# My first lawn, dealing with a disaster, already made many mistakes



## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Hello Lawn forumers, my first post here. I live in the South Okanagan in BC, Canada. It's kind of a unique climate in Canada, semi arid desert, with many lakes, vineyards and fruit farms. We see some extreme temperatures here, -15C (5F) for lows in winter up to low 40's C (110F) in summer. Sometimes we will not see rain for 2-3 months in the summer.

This is our first year in our first house and first lawn that we've had to look after. I have been doing a lot of research, reading and youtubing. I have read the guides here (very helpful!) browsing journals and reading other threads. Any help with my problems are very much appreciated!

As I mentioned, I've already made many mistakes... Last spring our lawn looked pretty decent. I didn't touch it with anything, just mowing once a week. Summer came and it started to go dormant, we continued to water it and mow it less frequently. Then fall came around and most of it died and weeds popped up everywhere. This is where I became concerned and started doing some quick research and made a few mistakes. In late fall (around October) I pulled some weeds by hand, laid down some top soil in the backyard, aerated and seeded. Well, I laid seed too late, none of it germinated and the birds ate a lot of it. :| Well, live and learn, there's always next year.

Well here we are, spring is upon us and I am gung ho. Although, I fear that I am already making mistakes. I know from your well written guide that spring is less than ideal for germinating a healthy lawn from seed, but I feel I need to at least make some progress.

April 1, 2019 - dethatched lawn, rock hounding.

April 15 - Soil temperatures are 55-60F. Spot sprayed some post emergent on a variety of visible weeds. Started bringing in fresh topsoil (3 yards roughly). Spread it around my lawn filling in low spots and raking about 1/4" - 1/2" over top of the old lawn. Bought "Scott's Turf builder Sun coated bluegrass seed".

*Future plans:*
April 21 - Pull weeds, set up some string lines for leveling and grading. Bring in around 2 more yards of dirt to level. Apply seed. Apply starter fertilizer, roll, cover with peat moss and water everyday.

Now, I am concerned that I may already be on the wrong path and may waste even more time and money. I already have a lot of various weeds popping up through my fresh soil after only one week. Any advice is appreciated!


















































And the backyard which I haven't even touched yet:


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

I should add, in Canada I haven't been able to find Tenacity here.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Welcome to the forum @crazymas0n. Spring can be a difficult time to seed grass. The new grass doesn't have enough time to get deep roots before the summer heat. Although it might be difficult to look at a rough lawn through the year I'd recommend waiting until late summer to overseed or possibly do a full reno on the lawn. Spend the spring and summer testing your soil at a reputable lab and adding any nutrients that your soil is lacking. If your just overseeding try and use post e herbicides for the weeds. If your doing a full reno it's not as important because you'll be spraying round up anyways.

Your not going to find herbicides in Canada land. You can order from www.seedworldusa.com. They are in the states but will ship here.


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## cfinden (Aug 7, 2018)

Welcome to TLF @crazymas0n! Nice to see someone from the interior of BC, I'm in Kamloops (pretty similar climate).

You won't find any Pre-emergent herbicides in Canada, but in BC (sorry ON guys @SNOWBOB11) you can get a 3-way Post-emergent (24-D, Dicamba, Mecoprop-P) that should handle most of the weeds I see in your dirt area.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/killex-liquid-herbicide-concentrate-1-l-0593971p.html#srp

They also have ready to spray and ready to use stuff available, but make sure to check the active ingredients (you want the 3 I mentioned above). They have "ecosense" versions that don't work.

For grassy weeds like crabgrass, poa, quackgrass, etc you're better off using a pre-emergent like prodiamine. PM me if you want some. Of course it won't help with existing grassy weeds, but it's not too late to put it down this season.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

New topsoil is often loaded with weeds. They didnt pop up through it, you planted them.

Your climate sounds like the weirdest thing to work with. Do you have a sense for when the summer weather breaks? Is there a period of 3 months or so where the heat trails off?

Selecting a grass that will work well in hotter more arid climates is important too. What are you trying to grow?
Your climate is more like Oklahomas or Kansas than what we think of as Canada here or Minnesota.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

After seeing your images with all the topsoil you added, now you need to seed or do sod. That topsoil seems to be full of weeds.

