a game plan. Make sure you have all the puzzle pieces in place so you're not scrambling at the last minute.

I browse there but don't post too often.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> hate to double post but did you (re)screen what they delivered through a contraption or just go ahead and throw er down as delivered. I'm sure it was screened but just checking!


I just threw it down. Whatever clumps were left after spreading it out dried out over the course of a day before I put the seed down. That way when I rolled the lawn it all laid down pretty evenly. The compost will eventually break down as well.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Love it - helps me skip one more step.

Noticed you passed on the Tenacity at seed down, and verticutting/scarifying the dirt before seeding...you had great results by skipping 2 steps that more reno's on here do not skip.
1) Give you props for doing your thing!
2) How thick was your layer of topsoil/compost - looks like you did 5k sq feet, I'm doing 6,500 - this way I can decipher how much I need to get the same thickness as you did...as you can tell I want to skip dethatching/Verticutting/Scarifying via just drowning it out with good soil/OM.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Love it - helps me skip one more step.
> 
> Noticed you passed on the Tenacity at seed down, and verticutting/scarifying the dirt before seeding...you had great results by skipping 2 steps that more reno's on here do not skip.
> 1) Give you props for doing your thing!
> 2) How thick was your layer of topsoil/compost - looks like you did 5k sq feet, I'm doing 6,500 - this way I can decipher how much I need to get the same thickness as you did...as you can tell I want to skip dethatching/Verticutting/Scarifying via just drowning it out with good soil/OM.


I definitely sprayed tenacity at seed down. Maybe I forgot to post that in my journal. I would definitely NOT skip that step.

I did between 1/4 - 1/2". When I called Peach Country, they were able to figure out how many yards I needed based on me requesting that depth and giving them the square footage of the area. I actually came up a bit short in the end, but I probably went a little too thick at the start. All in all it worked out so I wouldn't sweat it too much.


----------



## JerseyGreens

My fault - you definitely sprayed tenacity!

Sounds good - I'll be following your reno fairly closely...last item up for debate is spreading peat moss or not. I have a peat moss/compost roller but I've found that peat moss has so much larger diameter crap in it that I'm re-filling too often.

Also have slopes in my yard that I'll be taking pictures of and asking for input. I see you used the tackifier stuff with pretty good luck.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> My fault - you definitely sprayed tenacity!
> 
> Sounds good - I'll be following your reno fairly closely...last item up for debate is spreading peat moss or not. I have a peat moss/compost roller but I've found that peat moss has so much larger diameter crap in it that I'm re-filling too often.
> 
> Also have slopes in my yard that I'll be taking pictures of and asking for input. I see you used the tackifier stuff with pretty good luck.


I know people have had luck without using peat, but the general consensus seems to be that it helps. I did it by hand so you're lucky to have a spreader lol. I would definitely use tackifier if you have slopes. I only had one section of the steep section of my lawn that had poor germination, but after a couple weeks you can just throw down more seed in those spots.


----------



## JerseyGreens

LOL my spreader is that drum type spreader - I loved it for spreading screened compost but I'll tell you for Peat moss...I realized how much crap comes in bags of peat moss!


----------



## gregonfire




----------



## JerseyGreens

really looking good!


----------



## gregonfire

Snapped a couple quick ones after a walk.


----------



## Sinclair

The edging on your pathway is so crisp. :thumbup: :clapping:


----------



## gregonfire

Sinclair said:


> The edging on your pathway is so crisp. :thumbup: :clapping:


Thanks man


----------



## gregonfire

morning golden hour shot.

Not much new to report on.. now that the heat and humidity is here, I'm just doing maintenance. Watering and monitoring for fungus. No more fert until labor day.


----------



## gregonfire

Sorry for lack of updates. Got about 3.5" of rain last Friday, which brought everything back to life. We needed it!


----------



## Alex1389

Looks excellent!


----------



## Butter

Very nice! Your lawn is one of my favorites.


----------



## gregonfire

@Butter @Alex1389 Thanks guys!


----------



## ricwilli

Hey Greg,

Can you please tell us how you applied the Tackifier? How much product did you use per gallon of water or did you add it dry? I'm thinking of getting 10lbs of M-Binder for my 7k sqft reno. I'm thinking that should be enough. Thanks


----------



## JerseyGreens

Bump. I'm following this question. Just bought my tackifier online. Wondering about most effective application and the rate.

Thanks!


----------



## gregonfire

ricwilli said:


> Hey Greg,
> 
> Can you please tell us how you applied the Tackifier? How much product did you use per gallon of water or did you add it dry? I'm thinking of getting 10lbs of M-Binder for my 7k sqft reno. I'm thinking that should be enough. Thanks


@JerseyGreens

Hey guys. I don't remember how much I used. I applied it dry right onto the prepared surface (after seed was down and everything was rolled in). I just sprinkled it over the spots that were steep.. parts of my front and most of my back yard. It gets activated with water so I just ran the sprinklers afterwards. Hope that helps.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Sure does man. Thank you!

Just sprinkle it lightly like saw dust...how did you get your soil moist on the seeds. Big bucket and shake it all around?


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Sure does man. Thank you!
> 
> Just sprinkle it lightly like saw dust...how did you get your soil moist on the seeds. Big bucket and shake it all around?


I'm trying to be helpful but it's hard remembering exactly what I did. I''m pretty sure I put the seed into a HD 5 gallon bucket, added the SMSC and used a garden shovel to mix it in.


