# Sfurunner's 2022 Lawn Journal - Mazama Monostand Renovation



## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

:shock: 2022 lawn goals:

- Reno the front yard if all of the other things get accomplished. Still in the planning stages but likely will be a one day reno. Glyphosate, verticut to loosen the top layer of sand, spread seed, and roll. Another round of glyphosate 1-2 days later. Will be a Mazama Monostand.

-Move a sprinkler head to another zone due to pressure problems.

- Add front yard drip irrigation to a new sprinkler manifold

- Hand dig a 30 ft long trench for a drip line for around the tree in the front yard.

- Raise several sprinkler heads in the front yard

- I'm considering spring seeding some of the bare patches. I have a lot of bare patches but given I'm renoing later in the year and the price of seed I may just deal with the ugliness.

- Continue working on the garden beds. Will have to adjust some drip irrigation lines.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Been taking advantage of the nice weather.

Was able to trench the irrigation line for the flowers under the tree. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and only took 2 hours. I'm sure I'll have some settling over time. I didn't trench that deep about 4-5 inches. Rolled over it with the greensmaster to even it out.



Nice photo of the soil profile after leveling a few times.



Finished project came out better than I expected.







Got some power washing in too. Very satisfying but it got cut short as my hose burst when my hose kinked without me noticing.





Also started some annual flowers (snapdragons, asters, peppers) on 3/12. I started a month later than last year so I'm hoping to have better success.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Finished the garden irrigation modifications last week. Wired the new manifold, turned on the irrigation and had no leaks. I'm happy with this set up and it should be able to provide me with whatever I need to water the front flower beds going forward. It was well worth the 350 dollars in parts to free up the hose bib and to be able to control it from my phone.



Naturally I had the wrong Size fittings once I found the main water line. Main supply line is 1 inch poly, I thought it was 3/4 in. The wire was in the way but I was able to T off the main supply line to supply the new manifold.





Connected the manifold to the supply line and connected the laterals. I have one extra zone. I may have to use it for the lawn irrigation, I'm hoping to start that project next week.





Redid the irrigation in this bed. Last year I laid the pipe vertically going with the slope. It lead to a lot of water running down the slope/tubing causing some rot on the bottom part of the bed. I'm hoping this set up will work a little better.



Prodiamine went down 3/22 prior to gentle rain for 2 days. Put down 0.25 oz/k. Given the teno this fall i did not put pre emergent in the front yard.

Upcoming plans are to adjust the irrigation the the front yard. When it was installed they had one zone requiring 12-14 gpm (I forget the exact number) but it was too much for my 3/4 inch 11 gpm main supply line inside the house and the zone wouldn't run. I was able to change some spray heads and installed lower pressure heads which temporarily fixed the problem but I'd like to correct the problem as it created unequal water distribution throughout the yard. I also have to add 2 sprinklers to the side yard as it was not installed with the proper number of heads. I may be able to add a sprinkler or two to existing zones but I have to add up the pressure usage.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Soil test came back today.

2020


2021


2022



Overall what I expected except I'm surprised my calcium levels didn't increase after 93 lbs/M of gypsum last year. Sulfur levels rose drastically as well as a significant decrease in magnesium which I'd expect. I'm guessing it has to do with continued sand top dressing and lowering my overall CEC. I have no further plans of top dressing or gypsum this year. Going to increase my potassium input as I haven't made huge strides with a 1:1 N/K input for the past 3 years. Phosphorus continues to decrease as I haven't had any phosphorus inputs in 3 years.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Managed to fix some irrigation lines today. My system is supplied by 3/4 inch cooper which provides ~11 GPM. When the irrigation was installed, one zone required 14.5 gpm. Unfortunately I didn't catch it at the time and didn't bother calling them back out. I think they accidentally put a 360 sprinkler in that zone. Managed to move the 360 to a different zone so now both zones are running at 10.8 gpm. I wish I had a zone with a little extra room as I'm definitely pushing the gpm but it runs without issues.

