# Budstl lawn



## Budstl

Hi everyone! The name is andy and from st louis. This is my second season of trying my best to take care of my yard. My house was built in 2012 and i moved in as 2nd owner may 2015. Front yard was in pretty decent shape. Assuming it was fescue sod, back is still a work in progress. First summer in i used a lawn company. After finding and watching lcn vids, i decided to do it myself and switched over to milo. Here's a few pics of the front.


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## GrassDaddy

Looking good. Welcome to tlf!


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## Ware

Looks great!


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## Budstl

The backyard is still a work in progress. Last fall i did a renovation on the hill part. It was just a bunch of random weeds and probably some sort of barnyard grass or crop.



Filled in nicely. 



This was my final cut in the middle of November and after a few apps of vigoro super green.


Seed was from hancock. It had prg, kbg, and tttf.


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## Budstl

So currently the back.

I plan to overseed in the fall to fill in any bare areas. Notice how i put the stripes toward my neighbor?


So i have what i believe annual rye in the reno. Could have been from the straw. I've noticed it not as prevalent as it was. Hoping the heat and regular mowing will take care of it.


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## Ware

What are you mowing with?


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## Budstl

Ware said:


> What are you mowing with?


My big boy toy. Love this thing. Girlfriend makes fun of me. Lol


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## GrassDaddy

Nice!! If I had a backyard that big I'd have a big mower too ;-)


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## Redtenchu

Budstl said:


> The backyard is still a work in progress. Last fall i did a renovation on the hill part. It was just a bunch of random weeds and probably some sort of barnyard grass or crop.
> 
> 
> 
> Filled in nicely.
> 
> 
> 
> This was my final cut in the middle of November and after a few apps of vigoro super green.
> 
> 
> Seed was from hancock. It had prg, kbg, and tttf.


WOW! Great progress! Welcome to TLF!


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## Budstl

Thanks red!


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## Ware

Budstl said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> What are you mowing with?
> 
> 
> 
> My big boy toy. Love this thing. Girlfriend makes fun of me. Lol
Click to expand...

Nice mower! I mowed a few lawns back in college and had a Toro commercial walk behind with Jungle Wheels. Loved it.


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## Jersey Devil

Congrats on the great progress and welcome to the forum. 
I hope my lawn fills in half as nice as yours did!!


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## ericgautier

Looking good!


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## Budstl

Weather permitting my irrigation system install should be getting started on monday.
Here's a little drawing of it.


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## Redtenchu

Budstl said:


> Weather permitting my irrigation system install should be getting started on monday.
> Here's a little drawing of it.


Congratulations, take lots of pictures for us!


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## GrassDaddy

Irrigation system IMO is the biggest game changer in lawn care. You will love it and so will your lawn!


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## J_nick

GrassDaddy said:


> Irrigation system IMO is the biggest game changer in lawn care. You will love it and so will your lawn!


+1


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## Budstl

Ya i got tired of moving the hose around. Front wasn't too bad to water. No doubt i was wasting a ton of water.


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## Budstl

Getting hammered with rain.


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## Budstl

Yay!


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## J_nick

Congrats! How long do they plan to take?


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## Budstl

Thanks. They should be done today pulling pipe. I believe they are hiring a plumber to tap into the line and do the back flow on thursday.


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## Ware

Budstl said:


> ...I believe they are hiring a plumber to tap into the line and do the back flow on thursday.


Some cities require a licensed plumber for those tasks.


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## Budstl




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## GrassDaddy

Nice they got the puller. The day after my friend came over and couldnt see they were installed.


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## Budstl

Ya grassdaddy it is nice that the lawn was hardly disturbed.


Controller will be in the garage.


It's all hunter equipment.


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## GrassDaddy

Nice!


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## Ware

It looks really great - much better than my trench install. What size lines did they pull in?


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## Budstl

Thanks ware. Looks like main lines are 1 inch and half inch to the heads.


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## Budstl

Well it's almost all done. Too windy to solder the backflow outside today which is ok since they wouldn't be able to accurately adjust the heads. Here's a few more pics.

Side of the house by where the backflow will be.


Back yard. 


Power from the controller 




Rain sensor


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## GrassDaddy

Nice!!


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## Budstl

I tested each zone today to see how it performs....i really just wanted to see it in action for the first time.


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## ericgautier

:mrgreen: bet you'll be watching out the window the first few runs.


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## GrassDaddy

yes its normal to wake up at 3am for the first few times. but once your body gets exhausted you'll stop =P


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## J_nick

I might not stay up to see them kick on anymore but they do get me out of bed in the morning! My wife will ask "where have you been for the last 10 minutes?" Ummmm watching the sprinklers


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## Budstl

So i know round up is probably the only thing to kill this, but was curious if anyone knows what it is. Some sort of barnyard grass?


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## Budstl

Also cleaned up the ferris today.. Scraped the deck, put new high lift blades on, aired up the tires, and added a little oil for the hydros. Ferris dealer is high on blade prices. Should have bought them online, but needed an extra set. Now i need to get the old ones sharpened. They were tearing the crap out of the grass blades.


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## Niblick

Budstl said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> What are you mowing with?
> 
> 
> 
> My big boy toy. Love this thing. Girlfriend makes fun of me. Lol
Click to expand...

Nice machine. Had a 48" Ferris for a couple of years that I used to do a few lawns around me. That thing was a beast.. nice stripes!


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## Budstl

Niblick said:


> Budstl said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> What are you mowing with?
> 
> 
> 
> My big boy toy. Love this thing. Girlfriend makes fun of me. Lol
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Nice machine. Had a 48" Ferris for a couple of years that I used to do a few lawns around me. That thing was a beast.. nice stripes!
Click to expand...

Ya i love this machine. Have had it for 2 years now.


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## Budstl

I left town last weds, but before i did i cut the lawn and put milo down. On my hill i kept scalping in areas. Also wasn't getting a very good cut. Aired up the tires and put new blades on. Then i realized i had the hoc at 2.5. 
I got back last night and the lawn was very shaggy. Cut today at 3.5 and it's looking a lot better.
Front lawn is dynomite!



Hill reno is coming along. Has some weeds i need to get after.


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## ericgautier

Budstl, looks great!


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## Ware

https://www.facebook.com/thelawnforum/posts/938981516243294


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## wardconnor

That is very nice looking. Very deep green.


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## Budstl

Thanks fellas. So a house is going up next to me and this is what i come home to. Sprinklers ran this morning. I find it funny.


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## GrassDaddy

hahaha


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## Budstl

What kind of fungus is this? It's in a small section of my reno.


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## LIgrass

First pic looks like rust and it looks like the same in the second pic but with something else in there too. Try wiping it off. It should come off and leave a orange residue on your finger or napkin.


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## GrassDaddy

Looks like rust to me too


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## DJT

Budstl said:


> The backyard is still a work in progress. Last fall i did a renovation on the hill part. It was just a bunch of random weeds and probably some sort of barnyard grass or crop.
> 
> 
> 
> Filled in nicely.
> 
> 
> 
> This was my final cut in the middle of November and after a few apps of vigoro super green.
> 
> 
> Seed was from hancock. It had prg, kbg, and tttf.


LOOKING GOOD! Do you remember the mix/blend from Hancock? I checked their site and cannot come up with the blend you mentioned? Thanks


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## Budstl

Hey djt! I see you're in the st louis area too. I would recommend not to get the mix that i did. It has too much rye in it and is not good for our area. That was my mistake.


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## Budstl

Alright kbg growers, I got my seed in yesterday and am excited on trying my luck on kbg in st louis. So how soon should i glyphosate the yard and start fallowing? Normally I'd get seed down over labor day weekend. Should i put the kbg down in the middle of August?


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## g-man

Glyphosate 4-5 weeks prior to seed down.
I think 01 Sept for seed down in st Louis sounds good.


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## wardconnor

I would do it now. See Petes thread.


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## DJT

Budstl said:


> Hey djt! I see you're in the st louis area too. I would recommend not to get the mix that i did. It has too much rye in it and is not good for our area. That was my mistake.