----------



## ricwilli

So seed, Tackifier and than peat moss on top? Thanks for the help


----------



## gregonfire

ricwilli said:


> So seed, Tackifier and than peat moss on top? Thanks for the help


Pretty sure I put the tackifier on top of the peat. Want to keep the peat in place in case of heavy rains / washout.


----------



## gregonfire

Quick pics from most recent cut, 3.5" front, 3" back



















So happy about this area filling in ^


----------



## Baretta

Wow...no dog spots. Train them to go on the neighbors lawn? Looks awesome! :thumbsup:


----------



## gregonfire

Baretta said:


> Wow...no dog spots. Train them to go on the neighbors lawn? Looks awesome! :thumbsup:


They go in the back yard. There are a couple spots from the dark brown dog. But they mostly pee in the mulch beds on plants.


----------



## gregonfire

Snagged this pic of one of my sprinklers in action the other morning. Came out awesome!


----------



## ken-n-nancy

gregonfire said:


> Snagged this pic of one of my sprinklers in action the other morning. Came out awesome!


Beautiful!


----------



## gregonfire

Been dealing with high disease pressure and heat stress due to the heatwave NJ's been going through the last couple weeks. Holding strong though despite a couple spots going dormant.

Put another app of Disease Ex and Eagle 20EW to suppress the fungus, and SLS soil loosener and SLS root hume to help with water absorption.

Not looking forward to my next water bill :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

Got some much needed rain the other day, and more over the next couple days. Humidity has dropped a bit so I'm hoping some recovery happens soon.

Brought HOC to 3" front and 2.5" back to help get more air down to the soil. Can't wait til the weather starts cooling off a bit so I can start hitting the lawn with more fert.


----------



## shelby48085

Looks great.

This is my first year of caring for the lawn and I've done pretty good. Better than the other 8 on our court.

I plan a dethatch/aerate/reseed before Labor Day. Hopefully can have some nice pictures by end of Oct.

LGreat edging. Great striping.


----------



## gregonfire

shelby48085 said:


> Looks great.
> 
> This is my first year of caring for the lawn and I've done pretty good. Better than the other 8 on our court.
> 
> I plan a dethatch/aerate/reseed before Labor Day. Hopefully can have some nice pictures by end of Oct.
> 
> LGreat edging. Great striping.


Thanks man. Good luck with you yard! Do you have a journal?


----------



## gregonfire

Grass is starting to recover a little, especially in the back yard which gets some shade relief unlike the front yard.










Getting more of those light / neon green KBG blades popping up. @ericgautier, you mentioned last year that it's new rhizomes popping up. I tried to do some research about this but couldn't find anything online, do you have anything you could send me?

Pics for reference:


----------



## Alex1389

@gregonfire looking good! I have a ton of those light green blades that @ericgautier is talking about as well. If you trace those blades down they end up being nice, dark green KBG.


----------



## gregonfire

Alex1389 said:


> @gregonfire looking good! I have a ton of those light green blades that @ericgautier is talking about as well. If you trace those blades down they end up being nice, dark green KBG.


Yeah that happened last season for me, I just noticed that this year there are wayyyy more. Like my whole yard is covered in them. I guess that means the KBG is healthy. Can't wait to start hitting it with fert next month, it's gonna look great this fall.


----------



## shelby48085

gregonfire said:


> shelby48085 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks great.
> 
> This is my first year of caring for the lawn and I've done pretty good. Better than the other 8 on our court.
> 
> I plan a dethatch/aerate/reseed before Labor Day. Hopefully can have some nice pictures by end of Oct.
> 
> LGreat edging. Great striping.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks man. Good luck with you yard! Do you have a journal?
Click to expand...

Maybe you should say... "Thanks woman." hahaha

I don't think anyone would want to read my lawn journal. I'm a newbie to all this. 
When I got divorced 2 years ago, I had only cut the grass a few times up to that point. He had taken care of it for the previous 8 years since we built the house. It was never a good lawn and only got worse as time went on with no TLC.

So, in the summer of 2019 after getting rid of the lawn service to save money, I started cutting the grass. I really noticed how bad it actually was. The first time in 9 years it received fertilizer was last August. Then again in Sept, and Scotts Winterizer in October. This was only after being at my dad's house and speaking with his neighbor who has a beautiful lawn and he gave me a couple of suggestions.

In Spring, I dethatched both ways and bagged about 20 bags of dead grass. Had it aerated both ways. Put down grass seed. Then....(wait for it)......I put down fertilizer with crabgrass preventer.  No seeds, obviously. 
8 weeks later I put down more seed that actually sprouted. 

After lurking here the past 12 weeks, I've been putting down Milo and 12-12-12 at 1/4 rates every two weeks and I now have the best lawn in our court.

After seeing my results and my enjoyment of lawn care, my dad bought me a checkmate striper for my Honda for my birthday. And now my lawn is even better and people out walking even comment on it.

I feel pretty good about it all. I don't know if I'm up for all the other chemicals you guys do with spraying and stuff - maybe with time. Just taking it slow right now. I said I was going to dethatch. I meant scarifier with the Sunjoe to break the soil surface a little for the reseed. I'll get some before/after pictures. Keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## doverosx

What a great story! Way to go.

As for chemicals, I'd opt for N-Ext biostimulant pack (RGS, Air8, Humic12, micro green) if you're hesitant about chemicals. It'll condition the soil and get your feet wet with spraying products.