Steps I think you should do:

- finish adding the top soil
- setup an irrigation plan
- water that soil 3x day to keep it moist. Not wet but moist.
- wait for more weeds to grow (1-2 weeks)
- spray round up. Don't bother with any other product
- water again 1 week
- spray round up and drop seed
- rake and roll the seeds
- continue watering
- continue watering thru summer to keep it alive.

HLG beat me to posting by 3min.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Now i see you to want to try seeding bluegrass on the spring before a potential 3 month dry spell this summer and 110 degree temperatures.

I am not sure I would pick bluegrass for a desert climate.

My opinion is figure out what grass will grow best in your climate. I'd even look at Bermuda or St Augustine and consider going warm season. You'll have to make a call. Understand your climate.

And THEN pick a renovation strategy.

But i dont think seeding bluegrass a month or so before a 3 month dry spell with temperatures up to 110F will go well.


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## cfinden (Aug 7, 2018)

@HoosierLawnGnome won't St. Aug and Bermuda die in the winter? I don't know how tough Bermuda is but I'm pretty St. Aug will die.

Bermuda would be so cool up in Canada though!


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Thanks for the warm welcome and great advice.



HoosierLawnGnome said:


> Now i see you to want to try seeding bluegrass on the spring before a potential 3 month dry spell this summer and 110 degree temperatures.
> 
> I am not sure I would pick bluegrass for a desert climate.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I should clarify those are kind of the extreme ends of the spectrum for temperatures that we see here. Although, the last two summers have been very dry, hot and smoky from all of the fires in the surrounding areas. Average summer temperatures are probably closer to 90F.










This is what our area sees on average for precipitation throughout the year. It does get quite dry for a few months. I do have an in ground irrigation system and would be willing to set up an above ground system to supplement any areas it may miss.



g-man said:


> After seeing your images with all the topsoil you added, now you need to seed or do sod. That topsoil seems to be full of weeds.
> 
> Steps I think you should do:
> 
> ...


I was pretty deflated yesterday seeing all of those weeds. I thought that was from my yard, but what you're saying makes sense. I guess I feel a little better haha. Looks like I'll be pulling weeds this weekend!

That sounds like a pretty good plan. I may run with it. How does round up affect grass seed? Should I plan for kind of a buffer between round up and seeding?



cfinden said:


> Welcome to TLF @crazymas0n! Nice to see someone from the interior of BC, I'm in Kamloops (pretty similar climate).
> 
> You won't find any Pre-emergent herbicides in Canada, but in BC (sorry ON guys @SNOWBOB11) you can get a 3-way Post-emergent (24-D, Dicamba, Mecoprop-P) that should handle most of the weeds I see in your dirt area.
> https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/killex-liquid-herbicide-concentrate-1-l-0593971p.html#srp
> ...


Kamloops is a nice area, yes, very similar climates. Thanks for the advice, I'm still learning about all of the various herbicides and fertilizers. I have been leaning towards trying to get some Tenacity shipped across the border, as it seems to be highly recommended and one of the few products that are safe to apply with seed.



SNOWBOB11 said:


> Welcome to the forum @crazymas0n. Spring can be a difficult time to seed grass. The new grass doesn't have enough time to get deep roots before the summer heat. Although it might be difficult to look at a rough lawn through the year I'd recommend waiting until late summer to overseed or possibly do a full reno on the lawn. Spend the spring and summer testing your soil at a reputable lab and adding any nutrients that your soil is lacking. If your just overseeding try and use post e herbicides for the weeds. If your doing a full reno it's not as important because you'll be spraying round up anyways.
> 
> Your not going to find herbicides in Canada land. You can order from www.seedworldusa.com. They are in the states but will ship here.


Thanks for the welcome. I haven't ruled out waiting until late summer, although I'd much rather try and get a start now, and perhaps overseed again late summer. Thanks for the link, might grab some Tenacity from seedworld. Have you had any problems trying to ship herbicides across the border?


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

You can get Par-3 (2-4D) and Roundup Transorb through an Ebay.ca seller and they will ship directly to your door from Manitoba. You just to need to do a search. These are technically not allowed in most provinces, but are available to Golf Courses and Farmers.

Looks like you need to do multiple rounds of Roundup as G-man has indicated. Once you establish your new lawn in the fall you will likely need a selective herbicide like 2-4D to keep the weeds out while your lawn gets established... You could always start with the 2-4D now to get rid of the weeds while leaving some grass for the summer.