Thanks for the advice. I never purchased seed with rye in it. Here is what I used and LOVE IT....
Super Turf II LS is a mixture of the very best of the new lower growing (dwarf) turf type tall fescues. Varieties selected score at the very top in the NTEP trials for turf quality, wear tolerance, low maintenance performance, leaf texture, endophyte enhancement and disease resistance, especially brown patch. Kentucky Bluegrasses, which provides the knitting effect of the rhizomes but are non aggressive and will not compete with the tall fescue. Super Turf II LS can be used in all aspects of the turf industry. Generally recommended in areas where supplemental water is available, although Super Turf II LS will adapt well to low maintenance areas.

Turf Type Tall Fescue/Kentucky Bluegrass Mixture - 93.0% Firecracker SLS, Spyder LS, Monet and Titanium 2LS or Summer Turf Type Tall Fescue and two varieties of 3.50% each of Kentucky bluegrass.

This mixture may also contain Hemi, Turbo or Talledaga turf type tall fescue.

https://s25.postimg.cc/jiqsafyvj/lawn1.jpg

https://s25.postimg.cc/qzzzpnoen/lawn2.jpg

https://s25.postimg.cc/kocx34z4f/IMG_0108.jpg


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## Ware

I made those photo links hot for you. :thumbup:


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## DJT

Ware said:


> I made those photo links hot for you. :thumbup:


Thanks, Ware! Appreciate the help....


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## Ware

DJT said:


> Thanks, Ware! Appreciate the help....


No problem. Just for reference, it should look like this:



Code:


[img]https://s25.postimg.cc/jiqsafyvj/lawn1.jpg[/img]

You can insert the


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## Budstl

It's full on summer time here. This past week was similar temps.

Front lawn is hanging on as best it can.


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## Budstl

The reno on the hill has seen better days, but mostly only the prg has died. Still some decent green grass growing.


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## Budstl

I also starting preparing the seed bed. Sprayed glyphosate last weekend. Of course i missed plenty of spots. Mowed it down to 2" today. Lowest setting my mower will go is 1.5. Will that be low enough?


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## Budstl

Mowed down to 1.5". Started raking today. It's so fun. Planning on a seed down date of aug 26th and will cover with compost. I'm doing midnight, everglade, bewitched, and rhapsody kbg. Picked those cultivaters based on diesease resistant.


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## Budstl

Seeds going down today!

10 day forecast


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## Budstl

The hill reno from last year has recovered nicely from the cooler temps. Going to do a light overseed on it today.


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## Colonel K0rn

UGH, I wish I had your weather right now. Well, your % of rain. There's a system that's lingering down off of FL that's giving us a 20-30% chance every day for the next week, and it has already washed my first seed down away.


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## pennstater2005

Budstl said:


> Seeds going down today!
> 
> 10 day forecast


How did it go?


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## Budstl

It went good. Took about 3 hours to aerate, spread 4 yards of compost, and put seed and scotts starter with mesotrione. I had 2 other guys helping.


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## pennstater2005

Well good luck. Your forecast looks favorable for growing grass!!


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## Budstl

Day 7


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## Budstl

This is how my evening is going.


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## pennstater2005

Budstl said:


> This is how my evening is going.


 :shock:


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## Budstl

Day 14 pics.


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## Budstl

Day 21 since seed down. Only rain I've seen has been a 20 minute down poor.






Side/front of house


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## Budstl

Thoughts?


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## Budstl

44 days since seed now. Got some crabgrass and various broadleafs. Tomorrow I'll give the lawn it's first mow.


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## Budstl

Day 51. 2nd mowing. Cutting at 2.5. Starting to get some stripes. Have to be careful turning using the ferris so i don't rip up the lawn.


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## Budstl

Hey all! Gearing up for 2018. Got the pre m down already. What's everyone's thought on fertilizing kbg first year lawn? I've read fertilize more in the spring since the young grass is hungry and also not to so not to push too growth at the expense of root growth. Also being in the transition zone the disease pressure is more. This also my first crack at kbg. I'm tempted to just do an app of milo in may and then wait till fall to fertilize again. Also didn't get to put down a winterizer. Thoughts? Good luck to everyone this year.


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## ericgautier

Budstl said:


> Hey all! Gearing up for 2018. Got the pre m down already. What's everyone's thought on fertilizing kbg first year lawn?


On my first year KBG monostand I followed "The Philes Phertilizer" and it responded very well. :thumbup:



> These new KBG lawns are hungry for fertilizer. Very much like, (and if you renovated, exactly like) a sod farm, those guys that start with bare ground, throw some seed around, and by late July of every year, they are selling product: a deeply rooted, dense intertwined dark green carpet of lush (no bare spots) Kentucky Bluegrass. Now how do they do that every year? (And, of course, the implied question "How come you and I can't do it also?")


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## Budstl

Thanks @ericgautier


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## Budstl

So i think i got a whole heap of issues going on with this reno. Not too sure whats kbg, poa a, and or triv, but in general it looks like crap. I've noticed to me ligules and wrinkles on the blades. Any who i got some pics and van provide plenty more if needed.

This is where i just pulled back with my hand.


Triv? Pulls out with no resistance.


This area greened way earlier than anywhere else. Thought originally maybe the dogs urin contributed to that


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## Budstl

I suspect that most is poa a seed heads. I can pull some out and get closer pics. Just wanted a visual of what's going on.


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## gene_stl

My whole lawn seems to be Poa Annua. Seedheads everywhere. If I kill it there won't be anything.


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## g-man

Seedheads doesn't equal POA annual. Purdue image from this turf tip https://www.agry.purdue.edu/turfnew/tips/2005/poa512.htm










Budstl, the images are not close enough to see very good, but it doesn't look like POA a. I would give the lawn a mow with a sharp blade.


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## Budstl

g-man said:


> Seedheads doesn't equal POA annual. Purdue image from this turf tip https://www.agry.purdue.edu/turfnew/tips/2005/poa512.htm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Budstl, the images are not close enough to see very good, but it doesn't look like POA a. I would give the lawn a mow with a sharp blade.


Thanks for the reply gman. Here are some close ups.
I know this is poa a. Skinny seed stalk, lighter in color.


The next 3 pics have a much thicker stalk.


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## Budstl

Just finished mowing the yard. I've been mowing at 4". I usually mow at 3.5" I had so many seed heads in my front fescue mutt lawn this year. Never even really had any past couple springs. Guess I'm doing something right. Also have been using the bio stimulants this year. I was originally planning on doing a tttf reno for the front this fall, but i may put that on hold and just possibly do an overseed or depending on how the kbg does in the back pull some plugs from there.


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## Budstl

Front fescue pics.


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## Budstl

Now for back kbg reno. Seems to be a slow start. Especially since spring just didn't happen. Also missed out on a winterizer app last year. We were in a drought and never got rain. Irragation was turned off and i was too lazy to move the hose. Some areas have filled in nicely. I've put down 2 apps of milo at bag rate. Last app was 2 weeks ago. Should i put down some more milo this weekend and then back off until fall?


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## Budstl




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## Budstl

Finally the hill will get an overseed this fall.


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## g-man

That hill used to be weeds, right? Looking good!


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## Budstl

g-man said:


> That hill used to be weeds, right? Looking good!


Thanks gman. Ya that hill was all weeds and probably had some clumping fescue too. I redid it fall of 16. That was the year i started working on my lawn myself.


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## gene_stl

Looking good!


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## Budstl

gene_stl said:


> Looking good!


Thanks gene!


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## Budstl

Summer update on kbg reno. Bluegrass is holding on pretty decent. Of course there is some stress, but this area gets full sun. Can't wait to see it in action this fall.




This is one of the dogs pee spots. See the new plant and couple of runners in there?


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## Budstl

Well isn't that cute?


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## Budstl

Kbg has been hanging in pretty decent this summer so far especially for being in full sun all day.


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## Budstl

I've decided to go ahead and reno the front yard to kbg. I just ordered from sss their kbg blend which is award, midnight, and bewitched. Best part is i was able to get the seed for free. I had gotten money for doing a health screening through my work.

Got to get rid of that pesky mole first.

Also going to have another head installed for better coverage.


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## social port

Wow. The KBG looks better now than it did earlier this year.

Why the reno? Is the fescue not handling the summer weather as well as the KBG (as counterintuitive as it may be to ask that question)?


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## Budstl

social port said:


> Wow. The KBG looks better now than it did earlier this year.
> 
> Why the reno? Is the fescue not handling the summer weather as well as the KBG (as counterintuitive as it may be to ask that question)?


Thanks social port. Took a while for that bluegrass to get going. Just got a couple months of heat to go. Can't wait to really start throwing down some fert this fall.