----------



## gregonfire

shelby48085 said:


> Maybe you should say... "Thanks woman." hahaha
> 
> I don't think anyone would want to read my lawn journal. I'm a newbie to all this.
> When I got divorced 2 years ago, I had only cut the grass a few times up to that point. He had taken care of it for the previous 8 years since we built the house. It was never a good lawn and only got worse as time went on with no TLC.
> 
> So, in the summer of 2019 after getting rid of the lawn service to save money, I started cutting the grass. I really noticed how bad it actually was. The first time in 9 years it received fertilizer was last August. Then again in Sept, and Scotts Winterizer in October. This was only after being at my dad's house and speaking with his neighbor who has a beautiful lawn and he gave me a couple of suggestions.
> 
> In Spring, I dethatched both ways and bagged about 20 bags of dead grass. Had it aerated both ways. Put down grass seed. Then....(wait for it)......I put down fertilizer with crabgrass preventer.  No seeds, obviously.
> 8 weeks later I put down more seed that actually sprouted.
> 
> After lurking here the past 12 weeks, I've been putting down Milo and 12-12-12 at 1/4 rates every two weeks and I now have the best lawn in our court.
> 
> After seeing my results and my enjoyment of lawn care, my dad bought me a checkmate striper for my Honda for my birthday. And now my lawn is even better and people out walking even comment on it.
> 
> I feel pretty good about it all. I don't know if I'm up for all the other chemicals you guys do with spraying and stuff - maybe with time. Just taking it slow right now. I said I was going to dethatch. I meant scarifier with the Sunjoe to break the soil surface a little for the reseed. I'll get some before/after pictures. Keeping my fingers crossed.


My mistake! Not too common to see women on here. Very impressive how much you've accomplished, congrats to you. If you're not a fan of liquids, I'd at least recommend doing a granular pre emergent in the spring and fall. Spring app to prevent crabgrass and other common summer weeds, and fall to prevent poa annua. Good luck on your lawn journey!


----------



## gregonfire

Upcoming plans:

- Dethatch with greenworks
- Drop HOC
- CX app
- Fungicide app
- WBG CCO app
- Tenacity (for creeping charlie)

Front has some dead spots. Going to give it a little time to fill in, but will use plugs from backyard if needed.

Wife is having a baby shower at our house in late October so I need the lawn to be :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: by that time.


----------



## gregonfire

Put in some work this past weekend.

- prodiamine app
- spot sprayed tenacity (clover, creeping bentgrass)
- CX at .72 lbs N/M
- Azoxy app
- Watered everything in

Didn't get a chance to dethatch.. lots of rain on Saturday and ground was too wet still on Sunday. Worked out though because I want to get the whole yard down to 2.5" HOC.

Hoping the front can make a good recovery over the next couple months.

Coming up next weekend:
- 2.5" HOC
- Dethatch
- Clean up mow
- SLS root hume


----------



## gregonfire

Hope everyone had a good labor day.

Busy weekend. Have some issues, hoping someone can help me figure out what's going on..

Told my wife I wanted to lower the front HOC to 2.5 in preparation for the dethatching.. well she decided to "do me a favor" and cut it down to that height after it was already about 4" long. Didn't step it down over a couple days. Bless her soul.

I did the dethatch this weekend and now the lawn looks super stressed out in the front. I know it'll recover, but I think this uncovered some other issues going on. Lots of brown/dead spots near the sidewalk and hell strip. I was really good about watering, fungicide, etc. So I'm wondering if this is an insect (chinch bugs?) problem. I totally forgot to put down an insecticide app this year. Thoughts?

Otherwise, the back yard is looking great.


----------



## dleonard11122

Sod webworm maybe? Do you see small insects flying up when you're mowing the lawn?


----------



## gregonfire

dleonard11122 said:


> Sod webworm maybe? Do you see small insects flying up when you're mowing the lawn?


Now that you mention it, yes sometimes. We have a bad mosquito problem in our area so I thought it was just mosquitoes. I'm going to spray insecticide tonight.


----------



## gregonfire

Back yard recovering from tenacity nicely. Front is still looking harsh.. hoping for some decent recovery with all this nice cool weather we're having.


----------



## dleonard11122

The backyard looks really nice. Our temps seems to have dropped this past week and it doesn't look like we're going to have any more heat waves, so hopefully those work out for you. My overseed has been a success so far but I could use a bit more rain.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn is starting to recover. Been hitting it with bi-weekly fert apps of a mix of CX and some starter from home depot.

Here are some progress pics.

9/8:









9/26:









9/8:









9/26:









9/8:









9/26:









And some other random pics from this past weekend:


----------



## BH Green

Lawn is looking great, Greg! The front seems to be recovering well. I made the mistake of not putting down preventative insecticides too and once I noticed the damage in late August it was too late.

By the way-I've been following your lawn journal for a while, which has been a good source of inspiration and encouragement. I went with similar cultivars for my reno this year. Would you say that your lawn has shifted more towards KBG over the years? Also, have you ever overseeded your lawn, or have you mainly been pushing the KBG?


----------



## gregonfire

BH Green said:


> Lawn is looking great, Greg! The front seems to be recovering well. I made the mistake of not putting down preventative insecticides too and once I noticed the damage in late August it was too late.
> 
> By the way-I've been following your lawn journal for a while, which has been a good source of inspiration and encouragement. I went with similar cultivars for my reno this year. Would you say that your lawn has shifted more towards KBG over the years? Also, have you ever overseeded your lawn, or have you mainly been pushing the KBG?