Cut the lateral a little short when I added the T fitting. I had a leak when I tested the system so I had to add an extra coupling.

Also managed to add 2.5 in risers to 5 other sprinklers.

Plan to add 2 more sprinklers to another zone along the side of the house hopefully this weekend. When it was installed they only put sprinklers on one side of the rectangle.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Finished the irrigation. Added two sprinklers to the north side of the house. Hardest part was finding the lateral line. After digging multiple holes without success, I figured I'd trace it back from an existing sprinkler head. I eventually found the lateral line and it wasn't even 4 inches below the ground, naturally i damaged the tubing.



Blue marks indicate existing sprinklers, red marks indicate new sprinklers. Hopefully it's not too much water as it is the north side of the house. Areas mostly mud since I gly'ed some triv in that area last fall.



I'm glad I have head to head coverage now, just need to do a few audits to dial it in. Before all the rain this week I cleaned out the garden beds and was able to get s clean up mow in. Front yard has a number of bare spots and looks terrible. No plans to reseed those this spring. Back yard is still waking up.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

3/30 
Planted 29 dahlias to start indoors. All but one sprouted. It took a good two weeks to see growth this year which was much longer than last year. I'll move them outside probably in two weeks

4/12 
Sprayed Tzone at 1.5oz/K to the front yard after work. I was in a hurry since it was getting dark so I missed a bunch. I installed a rain gauge in the backyard. The means I've been using to estimate rainfall prior to that has already proven to be almost 50-100% more than what I've actually received. Interested to see if that continues throughout the year.

4/13 
I planted 7 more dahlias that arrived in the mail, they've all sprouted at this point.

4/23 
Planted a bloodgood Japanese maple in the backyard. Need to finish the mulch ring around the tree.



4/24 
sprayed Tzone at 1.5oz/K spiked with tenacity in the backyard and cleaned up what I missed in the front yard.

I scalped a section of the side yard in a effort to move towards reel mowing 100% of the property over the next few years.





And a few photos after the first mow of the year a few weeks ago.


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## rookie_in_VA (Sep 27, 2021)

Your edges are a thing of beauty. How do you do it?


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@rookie_in_VA i used a half moon edger and a spade shovel. Definitely not the most efficient way but it works. I usually have to clean them up a few times a year.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Single doubles before it got too cold this afternoon. Color is still lacking. Night time temps dropping to mid-low 30s the next few days..:.



Newly scalped area still struggling but pushing new growth. Rain would be helpful.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Put down 1 lb/M of MOP and grubex a few days ago. Somehow the forecasted gentle rain overnight turned into 1.5 inches in a pop up storm. Moved some plants around the garden to make room for new ones. I also moved the seed grown plants outside to harden them off. Looks like the weather has finally turned and grass is starting to grow consistently. Color is still lagging behind and is very spotty.







Neglected backyard has lots of triv. I plan to start tackling that next year. Hoping for a reno in 2-3 years so I'm just letting it be until then.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Sometimes you just have to stop and take it all in.


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

Sfurunner13 said:


> 4/23
> Planted a bloodgood Japanese maple in the backyard.


The Bloodgood Japanese Maple is my favorite plant in my yard. Love the way they look in the sun and how the branches look when they mature. Also, them crispy edges. 🔥


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@Wile I debated a long time if I should get a bloodgood vs emperor I. I think the emperor 1 has a brighter red color that I like more but we went with blood because of its mature size. I do love the red color it brings to the yard. I'm looking to add a few blue junipers to contrast next year.


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

Edges are looking super sharp.

Did you have to run new wiring for the new valves?


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@Biggylawns thanks!

Luckily not. I had 4 unused wires in my old valve box so I just had to run a few feet to connect the two.

