# Ruxie 2020 Renovation



## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Decided I want to reno part of the front lawn (~1300 sq ft) this summer. This area gets about 40-50% shade, mainly in the morning, during the day due to the house and trees blocking the sun. Because of that, I plan to use Mazama and Bluebank KBG. I would appreciate any feedback/thoughts on the below timeline. Thanks.

Week of June 21 (T-8 weeks)
> Start lowering HOC (Bag mow)
> Spread compost
Week of June 28
> Bag mow at lowest setting without scalping	
> Set up fencing and irrigation
Week of July 5 (T-6 weeks)
> Apply soil amendments	
> Spray glyphosate…Bag mow 2-3 days later
> Continue to water daily (Fallow)	
Week of July 12
> Spray glyphosate
> Bag mow at lowest setting
> Level lawn with topsoil	
Week of July 19 (T-4 weeks)
> Continue to Fallow
Week of July 26
> Spray glyphosate
> Purchase all necessary supplies 
Week of August 2 (T-2 weeks)
> Rake to ensure soil is not compacted	
Week of August 9 (T-1)
> Add micros, P & K (4-5 days prior)
August 13
> Spray glyphosate
August 14
> Spray Tenacity
*August 15  
> Seed Down	
> Roll seed
> Spread peat moss*
G+2 weeks
> Apply fertilizer (XST)
> Reseed where necessary
G+3 weeks
>Spray Tenacity
G+4 weeks
> Spray micros & fungicide
G+5 weeks
> Apply fertilizer (AMS & Oceangro)
G+60 days
> Spray Prodiamine


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

(T-8 weeks)
- lowered HOC to 2.5"
- spread compost on reno area and watered


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Question about the shade. Usually it varies by time of year. Is the 40-50% now, while the trees have full leaf coverage, or is it some other time of year? Does the shade increase as the year goes on, or decrease?


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Green said:


> Question about the shade. Usually it varies by time of year. Is the 40-50% now, while the trees have full leaf coverage, or is it some other time of year? Does the shade increase as the year goes on, or decrease?


I plan to trim the willow and maple a little allowing more sun to get through to the soil. That should increase it to around 60% sun under the trees at this time of year. Some parts of that lawn get about 80% sun. That is why I want with Mazama which is a little shade tolerant. As we move into Fall and Winter, that area gets less sun until the leaves fall.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Over the last two days, trimmed trees and bushes to increase the amount of sun getting to the soil in the reno area.

Sprayed glyphosate with blue marker today. No turning back now.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Reno area is starting to show signs of wilting away.

Bag mowed at 2" HOC.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

I think it was a good first round of glyphosate. Some spots did not die. 
Mowed at 1.5" HOC. Sprayed 2nd round today and will start watering as little rain expected this week.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Bag mowed at lowest setting. Dethatched with my SunJoe in two different directions. I still noticed some green grass. Spot sprayed those areas with glyphosate.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

3 cubic yards of topsoil delivered today. Started around 8:30 am and got done around 5 pm. Grueling day doing this in 95 degree weather. This is my first time spreading bulk topsoil. I think the quality was pretty good...only noticed 6-8 rocks and no twigs/sticks. The soil was clumpy and a little wet which made it difficult to spread/level. I wish I would have rented a roller.

As you can see in the pic, it is spread, but I'm not happy with the leveling. I will fallow all week and rent a roller Saturday to further break up the clumps and try leveling again.


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## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

ruxie88 said:


> 3 cubic yards of topsoil delivered today. Started around 8:30 am and got done around 5 pm. Grueling day doing this in 95 degree weather. This is my first time spreading bulk topsoil. I think the quality was pretty good...only noticed 6-8 rocks and no twigs/sticks. The soil was clumpy and a little wet which made it difficult to spread/level. I wish I would have rented a roller.
> 
> As you can see in the pic, it is spread, but I'm not happy with the leveling. I will fallow all week and rent a roller Saturday to further break up the clumps and try leveling again.


best thing you can do is just a quick spread and let it bake out in the sun before really trying to play with it. it will dry right out and make it a lot easier to work with. those clumps should hopefully break pretty easy with a rake after baking in the sun for a day or two. then it should be even easier to work with and get level.

i spread 5 yards in a day this spring, i would just wheelie 5-10 wheelies, then just spread them quick with a shovel, wheelie another 5-10 repeat and when all 5 yards were down then i went back and started fine raking it. spreads pretty easily once it dries out.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

BBLOCK said:


> best thing you can do is just a quick spread and let it bake out in the sun before really trying to play with it. it will dry right out and make it a lot easier to work with. those clumps should hopefully break pretty easy with a rake after baking in the sun for a day or two. then it should be even easier to work with and get level.
> 
> i spread 5 yards in a day this spring, i would just wheelie 5-10 wheelies, then just spread them quick with a shovel, wheelie another 5-10 repeat and when all 5 yards were down then i went back and started fine raking it. spreads pretty easily once it dries out.


