# KCBen's KBG Lawn Journal



## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

I am 4 weeks into a renovation and figured I need to start getting this back-logged.
--We moved to this house last August and there was a decent cool season mix, mostly fescue but lots of tall fescue that was severely clumpy and coarse. I was able to make it look nice and it had "distance potential". I used a mulching 21" mower with the Toro Striping Kit and was able to get nice stripes. The dark fescue striped nicely but I hated the bare ground between the clumps. In the spring I started mixing in some KBG seed and it filled in nicely. I had it weed free and made it through a hot summer. Mostly using Milorganite (much to my neighbors dismay 🙄), Spectracide weed stop, a round of quinclorac that got the crab grass that had made it through, and some granular humic.



--Other than the clumping fescue, something else that drove me nuts was the erosion that had occurred down the middle of the lawn and the poor layout of the city water meter and whoever installed the irrigation system. This area sat about 8" lower than the rest of the lawn and looked bad. The irrigation system was installed such that there was three boxes in the middle of the yard, and 4 more in the left and right 1/3's of the yard. With a total of SIX 6" circle covers and one 12" rectangular cover, there was way too much green plastic in my rather small front yard. Knowing that I was going to stew over the fescue and boxes in the yard all fall, spring, and summer, I decided that my reno would be this year instead of next.



--I began by digging up all the irrigation boxes covering the solenoids, lowering them, and burying them. I made a detailed map and I fully understand that if there is an issue, I will have to uncover them. In reality, I am not likely to need to get in them for a while and would rather them be covered even if I have to cleanly dig them up.
--I reworked the plumbing in the 12" box and moved the double check valve up into the landscaped area and buried it. I put a single check at the main and two drain valves so I can drain the system in the winter. 
--Instead of using a 12" box for the big unit, I cut a hole in the top of the 12" box and glued a 6" round box/cover on top so now its a more discreet opening to the larger box buried deeper.
--I had the city come out and raise the water meter cover to ~2" below my grass level.

9/2/18----With that irrigation fixed, I killed off the yard with a few rounds of glyphosate & pulled in about two yards of dirt to begin to level off the area. Once dead, I had an old Murray push mower that I basically lowered all the way to the deck and push/drug it across the lawn to get a low scalp.....dethatched....then collected everything.




9/11/18----I live in a KC suburb with heavy clay soil and certain areas that will stay saturated. With my desire to eventually be mowing reel low and level with sand, and in combination with the clay, I used an aerator to create my holes, collected the plugs, put sand down and broomed into the holes with about 10# of milorganite. I then dried/crushed the cores and used that as my final spread leveling.


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Welcome to TLF KCBen. I also live in Kansas just outside of Topeka. Look forward to seeing your results. I'm guessing it's been a struggle with all the rain the last few days.


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## dacoyne (May 27, 2018)

Welcome to TLF, looks good so far. I am enjoying the suspense.... Then what happened


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Having a hard time loading photos so missing a seeding pic 1 week I think

9/11/18----Put down Blue Wave KBG blend (blend of Diva, Geisha, Kelly, Merit, & Wildhorse) from GrassPad. Put down 3lbs of Lesco Starter Fert 18-24-12. Weather didn't stay cool as forecasted, but I kept everything damp.

9/17/18---No joke, saw germination after ~2 days in a shady spot but more uniform germination at 5-7 days. 


9/21/18---still growing. Pleased with overall germination.----main pic won't load but here a sprinkler pic for you :thumbup: 


9/25/18---still growing, filling in nicely



9/29/18---Macro shot of some pre-soaked seed that I used to fill in a couple empty spots & a neighbor dog pee spot  



10/1/18---Week 3 post-seeding...growing well. Counting down the days until I can mow. Roots feel good, I can give it a tug and it stays put. Have a fair number of toad holes. I though they were from birds but I went to fix one and found a toad in it.
A couple leaves starting to fall. Leaving town and excited to come back after not seeing it for 5 days.


10/7-8/18---Return from Vegas with less money AND to find that we have had a ton of rain (almost 6 inches), the grass is matted heavily, and leaves are smothering the grass. Feeling defeated. Was looking forward to mowing but can't even look at the grass without making marks. I did tried to lightly rake some of the leaves and fluff the grass back up each day after the night's rains beat it up. Just sitting here now....beating my head against the wall.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

dacoyne said:


> Welcome to TLF, looks good so far. I am enjoying the suspense.... Then what happened


Haha....sorry to keep you hanging. Trouble getting things loaded. It was going great until it didn't. Mother nature showed her force and has dumped about 6" in the last 30 hours on it.... Its a bit beat up and laying down. Im sure I will loose some but hope I keep enough to fill in.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

ksturfguy said:


> Welcome to TLF KCBen. I also live in Kansas just outside of Topeka. Look forward to seeing your results. I'm guessing it's been a struggle with all the rain the last few days.