Whenever I add irrigation to the backyard I'll have to add a new manifold.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Weird weather this spring. Weekend temps will reach high 90s followed by seasonal 60-70 degrees next week. Last week between work, rain and choosing the garden over mowing I was significantly behind. Unfortunately an inch of rain last week ruined the azalea bloom in the front yard. Front yard required a double cut to get it clean. Backyard was approaching 4-5 inches and very stemmy. I only had time for single pass, surprisingly it doesn't look bad but it needed a double cut.

I spent a lot of time last week adding to the front garden. I only need to replace a few plants that didn't come back for some reason and it should be finished. I still need to add annuals which is another days worth of work. Roses are about to explode with their first flush.

On 5/19 I put down:
Tnex 5ml/K
Urea 0.15 lb/K
Iron 2 oz/K
Phosphite 4 oz/K

Short bloom for the azaleas this year.


Liliac in full bloom. 


Hydrangeas got nipped by frost early in the year. I love hydrangea macrophylla but they always seem to get damaged by frost. I need to start covering them every year. 


Front garden is coming along. Need to replace a few perennials, add drip emitters and mulch. 






Azaleas in the backyard are in full bloom. This may be their last year as they have to be removed when we expand our patio.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Sfurunner13 said:


> Azaleas in the backyard are in full bloom. This may be their last year as they have to be removed when we expand our patio.


I've been trying to figure out what this flower is called. Thank you!

I always do a double take when I see one of these shrubs. It's really nice.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@bf7 They are great shrubs! Not the most tidy and they don't like being pruned. They do best in part shade but the spring color is spectacular! Very woodland feel


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Enjoyed the nice day and did a double cut in the front.



David Austin roses are in full bloom. Might need to stake my rose bushes this year because they are flopping. I should have cut them back more this spring


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Diamond pattern looks great.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Spent more time in the garden the past few days. Got the boxwoods trimmed, a little late but the spring was cold. Planted 6 flats of impatiens along the front of the house. I also chose to plant them in between the boxwoods instead of petunias. I love petunias but to keep them looking great in July and August they require weekly fertilizer which I always seem to busy to remember. I like the impatiens because they require nothing from me but water which the drip system provides. I added 2 sky pencil holly's to bring some vertical interest to the front of the house.





I think the front garden is just about complete except for mulch and one more set of perennials. Really happy how it turned out.

Before



After





I cut a new edge into the backyard flower bed. I considered digging down and installing a retaining wall but opted for this instead



Snapped a quick photo of the backyard this morning. Gave the backyard its first Fert of the year. 0.75 lbs for nitrogen and 1 lb of potash. Front yard got 0.5 lb of N and 1 lb of potash.



Recovery coming along, slowly. Just in time for me to kill it.

4/27



5/26


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

June 1 
10 ml/M of Tnex
4 oz/M of Phite
1 oz/M of iron

June 3
0.9 g of sedgehammer 
1.5 oz of Tzone
1 ml per gallon for spot anthracnose flowering dogwood.

Front yard looks good. A couple hot days but timely rain events. I haven't had to run irrigation yet. Fungicide apps are approaching, i usually have to start mid June.








Bare root roses I bought this spring are finally blooming





As I was mowing this morning I noticed my white flowering dogwood tree didn't look right. Some of the Leaves look really dry despite adequate moisture levels. Upon further inspection a lot of the bottom leaves have lesions. I'm concerned for spot anthracnose. Propiconazole labels says 2-4 oz in 100 gallons of water and foliar spray until point of drip.I sprayed 1 ml (0.04oz) in 1 gallon of water. If anyone has had success treating this let me know, I love the tree and don't want to lose it.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

A little behind this year planting annuals. Planted the window boxes and pots the other day. I enjoy seeing how big annuals get throughout the year.







Photo doesn't do it justice but here's another reason why I'm moving away from ryegrass. The brown stems. Yard has a brown cast that will last far too long. @JerseyGreens don't do it.