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## cfinden (Aug 7, 2018)

@crazymas0n www.seedworldusa.com will ship to Canada with no issues, myself and multiple TLF members have done it successfully. It is pretty expensive.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Home+Depot/@48.7980285,-119.9329038,9z/data=!4m21!1m15!4m14!1m6!1m2!1s0x5482ea3632327a43:0x234f69bbfc8453b0!2sOliver,+BC!2m2!1d-119.550428!2d49.1823264!1m6!1m2!1s0x549ce85854ddfd1f:0x2556c7cc0569e551!2sThe+Home+Depot,+920+Engh+Rd,+Omak,+WA+98841,+USA!2m2!1d-119.5035718!2d48.4150138!3m4!1s0x549ce85854ddfd1f:0x2556c7cc0569e551!8m2!3d48.4150138!4d-119.5035718

There's a Home Depot and a Walmart just across the border close to you.

You can get Scott's starter with Tenacity (Mesotrione) designed for seeding.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotts-Turf-Builder-Starter-Food-for-New-Grass-Plus-Weed-Preventer-5-000-sq-ft/23554515


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## Wlodyd (Aug 27, 2018)

I didn't read through all the responses, but I saw HLG comment about the Bluegrass... I would second that for a spring seeding. It just grows soooo slow, its a slim chance you'll get that rooted well before summer heat IMO. I would get some perennial ryegrass and seed over the top of the Bluegrass you put down. It will be fast to germinate and pairs well with Bluegrass if you get some that survives.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Round up and seed can be applied the same day. I've done it. Round up is absorb thru the leaves, so it wont affect the seed. Other herbicides do have a residual effect on the soil, hence why I recommend round up.

A spring seeding is not ideal, but I think that train left the station. I did a google street view of your town and I think all I saw was cool season lawns. Most looked like a KBG/PR mix.

Do this appraisal from Pace turf to see what your grow pattern is for cool and warm season lawns.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

I don't think there is anywhere in Canada that can grow warm season grass successfully. Even in your odd ball climate. Your going to have to stick to cool season.

No issues with shipping from seed world. Choose usps shipping for cheaper rates.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

cfinden said:


> @HoosierLawnGnome won't St. Aug and Bermuda die in the winter? I don't know how tough Bermuda is but I'm pretty St. Aug will die.
> 
> Bermuda would be so cool up in Canada though!


I'm listening to you describe a climate that is warmer and drier than mine. Your climate sounds more like a transition zone in the states with pronounced and dry summers than a cool season lawn. I'm not factoring in the name of a country per se.

What do all the great lawns in your area grow?


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Thanks for all of the advice so far, I spread out dirt on the rest of the lawn and started watering. Going to pull the big weeds tomorrow, do some more leveling and spray some round up. I am hoping to lay seed this week...


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

So I'm poking around the front yard this evening. The wife pulled some of the big weeds today. There is quite a bit of grass poking up through the soil that I put down less than a week ago. I have no idea how to identify the different types of grass (still trying to learn). But to my amateur eye, there looks to be mostly two types. A narrow leaf and a more broad leaf type. I am wondering if perhaps the more narrow leaf is a desirable grass and the broad leaf is more like a crab grass? Perhaps I should be more selective in my round up spraying and try to salvage some of the healthy grass? Or should I just nuke everything?


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## cfinden (Aug 7, 2018)

I'd still say nuke it, the wider blade stuff does kinda look like crabgrass. I think it's too early for crabgrass, but it's something undesirable for sure. You'll need tenacity and/or quinclorac to kill grassy weeds. I don't think it's worth it.

@HoosierLawnGnome Interesting. Do cities in the transition zone still get cold winters? The top lawns in my city are all Northern Mixes (KBG, Rye, Fescues), consisting primarily of TTTF. I guess that makes sense because people in the South use TTTF as a "warm season grass".


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## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

This is my first year in my first house too.

I'm better off than you were though. I've got 5 year old sod that looks like the previous homeowners did nothing but cut it.

I've been looking all over for a good pre-emergent that's available in Canada. Looks like the Killex is pretty good. I might order up some prodiamine as well.

Hope you can get this lawn tamed this spring!