Thanks!! Yeah I can't believe I forgot insecticide. Trust me, it won't happen again. I think I got so caught up making sure to stay on top of fungicide and watering that it slipped my mind.

I've never overseeded my lawn. It's definitely almost all KBG at this point.

Thanks for following along on this crazy journey. I'm on mobile right now but I'll definitely be checking out your journal at work tomorrow. Are you happy with your progress so far?


----------



## BH Green

gregonfire said:


> BH Green said:
> 
> 
> 
> Lawn is looking great, Greg! The front seems to be recovering well. I made the mistake of not putting down preventative insecticides too and once I noticed the damage in late August it was too late.
> 
> By the way-I've been following your lawn journal for a while, which has been a good source of inspiration and encouragement. I went with similar cultivars for my reno this year. Would you say that your lawn has shifted more towards KBG over the years? Also, have you ever overseeded your lawn, or have you mainly been pushing the KBG?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!! Yeah I can't believe I forgot insecticide. Trust me, it won't happen again. I think I got so caught up making sure to stay on top of fungicide and watering that it slipped my mind.
> 
> I've never overseeded my lawn. It's definitely almost all KBG at this point.
> 
> Thanks for following along on this crazy journey. I'm on mobile right now but I'll definitely be checking out your journal at work tomorrow. Are you happy with your progress so far?
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It's been a learning experience for me, and thankfully I didn't have to learn everything the hard way because of this forum.

I'm happy with my progress so far, especially considering the extra challenges with a spring renovation. Planning on pushing the KBG going forward as much as possible. We can have harsh winters in the upper midwest so I'll have to see how the TTTF handles that.

I think similar to when you started, I was not confident enough to go 100% KBG on my first reno. I'm really loving both grass species, but rooting for the KBG to take off more for its repairability and winter hardiness. I seeded at 80/20 but not sure what ratio I have now. Seems the conditions favored the fescue more this summer, but there's definitely a decent amount of bluegrass in some sections of the yard.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn is starting to get that deep, dark green color. Spots are filling in. Sprayed my second app of tenacity so there is some bleaching.










More progress pics:

9/8:









9/26:









10/2:









9/8:









9/26:









10/2:









9/8:









9/26:









10/2:









Think it should be mostly filled in by the end of the season.


----------



## lifeandmylens

Just wanted to say your lawn looks fantastic and gives me encouragement to nuke my lawn one day...possibly next year


----------



## gregonfire

lifeandmylens said:


> Just wanted to say your lawn looks fantastic and gives me encouragement to nuke my lawn one day...possibly next year


Thanks!!! You can do it! Just read as much as you can and try to learn from everyone. Look at what works and doesn't. You'll be fine just do your research and don't rush.


----------



## gregonfire

Not much new.. did another fert app yesterday before the rain. Going to bring the front down to 2.5". Still currently 3" front, 2.5" back.

Progress pics:
9/8:









10/15:









9/8:









10/15:









9/8:









10/15:


----------



## gregonfire

Some more progress pics. Don't think it'll fully fill in this year, but next year will look fantastic. I think I'm going to hold off on any more fert until my winterization app. We'll see. It's been pretty warm here still for this time of year (highs in the 60's and humid).

9/26:









10/27









9/26:









10/27:









9/26:









10/27:









And back shot for good measure:


----------



## JerseyGreens

Beautiful recovery! Goes to show you why they are called cool season grasses. They love these temps the last month.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Beautiful recovery! Goes to show you why they are called cool season grasses. They love these temps the last month.


Thanks man! Yours is looking great as well. Nice work.


----------



## gregonfire

Lawn is looking nice and deep, dark green.

Got the whole yard down to 2.5". Keeping it there for the remainder of the year.


----------



## gregonfire

Might have been my last cut of the year a couple days ago. Maybe one more just to do another clean up mow.

Overall, had a good season. Made a couple mistakes, but learned my lesson for next year.


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> Might have been my last cut of the year a couple days ago. Maybe one more just to do another clean up mow.


Might be a warm Fall still. I bet you have another 3-4 mows left over the next 4-6 weeks. We definitely have like 2 more to go here between now and early to mid Dec., and we are already losing color and have slowed drastically.


----------



## gregonfire

Hello TLF, I'm back from my winter hibernation.

It was a cold winter in NJ and we got a good bit of snow. Lawn is taking longer than the last couple years to come out of dormancy. I'm starting to see some green up and hope to get out and mow soon.

I put my first app of prodiamine down last week and got out to spot spray weeds this past weekend. Will probably throw down my first fert app in the next couple weeks.

Some bittersweet news - my wife and I have decided to put the house up for sale in the next couple weeks. So, this will be my last season with the lawn. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears went into revamping this yard, but I'm looking forward to the next challenge.


----------



## pennstater2005

Well, if everything I see and hear from neighbors you should have about 500 offers on your home in 2 hours. Good luck with everything. You really did turn that lawn around!


----------



## gregonfire

pennstater2005 said:


> Well, if everything I see and hear from neighbors you should have about 500 offers on your home in 2 hours. Good luck with everything. You really did turn that lawn around!


Thanks, yeah the housing market in our area is insane right now. Realtor said it'll be sold within a couple days once we list it. Just have a couple things to button up then we're throwing it out on the market. Hardest thing will be finding a new house but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.


----------



## JerseyGreens

That lawn will help it sell. Seriously.