I did an irrigation audit the other day and it could have been better. I have a few dry sections that unfortunately I can't do much about without adding another zone and digging across the whole yard. The worst spot recieves 60% less water. Another spot is 50% less. I'm going to mess with run times in the affected zone to see if I can equal it out a little.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

I found one area of dead/brown grass the yard today during my mow. No signs of disease. Seems the grass just turned brown and died. Only at 0.3 in deficit on irritation with it scheduled to run tomorrow. We got 0.5 inches of rain 2 days ago. I didn't see signs of stress yesterday. It has been hot the past 2 days and dry so maybe it's moisture related. I did pull a core and it was dry. Hard to believe it would have died that quickly but I don't know what else it could be. I did spray PGR and phosphite yesterday but not sure it would cause that kind of damage


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

I think next season I may add a wetting agent to the arsenal. I believe the dying grass is a combination of heat stress and a large sand cap. I need to get some close up pics but I don't see signs of fungus. Majority of the lawn looks okay but this seems to have happened 2 years in a row. It makes sense as I have several areas with large layers is sand that likely become hydrophobic.







Some of the good things.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Clutch cable on my greensmaster blew up the other day. Snapped in multiple places. Not sure if the cable was too tight or if it was just wear over the years. Either was bought a replacement from R&R and had it fixed in a few days.





Today I applied: 
0.10 lb N/M ( 3.87 oz per K)
0.5 lbs K/M sulfate of potash 
10 ml/M of Tnex
4 oz/M of Phite

I lowered the pressure on my spreadermate to 30 psi as I've been getting a little too much drift. Seems to have fixed the drifting problem but altered the output so my application wasn't as even as I would have liked.

I've found in June and the first part of July the lawn usually looks it's best. Ryegrass shines like no other but soon the disease will set in and I'll remember why I'm switching grass types but for these few weeks it looks awesome.

Hydrangeas are in their prime dispute half of them getting frost damage and losing the majority of their blooms for the season.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Been awhile since I've updated. Biggest issue has been lack of rain. We haven't had a measurable rain event in about 6-7 weeks. Been watering a full cycle every 4th day with a half cycle in between. Fungal pressure has been low and I haven't applied any fungicides except preventative phosphites with my PGR apps. I do have one area of rust but I let it be. Dollar spot risk is greater than 50% this week but since I'm Renoing I'm not going to preventively treat. Trees have been dropping leaves like crazy, you'd think it was fall.

I ordered some H20 maximizer pellets as a wetting agent. It's considered a holder so I'm going to test that with my sand cap to see if it helps with water retention in the upper layer. Im also going to try to melt the pellet and spray it out of my spreadermate.

I've also been battling spidermites on most of my perennials. It's been super frustrating and I'm losing the battle. I've never dealt with this pest before and I'm
Wondering if it's due to the lack of rain.

Amount of leaves that appear daily on the lawn the past week or two. 




Lawns not looking bad given lack of rain. Planning for august 20th gly and seed down. 1 month to go. Nervous but excited.







Backyard is somehow hanging on despite a 5.63 inch deficit.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

I did a final irrigation audit this week. Everything was about as good as I could get it except for 1 spot. It needed an extra sprinkler but I didn't think I had the GPM to supply it. I decided with the reno quickly approaching, this would be the best time to find out. I was targeting 0.4 in per watering sessions and this spot got about 0.1 inches. To make it worse it's on a slope.

I changed all my pro spray heads in that zone to 30 psi heads which gave me a little more wiggle room. Besides the hour long battle to retro fit the T fitting it ended up working out great. I now get between 0.5 and 0.6 inch per session which is much improved.

I finally think my irrigation system in the front is exactly how I would have done it if I'd didn't hire it out. I threw out the sod as it was compacted, hard as a rock and I had a feeling it wouldn't make it in the long run.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Your lawn and gardens look very nice. It's good you got the irrigation how you want it. Always better to just do it right and be done with it.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@SNOWBOB11 thank you. I'm hoping KBG is a better fit for me. I've struggled keeping rye alive every year. If I could get KBG to look half as good as yours I'd be happy.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Finally got 1.53 inches of rain last night. First major rainfall over 0.2 inches since June 18th. Won't help the backyard as it's at a 6.5 inches deficit but maybe it will
Help the trees and flowers.