Appreciate the suggestion. I will water daily for the next couple days to promote seed growth in the new topsoil. I will stop watering Thursday, so it is dry by Saturday.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Fallowed most of the week and let the reno area dry out for a couple days. Used a steel rake to rough up the top layer, then used the level rake and rolled the area.

Spread 12-12-12 and dry molasses. Sprayed a mixture of Extreme blend, humic and kelp/seaweed, and then watered. It is much more level.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

As the new topsoil settled, I still have a couple slight hills and valleys. Should I:

1. Get a couple bags of topsoil and sand, mix together and fill the valleys. 
2. Scrape down the tops of the hills to fill in the valleys?
3. Is there another option to make it more level?

Once an option has been selected and completed, should I go over the whole area with the level rake and then roll it?

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I think #2. And yes, rake and roll to avoid loose soil.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> I think #2. And yes, rake and roll to avoid loose soil.


Sounds good. Thank you!!!


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

After fallowing all week, I had some weeds and grass start growing. Looks like rain is forecasted most of the week starting tomorrow, so I sprayed 3rd round of glyphosate today.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Sprayed last round of glyphosate yesterday.

Today was the first opportunity to work on better leveling the reno area. I used the SunJoe scarify blade to loosen the soil. Then I used the leveling rake, rolled it, and then watered. Happy with the results.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

After work, i dropped XSoil on the reno area and watered. Afterward, went for a walk around the neighborhood. Once I got to within 6 houses from mine, i could smell the chicken poo. With it being in the 90s and high humidity, the smell was pretty bad. I then realized why the neighbors were not sitting on their patios tonight.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Speakong of smells...

So, that Companion is out of stock everywhere for the past month +. I wanted to get some. But it looks like I'll have to order another thing of Serenade instead. Domyown said they have no idea when it might be back.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Green said:


> Speakong of smells...
> 
> So, that Companion is out of stock everywhere for the past month +. I wanted to get some. But it looks like I'll have to order another thing of Serenade instead. Domyown said they have no idea when it might be back.


Serenade and Companion were not that bad.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

I spot sprayed glyphosate on Friday.

The light rain ended around noon today. After a couple hours of drying out, I decided to drop seed. Used a metal rake to loosen the top layer of soil, lightly leveled it using the leveling rake, dropped seed, rolled, sprayed Tenacity, and spread a mixture of DiseaseEx, Oceangro and starter fertilizer. Ended by spreading peat moss and watered it all in. Glad that is done. Now, my patience will be tested.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

:thumbup: The prep looks good. Now it is just waiting.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> :thumbup: The prep looks good. Now it is just waiting.


Thanks...good teachers! Fortunately, I'm working from home this week to adjust watering based on conditions. The peat moss really helps define when it starts to get dry.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Just got home from golfing and came home to a pleasant surprise  6-days after seeds down.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Interesting....The areas that germinated quickly are the ones that get the most shade.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

ruxie88 said:


> Interesting....The areas that germinated quickly are the ones that get the most shade.


They probably had more consistent moisture and are less prone to drying out.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Pretty much exactly 7-days after seeds down. I think I will count today as 1 DAG.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

It looking pretty good. Just more waiting.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> It looking pretty good. Just more waiting.


Thanks. Very happy so far. Not much I can do besides keep watering and praying to the weather God to keep the thunderstorms away.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

11 days since seeding (5 DAG). The challange has been keeping it moist over the past few days....90s and no rain.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

14 days since seeding (8 DAG). Finally got some decent rain over the last two days. Cooler weather forecasted. I let the reno area dry out a little this morning. Walking gingerly, I blew off/picked up some debris. Reseeded some thin areas mainly on the edges, threw some peat on top and will hand water.

Should I start watering longer and less frequent? Go from 5-6 times at 4-5 minutes to 3 times 6-10 minutes?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You might not need to increase the duration at all, just reduce the frequency. With the cooler weather, the moisture should hold longer.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

17 days since seeding (11 DAG). Temps are going to be in high 80s the next couple days. Got some light rain last night. Hope I get germination in the next few days on the edges.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That will spread this year. I think you can do some nitrogen this weekend.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> That will spread this year. I think you can do some nitrogen this weekend.