I'm wanting to move away from the fescue so i don't have overseed all the time. I like that kbg spreads. That's the main reason.


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## bgillroy

Looks good! Can't wait to see the progress in the front. I'm going to put a KBG donor plot in my side yard, so I'll be doing a small reno too.


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## Budstl

bgillroy said:


> Looks good! Can't wait to see the progress in the front. I'm going to put a KBG donor plot in my side yard, so I'll be doing a small reno too.


Thanks bgillroy. What varieties are you using?


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## bgillroy

> Thanks bgillroy. What varieties are you using?


I've been eyeing the SSS KBG blend that you happen to have selected.


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## Creel

bgillroy said:


> Thanks bgillroy. What varieties are you using?
> 
> 
> 
> I've been eyeing the SSS KBG blend that you happen to have selected.
Click to expand...

I too was planning on that. This was one of the mixes I was debating doing but I change this just about each time I visit the site. :lol:


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## Budstl

Got the seed today. Middle of july I'll start applying round up. I'm looking at a seed down date of august 25th.


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## pennstater2005

Budstl said:


> Got the seed today. Middle of july I'll start applying round up. I'm looking at a seed down date of august 25th.


Can't wait to your progress!


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## NoslracNevok

I'm excited to see how well this does as well. I've a similar mix in mind for a Fall 2019 reno. Same reasons you gave and roughly same size front lawn.

What HOC do you have planned for it?


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## Budstl

NoslracNevok said:


> I'm excited to see how well this does as well. I've a similar mix in mind for a Fall 2019 reno. Same reasons you gave and roughly same size front lawn.
> 
> What HOC do you have planned for it?


I'll probably do 2.5 in the fall and 3.5 the rest of the time.


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## NoslracNevok

I need to talk with some greenkeepers around here about cutting KBG low in the region (I caught the bug). Maybe I'll try to get info from the groundsmen at Busch.


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## Budstl

7/20/18 mowed 3.5" with freshly sharpened blades.


I'm planning on spraying glyphosate on the front lawn tomorrow. That should give me 5 weeks to get prepared.


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## bgillroy

I've been killing fescue in my lawn for a couple weeks now... it's hideous! Are you adding your Rhapsody to the SSS mix?


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## Budstl

@bgillroy I'm not planning on it.


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## bgillroy

@Budstl You want to unload it? How much would you want for it?


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## Budstl

@bgillroy If you're interested in it, I'd probably just sell it for 20. I believe i payed around 40 plus 20 for shipping last year. It does have a small percentage of other crop and weed seed. Kind of why I'm not adding it this year.


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## bgillroy

Yup. I sent you a PM here!


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## Budstl

Spurge, crabgrass, clover, and lawn fungus, but she sure does stripe nicely.


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## bellts02

Stripes lookin sweet!


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## Budstl

bellts02 said:


> Stripes lookin sweet!


Thanks dude! Is that a maple tree as your avatar?


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## fusebox7

Following! We're getting closer to go-time


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## bellts02

Budstl said:


> bellts02 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Stripes lookin sweet!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks dude! Is that a maple tree as your avatar?
Click to expand...

Yeah, its in my front yard. i think its an autumn blaze maple.


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## Budstl

@b@bellts02 it has some good fall color. I'm between that tree and an october glory maple.


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## Budstl

Just about got the front killed off. I'm going to get it mowed down to 1.5 this week, rake, and hopefully start fallowing by next saturday. That should give me 2 weeks before seed down.


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## bgillroy

NICE! I'm still waiting for the results of my glypho on the whole front yard.


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## bellts02

Budstl said:


> @[email protected] it has some good fall color. I'm between that tree and an october glory maple.


Either way youre going to get a good looking tree. Last year i heard that fall temperatures didnt allow the trees to produce the best color. They were all either green or brown. First year that ive seen that happen.


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## Budstl

Nothing too crazy today. Mowed the lawn and reno area down to 3".




Here is the front right side i don't normally show. Kbg reno.


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## social port

Budstl said:


> Nothing too crazy today. Mowed the lawn and reno area down to 3".


That, my friend, looks like a nice kill! Do you think it will take one more app to close the books?


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## Budstl

@social port i don't think I'll need a complete app, but will have to spot spray.


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## Budstl

Well it was a pretty productive day today. Decided to just flat out scalp the reno area. Went from 3" to 1.5. Sucks not having a bagger. Went over the area several times and spent about 3 hours raking. I have a few spots of green, but ill probably wait to hit that after fallowing.


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## Budstl

After first round of scalping.






Looks like a good seed bed


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## bgillroy

It's hard to believe how much a haircut improves the look of the dead grass. What's next?


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## Budstl

@bgillroy i think i have a little more to rake and run the mower over the area a few more times. Saturday or Sunday I'll set the irrigation times up and start fallowing to get weed seeds to grow over the next couple of weeks.


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## Budstl

Started fallowing today. Got the irrigation set up to run at 8,11,2,and 5 for 10 mins. I'll probably run the same times when the seed goes down and make adjustments if need be. I'm still undecided if I'm going to use peat moss. I used compost last year.
Also on Saturday i bought an october glory maple. It's about 10ft tall. Will be planted in October or November.


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## Budstl

3lbs of kbg over roughly 1,700sqft good or should i bump it up to 3.5?


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## STL

@Budstl I'd bump it up to 3.5# or even 4#. That'll give you a 2#/m or 2.35#/m seed rate, respectively.


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## Budstl

STL said:


> @Budstl I'd bump it up to 3.5# or even 4#. That'll give you a 2#/m or 2.35#/m seed rate, respectively.


Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the reply.


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## Budstl

No weeds yet, just shrooms. Still shooting for the 25th seed down.


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## b0nk3rs

I enjoyed reading through up til now and look forward to the rest!

Side note, any pics of your greenest Rhapsody from very up close?


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## Budstl

b0nk3rs said:


> I enjoyed reading through up til now and look forward to the rest!
> 
> Side note, any pics of your greenest Rhapsody from very up close?


Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately i can't tell the difference in varieties. You can check with @bgillroy. I sold him rhapsody. He may be doing a pot of it.


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## bgillroy

I haven't potted any actually. I figured even if I got a 50% germination I'd still be happy knowing that my ss1000 blend is germinating well.


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## Budstl

I need some fungus help please. I'm not good with fungus id, but my guess is dollar spot.


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## social port

@Budstl don't treat this as a final word, as I am not a reliable disease identifier, but I think I see two diseases. I see what I think are brown patch lesions. My best guess on the second is dollar spot.


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## STL

@Budstl The lesions, especially the hour glass lesions, in the first pic and the pattern in the second pic look like dollar spot to me.

What are you thinking about doing?


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## Budstl

STL said:


> @Budstl The lesions, especially the hour glass lesions, in the first pic and the pattern in the second pic look like dollar spot to me.
> 
> What are you thinking about doing?


I'm not exactly sure what to do. This is an area I'm not very good at. I'd like to not apply a fungicide, but if need be i would. Ya got any advice?


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## STL

@Budstl propiconazole would be my advice, but since you don't want to use fungicide... it's a little trickier. How much N have you put down?


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## Budstl

@STL I'm not exactly sure on the #, but I've done 3 apps at bag rate of milo, last one being about a month ago. Also 2 apps of cracked corn at 10lbs/m and alfalfa at 10lbs/m.


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## STL

@Budstl gotcha. So, dollar spot doesn't usually get to the point where things start dying. So, you could leave it and see what happens. If you want to do something, and assuming it's dollar spot, a little bit of fast release N, like 0.25# or less, can help. If it's something like brown patch, N could make it worse though.


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## Budstl

Thanks @STL. To my eye brown patch and dollar spot lesions look to much alike. I need to get some milo for the front, so i may just pick up some extra and get some bayer advanced and go from there.


----------



## STL

@Budstl bayer and then a little N to help it recover sounds like a good plan to me.


----------



## Budstl

@STL :thumbup:


----------



## g-man

I don't recall Bayer ai, but it might not be that effective against DS. It does look like DS. In Indy I had the DS probability at 65% and it is supposed to be worst next week.

I would apply a fast nitrogen to encourage grow.


----------



## STL

@g-man Bayer's AI is propiconazole. Propiconazole offers good control of dollar spot.


----------



## JP900++

Looks great! How has it held up the last few weeks?


