# Manny's 2021/2022 Lawn Journey



## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

New location, new cool season grass experiment. These are my previous journals Manny's 2020 Lawn Journal, Manny's Lawn Journal. Moved into this property June this year and realized that a lot of neglect had gone on over the years. There were neon green looking grasses mixed in with crabgrass all types of weeds, the actual grass appeared to have been sodded but was now very thin. There were areas with visible algae underneath. Other issues going on were the presence of insects, ants, spiders, grasshoppers and a few other things I am missing. My wife agreed to allow me to do a reno based on the result of the last project, her level of trust has increased. One thing that I was really excites me about the prospects is a well and a 10 -zone irrigation system put in by the previous owner. After some research I settled on a 4 way KBG blend (Everest, Blue note, Legend, Zinfandel) purchased from The Hogan Company.

As of the date of writing this journal the following has occurred.
•	Applied gly late July 
•	Soil test results returned with a 6.8 Ph and potassium of 56, so I elected not to add any lime at seeding. Phosphorus is really low so my plan on spoon feeding after germination.
•	Applied Spectracide Insect Killer (1 application hopefully another application before winter)
•	Scalped and bag clippings 2X.
•	Used a Greenworks dethatcher to remove dead grass and algae to improve seed to soil contact, picked up as much as I could with push mower and used leaf blower to really clear things out as it kept raining and I kept getting wash lines that I kept going back to remove
•	Attempted to correct some drainage issue from two down spots buried into the lawn before seeding and was unsuccessful. I do have a plan for a catch basin and drainage system to move the water into the ditch if the reno goes well.
•	2 more apps of gly to kill additional weeds that I saw coming up
•	Applied and watered in Scotts Disease Ex and Lesco 18-24-12 starter fert 2 days prior to seeding 
•	Applied Tenacity day of seeding and watered in
•	Seed went down between the 5th and 6th of September, I only rolled the seeds to give me the best seed to soil contact that I can get as I did not level the surface due to budgetary constraints, I'll have to do it as the journey continues, also the seeds were not covered as I did the same with my Bermuda reno and got good germination but it was just very slow to come in, upon speaking with the rep at Hogan Seed Company (Ben)I left the convo
feeling less worried to seed without spending an additional $254 on peat moss and another $100-$200 to rent the spreader. I do have a good bit of seed left to re address areas that might not do too well, so fingers crossed.










































Seed went down Labor Day weekend, whether looks ok its rained a lot around these parts the past 3 weeks, hopefully no serious down pour and really bad wash out will occur, the remains of hurricane Ida were not too bad for us, feel bad for the lives lost in it and all the damages and flooding caused.

*September 7th *

Decided to adjust the runtime on the sprinklers and increase the frequency which is much better than running one schedule starting every 4 hours. Currently, I am running 2 schedules staggered I still have schedule A starting at 5:30 am with a runtime of 7 minutes per zone, somewhere when that first runtime for schedule A is done I have schedule B staggered running for 5 minutes per zone all around it looks good except for some areas where the soil is not draining. I suspect that when the driveway was repaved the company compacted the soil to support newly laid surface and the area around it is part of that. So, I'll have to add some topsoil and reseed that area as the water sits there very long. I am thinking of cutting down the zone runtime for that area and see if its better. What are some better options for watering newly planted KBG prior to germination? do I have a good set up? or I need to turn it down a bit? I just don't want the seed to dry out as I am not using peat or any top dressing.

These are areas that appear to not drain fast enough compared to other areas, this entire section by the driveway have this issue, any suggestion on the best way to fix this? I am thinking a few layers of topsoil to help and see what happens, this area also seem a bit low.







*September 9th *

As most lawn fanatics eagerly look to see the first few germinated seed sprout out, I was taking a close look at what appeared to be new vegetation. I am not sure which cultivar is out to the fast start but germination is on its way on day 4. Crazy thing is I did a test bottle when the seed arrived and nothing grew. Maybe because I added fertilizer to the bottle. So, I am excited to see germination occurring very early.











I've reduced the runtimes of the sprinklers from 7 minutes to 5 minutes and 3 minutes in some areas.