2 weeks till reno/seed down. As I was watching the storm last night all I could think about was, once I drop seed I'm sure it will start raining like this every other night.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

This time next week I'm hoping the front yard will have received it's first round of gly. I had an infestation with cicada killers this summer. They made countless burrows in the yard which I left in place until I got the proper pesticide to eradicate them. Naturally the mounds of dirt smothered the lawn. I've seemed to have gotten ahead of the problem but it was alittle to late.







Backyard is hanging out despite the drought. It's had no inputs for quite some time. Half the yard is holding color since it's mostly in shade. I wish I knew how much KBG was in the mix.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Gave the lawn its final mow yesterday. Started off the morning by putting down :
H20 maximizer wetting agent 8 oz/K
Azoxy 0.35/k
Tenacity 4oz/acre rate (2.71 ml per K)

I'm pre germinating seed so I didn't want to apply the above to possibly germinated grass.

I watered all that in with 0.4 inches of water. Later that day I gave the lawn its final mow. After the mow i applied 
Urea 0.5 lb/k 
SOP 1 lb/k (meant to put down 0.5 lb/k but wasn't paying attention)

I watered all that in this morning with 0.2 inches of water. My thought is to feed it and encourage growth before I kill it off. First gly is Wednesday night, followed by another app or two Thursday.

Final photo of the lawn. Not it's finest moment but it's been a fun journey.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Got home early from work yesterday and decided to spray out the lawn. It was bittersweet. Naturally this morning the ground was wet from a rain event. Forecast was 0% chance. Rain gauge had nothing in it so likely we just got a light mist. It was definitely after 4 hours of my application so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm planning on one more blanket spray tonight of gly, and then Thursday I'll rough up the ground, spread some sand in the holes my son made, seed, roll and start watering.

Forecast shows thunderstorms Monday through Wednesday next week. I'm hoping pre germinating the seed and keeping my existing grass will help hold everything in place.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Seed down yesterday!

I pre germinated 7 lbs of Mazama KBG seed starting last Saturday morning. So for the propose of tracking ill call 8/14 seed down.

State of the lawn prior to reno:







As i mentioned in my last post I sprayed 2.5 oz glyphosate per K on Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Because I pre germinated my seed I decided to irrigate 0.2 inches on Thursday morning as I did not want as glyphosate left on the old grass leaf to potentially run onto my seed. I also put down azoxy, H2O maximizer, and tenacity as described above.

I started the day with final irrigation adjustments. I then aggressively ran my pull behind dethatcher across the lawn. It torn the lawn apart and really opened up the canopy. Unfortunately it created a lot of divots that I'll have to fix later.

[url=https://postimg.cc/CRRfgTfb]



I blew the debris off the lawn and then spread 1 ton of
Mason sand across some of the divots I had from erosion/washout. Using my drag was also very aggressive on the lawn and opened the canopy even further.

I then mixed my 7 lbs of seed with 1 bag of Milo. That will provide an additional 0.59 lbs/N per K. The seed did not appear germinated but I would not have waited another 2 days. The outer shell appeared to be opening and I'd expect to see some growth if left in the bag tomorrow.









I spread the seed with my basic Scott's drop spreader on setting 18 (highest level) and was able to go over the yard 4 times equally.

I set the sprinklers ( mp rotators) to run 5 times a day at 9 1130 200 430 700 for 7 minutes. That will give me approximately 0.24 inches per day which is slightly higher than our daily ET currently.

Rain is forecasted for Sunday night and Monday so we'll see how unlikely I get. Currently forecasted for 0.75 inches.