----------



## Budstl

@g-man any issues with applying fert, bayer, and prodiamine? All would be granular. I'd do the fert and bayer tomorrow and prodiamine on Saturday.


----------



## g-man

No prodiamine to the Reno area. It needs 60days post germination. The rest will work all together.

@Suburban Jungle Life wrote a really good  Fungicides Guide . It breaks down what to use for what, cost, sources of ai. There is also a link in there from turfguy93 that goes into the specifics for each fungus type.


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @g-man. I'm using the prodiamine on last years reno.


----------



## b0nk3rs

I put down propiconazole a few days ago for this



and it already appears to be recovering


----------



## Budstl

Just showing dog pee spot recovery.


Here's a new plant spreading in.


----------



## Budstl

Seed is down, milo is down, and scotts starter plus mesotrione is down. I went ahead and used the ez straw with tackifier ti top dress. I used 3 bales. I weighed out about 4lbs to cover about 1700sqft. I didn't even use all of it, so i have a little over 1lb of seed left. I got pretty good coverage going multiple ways with the spreader. Before all of this i ran the sprinklers for a couple of minutes per zone so the seed would stick better since I wasn't rolling it in.

I did a final rake this morning 

Looks like a good seed bed.

Ez straw down




Side of house


----------



## STL

@Budstl nice! Good luck. You sure picked a hot one to do all that work!


----------



## social port

Happy seed down day, @Budstl . I'll be hoping for the best!


----------



## Budstl

Storms and heavy rain this morning. No idea about any washout, but the ez straw is still intact.




I'll check later this afternoon. I'm hoping to see germination by the end of this weekend.


----------



## Budstl

Day 5 of the front lawn reno update:no germination so far. Hopefully here in the next couple of days.

Photos of last years reno. I feel like the color is starting to get a tad darker. Might not show it on the photos.







I wish i had a before pic of this small section. It looked terrible this spring.


----------



## pennstater2005

@Budstl What are your thoughts so far on the EZ Straw?


----------



## Budstl

@pennstater2005 the day i put it down it was pretty breazy, so it was kind of messy and a pain. Other than that, it seems ok.


----------



## Budstl

Boy that kbg sure hit a growth spurt. J/k weed from the ez straw.



Now I'm hoping these are kbg babies. Day 6


----------



## social port

I see them! Congrats!


----------



## STL

Looks like KBG to me! Nice job!


----------



## iowa jim

Your on your way and here we go.


----------



## Budstl

Thanks fellas. It's always nerve racking waiting for the sprouts.


----------



## Budstl

Got my free sample of screamin green today. Now i just need to figure out where i want to apply it.


----------



## Budstl

Day 13 pics. I cut down a small tree about 2 years ago and used that bonide stump stuff, but you can see it growing in the middle of the yard.


----------



## Mrotatori

Your growth looks similar to mine at day 13. Your kbg looks much darker. From a distance mine looks very sparse. I have areas that have a lot of growth. It seems to be growing from right to left on my lawn.


----------



## Budstl

@Mrotatori kbg sure does take patience. I'm about where i was last year. By next weekend we should see a noticeable difference.


----------



## social port

That DOES look very dark. Almost makes me wonder if you put a lil' screamin' green on them  
I bet this is going to look so good.


----------



## Budstl

@social port i dropped the screamin green on the back today before the rain. Getting a nice steady rain right now, so hopefully it soaks in before the heavy rain gets hear. Finally some nice cool weather too.


----------



## social port

Nothing better for baby grass than a gentle rain. Still waiting on that cooler weather here.


----------



## Budstl

Screamin green sample was dropped last friday. I think i might start dropping urea pretty soon. I also need to do some spot spraying of weeds now that the temps will be dropping. Here's some pics mowed at 3.5". I like the look of it when there is some shade.


----------



## NoslracNevok

healthy thic lawn, nice man. Any plans to mess around with a low HOC?


----------



## iowa jim

looking good, that hill had to be a challenge. Let us know how the screamin green area come out if you would. thanks


----------



## Budstl

@NoslracNevok around the middle of August i lowered it down to 3" for 2 cuts. I didn't really like the appearance. I still may try to get it down to 2.5" before winter.

@iowa jim will do. I'm hoping to get another sample that I'll use on the front reno. The hill needs some work. I may transition it all to kbg next fall.


----------



## Budstl

Day 20 reno photos.


----------



## Mrotatori

Looking real good


----------



## STL

Very nice!


----------



## Budstl

Alrighty folks I could use some help in some problem areas. Now some spots are from the dog and i also believe some of the grass layed down from the mower tires and with the last week of the humid 90s may have caused some die off?? Also there is some fungus. A couple blades to me may have dollar spot. Not really sure.






These i pulled from a different area





Now for some stripes. Mowed at 3.5" I'll probably start to drop the hoc since cooler temps are finally here.






The next 2 were from this past monday


----------



## drenglish

@Budstl I'll let others with more experience chime in on what to do for the problem areas. Just wanted to say the stripes are looking great. I see that your neighbor is trying a little to compete but isn't standing a chance.

The problem area looks to be right up next to the house? Lots of foot traffic there? Cooler weather is just around the corner


----------



## g-man

That area took a beating. How is your irrigation in that area?


----------



## Budstl

@g-man there's 3 heads that hit that area. I just turned it on to make sure all rotors were working. Should be getting an adequate amount there.


----------



## g-man

The rest of the lawn looks great. If irrigation is good, then fungus or nitrogen burn in that area.


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @g-man. I know it's not fert burn. I'm really thinking it's from my mower tire tracks flattening the grass down. I usually make 3 passes before striping and then my turns are also in these areas. I'm guessing with it laying over it's not getting enough light and oxygen and then a fungus pops up. Does this make any sense?
Here's another area that is similar, just not as bad.


----------



## social port

Those are killer stripes!


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @social port. I have some brand new hi lift blades that need to be sharpened. I'm excited to see how those cut vs the stock ferris blades which i belive are just medium lift.


----------



## Budstl

I hand pulled some weeds in the reno yesterday. Still need to pull some more. I may give the reno it's first mow next weekend. It could use it now, but running the ferris over the soft moist ground is not really a good idea.
Day 29


----------



## social port

Hey, @Budstl Is the grass near your sidewalk taller than the grass in the middle of the yard and closer to the street? It is hard to tell whether that is an illusion or not.


----------



## Budstl

@social port ya it's taller there.


----------



## Mrotatori

the front yard is coming in good. I think the next couple weeks will be huge for us. I have a handful of bare spots in my kbg reno. Each day I see more and more little grass coming up in those spots.


----------



## Budstl

Yesterday i applied my first app of urea. Mowed again today. Still at 3.5. I took some nice evening photos. No sunlight.


----------



## b0nk3rs

Boy that darkened up QUICK!


----------



## Budstl

35 days since seed down. First mow of the reno. Hoc was 3.5". I couldn't go lower due to some areas that were taller. Either monday or tuesday I'll hopefully get in another mow.


----------



## Mrotatori

Looks great


----------



## Budstl

I'm thinking maybe leaf spot, but would appreciate the more knowledgeable identifying lawn disease.


----------



## STL

@Budstl Looks like leaf spot and/or rust too. Rub something across the blades and see if it leaves a residue.


----------



## Budstl

43 days since seed down. Mowed and put down a sample bag of screamin green right before it started to rain.


----------



## Budstl

I'm guessing the disease ex i just put down is no longer with us.


----------



## JP900++

Gotta love this weather. I need to mow.


----------



## Budstl

Did my third app of urea tuesday evening. Lawn is really starting to thicken up. I've been mowing 3 times a week. Only weeds i have in the reno are clover and ky31. I've noticed the crabgrass on the hill has been browning and looks to be dieing even though we haven't had a frost yet.




I like this shot since it shows sun and shade


----------



## NoslracNevok

This is looking flawless, bravo.


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @NoslracNevok. I have an area thats less than stellar thanks to the dog, but it's starting to recover.


----------



## g-man

We all have our trouble areas.


----------



## social port

@Budstl that is looking awesome!


----------



## Budstl

social port said:


> @Budstl that is looking awesome!


Thanks sp


----------



## Budstl

I took the day off today to get the irrigation turned off. Also mowed. I did my 4th and final urea app this past tuesday. Crabgrass is slowly starting to die.

Good way to wake up on your day off.