It's been just a bit over a week and already seeing my babies stepping up to the germination plate.
I am really looking forward to another round of Tenacity to handle the onion infestation that's going on.
Hopefully, I can start spoon feeding soon really excited.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I'm impressed that was back breaking job with a big piece of property. Great seed choice it's really going to look good.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

@M32075 Thanks! fingers crossed. We were expecting some heavy rain/T-storm that did not hit yet  hoping to keep it that way as the next 10 days look really great. Afraid of washouts basically. But the entire process took just a bit over a month from when I started the kill (July 26th ) to seed down. I am tired and ready for some football.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Other areas that have started germinating. Honestly I was a bit scared. could possibly add more seeds after a month to firm up the light areas.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Had concerns about this area but will just watch it for now, I've cut back on the watering but not much can be done right now.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't think the tall grass is KBG. I would go out there and carefully paint those with gly.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Nice work on the reno - like gman stated - once you are comfortable to walk on the yard, hand-pull or paint all of that tall crazy looking grass with Gly.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Thanks @g-man and @JerseyGreens I am not confertable to walk on it yet though deers are ok with taking a stroll on it and leaving tracks behind. I want to give it one more week before I go on it. The tall grass appear to be wild onion. Do any of you have experience dealing with well water. Either it's causing algae to build up much faster than it should. I did start watering heavily when I seeded but have dialed it back to 3 mins per zone and running 2 schedules set to water 4 times a day. Is this still too much water? I plan to add some seeds this weekend to thicken up the weak areas and bare spots.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

So, it's just about the second week of seedlings emergence. Been keeping up with the watering schedue and have seen good growth. I plan to back off little on the watering as the DMV area is slated for 1-2 inches of rain this week over Tuesday and Wednesday. After the 3rd week, my plan is to work on the weak areas and fill bare spots. I really want to do the second app of Tenacity but will hold out until the first week in October, looking to start applying the 0-46-0 fert or equivalent hopefully 2 apps before November where the plan is to star shutting things down for the winter. This is how things look so far.



I plan to add some flowers (Hastas) or water loving plants as a have a sump pump that drain on this side of the yard




Will add some additional seeds in this area but a bit happy with it.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Looks good. I would back off the watering as you have good germination. Also looks like you have a decent amount of shade - those areas definitely need less water now that temps are cooling.

Start feeding this soon per the Reno guide.

No experience with well water and algae - sorry.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

@JerseyGreens I am thinking the following. I have a battery pack sprayer arriving tomorrow. Looking to start feeding next week, both products are sprayerable.
https://www.landscapesupplyva.com/products/nutrol-0-50-32
https://www.landscapesupplyva.com/products/bulldog-9-45-15


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Focus on N for the near future.
46-0-0 - Urea granular with a Wizz Spreader. Check to see if you have a SiteOne near you or any AG store - they should have it.
I see that you are low on K, I'm pretty sure you can spoonfeed, 0-0-50 SOP granular as well to get that up.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

The goodies are in! I've got no experience with spraying Fert but I've seen the result others have had. So, I am looking to replicate these results or get close to them. My goal this weekend is to take the advice given above and gently brush on some gly on the wild onion and others that I can without having any accidents. I'll give it a day to absorb then start the spoon feeding weekly through the month of October before shutting down for the winter.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Today, I got a chance to apply my first 46-0-0 spray application. I am not sure if the math is correct, but I was able to spray my entire space. I did have some product left but might had been due to my pace. 


I took 0.2/0.46 =0.4348, than took that amount and multiplied it by 12 (12K lawn space), so 0.4348*12=5.218.



I tried to get it as close as possible but one or two prill changes things. I then took the 5.218 and divided it by 4 and got 1.3045, so I rounded up to, 1.305 to give me the amount of of product needed in a 4 gallon mix with my backpack sprayer to cover my space.