Hold off for another 7-10 days from listing if possible and let it wake up.

My lawn at my last house I know for a fact helped get me above asking. I sold it myself and had direct interaction with all the sellers agents.

In fact, I can walk you through doing it yourself and saving 2.5%. A realtor in north jersey will take a flat fee and get you on MLS. It's so easy to sell a house in this market.


----------



## gregonfire

Getting off to a bit of a late start this year. Trying to balance lawn stuff and being a new dad has been a challenge.

Anyway, first cut of the season - 2.5" HOC. Next fert app is planned for today, along with some grub/insecticide.


----------



## gregonfire

.5 lbs n/m put down yesterday, along with some grub/insect killer.

Of course the weather calls for rain all day and I wake up to nothing. Had to bust out the sprinkler.


----------



## Chris LI

Color is insane! Good luck with being a new dad and your real estate endeavors!


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Color is insane! Good luck with being a new dad and your real estate endeavors!


Appreciate it man. Thank you! House will probably be listed next week.


----------



## gregonfire

Got out and did another cut yesterday. Still some dormant areas but most of the lawn is awake and starting to grow pretty fast.

2.5" HOC


----------



## gregonfire

she thicc


----------



## ericgautier

Good luck man! Are you staying in NJ?


----------



## gregonfire

Wanted to point out that the fert I'm using this season is strictly big-box stuff. With CX not available anymore and the move happening soon (hopefully), didn't think it was worth it to put more money than I need to into the lawn this year.

I went back to my roots with some Lesco 18-24-12, and also picked up a couple bags of milo that I haven't used yet. Results have been good so far. I would say maybe it's not as dark as it would be had I used CX, but overall I can't complain.


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> Good luck man! Are you staying in NJ?


Yeah unfortunately. We always wanted to move to PA or DE, but it makes the most sense to stay in NJ since both of us work here. We won't be moving far, maybe a tad more south to get some more land and space between neighbors.

We are mainly moving because we're outgrowing the house now with the baby. We're planning on having another in the next year or two so we definitely will need more space.

Plus I NEED a damn garage for the cars and all the tools I've accumulated over the years while renovating our house :lol:

I'm tired of the damn birds shitting on my car


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> she thicc


BTW, this is looking awesome!


----------



## gregonfire

ericgautier said:


> gregonfire said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> she thicc
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, this is looking awesome!
Click to expand...

Thanks man!


----------



## gregonfire

Cut yesterday - 2.5" HOC all around.

Planning another fert app and a preventative fungicide app before the next rainfall.

Photographer is coming Saturday afternoon for the real estate listing. Gonna give it a nice double-wide mow on Saturday so it looks :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: for the pics


----------



## gregonfire

I have way less Poa A than last year, but it's all up in the corner of my back yard. Also I think it's Poa Triv creeping up and expanding below and slightly left of the bench in the mulch bed.

I will pull as much Poa A as I can but I will probably just leave the triv. It pains me to leave it, but I'd rather have green than bare spots for the next owner.


----------



## Stoked33

Stumbled on this post today. Spent most of the day surfing through it all. Amazing stuff and reno. I do have 2 questions for you, and sorry if I missed it. Didn't get through all 70 pages of posts haha. First, I assume you did a soil test at some point before reno? If so, how close to reno did you do it? Second, what was decision behind the 80 TTTF and 20 KBG? I'm looking towards fall for a large overseed project, and scoping out seeding options. My yard is TTTF and was curious on what thoughts were behind your KBG addition. Thanks man!


----------



## gregonfire

Stoked33 said:


> Stumbled on this post today. Spent most of the day surfing through it all. Amazing stuff and reno. I do have 2 questions for you, and sorry if I missed it. Didn't get through all 70 pages of posts haha. First, I assume you did a soil test at some point before reno? If so, how close to reno did you do it? Second, what was decision behind the 80 TTTF and 20 KBG? I'm looking towards fall for a large overseed project, and scoping out seeding options. My yard is TTTF and was curious on what thoughts were behind your KBG addition. Thanks man!


Thanks for the kind words. Many ups and downs in this yard but it's all worth it.

So for the soil test.. yes I kind of did a soil test. I did one of those amazon ones where you mix it with water and it turns a color. Not the best. I did it probably a month before seed down. It probably wasn't necessary for my application since I brought in a lot of new soil and compost over the yard. I haven't done a soil test since :lol:

I just used a lot of organic stuff like milo, root hume, and CX (rip) to keep putting nutrients into the soil, and I never go crazy with N. Seemed to work for me, but to be safe definitely do an annual soil test.

As for the KBG addition, it saved my lawn numerous times. KBG can spread through rhizomes so it has the ability to fill in bare spots without needing to do an over seed like you would with TTTF. I have NEVER over seeded my yard. And if you look through my past posts you can see the repairability it has. Like I said, it saved my yard MANY times and I highly highly recommend it.

Here's a couple shots of the front from 9/26 last year:

















And here it is as of this week:









And that's with the KBG just starting to wake up. Those spots will be completely gone by the end of May.

hope that helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask, I'm always happy to help!


----------



## Stoked33

You the man! Thanks for the response and the details! Really appreciate it. And will probably ask more questions in time! Thanks again Greg and thanks for sharing the journey !


----------



## gregonfire

Stoked33 said:


> You the man! Thanks for the response and the details! Really appreciate it. And will probably ask more questions in time! Thanks again Greg and thanks for sharing the journey !