Day 55 of the kbg reno. Award, midnight, and bewitched. 




1 year old kbg






I'd like to do something with this back area, but not sure what. It's a mix of weeds and ky31. I'm having an october glory maple planted back here soon.


----------



## social port

1. Sounds and looks like one of the best days ever :thumbup: 
2. I cannot believe how thick your reno is. There is no way that I'd tag that as newly established.
3. I am starting to suspect that you invented striping.


----------



## NoslracNevok

How about that sunrise this morning! I had to snap a photo as well, coincidentally at 711.


It's looking great man! Could hardly tell there was that much flat ground on top of that hill.


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @social port. I gotta give props to my ferris mower. It does the hard work while i get the credit. Also kbg stripes really well. I feel like my reno this year is much further ahead of last years.

@NoslracNevok it was a gorgeous sunrise. I like your pic with the American flag. Not enough people display it on their homes.


----------



## Mrotatori

@Budstl what did you do differently this year in your reno compared to last?


----------



## Greenlawn

That lawnlooks amazing. How is the kbg going to hold up to our extreme temps, both cold and hot?


----------



## Budstl

@Mrotatori nothing really too different. Last year i aerated, spread compost, and then mixed the seed in. Fertilizer i did scotts+tenacity and ringer at seed down. Applied a 2nd app scotts+ and an app of scotts green max. These were done separately of course. I just don't remember how far apart they were.

This year i just put down seed and covered with ez straw with tackifier. Scotts starter+ tenacity and a full bag of milo over 1700sqft. Later did a 2nd app of scotts+ 4 weeks. I got a few samples of screamin green this year and i used 2 10lb samples within a week of each other. Also did a light app of urea.

So this year i used a bit more fertilizer and i believe i get better irrigation coverage in the front vs the back.

@Greenlawn the kbg holds of just fine here. I would definitely recommend having an irrigation system. My backyard is in the sun for majority of the day. If it received some shade, it would perform even better. I did get some fungus, but nothing damaging. The great thing about kbg is it can go dormant, spreads, and it has good recovery.


----------



## Tim H

The lawn looks great Budstl.


----------



## Budstl

Tim H said:


> The lawn looks great Budstl.


Thanks tim


----------



## samjonester

Both lawns look fantastic! The tree will look great back there! Do you have irrigation in the back section?


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @samjonester. I do not have irrigation back beyond the hill. I have contemplated on having a few heads installed, but they would have to be intalled at the edge of the hill due to an ammonia pipeline and fiber optic cables buried through there.


----------



## samjonester

Without irrigation it's probably tough to keep even K31 looking good in St Louis, right? Do you use/need a lawn there?

One potential option might be something like a native wildflower area or warm-season ornamental grasses. Something like that might frame the property well, and look good contrasting the well-kept turf-field you've got in your main yard area. Give you a kind of "oasis in the prarie" look.


----------



## Budstl

I tried a different striping pattern today. Not really fond of it. Think ill shoot for a nice checkerboard pattern next.


----------



## Budstl

Day 63


----------



## NoslracNevok

Zig zag, sweet! A personal favorite for mr is slow curve.


----------



## Budstl

Finally got to mow today. It's been about 10 days since the last one. It was a bit chilly.

Oct. reno 17


Official 1 year old kbg


----------



## NoslracNevok

Looks great! Now your front and back are at peak performance for the HOC&Equipment, any other plans for the main portions? Have you solidified plans for the top of the hill?


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @NoslracNevok. Currently i don't really have any plans for either. I'm debating on doing a reno again on the hill to switch it to kbg. Just haven't decided if i want to put in the work for it yet. Beyond the hill I'd just like to have a low input lawn that looks better than the current weeds and clumping fescue. Not sure if tttf, kbg, or a mix would do better there. It would cost around $1,000 to add a couple heads and another valve box to be able to irrigate there. I'm supposed to have a tree planted back there tomorrow.


----------



## Budstl

First snow fall.


----------



## Budstl

My 2018 lawn season is in the books. 4th snowfall is incoming later tonight into tomorrow. I've seen a few different forecast predictions and depending the area could see 3-5 or 4-8 inches. Could be the largest snow storm for STL in November. I won't be winterizing the lawn. Still need to get the mower cleaned and winterized. Looking forward to either using carbon x or screamin green next season. Will also add in some milo and alfalfa pellets.

I'll still hang around the forum some, but until next season. Have a good winter and happy holidays everyone.


----------



## social port

@Budstl Man, have a good one! See you next season :thumbup:


----------



## Budstl

Lawn before the incoming snowfall. This is the darkest it's ever been.


----------



## pennstater2005

Budstl said:


> I'll still hang around the forum some, but until next season. Have a good winter and happy holidays everyone.


Same to you! Can't wait to see what you have in store for next season :thumbup:


----------



## Budstl

Is it spring yet? Lawn looks so bleek.


----------



## Budstl

What's up all? I do believe my 2019 lawn season will kick off this week. We are in the 50s now and by next weeked upper 60s. I got a new earthway 2170 and the pro plugger. Planning on moving some plugs to a couple bare areas this upcoming week. Also will put down my pre m towards the end of the week.

Here's the current state of the lawn.

Front is starting to green up.

The back

This area always greens up first. It's the dogs spot she likes to pee. Will also be getting rid of those bricks. Will update later.


That's all for now. Hope everyone has a great 2019 lawn season.


----------



## Budstl

Full sunshine today. Went ahead and played around with the pro plugger. Also pulled up the dead stuff around my daylilies.




Now I'm just sitting in the patio trying out these naturdays. Not too bad.


----------



## JP900++

Yep. I'm looking forward to getting up and running this week too. Looking forward to your updates.


----------



## social port

Looks like a good day, @Budstl . Happy season to you!
Do you like the pro plugger?


----------



## Budstl

The pro plugger is sweet @social port. It's a fun little tool. I'll be using it later in the fall to get rid of some wild onion.


----------



## Chris LI

Budstl said:


> The pro plugger is sweet @social port. It's a fun little tool. I'll be using it later in the fall to get rid of some wild onion.


Mmmm. I have some wild onion to remove. :twisted:


----------



## Budstl

Spot sprayed clover using cco today. I have a ton of grassy weeds in the front lawn kbg reno. Also looks like i got the quack in some spots too. Has the classic clasping auricles and when i pulled one out, it had a small shoot coming off of it. I went ahead and went nuclear and spot sprayed using glyphosate on all the grassy weeds.


Quack


----------



## social port

Budstl said:


> Also looks like i got the quack in some spots too.


Dang, man, sorry to hear about this. Do you think the bluegrass will end up covering the areas you hit with gly before the summer?


----------



## Budstl

That's a good question @social port. I don't think it will, but i do believe it will by fall time. Normally I'd be a bit more concerned about it, but I'm trying to be a bit more patient with lawn care. I'll be doing another app of pre m by june and will focus on weeds.


----------



## Budstl

Today was the first mow. Felt good to be out in the yard. I took the velke off the ferris mower and just walked behind it today. The lawn is still slow to wake up. Not much color to it yet. I need to do a 2nd round of cco. Got a ton of clover. Didn't cut on the hill. It was too wet.



So i had some curbing installed a few weeks ago. Need to add some mulch.

This area is fully woke. The dog likes to fertilize here.

More curbing pics.





I'll get some photos of the front hopefully next week. Did a light dose of urea to the front.


----------



## drenglish

@Budstl the curbing looks great! The lawn looks good too for not growing much for now. What height are you going to cut at this season?


----------



## Budstl

Thanks @drenglish. I mowed at 3 inch today. I'll be mowing mostly at 3.5.


----------



## bgillroy

Looking good!


----------



## mowww

Nice curbing! How are you liking it so far in terms of working around it? I chuckled with the reference to your lawn being fully woke. Looking good.


----------



## NoslracNevok

I like the new curbing. Laughed when you said not much color, still looks better than 90% of lawns!


----------



## Budstl

@mowww and @NoslracNevok thanks. It's prett easy to work around the curbing. There are a few spots i need to add a little bit of dirt by the curbing.


----------



## Budstl

Today i greased the fittings on the ferris. Also mowed. I got some pictures of the front kbg reno. Color is pretty good. Doesn't show very well in the photos except for one of them. Can you pick out the glyphosate spots?


----------



## social port

Are those spots from the quack intervention?