At the end of the day this is how things look: 
Post gly: day 2 
Post pre germ: day 4.5


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post gly: day 5
Post pre germ: day 8

Lawn is getting crispy. Green areas are much Shadier so I expect a much slower to die off. Still waiting for germination. I thought I'd see it today but I only could find a one or two at best. Im hoping to see them tomorrow. When I tried pre germinating indoors in July I had widespread germination in 7-8 days but that was under ideal conditions. It has been significantly cooler this week so I'm guessing that's the culprit.

I also was watering 5 times a day ( 9, 1130, 2, 430,7) for 7 minutes a zone. I've noticed some algae forming on the sand in shadier parts of the lawn therefore I backed down to three times daily. (1130, 2, 430)

Fingers crossed, due for an inch of rain over the next 24 hours but it looks like it's going to be an all day affair as opposed to thunderstorms. Hopefully washout won't be too bad.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post gly day 7

Post pre germination day 10

Not happy with the progress. I'm not happy with the amount of green left in the old lawn and I'm barely seeing any germination. I see some but not enough. I'm considering calling the pre germination a fail, doing another gly app and re seeeding.

Lucked out with storms yesterday and only got 0.66 inches. Most of the area around me got 3+ inches in 12 hours.







Best area of germination 


Better representation of the entire yard


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

It seems like all of us with reno experience are struggling this year. Mine was slow to get a good gly kill and super slow to germinate too.


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

The ground is just tooo damn dry with the drought going on all summer.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

g-man said:


> It seems like all of us with reno experience are struggling this year. Mine was slow to get a good gly kill and super slow to germinate too.


The only thing that's making me feel a little better is I've been following you and @Stuofsci02 reno and seeing you guys have the same problem. I'm just so accustomed to having KBG be up in 6 days with widespread around day 10.

For now Ive decided to leave it alone. I have a hard time
believing 2 lb/K of seed isn't going to germinate or has a problem. Less is more sometimes. I have off most of next week. I've decided that if I'm not satisfied or happy with progress in 1 week I will put more seed down. That will put me at Aug 31, late but still very doable. Im also going away the weekend which will help since I won't be looking at it everyday.


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

Sfurunner13 said:


> Overall what I expected except I'm surprised my calcium levels didn't increase after 93 lbs/M of gypsum last year.


I learned from Neal Kinsey(a soils expert), to never apply more than 1 ton of gypsum per acre each year. That would be about 46 lbs/1k sqft.

He said that much gypsum can actually pull calcium out of the soil, which seems counter-intuitive, but must have something to do with all the sulfur in gypsum.

Anyway, 46lbs per 1000 sqft he said is the maximum he can recommend and have the gypsum work properly.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

I think we are all accustomed to quick germination, that we forget KBG is 7-10 days under ideal conditions and up to 21 days…. We've been spoiled with results at day 5..

Took 6 days this year for me to see germination from Champion GQ.. normally I see it at day 4, so I think it is just the conditions, and perhaps I remember previous Reno's faster than they were..


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

Never heard about a follow up on the dogwood problem. It looks like some sort of disease with spots like that on the leaves. You needed to do a two punch fungicide treatment:
(a) systemic fungicide, and
(b) contact fungicide;

And fertilize to get full healing. Check pH and make sure it is acidic (lower than 6.5 around root base/drip line).
Love the yard shrubs/flowers


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

Quick follow up questions: Please share why you decided to go with 'Mazama' (I did too for my shady backyard), and
if you had it to do again (knowing what you now know), would you stay with 'Mazama' as a monostand?

Thanks for your insight !


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@Stuofsci02 thanks for posting those photos yesterday/today. Made me feel a little better with my lack of germination.

@lawn-wolverine I managed to snag a few photos of the dogwood today. Still has some lesions but it's looking better then it did for sure even though I still have some leaf curl and lesions. New growth looks healthy and without lesions. I only did that one foliar spray with propiconazole. What would you root drench with?