Anytime man, hit me up any time I'm happy to help.


----------



## gregonfire

Well, it's official.. the sign is up and we're booking a ton of showings already.

Sad times. The grass looks great, though.. lol

2.5" HOC


----------



## occamsrzr

gregonfire said:


> Well, it's official.. the sign is up and we're booking a ton of showings already.
> 
> Sad times. The grass looks great, though.. lol


Lawn is looking great! Your journey convinced me that TTTF+KBG was a killer combo. Awesome work.


----------



## gregonfire

occamsrzr said:


> Lawn is looking great! Your journey convinced me that TTTF+KBG was a killer combo. Awesome work.


Thanks! Yeah that combo really is great! Definitely either doing that again or all KBG on my next lawn.


----------



## gregonfire

HOC: 2.5"


----------



## gregonfire

Don't want to get my hopes up too much, but we put an offer in on a house last night. Needs updating, but it's in a great location in a VERY nice neighborhood.

All the homes have decent sized lots, which I'm excited about. For fun I measured it out.

First - my current house: ~5k sqft









The new house: 27.6 sqft









More than 5x as much grass area. I'm excited and scared :lol:


----------



## DiabeticKripple

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


----------



## ericgautier

gregonfire said:


> Don't want to get my hopes up too much, but we put an offer in on a house last night. Needs updating, but it's in a great location in a VERY nice neighborhood.
> 
> All the homes have decent sized lots, which I'm excited about. For fun I measured it out.


Looks like a fun project! Hope you get the house. Going with TTTF/KBG again or an all KBG lanw?


----------



## gregonfire

DiabeticKripple said:


> $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$





ericgautier said:


> Looks like a fun project! Hope you get the house. Going with TTTF/KBG again or an all KBG lanw?


We didn't get it. I'm kind of relieved lol. Yes would have been more money to keep it looking good, but I am OK with that. I was more not OK with the increased time requirement.


----------



## M32075

gregonfire said:


> DiabeticKripple said:
> 
> 
> 
> $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ericgautier said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like a fun project! Hope you get the house. Going with TTTF/KBG again or an all KBG lanw?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> We didn't get it. I'm kind of relieved lol. Yes would have been more money to keep it looking good, but I am OK with that. I was more not OK with the increased time requirement.
Click to expand...

Good luck on the new house hunt it's a difficult one in this market. Selling your house is going to super easy.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Your lawn is going to sell the house!! Should go quick.

Get a house with a nice level yard and get into reel mowing.

I vote 100% *** at your new place!


----------



## gregonfire

M32075 said:


> Good luck on the new house hunt it's a difficult one in this market. Selling your house is going to super easy.





JerseyGreens said:


> Your lawn is going to sell the house!! Should go quick.
> 
> Get a house with a nice level yard and get into reel mowing.
> 
> I vote 100% *** at your new place!


Thanks guys. We're actually already under contract. Had 2 offers within 3 days of showings. Ended up getting a considerable amount over asking price, too. We are contingent upon finding suitable housing, though - so we have about 5 more weeks to find a new place.

I'm definitely considering 100% KBG for the next house, but also considering 50/50 rye/KBG, and just letting the rye die out over time and letting the KBG take over. We'll see.

I'm not sure how I feel about reel mowing, it looks good but I always liked how longer lawns looked. Plus then I gotta get into PGRs and stuff or else I'll be cutting every day :lol:


----------



## JerseyGreens

Congratulations - this housing market is nuts! Good luck on finding your new place. Following to see what the future reno holds for you.

I also learned a lot from this journal before doing my Reno. Thank you for that.


----------



## M32075

You see a house you like make a strong first bid it's chao's out there


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Congratulations - this housing market is nuts! Good luck on finding your new place. Following to see what the future reno holds for you.
> 
> I also learned a lot from this journal before doing my Reno. Thank you for that.


Thanks man, glad I was able to help! I've been following yours, nice to see the progress this year so far. Keep up the awesome work.



M32075 said:


> You see a house you like make a strong first bid it's chao's out there


Yeah the problem is we haven't really found any houses that we "love" yet. Gotta keep searching.


----------



## gregonfire

Grass has been going to seed the last couple weeks. Seems like this past weekend's mow got rid of the majority of them.

Still cutting at 2.5" HOC. Been warm and dry here so I gave the front a good watering yesterday.


















she thiccccc


----------



## M32075

gregonfire said:


> Grass has been going to seed the last couple weeks. Seems like this past weekend's mow got rid of the majority of them.
> 
> Still cutting at 2.5" HOC. Been warm and dry here so I gave the front a good watering yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> she thiccccc


Now that is one fine looking lawn


----------



## Liquidstone

Super thicccc. Makes me reconsider going for an all KBG lawn! Well done!


----------



## gregonfire

M32075 said:


> Now that is one fine looking lawn





Liquidstone said:


> Super thicccc. Makes me reconsider going for an all KBG lawn! Well done!


Thanks guys


----------



## Butter

That color is spectacular!


----------



## gregonfire

Not much going on here, just mowing and normal stuff lol.

Put down Milo and fungicide app yesterday before the rain.

HOC: 3"


----------



## gregonfire

Again, not much going on.

Did some spot spraying of tenacity on the clover in my yard. Sharpened the Honda blades.

Besides that, just having fun cutting and enjoying the lawn. Still sticking with "big box" solutions for the lawn this year.