----------



## Budstl

social port said:


> Are those spots from the quack intervention?


Some is quack and some is some other grassy weed. I'd say a lot came from using that ez straw. 99% weed free. Valuable lesson learned.


----------



## NoslracNevok

Do you think the KBG will fill those spots in before the fall?4 days ago I sprayed Mesotrione on some of my grassy weeds, haven't seen any change in color yet. May need glypho.


----------



## Budstl

@NoslracNevok i think it will by the end of the growing season for sure.


----------



## drenglish

@NoslracNevok I sprayed at slightly higher than a low 2oz/A rate...I actually put 3mL in 2 gallons to spot spray, so a little less than the recommended spot spray rate of 1 tsp (5mL) in 2 gallons and 1 gallon/1000. Even at that, and I must have been a little heavy on the spot spraying, I had very light yellowing of surrounding turf and some definite bleaching of grassy weeds that I have. Bleaching was noticeable at days 7-10.



@Budstl Spoon feed that KBG, it shouldn't have any problem filling in by prime time this Fall.


----------



## g-man

If you take the dead leafs off, it fills faster in my opinion. The sun heats it and warms the soil up.


----------



## Budstl

Made it out in the yard today even though i was feeling my best. Needed to mow before the rain comes in tomorrow. Also put down andersons granular humic acid. Did another light dose of urea to the front. Still trying to get rid of some clover in the back. Will do a third app some time next week. Last week of this month I'm planning to apply some fert.


----------



## social port

@Budstl I was wondering when I would see some stripes. They look good. Can you remind me: Are you getting those with the mower alone, or are you using a striping kit?


----------



## Budstl

@social port just with the mower. I got a set of hi lift blades on it as well. I'd like to see if i could get better stripes with a check mate, but I'm not quite ready to drop over $300 for it.


----------



## social port

Budstl said:


> just with the mower


that is what I was thinking...yeah, I can't believe a mower stripes that well. A checkmate would cost me 300+ as well, and that just isn't worth the investment right now. They are appealing, though.


----------



## Budstl

Updating what the front looks like.


----------



## Budstl

Today I pulled the blades off to sharpen and scraped the deck. Went ahead and mowed. Also put down some mulch around the emerald greens. Temperature is in the low 80s today. Haven't put any fert on the back yard yet. I'm thinking this weekend or next week I'll put down screamin green.



Japanese maple bloomed this week


Here is top of the hill. October glory maple was planted last fall. Pic isn't the best. Should have some leaves soon.


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+

I'm curious what your plan of action/process was to overseed your slope? I have a similar situation where I have a slope and I'm not sure how to attack it. Slit seed or broadcast. Im concerned about washout. I do have binder and I am just over seeding. I'm assuming the current grass will be able to retain the new seed from washing away.


----------



## Budstl

@Scagfreedom48z+ i used straw to hold it in place. It worked, but i wouldn't do that again. I really need to do a reno on the hill.

Today I mowed and put down screamin green. Plenty of rain is forecasted for the upcoming week.


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+

Budstl said:


> @Scagfreedom48z+ i used straw to hold it in place. It worked, but i wouldn't do that again. I really need to do a reno on the hill.
> 
> Today I mowed and put down screamin green. Plenty of rain is forecasted for the upcoming week.


I'm thinking of using mbinder tackifier and spreader it with my Scott's whizz on the slope


----------



## Budstl

Foreclosure, disabled person needing help, or lazy pos. This is directly across from me.


----------



## Chris LI

Maybe it's time to bust out photos of my favorite t-shirt...definitely if it's case #2; maybe if it's case #1; but not for case #3. However, for case #3, maybe you could offer to do it for some $ to cover some of your lawn operating budget. Lol


----------



## NoslracNevok

I've called the city office to report flagrant code violation of unkept grass. They were there the same day and put a lovely sticker on their door. :nod: Since then they've kept up with mowing.


----------



## NoslracNevok

I've called my city office to report flagrant code violation of unkempt grass like this (able bodied people, with the means). The city put a lovely notification sticker on their door the next day. :nod: Since then they've kept up with mowing.


----------



## Budstl

@NoslracNevok i did that yesterday. Unfortunately this has been an on going thing for the 4 years i lived here. Able body mid late 30s woman. When she does mow, it's in a bikini or tight shorts and a sports bra. My old neighbors would report to the city on her. I imagine she gets a notice with x amount of days to get it mowed before being fined. She mows and then the process just continues.


----------



## Budstl

Break in the rain this afternoon, so i took advantage of it and mowed. More rain on the way. Next mow will likely be sunday afternoon. 
Hill is kind of a mess. Going to leave that alone for now and maybe in a few years convert everything to a mono.

I striped single doubles.


----------



## mak474

I like the single/double stripes. Man we have been getting a lot of rain! I'm cutting at least twice a week right now.


----------



## NoslracNevok

Looking mighty fine, those sing-dubs are objectively better than singles.


----------



## Budstl

That's no joke @mak474. I'll take it though.
I agree @NoslracNevok. I dig it. Think ill mow like that in the same direction for a few more times before going diagonal again.


----------



## Budstl

Front lawn reno. I'll probably do some plugs in the fall.


It's got some good color 


Back lawn


I planted some dwarf marigolds today. No experience with them. We'll see how they do.


----------



## Budstl

Few other shots


----------



## social port

Yes sir. That looks healthy, thick, and happy. 
Do you notice that the bluegrass stripes more easily than fescue?


----------



## Budstl

Yesterday my painter buddy sprayed under my over hang for me. I applied some stain to the cedar today.





Hung up a new flag


----------



## Budstl

Also mowed at 3.5". Did a cross cut. Overall appearance is pretty good, but I wish it were darker. Need to play around with some iron.


----------



## Budstl

Once the front lawn fills in, it will be a good looking lawn.





Some knockouts


----------



## NoslracNevok

Glypho-therapy success story. :thumbup:

edit: Old Glory in the back :beer:


----------



## g-man

I think that it fills faster when you take the dead grass off. Maybe it is placebo effect.


----------



## Budstl

@g-man very will could be. It's got a long way to go to fill in. It's nice walking over to a bare spot to see a new plant coming up 4-6 inches from the turf. I'm always like hello there buddy. Nice to see ya.

@NoslracNevok I've been meaning to put a flag there for a while now. Of course my dumb *** forgot that the stain was still wet, so needless to say i had to take it down. I still need a new one for the front.


----------



## Budstl

I have an area that seems to be significantly more blue/green than the rest of the lawn.I'd like the lawn to have this look. It's overall appearance looks better as well. This area right by the back patio always greens up before the rest of the lawn. My thought is that it is just weeks ahead of the rest of the lawn or i didn't mix the seed up well and there is more of 1 cultivar there. The first few pics are if the better area. May be harder to tell from the pictures. Any thoughts?











Check out this spot in the front lawn. Around 12 new plants spreading in.


----------



## social port

@Budstl, the lawn is looking really, really good. Has it been hot there? We've had a heat wave and no rain for over 14 days. It has been brutal. 
Question about your ideal blue/green area: Does that area get any shade from an awning or something similar?


----------



## Budstl

Thanks for the reply sp. It does, but really late in the afternoon. The photo was taken before noon. As far as weather, we have had a lot of rain. Many rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri are close to record crest. Those don't affect me. Heat wise it hasn't been to bad. Upper 80s today. Most of next week look like low to mid 80s with chance of storms.


----------



## Chris LI

Could it be an overlap in spreader passes? What about spray fert/iron? Did you make any apps? It looks like some extra Fe, with that nice blue/green color.


----------



## g-man

@Budstl from your April post, this is the dog pee area. Dog pee (or pee in general) is around 10-2-4 (depends on diet).


----------



## Budstl

@Chris LI I've applied 1 application of screamin green april 26th. That's been my only fert for the season so far.

@g-man that could be a possibility. The dog does pee in the rocks quite often as well. When she does pee in the grass, it's usually in the same spot.


----------



## social port

There is an aerial shot of the ideal area on the last page. Here's my best guess: I think that you are getting a lot of extra water in this area. It is being channeled via the gutter.


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## Chris LI

Hmmmmmm. Possible dog pee area + extra water = diluted N and green, but not dead pee spots?

At my friend's house, I'm trying to resurrect/regrow his lawn from landscaper/dog pee damage. I've suggested diluting the pee with water as soon as it occurs. Are you trying something like this?