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

cfinden said:


> I'd still say nuke it, the wider blade stuff does kinda look like crabgrass. I think it's too early for crabgrass, but it's something undesirable for sure. You'll need tenacity and/or quinclorac to kill grassy weeds. I don't think it's worth it.
> 
> @HoosierLawnGnome Interesting. Do cities in the transition zone still get cold winters? The top lawns in my city are all Northern Mixes (KBG, Rye, Fescues), consisting primarily of TTTF. I guess that makes sense because people in the South use TTTF as a "warm season grass".


I'm in the transition zone and we see extremes of single digits to negative temps (in F*) but generally will have consistent lows in the teens to twenties. Summer temps go as high as triple digits but are mostly upper 80s to low 90s. We do see more rain in the summer than the OP but temps are fairly similar.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Made some progress today. I tried out my existing irrigation system for the first time. Pulled most of the big weeds. Screed and sloped the whole lawn with a 6ft level. Nuked almost everything green with round up.



















Got a couple good blisters today as a testament to my hard work


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

I watered throughout the day yesterday, making several tweaks to the sprinkler heads and replaced one head with a new Rain Bird. Today I applied another application of round up, roughed up all of the dirt with a thatch rake. Applied seed, rolled it, spread peat moss soil over top of the seed. Started watering, and employed a couple of seed protectors. Now I continue watering (irrigation schedule is 3 times a day, for 17 minutes, 7am, 11:30am, 3pm) and pray :shock:


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Bit of an update. I've had germination for a few days now. It was definitely a battle keeping the birds from eating the seeds.










I spread some Scott's starter fertilizer today, unfortunately couldn't find the kind with tenacity here in Canada. Had to hand pull a bunch more weeds.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Average height right now is around 1". It is still pretty thin, I suspect a lot of kbg has yet to germinate.








Ive been watering 3-4 times a day for around 11 minutes. We have some warm weather coming this weekend, then it's supposed to taper off next week. 








Picked up some new blades and a spark plug for my Honda HRR, going to do an oil change as well. 









I know summer will be difficult for the new lawn. I do expect to have to fix things up in the fall, but hoping to minimize repairs as I will be doing a full reno on my backyard this fall.

Any recommendations for a fertilizing schedule on top of the Scotts starter I just applied? What about watering schedule once summer rolls around? I'm prepared to irrigate daily if need be. What about pre or post emergents? I didn't want to spend the USD on shipping tenacity across the border, but it might be worth it since I'm redoing the backyard too. Thanks for your input!

Edit: also planning on soil testing very soon.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Did my first mow today on a couple of sections that were getting long. Still some bare patches and a variety of weeds, but improving.


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## MassHole (Jun 27, 2018)

Did you use Tenacity when seeding? What's your weed plan? Seems like hand pulling might work?


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Whew. That's a huge improvement from before.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

MassHole said:


> Did you use Tenacity when seeding? What's your weed plan? Seems like hand pulling might work?


No, I didnt use any pre emergents, none available in Canada and the cost of importing Tenacity was a little too much for me. For now I'm hand pulling every few days. I think I'm going to just fertilize until summer and see what it looks like after summer and come up with a plan from there.

Edit: with that said I'm always open to input or suggestions. Correct me if I'm wrong, from what I've read my grass is too young for post emergents and I've missed the window for pre emergents?


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

seed is "cheap".

I know it can cause issues with what im about to suggest, but just keep throwing seed down and fertilizing until its thick enough. 
And get some 3way herbicide since you can get it there. par3 is what I would get in that description.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Global Threat said:


> Whew. That's a huge improvement from before.


Thanks! It is looking better, still a long ways to go...



MMoore said:


> seed is "cheap".
> 
> I know it can cause issues with what im about to suggest, but just keep throwing seed down and fertilizing until its thick enough.
> And get some 3way herbicide since you can get it there. par3 is what I would get in that description.


This is great advice, thanks. I see I can buy par3 at Growers Supply in Oliver. Did some reading and sounds like a good product. What's your experience with it?