I went with mazama due to color, disease resistance and shade tolerance. It scored good on the NTEP Rutgers testing site which is close to my house. My backyard is half filtered sun with large oak trees. My eventual plan is to reno my backyard with mazama as well once all the hardscaping and irrigation is installed. I also followed @Synergy reno a few years ago and thought it turned out awesome. For now I don't have an opinion on it yet, still praying for germination.


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

Sfurunner13 said:


> Post gly day 7
> 
> Post pre germination day 10
> 
> ...


Sorry if I missed it but how long did you soak the seeds for in total? And how long for dry out before spreading? You got me worried now because I'm doing the same with mazama and pre-germing them. Also what store did you get the seed from?


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@LIgrass i soaked underwater for 24 hours, then took it out. Proceeded to rinse it every 12 hours. Started Saturday morning and seeded late Thursday evening.

My germination has increased to a point I'm satisfied but only in the areas that receive shade throughout the day.

80% of my Front yard receives full sun. I have a little to no germination in those areas to the point it's still concerning. I will say, I see more germination in the full sun areas compared to 2 days ago but even that's a stretch.

Despite some green algae appearing on the sand I've changed to watering to more frequent and less time. (5 minutes less then before total daily time). I'm now watering 1030 12 130 300 430 600 for 5 minutes. I thought was maybe the sand was drying out faster in the full sun areas leading to poor germination. Realistically I think I'm grasping at straws though because even the areas without sand have no germination if in the full sun. I I'm hoping things get better in the next 3 to 4 days.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post gly day 13

Post pre germination day 15 (day 11 from seeding)

Got home from the beach late yesterday afternoon to find a green hue over parts of the yard. The areas that are growing look great but I'm still not happy with the progress. I have more germination in the sunny spots of the yard but I feel it's not enough for how long it's been. I don't think I will pre germinate again as i feel it makes it harder to tell how far you are since "seed down". Shadier areas and along the road have germinated well so I feel it's probably a water/moisture issue. I'm also wondering if I buried the seed to deep when i initially rolled it in.

Weather looked too good to pass up last night so I spread another 2 lbs/K (5 lbs) over the sunny areas. I also decided to throw peat on top to help hold some moisture. I used 3.5 bales over 2.25K. I didn't roll the seed. I spread the peat in the dark so ill have to see how good of a job I did when I get home from work.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post pre germination day 18
DAS#1 14 
DAS#2 4

Things are finally progressing. Hoping the extra seed won't be a problem in another week or so. Still have large areas in the middle of the yard that are lagging behind. After putting down the peat moss it became apparent I had several areas that weren't staying moist. I adjusted some sprinklers to fix the problem. Issue was I didn't have the pressure the runs 360 degree heads so had to downgrade to a 270. The missing 90 degree areas are the problem spots. Also I'm going to base the reno off actual seed down instead of pre germination date as it seems more logical.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post pre germination day 25
DAS#1 21
DAS#2 11

Lots of progress this past week. Coverage over 99% of the yard. At this point I'm welcoming any rain events. So far not much overcrowding so I'm glad I put down extra seed. I've cut water to two-three times daily 100% of ET. I need to mow the further along areas under the trees as they are several inches tall. I plan to start fertilizing the whole yard next week.

















Way overdue for a mow.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

This is incredible coverage, congrats on the success!


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Prodiamine 0.25oz/K to the backyard 
Urea 0.5 lb N/K to the backyard 
SOP 0.5 lb SOP/K to the backyard

A little later than normal but rain has been few and far between.

Post pre germination day 27
DAS#1 23
DAS#2 13

I was able to mow half of the front yard reno yesterday. I was way overdue and it looks so much better after the mow. I did have a lot of grass lay over but I didn't have time to mow in 2 directions. I plan to mow the entire reno on Friday. I'm also going to start spoon feeding.