At my parent's house, we had a dirt/sand/mulch area in the backyard where we trained the dog to go. We almost never had a dog pee spot.


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## Budstl

I'm getting on board with your guys thoughts. It makes a lot of sense. @Chris LI there are currently 2 dead spots from the dog. This was one the reasons I wanted to do kbg. 
What would be the best course of action to get the rest of lawn to get the same look? I am planning to do an iron app.


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## NoslracNevok

Does it get a little more shade?


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## Chris LI

Budstl said:


> I'm getting on board with your guys thoughts. It makes a lot of sense. @Chris LI there are currently 2 dead spots from the dog. This was one the reasons I wanted to do kbg.
> What would be the best course of action to get the rest of lawn to get the same look? I am planning to do an iron app.


You could try the iron app, avoiding the darker blue/green areas, too see if you can balance the color a little better.


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## Budstl

Mowed today at 4". Been mowing every 3 or 4 days still. I ran one irrigation cycle to water in some pre m. We are forecasted 2 to 3 inches of rain this week. There is some diesease, but I'm doing no fungicides this year unless absolutely necessary. Also went and did .5lbs/m of hyrbrix fert over the back.

The hill has seen better days.


Pee spot by the patio.


Sun behind me




I like the color here


This area is the bomb diggity.


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## social port

I went to the co-op today. A Ferris sign caught my eye. Mowing supplies at the co-op? I had no idea!
The building is separate from the main co-op. They sell Stihl equipment and Ferris mowers. Went in and talked to them. They even service the mowers in-house. One guy mentioned that the mowers stripe without a kit. An image of your lawn came to my mind. I thought, "tell me about it."


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## Budstl

Sell that gravely and get you one if the budget allows it. You'd love it @social port.


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## social port

Budstl said:


> Sell that gravely and get you one if the budget allows it. You'd love it @social port.


Oh, it's definitely on my mind. The guy handed a Ferris catalogue to me as I was walking out of the door.


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## Budstl

I was hoping to spray some iron today, but it was too windy. I mowed instead.

Been 6 weeks since fert was applied to the front lawn.




Did a cross cut to the back kbg lawn.


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## NoslracNevok

Lushy is your rapper name, man that's looking fine. That darker spot really shows up well in the last photo of it, funny how we have favorite spots in our lawns &#128517;.


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## Budstl

I'm considering dropping some more fert today especially to the front since it has some rust and hasn't been fertilized in 2 months. I wasn't planning on doing any during the summer time, but temps have been relatively lower than usual for this time of year. I applied .5lbs/m to the back 2 weeks ago. I have hyrbrix on hand which is 22 N and i believe 21% slow release. Thoughts?


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## social port

Not that it can be used as any kind of prediction at all, but...I was considering a little dose of N a few days ago. It was comfortable outside, with temps and humidity being closer to mid-spring. Then all of a sudden, temps are back up to 85-93, and it is humid enough to swim in the air. I feel like I dodged a bullet, but who can say for sure.

I would like to say 'let's see what happens when we break the rules," but the link between N and disease during the summer is mentioned over and over again in the documents I read.


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## Budstl

Mowed this evening. Still mowing twice a week. The front lawn is definitely starting to slow down, but the back is going strong. Fungus is really picking up, especially on the hill. I really need to get it switched over to kbg. Almost got rid of all the clover on the back kbg. I had to do quite a few apps of cco. All pics are without the sun.

Pic of fungus on the back kbg. 


Back kbg. Super thick.


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## pennstater2005

Lawn is looking spectacular!!


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## NoslracNevok

Crazy how the different type does better. Are you bagging? Does the angle of the hill make it get less time in direct sun?


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## Budstl

Thanks @pennstater2005

@NoslracNevok the hill is mostly my fault for the seed and neglect. It was my first reno. I've learned a lot since then. The seed had 2 types of prg, tttf, and kbg. Now the issue it had a ton of prg in it. Probably like 40%. The description for the seed was labled for the transition zone. That's why i went with it. I didn't know at the time that prg doesn't do very good in our climate.


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## Chris LI

Nice and dark! Are you looking to manage the PRG through the summer, or looking to reduce/eliminate it? If you let the TTTF/KBG go dormant, do you think the PRG will fry?


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## Budstl

@Chris LI i would say a lot of it has died off over the past 2 summers. I'm sure there has been plenty of winter kill too. I tell ya what though, the first fall that hill looked fantastic. I'm hoping to in a year or two to reno the back and do a kbg mono.


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## Chris LI

Gotcha. Maybe the fall N blitz with lowering the HOC more than usual with adding extra mowings in per week in the fall combined with the Philes Phertilizer regimen in the spring, can get you some more kbg spreading, until you renovate the area. It still looks really good. I think we tend to be a little hard on ourselves, when we set the bar high.


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## Budstl

Put on a fresh set of blades on the ferris today. Sharpened my other 2 sets. Pulled some plugs in the back to collect some dirt for a soil test. Mowed at 4". Kbg has dollar spot.





Daylilies


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## JDgreen18

Looking nice...love the flowers


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## Budstl

Got my basic soil test back from university of missouri. Man that is some low organic matter.


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## Budstl

Almost the middle of july and I've ran my irrigation 5 times. My pocket book thanks the rain gods. I went and picked up some sop today. Planning to do 1lb/m for july, august, and september. I would like to do some compost in the fall to start raising my om%, but not entirely sure if it's in the budget. I'd love to rent an ecolawn and give that bad boy a try. Front lawn has some crabgrass and spurge. I'll wait to tackle that until cooler temps. Backyard looks pretty decent minus the hill, but that's alright. Still have dollar spot and still not applying fungicides.


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## social port

That is looking really good, especially for the middle of July. 
I am surprised by that number for OM!


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## ksturfguy

Nice work!


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## Budstl

Got in a mow this morning. I put on a pair of sharp blades. I consider these my crappy blades, but they still stripe decent. I put down some milo earlier in the week. I'm planning on doing 2 apps of hyrbrix in august at .5lbs each app as long as temps are acceptable. This coming week I'll spray for weeds since the highs are in the mid 80s.

You can see where the dollar spot has hit the hardest. 




Close ups


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## social port

Didn't expect you to put down the milo.
I do see the fungal issue, but things are still looking good, all considered.


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## iowa jim

Maybe put down a app of hyrbrix now to help push out that dollar spot. I would be to chicken to do it but I'm sure your a better applicator than i am. Looks good for it being the hottest time of the year. I don't follow your weather but did notice you guys got a lot of rain in June, maybe thats where the dollar spot come from. We have a guy here in Iowa that put down 1 1/2 lbs. of nitrogen on his lawn yesterday, he knows his stuff but he is a little krazzzzzzy, nice guy tho.


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## Budstl

Thanks @social port. My intentions weren't to put down any fert, but sometimes we gotta make adjustments. I've been doing pretty light doses. Nothing over .5lbs.

@iowa jim we have had a ton of rain this spring and summer. Of course when the temp and humidity rises the storms come in the afternoon and evening creating a perfect fungal hotbed.


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## NoslracNevok

How are those glypho spots looking in the front?


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## Budstl

@NoslracNevok the smaller areas have filled in nicely. Some of the larger areas I might need to do some plugs. I need to get some pics of the front.

Put down hyrbrix fert yesterday. Temps are amazing here. I'm planning on doing 3 more apps of .5lbs of hyrbrix every 2 weeks.

Hit a milestone in my 07 mazda 6 end of July. 


It now has 151,400 on it. It's getting a cv axle replaced on it this weekend.

Last weekend bought myself a 2016 ford fusion.


The plan is to alternate vehicles for now. Use the mazda in crappy weather and try to keep the mileage low on the fusion.


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## social port

Budstl said:


> Hit a milestone in my 07 mazda 6 end of July.


Oh Sweet! I knew I recognized that dashboard. I drove an 05 Mazda 6 for about 10 years. I loved that car. I wanted a little more torque, but the M shifter was fun. The best thing was the handling. That car was built for curves.

So...are you calling summer over? If so, I think you just made it through summer with fungicide-free KBG. Congratulations. :thumbup:


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## Budstl

@social port we have a nice 10 day outlook. Temps low 80s. Time to push that kbg. Ya dude, those mazdas are fun to drive.