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

I am planning my next fertilizer application for early June. Last application was Scotts starter on May 5th. Any suggestions?... I have 3 products in mind:

Another app of the Scott's Starter:










Scott's Summerguard:










Or Canadian version of Milo:


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

crazymas0n said:


> [
> 
> 
> MMoore said:
> ...


ive had good experience with it. its similar to the Killex you can get at box stores but more concentrated so your coverage is far greater.
It was recommended to me on here and by a golf supply shop.

here is the label which shows what it can control:
http://www.uap.ca/products/documents/ParIII.pdf

It probably will make a nice change to the weeds. if you can identify all of the weeds you need to control you would be able to choose your cocktail of choice.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Took Mmoore's advice, threw down some more seed today on the thin areas. Covered with peat moss. Hand pulled a bunch of weeds.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

I use PAR III as well. Used it last year and this year on my lawn, my Mother's place and Sister's. It absolutely obliterates dandelions and clover. I live in Calgary and dandelions are everywhere. Not sure in the Okanagan though. If you seed the areas like you are now, water it like crazy for 2 weeks. As you know the temps in that area are extreme. If I were you, I'd buy some Tenacity, spray it, aerate, and buy some quality bluegrass seed, and spread peat moss over top. Do this in around the last week of August or Labour Day weekend. It's a Goddamn struggle sometimes, and it feels like you aren't making any progress, but you'll get there brother!!!


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Throw up a few more pics closer up, so we can see exactly what type of weeds you're dealing with with, if you can.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

crazymas0n said:


> I am planning my next fertilizer application for early June. Last application was Scotts starter on May 5th. Any suggestions?... I have 3 products in mind:
> 
> Another app of the Scott's Starter:
> 
> ...


Those are all good choices, especially the organic iron fertilizer.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Also, you can buy Tenacity from here. I ordered it, and had no problem getting it.

https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/tenacity-herbicide


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Thanks Global Threat, I think I'm going to spread another application of the starter fertilizer, since I still have almost half a bag. I'm going to order some Tenacity for my back yard reno, starting this fall.

Sent soil samples into Growers Supply, cost me $70 tax in, they ship it to Ontario, supposed to be done in ten days. Mowed for the second time today, at max height on my HRR, I measured and think it's at 3.25" ? Also, thinking I need to figure out water output of my irrigation as I'd like to start watering deeper at less frequency.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

looks good.

throw the water at it.

I did a lot of hand pulling last year because I was seeding all year and didn't want to spray anything that would kill the new sprouts. Lawn is looking much better this year.

In the fall, you will be able to make some moves and really push the grass to fill in if there is any kbg in there.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Well we've had some warm weather last couple days, it's supposed to continue for a while.









And for my American friends 









Looking around the lawn after work today and noticed I still have a lot of new growth, doesn't look like they're liking this heat and the single watering of 25min. in the morning. Throwing more water at it as Mmoore suggested, going back to 3 times a day, 20 min in morning then two mid day sessions of 7 minutes each. Hopefully lots of water can push it through this sprout and pout phase, really want to get some post emergent down soon...


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Hey bro. Keep at it and it'll get there! Keep that seed and soil super moist, that's key, otherwise your seed will die. The Okanagan is unforgiving with that heat as you know. Look forward to seeing your progress!


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## MNLawnGuy1980 (May 10, 2019)

Great job on it so far, fun to watch the progression. I have been doing a lot of lawn work on mine for the first time this year and have had to dial back the patience meter quite a bit, but it is fun to see how it comes along. Definitely not an overnight process, but very rewarding! Keep it up and thanks for sharing the journey with us!


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

yep.
keep at it.

heat isn't ideal but if your persistent it will come with time.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Well, not much exciting in the front lawn the last little while. I've been throwing the water at it daily, growth seems to be slow. I'm assuming because of the higher temps here lately. I've noticed a recent outbreak of a weed (well there's lots of weeds). After some googling, it appears to be Purslane? There's quite a bit of it, but looks like I can treat it with Killex... I really want to get some Killex down right away, but am a little concerned that my grass may be a little young for it... There's a break in the weather later this week where it's supposed to cool down about 10 degrees C, maybe I'll hit it with some Killex, I checked out the list of weeds Par3 kills and didn't see Purslane on there.




