Thanks! I hope it bounces back but I have no idea really. I was planning on mowing tomorrow before all this happened and now I am trying to figure out if there is anything I can do to help as much survive as possible. :shock:


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Rain is finally supposed to be out of here early Wednesday morning. Let it dry out a day or two and maybe by Thursday or Friday it will be dry enough to mow.


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## dacoyne (May 27, 2018)

I got 9" of rain in one day on my Reno last month and it layed all the new grass babies down in to the dirt. I took a blower and light rake over it and didn't lose any. You'll be fine based on your progress pics. Hit it with some N early next week to push growth and to sustain winter/encourage it to fill in. Great job


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Update a bit overdue. 
Currently just under 6 weeks post-seeding (9/11/18-10/21/18)

The yard dried out after the 12" of rain we had over 4 days then another 2" a few days after that🤯🤬. It was beat up & has been matted but time and using a blower has helped. 
I have continued my spoon feeding of urea 0.5N/K once a week. I have gotten two light mows since the rain. 
I just applied some humic acid & 13 essentials (~2 Tbs of 90% tera vita powder & 20ml of 13 essentials in 4gal water)

A few of the bare spots I've mini-aerated/seeded refreshed with top soil. 
I've spread a half dose of Scott's disease x and (fingers crossed) have seen no sign of fungal issues. 
Leaf smothering was a big problem during the rain so I blow it off every day.

Overall the grass in the left side of the picture is super dense and it fades as you go to the right side of the pics. The sun is behind the house this time of year and the dense parts get the most of it.

Still haven't sprayed with tenacity....I've been really please with how few weeds there have been. I used a lot of roundup on the yard & dirt before seeding. The weeds that i do see Injust hand pull for now. Mostly clover, with a little chickweed & crabgrass. My neighbor has monostand of crabgrass that goes to seed almost every time before he mows it 🙄.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Ohhh...and new toy....i mean tool! This bad boy will move some air!
I picked up the handheld blower from HD after the rain storms since it is powerful and a great price $119 with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. It had plenty of power for my needs but my hands would be pretty tired by the end of it.
I decided to switch it up and put the weight on my back instead. The backpack is noticeably more powerful. And i usually run it on 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. 
It is just as loud as the hand held but, in my opinion, it is quieter to the operator bc it's behind my ears unlike the handheld. 
Seems like a solid blower for a pretty decent price so far!
Bring it on trees!


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

2018-2019 Winter Bulk Upload & Summary:
Since things are about to get busy, I thought I'd try and get the Fall-Winter 18/19 uploaded.
-Reno with 9/11/18 Seeding (KBG, "Blue Wave" blend of Diva, Geisha, Kelly, Merit, & Wildhorse)
-After dealing with a very wet October 2018, things started to dry out a bit and the Reno did ok. Hard to know how much "loss" there was due to the rain.

10-23-18
Grass growing & trees really turning. Some areas (nearest driveway) were really thick & lush while others remain patchy.









10-26-18
Leaves starting to fall




10-28-18
Leaves REALLY falling


10-30-18 
Noticed discoloration amongst growing grass. Had just sprayed liquid humic on 10-21 and feel like I over-did it with the concentration and the areas of younger grass (from a follow up seeding of the thin spots) did not handle it as well. This and the fact that the younger grass was naturally brighter green than the older grass to start with. Pulled some up from the bright spots to closer ID. Based on the ligule, felt good that it wasn't poa a or t.








11-7-18
"Work" pic with the wife. Feed the horses the grassy weeds. 


11-24-18 
Had been using rotary mower up until this point. New I would go crazy if I didn't get the reel mower a try knowing that "WINTER IS COMING". Forgive the stripes. The (180) e-cuts are HEAVY compared to the SL's/C's/etc. and I was tearing it up a bit so I didn't feel it was worth correcting at the time. Was able to raise it up to almost 1.5" max HOC.


11-25-18 First Snow


12-17-18
Noticed a triangular patch of darker discoloration nearest the driveway and street that I think was some sort of fungus. No salt was on this area, and no snow was shoveled onto the yard over the winter. Closeup with arrows shows some gnarly looking blades. Threw down some Azoxy and sprayed some Myclobutanil.