This was my first time spraying 46-0-0 so please steer me in a better direction of more accuracy. I turned the irrigation on for 3 minutes for each zone to water the product in.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Did you apply 16.306 oz x 4. According to your math you state 1.3045 lbs. You have just over a pound on the scale. To get 1.3 lbs you would need around 21 oz. Just means you applied 0.15 instead of 0.20.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

@Baretta thanks, I added 1.305lbs ish of product to 4 gal of water every time I mixed it. I figured that the 16 ounces gives me the one pound and the .305 or .306 in the graphic was the rest. I can do more per your guidance next week


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

So, yesterday was about trying to get some type of first cut in. Put the rotary mower on the lowest setting (1.5inches) with the bag attached and administered the first cut. I had looked at some type of remedy for the wild onions but could not find anything suitable for newly planted grass. Had some Image but it can only be used on warm season grass and Quinclorac 75 DF had a 28-day window but mostly would have affected putting down additional seed. Everything was plowed along with the grass. There's a good chance I'll be back. Went back a realized that I put down less than my projected amount of seeds. So, instead of keeping it and exceeding the test date over the winter I decided to sow all that remained except for some 6 lbs. for emergency use in the spring or when needed.









I addressed some bald spots by adding additional seeds these spots bothered me and were very visible from above, I know its early and area are supposed to fill in but I rather not chance it. There's one is by the mail box by the curb back of the property where I did not add any seeds but everywhere else was basically seeded for the second time. The coverage the first time around was decent but a lot can go wrong with seeds so I can live with crowding in the lawn but not with a scanty area that won't fill in.



















There a lot of weed pressure in parts of the lawn specifically the area where I added top soil from the local nursery. I focused on disarming the plant of the seeds and did a blanket application of Tenacity with surfactant. This was my second application. I'd like to do a Quinclorac 75 DF application before things slow down and things shut down but we'll see how it all plays out.









Below are additional pictures of what progress was made so far.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Even though I am chasing perfection like most on this site, so far, I am happy with the establishment results. I've been down and under and really have not had the chance to really feed the lawn. To date I've got only one app of urea and potash down. 




























When spring time come around I'll loosen up this area and add some more seeds. As for the curb strip area that no seeds was added I'll treat that in the spring as well.


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

That's coming along great! Every time I see blue note and everest it just makes me happy. Something about those are so pleasing to look at.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

a quick look back at where the project started from to where it currently stands.





around my last update some funky stuff was happening with the project. Got some help from the forum and it has since slowed down or not happening, at least I've not seen new areas come up. I attacked it with some 24hr grub killer and did a Urea and Potash app. The very next week I went ahead and hit it with 24-0-11 which sent the lawn into a nice dark green state I assume the lawn really liked it. as things are winding down and plans to shut the irrigation system down around thanksgiving, I'll try to do maybe 2-3 more urea application and one more potash app if I am lucky. so far so good no major issues. On to next spring!! fingers crossed. below are some pics to share.















Things have been slowly filling in now that the temps have dropped none the less progress is being made.














looks like some type of fert burn hopefully not


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## rookie_in_VA (Sep 27, 2021)

Kudos for a great project!


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

@rookie_in_VA , thanks! its been brutal..


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

First Post of the 2022 Season, Came out of the winter with a hefty poa infestation on the curb strip, side strip and other spots in the lawn, the main lawn not so much as the other areas. Other friends joining the party were wild onions and some other weeds which were hit with a Speedzone and Tenacity cocktail. As for the poa, its still going, I've hit it twice with tenacity and did see some yellowing on some of them but others were still green. Because of a slow response rate and a lot of seeds heads visible, I decided to chop things down and bag up as many seeds as possible. I know there's more in the soil but just couldn't allow more in there. 




The lawn is waking up, so I want to try a thing or 2 and see if it helps slow down the poa seeds production. I've seen other do the PGR and tenacity approach on here to taking out the poa and I am willing to try it. Most of all I want to focus my program on preventive approach vs. fixing the problem when it happens.

To date this season:
I dropped some 0-0-7 pre-em from Lowes, not sure how good that product is but just wanted to start early and put something down. Decided to scalp the lawn to around half inch to help the granular get down faster and dropped a bag of 19-0-7 for more protection and to help things green up, I do plan on doing a second app but with liquid (Dimension) and I'll be done for the season. I do plan on adding more seeds to fill in things better around the august time frame.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Can't do anything about what has already happened. Yes things could have been a lot better but have to remind myself that I've not gone a full season with this renovation. I am starting to think I might have overreacted but than every time I see the side strip and curb strip I am like good thing I took action when I did. I don't think I'll be able to recover all the effected areas the infestation was just to strong. So this is the plan for the rest of the first year of the reno.