I still haven't applied anymore fertilizer after my initial app of the starter fert. Still waiting to see the results of my soil testing...Never thought I would look forward to the end of summer haha, but really want to make some moves on the front and back yard.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

crazymas0n said:


> maybe I'll hit it with some Killex, I checked out the list of weeds Par3 kills and didn't see Purslane on there.


the Active ingredients in par3 and killex are the same. not sure why they would be listed differently.

par3 specifically says to wait until the 2nd or 3rd mowings on new grass. so wait a bit longer and then you can spray it.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Yeah I'll wait a bit longer, just getting impatient haha. I don't see that weed listed on the Par3 kill list. http://www.uap.ca/products/documents/ParIII.pdf Strange, but killex lists it http://allturf.ca/MSDS_Labels/Miscellaneous/Label%20Files/Killex_Label.pdf


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## jessehurlburt (Oct 18, 2017)

If you weren't spraying chemicals I'd tell you to use that purslane in a salad.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

crazymas0n said:


> Yeah I'll wait a bit longer, just getting impatient haha. I don't see that weed listed on the Par3 kill list. http://www.uap.ca/products/documents/ParIII.pdf Strange, but killex lists it http://allturf.ca/MSDS_Labels/Miscellaneous/Label%20Files/Killex_Label.pdf


yeah that's strange. maybe different testing by the manufacturers. but if you look at the active ingredients they are the same, so I wouldn't feel bad getting the superior par3

actually, that commercial version of killex seems like its on the same level as par3. its not the residential watered down version lol. would be fine with either.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Well I threw down another application of the Scott's starter fertilizer today. We have a break in the weather, it's supposed to be cooler for the next few days. Going irrigate a lot next few days and hopefully push some growth.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Just received my soil test results... First time getting one of these done, seems kind of anti-climatic, lol. Was expecting some major issues and fixing them to make my lawn really take off. Here's the advice I received from the technician:

"Overall, nothing is out of balance or needs important correction. Your soil pH is adequate and does not need changing. A little gypsum to increase calcium could help loosen up the soil and improve growth. Other than this, you could use a regular maintenance fertilizer for grass containing mainly nitrogen and potassium."


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Any tips for applying gypsum? They sell it at my local home hardware. https://www.homehardware.ca/en/25kg-granulated-gypsum-soil-conditioner/p/5024089#ccode=1525535411468
Just throw'er down as soon as I can?


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

spread about 30lbs of gypsum on my lawn today. https://www.homehardware.ca/en/25kg-granulated-gypsum-soil-conditioner/p/5024089


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Dropped the height of cut one notch on the hrr today. Hoping I can get a few more mows in and spray some weeds. The lawn has filled in quite a bit, but still lots of weeds.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Looking pretty good. What a difference. I did an overseed 7 weeks ago, very little rain since. Hope my youngins make it. Already getting heat stress. In the high 20s the next few days here in the lower mainland.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Thanks Baretta, it's definitely an improvement over a yard full of dirt and weeds, so happy about that. Still a ways from where I'd like it, but kind of expected a less than ideal outcome with spring seeding and no weed control. No rain in Vancouver? wtf...haha Only happens when you have grass seed waiting to germinate. Good luck on your project, I'm thinking we can make some big improvements come fall.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

a little goes a long way. you'll get it.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

This needs a bump. We need an update on your lawn


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Well, not much exciting is happening right now. We've had a stretch of pretty hot, dry weather, mid 30's. The colour looks good but there's lots of weeds. Starting this Wednesday we will have a break in weather, mid 20's and a little bit of rain for about a week. I'm planning to spray some weed killer on the weekend. Maybe one more fertilizer app in a couple of weeks, then wait until September to really make some moves on it. Overall, I am happy that at least I have some green in my front yard and something that I think I can build on.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

yeah you can be pretty happy with where that's at.


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## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Get some Tenacity.

A couple apps now, and then another before you seed in Sept and most of those weeds will be gone.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Huuuge improvement. Yup, get some Tenacity, spray it a couple times starting mid July, aerate in late August along with overseeding with some quality seed and you'll be golden come spring.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

not sure I would spray tenacity in the middle of summer. would be rough on those new babies.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

MMoore said:


> not sure I would spray tenacity in the middle of summer. would be rough on those new babies.