01-12-19 Heavy & wet snow


2-6-18 Snow had melted and the front area didn't survive as well. Over the whole yard are several patchy areas from the reno that didn't grow grass. The grass surrounding these areas had lots of root exposure, as if dirt was washed away as well. The roots overall of the grass seem weak and shallow, like the grass can be lifted up. Ground is still fully saturated though and hopefully they become more secure as it dries out. Had several warm days so I threw down a light dose of Dithiopyr but it snowed two days after and stayed pretty frozen. Not enough to dissolve the granules which was ok since it was still nice and cold.


03-04-19
Got in my order of TNex. Split it and mailed them off.


03-09-19
Another 1-2" had melted and rain actually dissolved the Dithiopyr from a month prior in time for an actual warmup. Closeup shows the root exposure mentioned on 2-6.




03-11-19. Nice warm up. Days in 40's, soil temp maps say 32* soil, but that is a 10" average and my Reno roots are only about 2-4" deep, so I think its waking up a bit. Ground is still too soggy wet to be on. Some "before" pics for time lapse




03-16-19
Yard cleanup day since it was drying out and firming up a bit. ALLLLL leaves blown away. 
Found an interesting area on my small side patch of grass by the evergreens. During a couple warm days this winter (random 50*F days) I though a mole popped some grass up. It was promptly frozen solid again, so when it thawed I tried to smash it back down but the next day it would look fluffy again. I finally noticed grass growing from what looked like underneath the area. I lifted the area to find that the "Mound" was actually a large patch that some animal managed to uproot and flip over onto other grass. A smaller patch had crazy long roots growing through the grass below it. I put the large patch on it's parent bald spot and took the smaller one and am trying to use it as a "transplant" plug into a bald spot in the main yard. 








03-17-19
Found a bald eagle feather on my back patio. My laptop is 12" across for reference! Must've been a big one. The end was broken off, but based on the location of the "emargination" the missing tip would almost double it's length!



3-18-19 Update pic for an eventual time lapse


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## KHARPS (Jun 21, 2018)

@KCBen I'm also experiencing the roots on the surface as if some soil had been washed away in my kbg reno. It appears as if possibly the freeze/thaw cycles pushed the shallow rooted grass to the surface and I can rake it all up if I wanted to. I'm only noticing this in the more bare areas of the reno, especially in areas that were constantly saturated by all the rain we received this fall and winter. I'm also noticing a ton of damage from rabbits chewing on those same areas and leaving behind a ton of rabbit poo. I'm curious to see how your areas recover and I'm nervous about mine. I'm thinking about taking out the greensmower and rolling over everything a few times without the reel engaged to try and push those lifted areas back down. Is that something you've considered trying?


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

@KHARPS I thought about doing the same with the mower. It seems like there was a "pocket" between some areas that needed to be pressed back together as it thawed. 
I have a JD 180 E cut and my yard is so small and irregular that turning is an issue and I thought I would tear up some areas in the turns. I ended up using the roller from my Toro Striping kit bolted to a PVC handle. It only weighs about 20lbs but I think it helps with the bad areas. If I had as much yard as you I probably would use the mower and just plan out the turns accordingly...even if it meant rolling over areas more than once to turn safely.
The other thing I plan to do is start in with some frequent light soil/sand mix top dressings next week to try and cover up some of the roots. Good luck!


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## KHARPS (Jun 21, 2018)

@KCBen it was a mild 48 degrees and sunny today so I gave the back and side yards (approximately 6500 square feet) a roll with the JD 260sl, without the reel engaged. I tried to avoid the very back low area that has been saturated all fall/winter as best as I could but I got a little too close and ended up getting the 260 stuck. It was a chore to get that heavy mower out of there. It took about 5 min and did A LOT of damage and I know I'll be sore tomorrow after pulling/yanking that heavy mower out of there. I for sure thought I was going to have to pull out the come-a-long to try and winch it out of there but I eventually got it out by walking it out like a 55 gallon drum. Overall I'd say it was completely worth it though. The "loose" grass that was fluffed up at the surface was pressed back into the soggy soil and the damage occurred in an area that I was going to kill off this spring anyway. Sorry for blowing up your journal but I wanted to share that it seemed to be worth it to roll over those areas, but time will tell if the grass is able to re-establish itself.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Not sure what order the pics will load in from my phone.
3-20-19 stillllll waitinggg
4-2-19 first reel mow. Set to 1-1/8". Not fully awake yet but took the tops off the early birds. 
4-7-19 waking up nicely. Start spoon feeding urea
4-8-19 (hand and weed) root to weed ratio = why weeds are so successful
4-10-19 Found some Poa a. in two small patches. Hand pulled and put a few dimension pellets in the area. 
4-13-19 soil test returned and everything looked good, just needed nitrogen (new Reno last year so no blitz performed). Weekly spoon feed was with the screaming green sample. Side patch gets full sun and is growing strong and stripes heavy. Main front done in a checkered pattern for The Masters. I was pleased. Noticed some dark patches on some blades...almost black looking. Applied 3-4lbs/K Azoxystrobin and seemed to help. 
4-19-19 tried a single double. Like this pattern bc it helps with the turning in my small lawn. 
Also applied my first dose of Tnex PGR at 0.2oz/K with 1oz sticker and 16oz Myclobutanil.