Future plans:
- July 4th milo app
- fungicide (preventative)
- insecticide (preventative)


















































I need to power wash the sidewalks... lol


----------



## gregonfire

Also wanted to post a comparison shot from september last year to remind everyone how great KBG is..

This is from 9/26.. parts of the front yard got destroyed by insects.









and from a couple days ago..









Just some fert and a couple plugs in the worst spots to get to this point.


----------



## dleonard11122

As a guy who planted 30k sqft of TTTF, I am incredibly jealous. I do wish I could do it all over and at least plant KBG where I have irrigation coverage.


----------



## gregonfire

dleonard11122 said:


> As a guy who planted 30k sqft of TTTF, I am incredibly jealous. I do wish I could do it all over and at least plant KBG where I have irrigation coverage.


you could always torch it and start fresh :lol:

or I could give you some plugs to put in your yard and let it spread :lol:


----------



## Chris LI

Great photos! Your lawn looks fantastic, even with the minimal "big box" program this year! 
I love the repairability of kbg too (not to mention the color and leaf texture). Mine completely filled in from Rust damage.


----------



## M32075

I need to grow some and finally do a KBG renovation every year I talk myself out of it


----------



## gregonfire

Chris LI said:


> Great photos! Your lawn looks fantastic, even with the minimal "big box" program this year!
> I love the repairability of kbg too (not to mention the color and leaf texture). Mine completely filled in from Rust damage.


Thanks Chris. KBG really is a godsend. It has saved my *** numerous times :thumbup:



M32075 said:


> I need to grow some and finally do a KBG renovation every year I talk myself out of it


Do it, you won't regret it! Mix it with TTTF or Rye, makes it a little easier.


----------



## gregonfire

Say hello to the new gregonfire household, coming late August..



















Just got the call last night, sellers accepted our offer.

Yard stats:
- 1/2 acre lot
- ~12,000 sqft of grass area

Pumped!


----------



## ericgautier

Congrats man! Looking forward to seeing the new lawn.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Congratulations are in order!

Are you going to work with the existing lawn or just pull the bandaid off and Reno this year?


----------



## Butter

Congrats! Your current lawn is one of my favorites so I look forward to what you're gonna do with the new one!


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Congratulations are in order!
> 
> Are you going to work with the existing lawn or just pull the bandaid off and Reno this year?


Thanks man! So the current plan is to work with what's there for a couple years. I won't have enough time this year to do a reno, and next year I'm scheduled to deploy during reno season, so 2023 will be the year I do a reno. Lots of time in between to get the soil up to snuff. Good thing is the current lawn is pretty good. Looks like a TTTF mix.



ericgautier said:


> Congrats man! Looking forward to seeing the new lawn.


Thanks Eric. Def either doing all KBG or a KBG rye mix next go around.



Butter said:


> Congrats! Your current lawn is one of my favorites so I look forward to what you're gonna do with the new one!


Appreciate the kind words dude! I'm looking forward to it just as much as you!


----------



## JDgreen18

I agree with bulter I always loved your current lawn...look forward to your new one....do I smell a reno in your future lol


----------



## gm560

I just got way too excited getting to watch your fall reno. Congrats man! Thrilled for you.


----------



## M32075

Wow I'm pumped for you. Congrats!


----------



## Jconnelly6b

Love it Greg that's a beautiful home and a killer looking backyard.


----------



## gregonfire

JDgreen18 said:


> I agree with bulter I always loved your current lawn...look forward to your new one....do I smell a reno in your future lol


Thanks man, yes reno in the future, but not til Fall of '23. We don't settle til late August this year and I'm going to be away fore a while next year during reno season.



gm560 said:


> I just got way too excited getting to watch your fall reno. Congrats man! Thrilled for you.


Hold your excitement because it's going to be a while  Thank you!



M32075 said:


> Wow I'm pumped for you. Congrats!


Appreciate it thank you!



Jconnelly6b said:


> Love it Greg that's a beautiful home and a killer looking backyard.


Thanks! Yeah the backyard is awesome. Has a partially covered deck, and a huge patio. Koi pond and gazebo as well. All that and still 12k sqft of grass. It's going to be so nice to be able to sit out back with friends and chill. We couldn't do that at our current house.


----------



## gregonfire

Here's the sat view with lawn measurements. Not 100% accurate but pretty close.


----------



## JerseyGreens

ah man that backyard will be amazing - it looks level and flat as well...can we possibly explore a reel low cut lawn back there in the future!?


----------



## g-man

Gly and seed the same day. You can do this.


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> ah man that backyard will be amazing - it looks level and flat as well...can we possibly explore a reel low cut lawn back there in the future!?


Yeah it is nice and flat.. don't give me any ideas lol



g-man said:


> Gly and seed the same day. You can do this.


If you fly out and help, sure we can do it. :lol:


----------



## Chris LI

Congratulations! It looks like you have a nice canvas to start with.


----------



## Green

gregonfire said:


> So the current plan is to work with what's there for a couple years. I won't have enough time this year to do a reno, and next year I'm scheduled to deploy during reno season, so 2023 will be the year I do a reno. Lots of time in between to get the soil up to snuff. Good thing is the current lawn is pretty good. Looks like a TTTF mix.


Looks good enough in the photos that no renovation is really needed. So you should be good for a couple of years.  Wonder if it was already renovated by someone into this stuff.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> Looks good enough in the photos that no renovation is really needed. So you should be good for a couple of years.  Wonder if it was already renovated by someone into this stuff.