1) Work on improving areas of standing water, I need to install a catch basin and direct water to the ditch area.
2) Work on filling low spots to discourage puddles when it rains.
3) Push the lawn with urea like no tomorrow. I want to use PGR along with this program to see if it helps thickens things up.
4) I am hoping I can over seed first week in August this time around to take advantage of the fall pre-em window.

below are some pics of where things stands



The side strip green up a lot but the infestation is still evident.




The curb strip has not green up as other areas did and seem to be struggling.




The main lawn was not as infested as the other areas but it has it own issues that needs to be addressed.


This section of the lawn was the hardest hit area with POA I kinda just give up and let it go.




This vantage point give me hope. So back to the grind!


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Still plenty early in the Spring for things to start looking better (although I do think your better areas have really good color). Remember, you scalped it down and growth is still limited. Even if some areas seen like they've recovered, not everything is going to come back at the same rate. I'd hand pull POA A for 20 minutes a day for the next 1-2 weeks and see if you can tackle some of those sections. If you do decide to push N and incorporate PGR, don't push it too deep into the warm weather or else you are asking for some brown patch or worse. Keep a fungicide on hand and know when to call it quits when environmental factors are not in your favor.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

@jskierko thanks for your observation. I kind of panic with the first chance to go outside. Planing to get some Propiconazole in soon. Yesterday 4/15, I applied the first PGR/Urea app and let it stay over night as temps are low, I watered it in this morning for about 6 minutes per zone. Also, thinking about dropping a bag of 30-0-10 once the PGR takes over. PS. your work is impressive beatiful front yard and property.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Late update: No matter what I do Poa A is here to stay for the foreseeable future  I am not giving up tho, I plan on doing an app of Meso, today, 5/11, Onion and other leafy weeds are mostly gone, only a few grassy weeds continue to show up. every now and than, I check for crabgrass, I've seen about 3 in the crevices of the drive way and lawn but nothing serious fingers crossed the pre-em is working, Feel like I am behind on some other things that I wanted to do like the drainage issue resolution and the leveling in some problematic areas been battling some back issues so that has slowed me down a bit. There are some good signs of the potential of this project. Below are pics from the last mow, currently have the machine set to around 7/8" and was able to lay some strips. Below are pics some pics.







These are my other two mini projects going on, the work bench has been completed and the lawn rake/spreader DIY tool is still in progress. The azalea that were planted are are booming and adding some nice color around the place.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

So, the month of May was managing the POA invasion and attacking other weeds that came along. As for the poa A its starting to die off as its now in the 80s and 90s. I applied some urea here and there but was not constantly hitting it. Had some fungus issue from when I tried to deep water weekly for about 2 weeks and treated with Lesco Spectator (propiconazole) was told to do a second app 28 days later. Also, applied some insect and grub control products but still have some ants around parts of the lawn that does not appear to be causing any problems. I am having issues with my GM1600 and have used mostly my timecutter, resulting in raising the HOC 2" which is where I'll keep it for the rest of the season until I can have it repaired. I am unable to start it without starting fluid, so before I go buying a new reel, lets see with going on with it. I was able to fill some low spots with compost, there's some rain that's due to fall tomorrow, so decided to put it down today. There are other areas that need to be filled as well so maybe over the weekend. updated pics below. 



















Was able to finish this makeshift leveling rake which is very helpful.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Its time for another update! This update is for parts of June and July.
surprised by the level of growth a few months back I decided to lay off urea, I read somewhere that fertilization would make Poa A stronger and allow it to live much longer into the summer. DMV area been getting a lot of rain and thunderstorms. Also, went through a moment of heat stress as I was not getting enough water down. When needed I run 30 minutes per zone starting 5 am and another 10 minutes per zone at 4 pm. With that being said there's always work to do.


 more filling to get done I started off with compost in some areas but did not like the results, so I switched to topsoil compost mix, the soil was cheap and not screened but not bothered about that.


This area was previously filled and is settling and recovering



most of the areas in the pictures below I've worked on filling as this was something that I was going to come back and do.








This area was previously filled with compost, it seems to be settling but still have some puddling issues during major rain storm which might be ok for now as the 3rd Phase would be adding sand and organic materials to level things out.