Yes, very true. Forgot that recently seeded. Better to wait until late August for that. The area he lives in, has mild weather up until late October.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

I sprayed the whole front lawn with Killex today. Took a long time, my pump sprayer sucks.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

yeah I was using a pump for the longest time. I just bought a Sprayers Plus 2 gallon electric sprayer. it does a pretty good job, but its not a high volume pump to really move.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

It's approaching four weeks since I've fertilized last. Do you guys think I should apply once more before fall? I was thinking of spreading the Scott's Summerguard.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

I applied Scott's Summerguard today and watered it in for 15 minutes. I can see the Killex application was fairly effective, a lot of weeds are dying. Although I do have a lot of what looks like goose grass growing.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

We've had some rain here lately with moderate temperatures. Pretty rare for this time of year, but the grass seems to like it. I have some areas that are pretty dense with great colour and very little weeds. Then I have some areas with a lot of what looks like goose grass. And then other areas that are pretty sparse with a variety of weeds. Still a battle, but it's slowly improving I think.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That 3rd image is mostly weeds.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

I see black medic too


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

Need an update on your lawn!!! )


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

OK, update time. Nothing exciting has happened for a while. I've been mowing about every 4 days. Watering every 3 days for 40 min. Weather has been much milder this year, pretty much mid 90's (low to mid 30C) everyday. No 40C days and very few wildfires this year which is good.

The good: it's green, the kids have somewhere to play. The single application of Killex I did, did a very good job of killing the weeds it's supposed to. Looks good from far. I have a reason to use my lawnmower.

The bad: I have alot of what I think is goose grass. The Sh7t grows like crazy, all of it has gone to seed and grows much faster than everything else, leaving seed heads popping up throughout the lawn. I have a little bit of crab grass and various other weeds. My watering routine has left some areas stressed out, turning brown/grey.










As expected, it's far from beautiful. I'm going to try to control some of the grassy weeds this fall with tenacity, try to level a little bit more and overseed. Worst case scenario I will nuke it all again one year from now if I can't bring it to a decent looking lawn.

Most of my focus will shift on my backyard this fall. It's so bad back there that the kids can't really play in the backyard at all and the dog tracks dirt everywhere. I started a thread on the project here: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10168 I haven't done much with it yet, but August is my time to start. I have much higher expectations for the backyard and am hoping I can apply some of the things I learned from the front.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Quick little update, I've been lowering the height of cut one notch about every 3-4 days with the hrr. Planning to spray tenacity and overseed sometime next week.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Today I lowered hoc to 1.5", rented a dethatcher and went over the lawn twice then picked up all the clippings with the mower. Overseeded with Brett Young KBG mix then sprayed Tenacity.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Any advice or suggestions on what to plan for this fall? I haven't fertilized since July 1st. I picked up a Fiskar's manual reel mower to try and keep my existing grass short without disrupting the new seed too much. I've read a bit on spoon feeding and am thinking of trying that approach once I see germination in the bare spots that I seeded. What do you guys think of spoon feeding starter fertilizer over the next month. 0.5lbs/1000sq.ft once a week?


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Little update with the lawn, it seems to be moving in the right direction. Colour is improving, seed germination in the bare spots. I've done two starter fert applications, both 1/2 the recommended bag rate one week apart. Gave it a light manual reel mow at 3". Brown areas are where the goose/crab grass have died off.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Starting to feel a little more optimistic about the direction my lawn is heading. Started 0.5lbs N per week program with Scotts Turf Builder Pro. Seed germination is OK, bare spots starting to fill in, less weeds. Can still see spray marks and dead spots from Tenacity. Been mowing with Fiskars push reel at 3"


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Good morning... Had to work yesterday, but I get the next three days off. Looking forward to working in the yard this weekend, on the agenda is cut the back lawn for the first time, cut the front, another half pound N/1k in the front. Hand pull a few weeds, sharpen the blades on the Honda, get some stabilized fuel in it for the winter. Thinking about a homemade striping kit for the Honda. Mornings are cool, fall came fast!


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## jhealy748 (Jul 25, 2019)

So much better from where you started!! nice work!!


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

yep! now get going on that back yard!


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## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

that's some hard work and dedication! I love the progress!


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Good morning, it's a cold one outside. It's been unseasonably cold and rainy here lately, I see snow in the surrounding mountains. Lawn seems to be responding well to the N push.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Might be one of the last mows of the season for me. Growth has slowed right down, pretty happy with where it's at right now.


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Couple of shots, that time of year when there's not much to do in the yard, but there's not enough snow in the mountains to enjoy. Irrigation was blown out, big shadows on the front yard.


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## Global Threat (May 16, 2019)

WOW. Haven't been on here in a while, and I hope you're still around @crazymas0n . What an amazing transformation.


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