I doubt it, it's an older woman in poor health living there currently. My friend also lives in this neighborhood and says everyone has their lawn service hired out.. so I'd be the only one cutting my own lawn :lol:

I would assume she had a service that also took care of fertilizing, weed spraying, etc in addition to the cutting.

But yes, the lawn will be just fine on its own. I'm actually toying with the idea of overseeding with some Rye this fall to hold me over til the actual reno. There are some bare spots that I saw.

One other plus, this place already has a sprinkler system installed - no more hoses!!


----------



## g-man

If it has sprinklers, then of course Reno on closing day.


----------



## gm560

gregonfire said:


> My friend also lives in this neighborhood and says everyone has their lawn service hired out.. so I'd be the only one cutting my own lawn :lol:


I live in one of these areas too.... but since I have moved in a lot of my neighbors have started doing their own.... I take it as a compliment that I have rubbed off on a few of them. See if you can convert some, too!

And I vote reno... not because the lawn looks bad (it doesnt), but because I throughly enjoyed tuning in for your last reno!


----------



## JerseyGreens

g-man said:


> If it has sprinklers, then of course Reno on closing day.


 :lol: this would automatically get you in deep waters with the family on day one of owning the home...


----------



## gregonfire

g-man said:


> If it has sprinklers, then of course Reno on closing day.


 :lol: Like I said, if you come out and help, I'm in.



gm560 said:


> I live in one of these areas too.... but since I have moved in a lot of my neighbors have started doing their own.... I take it as a compliment that I have rubbed off on a few of them. See if you can convert some, too!
> 
> And I vote reno... not because the lawn looks bad (it doesnt), but because I throughly enjoyed tuning in for your last reno!


Haha that would be great, I'll start a movement in the neighborhood lol!

Definitely going to do a reno. Maybe all KBG.. We'll see.



JerseyGreens said:


> :lol: this would automatically get you in deep waters with the family on day one of owning the home...


Yeah definitely, my wife would kill me :lol:


----------



## gregonfire

Did our home inspection this morning and was able to grab some pics of the back yard.

It's a very big area of grass and needless to say I'm super excited...


----------



## Green

Interesting that the mowing tracks appear contiguous between the browning and green areas. Are those different yards or are both areas part of yours?

In any case, it appears the heat and lack of rain is catching up with lawns in your area, much like here.


----------



## gregonfire

Green said:


> Interesting that the mowing tracks appear contiguous between the browning and green areas. Are those different yards or are both areas part of yours?
> 
> In any case, it appears the heat and lack of rain is catching up with lawns in your area, much like here.


All the grass area in those pics is our backyard. There is a fence on either side that separates the property. The woman living there right now is definitely not using her irrigation system.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Did I just hear you have an irrigation system here??

Oh yeah - let's go reel low on the Reno!


----------



## gregonfire

JerseyGreens said:


> Did I just hear you have an irrigation system here??
> 
> Oh yeah - let's go reel low on the Reno!


 :shock: :shock: :shock:

I dunno mannnnnnnn we'll see


----------



## gregonfire

Yesterday I applied another fungicide app as well as some insecticide.

Supposed to get rain the next few days so it'll be a nice break from the heat wave we had the past few days.

HOC: 3"


----------



## gregonfire

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. Been busy here with packing up the house and getting prepped for the move.

Current lawn is doing pretty good, seeing some fungal pressure but nothing too crazy. Trying not to worry about it too much since we're leaving, but at the same time I feel the need to do something lol.

We are just 18 days away from closing on the new house. I am so excited to get in there, and even more excited to share the next lawn journey with you all.


----------



## gregonfire

10 more days.


----------



## gregonfire

Possibly my last mow yesterday. Might squeeze one more in before Thursday.


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## ken-n-nancy

gregonfire said:


> Possibly my last mow yesterday. Might squeeze one more in before Thursday.


Great pics! Good luck in the new place!


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## gregonfire

ken-n-nancy said:


> Great pics! Good luck in the new place!


Thanks! Nervous and excited


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## gregonfire

A little "project" I've been working on in memory of my old house and grass..

Back in May, I started clearing out the mulch beds that had some KBG growing into them. I decided to save some of the healthy plants and kept them in pots for plugs.

After plugging I had some left over, so I decided to plant some at work! I think of it as a piece of my old house that will live on. Anyway, here are some pics.

June 17th









September 3rd:

























I've been cutting it with scissors. Am I crazy? Probably.

I'm hoping to fill that whole bed with grass, then maybe start taking over the others. We have 4 beds here at work like that.


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## Green

gregonfire said:


> A little "project" I've been working on in memory of my old house and grass..
> 
> Back in May, I started clearing out the mulch beds that had some KBG growing into them. I decided to save some of the healthy plants and kept them in pots for plugs.
> 
> After plugging I had some left over, so I decided to plant some at work! I think of it as a piece of my old house that will live on. Anyway, here are some pics.
> 
> June 17th
> 
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> September 3rd:
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> 
> I've been cutting it with scissors. Am I crazy? Probably.
> 
> I'm hoping to fill that whole bed with grass, then maybe start taking over the others. We have 4 beds here at work like that.


Regular scissors? Get a pair of Fiskars grass shears!


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## Chris LI

That's awesome! Get a push reel mower to cut those beds. That's a perfect sod farm to pull plugs from! :mrgreen:


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## gregonfire

Update on my KBG plot:


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## gregonfire

If anyone wants to follow my new journal, here's a link:

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=30961


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