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## Budstl

Front lawn update. Kbg is filling in some of the smaller areas where i sprayed glyphosate to kill grassy weeds and quack. Bigger areas will need plugs this fall.


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## Budstl

Dropped the hoc from 4" to 3.5." It's lacking some color. I also put down .5lbs of hyrbrix last monday.


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## iowa jim

Lowering your HOC will expose more of the crown so it will take a couple of weeks for the lawn to get use to it. You may want to give it a iron app of fas or feature. I think it still looks good.


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## social port

@Budstl, can you say how often you had to irrigate this summer? Seems like it wasn't much early on.

For the past several weeks, watering has been a daily activity in Tenn.


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## Budstl

Thanks @iowa jim. I agrees on an iron treatment. Probably wait for the weather to break.

@social port I'd say I've ran the irrigation 10-15 times. Majority of that was to get products watered in. We're back in the heat again this week. 100 with the heat index. Come on fall already.


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## social port

@Budstl, did you notice any effect from the hybrix app? Positive or negative?


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## Budstl

Today we had record heat of 94. I believe in September was the hottest on record. Of course rain has been minamal now. I've had to irrigate more in September than in July or August. One more day in the 90s and then we're in the 70s. Finally fall will be here. I put down over a pound of nitrogen for the month of September. May not have been the best choice since it got hot. The lawn has recovered from dollar spot. I mowed today and put down some iron. Pre m still needs to go down.

Picture taken in the evening.


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## social port

I've been wondering how things have been going. Your lawn looks outstanding in that picture. You would never guess record highs when cool season grass looks like that. Man, oh, man.


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## Chris LI

Sweet!


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## Budstl

I got in a mow this evening. I went ahead and got some x grn to try even though it might be a little late in the season for it. I put it down at the high rate over the back yard. What i thought was impressive is I ordered yesterday from lcn before 1pm and recieved it this afternoon. I also put down 1lb of urea(product) to go along with it. The front recieved .5lb n from urea.





I'm not too excited on how the front lawn looks. Still need to fill some of the gaps where i sprayed glyphosate this spring.


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## NoslracNevok

Snapping back quick with this drop in temps, looking mighty fine! What % have the glypho spots filled in and what % do you expect before winter?


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## bmitch05

@Budstl What is your impression of the Hybrix? Thinking about adding it to the plan next season.


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## Budstl

NoslracNevok said:


> Snapping back quick with this drop in temps, looking mighty fine! What % have the glypho spots filled in and what % do you expect before winter?


I'm not really sure. The smaller spots have filled in, but the larger spots my need to have some plugs.

@bmitch05 i like the hyrbrix. I'll either use that or screamin green next year. If you order hyrbrix, it's best to get it when am leonard has free shipping.


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## Budstl

I love these fall temps.

10/13


10/19


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## social port

That looks really thick.


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## Budstl

On 10/23 i got in a quick mow before my girlfriend and i headed off to Florida. 




When we got back to the Stl, it was crappy weather. We had a hard freeze the other night, so the growing season should be slowing down. 
Today the irrigation was winterized. Also mowed the lawn. It was 9 days since it's last cut.






October glory maple that was planted last winter.


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## Mrotatori

Lawn looks really good


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## Budstl

The 2020 season started today. Granular pre m went down today. Second app will go down late may. Lawn is still fairly dormant, but starting to see some green. I got some carbon x to try this year. 1st app of that will be mid april or so. I'm thinking on adding some fungicides in to the lawn plan this year. Would like to try and control dollar spot. Will likely go granular and rotate between pillar g and clearys.


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## social port

I didn't realize that your Ferris is a stand-on. Those are the models I've been looking at.
I think you are going to like Carbon-X


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## Budstl

@social port it's just a walk behind. I have a velke that i can stand on, but i took it off last year. I sure would like one of the stand ons.


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## Budstl

Yesterday was the first mow of the season. The yard was like a sponge. We have been getting plenty of rain and more to come. It's still waking up. Also changed the oil and oil filter on the ferris. It's not much to look at now, but got some stripes in


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## Budstl

Mowed today at 3.5. It was 84 degrees today. Bluegrass is loving that sunshine today. Showing some nice color. I'm planning on the first app in the next 2-3 weeks. Irrigation is getting turned on this friday.



I'm planning on doing some kbg test plots beyond the hill this fall. That is as long as i can get some sprinkler heads installed for it. I have around 4,500sqft back there, but probably 2,000sqft to 2,500sqft for plots. Everything behind my maple tree i plan to mulch.

Top of the hill.


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## Budstl

The front lawn is coming along after i had to spray glypho to take care of some grasses weeds after the reno.

Last year around this time.


Now


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## Budstl

Got in another mow today. Cleaned underneath the deck of the mower and put the high lift blades on.

Stripes are on point.


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## ksturfguy

Looking good!


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## Budstl

Thanks @ksturfguy


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## Budstl

It's a beautiful sunny saturday here in the lou today. Mowed at 3.5". Japanese maple is really starting to peak now. It's looking like the first fert app will go down this upcoming week.





Sun behind me in the next photos.




I'm adding another irrigation zone in june to the top of the property. As of now looking to do a midnight and mazama plot. Here's what it looks like now.







I have a tree stump that will eventually need to be grinded out. I have a spot at the end of the swale where water does sit from heavy rains. We'll see what happens this fall.


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## Budstl

Got my seed for my test plots. I'm planning on starting the reno process in the next couple of weeks.


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## Budstl

Got in a quick mow today at 3.5". I'm thinking I'll move the hoc up to 4" pretty soon. Lawn is looking decent, but not nearly as nice as it was back in april. Too many overcast and rainy days in the month of may. Plus the lawn has been going to seed the past month. I need to put down my second prem app soon and another round of fert at .5lbs.









Knockouts are blooming like crazy.


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## Budstl

June 2nd applied carbonx at .5lbs and applied clearys fungicide at 3lbs. Ran an irrigation cycle the morning of june 3rd to water in the apps. Today i mowed at 3.5". I think i will still at the hoc for the year.

Pics are misleading. Not quite as dark as it shows. Lawn is thick and healthy at this time. There is some clover, but I'm not going to do anything about it right now.


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## Chris LI

It looks pretty darn good to me!


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## Budstl

Thanks @Chris LI

Yesterday was a mow. Also pulled some plugs to gather up some soil. Today i sent off my soil to get tested. We have had some pretty nice days here in st louis. This weekend it continues with some low to mid 80s. There's some browning of the lawn, but it mostly looks like the seed stalks dyeing off. The seeding was long this year. Late april to early june. All gone now and the lawn is looking better.

This is one of my favorite spots.


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## Budstl

Beautiful sunny day here today.


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## Budstl

Happy independence day! Mowed at 4" today. Kbg looking good this year.


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## Justmatson

Thats a beautiful property you have there!
I really like the the gentle roll your yard has.


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## Budstl

Thanks @Justmatson. Appreciate it.


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## Budstl

Couple more from today.


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## Budstl

This lawn is looking great considering no rain and 90 plus temps. Been putting down around 1" from the irrigation. Put down .75 lbs of milo 2 weeks ago.



Almost all the glyphosate spots from last year have filled in on the front.


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## Budstl

First time growing Petunias. Man, these spread agressive. Pretty easy to care for.


These are waxed begonias. Planted over 200.


As for the lawn i put down prodiamine with fertilizer 12 days ago. Went ahead and dropped the hoc from 4 to 3.5. Think i went over the 1/3 rule and lost some color. Waiting for it to bounce back now. Won't be doing the fall blitz this year. I'll put down some hyrbrix the first or second week of oct.


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## Budstl

First fert of the season went down this morning.


Seed heads have been popping off for a week or so now. This should be the last full season of this lawn. Planning a reno next year for the back. As of now, mazama is the choice for a mono over the other 2 plots of bewitched and bluebank i have growing.

I'll be trying this fert out during the summer months.


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## TruGritLit

Looking great man. &#128077; those seed heads popping are always messin my manicured lines up this time of year. &#128514;


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## Budstl

Got a mow in today at 3.5". Heat index will be over 100 roday. The more sunshine the better the kbg looks.





At the back of the property had 4 yards of mulch installed.


Gotta love those clean edges.


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## ksturfguy

Looks amazing.


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## mak474

Looking great! I haven't been on in 2 years. I need to post pics. My yard looks night and day different. What are you using for striping? I want deeper stripes.


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