Thanks. I have soluble AMS. Is that good for spoonfeeding throughout the fall? I also have CarbonX.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You can do either right now. AMS will be better than carbonx once temps drop.

Can you spread the AMS or will you need to spray it? If you spray it, try to water it in immediately.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

The AMS is very fine, but not powdery. I will go with CarbonX over the weekend. When temps drop, I will test the AMS in my spreader on the lowest setting. I definitely would rather spread it versus spray!!!


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

21 days since seeding (15 DAG). Watered 3-4 times per day at 3-4 minutes per zone. Hand watered the edges where I reseeded last week. There is new germination on the edges.
Fertilized today using CarbonX and Oceangro (about .25 lbs N/k). 
I think it needs a mow. Some areas are around 2.5 inches. Is it to early for first mow?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Go ahead and mow. Make sure the soil is firm and not too wet. Be careful with the turns.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

First mow today at 1.5" HOC with the manual reel. Took very little off, but lawn looks more even.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

28 days since seeding (22 DAG). Watered 2-3 times per day and continued to hand water the edges.

Mowed yesterday at 1.25" HOC with manual reel.

Fertilized today using mixture of AMS and 12-12-12 (about .3 lbs N/k). Happy to see that the soluble AMS spreads just fine. Sprayed mixture of Extreme Blend and liquid kelp/seaweed.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Mowed at 1" HOC with reel yesterday. Sprayed Propi and Tenacity today.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Reel mowed at 1" HOC. Spread CarbonX and AMS (~.3 lbs N/k).


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

35 days since seeding (29 DAG). Much cooler weather, so watering once per day.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This looks like a very successful reno. Great job.


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

Looks like a great success, nice work.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Thank you @g-man and @Zcape35 .

42 days since seeding (36 DAG). Watered once per day and reel mowed twice this pass week at 1" HOC. Took the rotary mower over it to chop up some leaves. I am noticing some spots of fungus. I thought it was Red Thread, but it looks like melting out.

I may skip the nitrogen app this week and apply DiseaseEx. You can also see the whitening from the Tenacity.

Can see some fungus spots in this pic


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't, but definitely keep an eye on it. Tenacity does cause some slow down.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

@g-man. Some close-ups.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Cut back on watering. The blades look thin, so I suspect overcrowding instead of fungus. The rest of the grass looks healthy.


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## NateDawg24 (Sep 11, 2019)

What rate did you seed at? Sorry if you mentioned earlier I quickly browsed and didn't see it mentioned.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

NateDawg24 said:


> What rate did you seed at? Sorry if you mentioned earlier I quickly browsed and didn't see it mentioned.


I did 4 lbs total over about 1300 sq ft.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Spread 1 lb/k AMS and 1 lb/k Oceangro (~ .2 lbs/k N)


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

49 days since seeding (43 DAG). Received rain a couple times and mowed twice this week. Today, reel mowed at 1" HOC and then used the rotary mower to mulch leaves. Sprayed mixture of Extreme Blend, molasses and Feature.

I don't see any new spots of fungus and the Tenacity whitening has gone.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Spread 1.5 lbs AMS (.25 lbs N/k)


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Was away on a short vacation. Reel mowed yesterday at 1.25" HOC. 6-days after last mow. Expecting rain tonight. Spread 1 lb/k AMS and 1 lb/k CarbonX (.4 lbs/k N).


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

63 days since seeding (57 DAG). Reel mowed at 1" HOC and mulched leaves with the rotary.

Had first frost this morning. Seems like top growth has slowed with the lower soil temps.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

70 days since seeding (64 DAG). Reel mowed at 1" HOC. Used rotor mower to mulch leaves.

Sprayed mixture of Prodiamine and liquid Fish/seaweed with a little AMS.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

77 days since seeding (71 DAG). Good amount of rain this past week which dropped a lot of leaves. Mulched mowed them with the rotary at 1" HOC. Soil temps down in the high 40s/low 50s.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Almost 3-months since seeding. Last weekend since we had several days in the 70s, sprayed mixture of Feature, molasses and a little AMS. 
Expecting rain today, so I dropped Macro/Micro fertilizer (24-4-8) at about .45 lbs N/k. That will be it for the year.
Mowed with rotary at 1.5" HOC mulching leaves.


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

I've bagged the last couple mows at 1.5" HOC to pick up the leaves. Minimal top growth. Color is still holding.


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