4-23-19. 2 days post PGR, some slight burning on the more juvenile and small grass blades. Hasn't progressed as of today.

Plan to mow today.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Jeez I'm bad at updating my journal! Tons of rain here in KC...had to raise HOC to 7/8 since I havent been able to get out there and mow. First attempt at the double arches pattern and I like it!


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Nice looks awesome!


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

Very nice!


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## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

awesome progress and journal. Great photography work and the double arches look amazing!


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Nice job man, just read through your journal and your work is paying off. Grass looks great, also nice cars :thumbup:


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Thank you all! It's been growing like crazy with all the rain. PGR saving the day. 
And thanks @gregonfire ! The S63 is a new addition and I'm loving it. A beast in a tuxedo! 😎


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Been consistent with the PGR to keep it manageable after lots of rain in May. 
The dahlias are starting to bud...planted 27 tubers. All the rain in May made me nervous for rot. One little one affected so far. 
And I'm having a hard time photographing the begonia because it is so colorful my iPhone can't handle it. May have to get the good camera out and try.


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Awesome stuff @KCBen ! :thumbsup:


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## nocsious (May 14, 2018)

@KCBen 
I'm in Lenexa, KS and also did a KBG reno last Fall using the Blue Wave blend from Grasspad. Strangely my blend only had two cultivars but I don't remember which two they were. They do change the blend sometimes and I happened to get mine at the Bonner Springs location. Weed pressure was pretty minimal really and never did anything last Fall but pull some weeds by hand.

I had a lot of the same issues with washout with all the rain last Fall but my travel schedule kept me from putting down more seed. My reno was VERY slow to establish and roots were super shallow even going into Spring. Grass would pull up in mats with the shallow roots. Everything is doing much better now but I've had to pull plugs to get the sparse areas to fill in where the washout occured. With luck it should be totally filled in by the end of the season.

I'd love to reel mow, but the topography of the front yard makes that pretty much impossible, so I've been mowing at 2.5" with the rotary mower. Did you need to lower the pH as that's been my struggle along with shallow topsoil composed of clay mixed with lots of limestone mixed in? Not ideal soil.

I've been feeding it frequently and spraying liquid Humic. Still not convinced on the Humic, but whatever. Also, I've been trying to lower the pH with Sulfur for the last two seasons going from 7.6 to 7.3. It's a battle.

Looking good and keep it up!


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

nocsious said:


> Did you need to lower the pH as that's been my struggle along with shallow topsoil composed of clay mixed with lots of limestone mixed in? Not ideal soil.
> 
> I've been feeding it frequently and spraying liquid Humic. Still not convinced on the Humic, but whatever. Also, I've been trying to lower the pH with Sulfur for the last two seasons going from 7.6 to 7.3. It's a battle.


@nocsious 
Look for ferts that lower pH. They may not lower them much, but over time they might help. I think AMS will lower pH a tiny bit. The results may be negligible, but at least you're not raising pH.


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## nocsious (May 14, 2018)

@Chris LI I will use something with AMS in the future but I'm working through a stockpile of existing products in the garage right now. I'll probably need to buy some fertilizer this Fall. I really want to just do a big top dressing exercise with some good fine compost to help create some better soil structure.

It's funny but I've not used the striping kit and won't until it's all filled in.


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## Bobsled_time (Aug 7, 2019)

Did the city charge you to raise the main? I've been considering doing that (the cover for mine is sitting about 6" below the lawn surface) but I've been afraid of hearing what they'll want to raise it.


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## KCBen (Jun 18, 2018)

Bobsled_time said:


> Did the city charge you to raise the main? I've been considering doing that (the cover for mine is sitting about 6" below the lawn surface) but I've been afraid of hearing what they'll want to raise it.


Sorry, just seeing this. No they did not charge. Here at least, it was a full on "leak" crew that came to do it. 6 guys, two trucks, and a backhoe :lol: :lol: So mine was a rather minor job and they were REAALLLY pleased that I had dug everything out around the meter cover/main, and that I knew how high I wanted it raised. 
It took them all of 5 minutes. Fastest government work I have ever seen!


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