This area by the down spout bugs me, I plan on filling it but don't know when, I need a solid plan. I'll have to fill that section and reseed, so maybe next year or this fall, as I am heading into phase 2 of the project in a few weeks.




Although there are some trouble spots to work on, the lawn looks decent from a distance






















Also going on is a tree ring project for 3 of the trees in the front. I do not know where all this energy will come from but little by little I'll get it done!




When the second phase start this would be my plan

I understand the idea of not over-seeding KBG as it has characteristics of spreading and filling on its own.
however, I am taking into consideration my soil type, I have mostly clay and feel that KBG will take considerable more time to move through it. Also, looking at the amount it would have cost me to laid sod on some 12,000 sq ft of space. At this point my cost is not even close to 1/3 of that amount. I plan on over-seeding the second week of August pending on weather conditions. The other reason that I want to over-seed is to get the thickest lawn and discourage weeds with not so much chemicals being used all the time as I am on a well. Below are my steps.


Last week in July cut with rotary on lowest setting and bag clippings
Few days later apply PGR, wait 2 more days
Scalp down to 1/4 " detach and suck up as many clippings as possible
throw down some Scotts disease X and starter fert
seed and water, after 10 days hoping to get germination
first week in September throw down some pre-em, follow by liquid application of pre-em a week later, 3rd week of September, throw down some 0-0-8


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

Could have, would have, should have, but not angry, could I have waited a few more days before seeding yes, yes, yes, but I didn't 

• July 29th cut down to 1 ½ inches and bagged clippings, been cutting at 2 inches since late spring.

• July 31st applied mixture of T-Nex, Tenacity, Propiconazole, and some Quinclorac, I ran out of Quinclorac after the first 4 gallons mix, and Tenacity after the 3rd 4 gallons mix. So everywhere got Propiconazole and T-Nex, hopefully I can reduce the HOC to Half inch or a little below and detach and bag second round of clippings.

• August 3rd, started scalping by sections, completed this task on the 7th of August


Not sure what type of warm season grass this is but its coming over from my neighbors side, I had gly this section last year when the reno started but I guess its still living.











As I was monitoring the forecast the previous week I do not recall anything about monsoon conditions there was rain in the forecast, doppler images during the news cast didn't show the
heaviest rain in my area, on to seed down.

• Monday August 8th, over seeded about 30lbs @ 2 lbs per 1K, and rolled the seed in most areas but not all, 
the areas I know were prone to water accumulating I went over a few times, later that evening and next 
day Tuesday I ran the irrigation,

• Wednesday August 10th, this happened, 


No turning back at this point as I watch the storm roll in from the front porch.



• Needless to say the expected outcome of this over seed has changed by a lot













• This morning, August 11th, I went out to inspect the area and yes there's seeds in areas I didn't drop them but there's also some seeds are still where I left them hopefully all didn't wash away, dislodged yes, for sure.


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## Mondeh6 (Jul 4, 2018)

So, a really late update! but things didn't end up too shabby. Granted I didn't get 100% but I can see the improvements. About 10 days after I inspected the area after that massive down pour I went on vacation so it was difficult to really monitor germination. I did see some seedlings before heading to Costa Rica. I set the irrigation system to handle things while I was out of town for a week.
some vacation pics below to share














































When I got back there were some growth, waited another 2 weeks (2nd week in September) when it was safe to applied pre-em, I did a combination of liquid and granular. The following products were applied.

Green Yard Crabgrass Preventer with 15% Dimension
Country Club 12-24-8 starter fertilizer 
Dimension liquid app @ label rate. 
I didn't take pics how things looked at that time as other priorities got in the way. I decided to start cutting low to get things where I like it. There's some spots to fill. The first cut was @ 1.25" and second time about a week later @ 7/8" where I desire to hover around when I mow. Overall I am excited about the progress ahead. We've had some 6 days of non stop rain around the DMV and I didn't take advantage of putting down some Scotts disease ex but will do so this weekend as I am planing another round of final over seeding. It seem difficult to get Legend KBG as I was told it didn't yield a lot this year it was omitted from the mix when I seeded in August. Spoke with a rep at Twin City Seed who recommended New Moon KBG, as I am looking to thicken things up and get a little more darker appearance. Below are some pics from the first cut @ 1.25, really nice strips, I am already getting questions and complements.


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