Amount of clippings from the reno


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post pre germination day 33
DAS#1 29
DAS#2 19

Things are moving along. I've mowed 3-4 times at 0.75 inches with the GM. Grass keeps being rolled over instead of cut so Ive been mowing more frequently. Im going to start watering once a day as we are about a month out from initial seeding. Im also going to start spoon feeding this weekend with 0.2 oz liquid urea watered in. Edges are a little thin but I'm sure they will fill in.













I also took some shots of the backyard as it never gets any love. Not bad for a 6 inch water deficit all summer.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

That is such even, consistent coverage on that reno. Nicely done!


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## kman6234 (Jul 29, 2021)

This is looking great! Nice even coverage. It will thicken up a ton with the spoon feeding


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

jskierko said:


> That is such even, consistent coverage on that reno. Nicely done!


Agreed! @Sfurunner13, can you teach us your ways?


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

@jskierko @Ben4Birdies @kman6234 thanks everyone! I think my uniform germination was due to lack of rain and an even irrigation system. I didn't have any washout which obviously helped a bunch.

Post pre germination day 39
DAS#1 35
DAS#2 25

Nothing major to report. I spoon fed liquid urea 0.2 lb N watered in immediately after application last week. Temps are perfect for grass growing, day time temps 70s with night time in the 50s. Given the nice weather and gentle rain today so I applied 0.46 lb N granular urea to reno. It looks like i have a little black algae forming in the shadier sections of the reno. I used a garden weasel to break it up as best I could. I'm watering still watering daily. If it looks wet I'll occasionally skip a day. Grass doesn't seem to flop as much when I mow and it's definitely maturing.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Looks great.. Amazing how KBG makes you sweat for 3-4 weeks and then rewards you with quick fill after that...


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

Ben4Birdies said:


> jskierko said:
> 
> 
> > That is such even, consistent coverage on that reno. Nicely done!
> ...


I believe that he HAS been doing just THAT! :thumbup:


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Looks great.. Amazing how KBG makes you sweat for 3-4 weeks and then rewards you with quick fill after that...


^^^ I wonder if that somewhat coincides with when we typically start throwing down 'the good stuff fertilizer'??


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

Beautiful progress and nice stripes are a bonus! How many mows have you gotten in so far?


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post pre germination day 46
DAS#1 42
DAS#2 32

@Ben4Birdies ive had at least 8-10 mows. I’m trying to do at least twice a week at this point. Cut quality is improving as it continues to mature.

I noticed some yellowing in a few spots a few days ago. It’s not spreading and I think it’s fertilizer burn from the granular urea. Went down with 0.2lb N liquid watered in this week before we see the remnants of the hurricane.

yellowing grass


























I have a few areas that had poor germination that will likely need plugs in the future. Irrigation was poor in these areas. 
















There is almost no germination against the wall. Not sure what I’m going to do with that area long term. 








The fore ground has a fair amount of thin grass that I’m sure will fill in. The bare sand area in the back has no germination, and will likely need a few plugs.


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

I could only post 10 photos so here are the weekly update shots. I also have a fair amount of Broadleaf weeds but have elected to skip the second round of tenacity. I’ll deal with the weeds in the spring. I don’t want to stress things more than I need to.


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

You look to be in really good shape for next spring. Just a couple rough spots to focus on an everywhere else let the kbg do its thing!


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## Sfurunner13 (Feb 26, 2019)

Post pre germination day 53
DAS#1 49
DAS#2 39

Another round of liquid 0.25 lb N this week watered in. We got 5.4 inches of rain last week from the hurricane as it made its ways up the coast. Grass was significantly overgrown. I’m having issues with my toro GM. Aftercut quality is quite poor. It may have been to an overgrown lawn and immature turf but I have a ton of missed blades even after a double cut. I’m due for a new bed knife but I’m considering replacing the reel as well. A little nervous to tear into it. I need an insane amount of contact to cut paper.


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

Looking really nice! Do most of your thin spots have at least a few plants growing in them? Spring time is going to be fun seeing this go into overdrive.


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