# MarshalOfFire's 2020 Lawn Journal



## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Hi! I recently moved to NE Wisconsin from SW Michigan and bought a house with a seriously neglected lawn. Now, my house in Michican had been transformed into something fairly decent. House in Michigan:


I was quite please with that, I had irrigation and very few weeds. I was working towards a reno for a straight KBG yard. But, alas, I got an offer for a job out of state and had to take it.

We moved into our house in Wisconsin in November. The pervious owner had the theory that if the grass died, it didn't need to be mowed. Even in November, with all the leaves under the snow on the ground, I could tell there were a bunch of weeds. The lawn was also very unlevel, to the point where the grade next to the driveway was 2" below the slab, you could put your hand under the concrete!

I started by bringing in 4 yards of topsoil the first week of April and filling spots as best as I could. I used a LevelLawn to level the spots while maintaining slope away from the house and driveway. I also added landscape lighting around this time. Picture of that:


I dethatched the yard, overseeded and threw down some Scott's starter with meso. I also purchased gallon of Air-8, RGS, Greenepunch, and Microgreene. My "mysoil" test said my micros were low, as well as sulphur, so I aimed to up those this season. I have located an extension lab that I will be using for testing going forward. I was also concerned with getting deep roots to help the grass survive summer. Without irrigation here, I dont want to be out dragging around a sprinkler in 90 degree wearher.

I over fertilized this spring, trying to bring the lawn out of dormancy and help it recover from a decade of low macros. This led to fungus problems, so i threw down Disease Ex in May. I am starting to see warning signs of fungus creeping back in, so it may be time for another app of that. I put down 6 bags of Milorganite tha last week of May (1lbN/M)

With the N-ext products gone, I bought a gallon of Hydretain and 2.5 gallons of RGS and Air-8. My soil is super compacted clay and I am hoping to loosen it prior to performing a mechanical aeration this fall. The Hydrerain went down the first week of June with another app of RGS and Air-8.

That brings us to today:


I am fairly happy with the recovery and seeing what some TLC will do to a yard. I am noticing a ton of Poa A and a boatload of quackgrass, so a reno may be in short order. I would really like to have a straight KBG yard, but will need to figure out watering first. Maybe next fall at this point.

Next on my list is to put down FAS this weekend and XGRN in 2 weeks. I will alternate FAS and XGRN every two weeks, weather dependent, until August (2 apps of each). My goal is to limp it through June and July, and hit it hard with CX-DIY in August and September, then spoon feed urea through October and November.

I am debating a preemergent in July to help prevent Poa A. I do not plan to overseed anymore this year, and have some prodiamine from not putting it down this spring. Thoughts?

I would love to hear any suggestions on ways to improve. I know I will need to do massive leveling project at some point, but can't decide if I want to wait for a reno or just do it. Thoughts on that?

Thanks for reading, I will try to update as much as possible. It has been a crazy spring, so hopefully the summer is good to my lawn.


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## Kallgren (Nov 10, 2018)

Looks nice, well done so far!


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Thanks, definitely a 10ft. yard. As in, looks good from 10 feet away.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

In looking at other journals, looks like I need some goals.

1. Level, level, level. Mowing is an exercise in frustration due to the lumpiness.

2. Murder weeds, both preM and postM.

3. Prepare for reno next fall. This includes good cultural practices and figuring out watering efficiently without irrigation.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

It looks like you've made some major gains already. How many apps and rate of RGS and Air-8 have you applied so far, and have you seen results? I just got my pair of 2.5's yesterday and did my first app today.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

I have put down one gallon each across the whole 11.5k, plus another app of 6oz/M from the bigger jugs. The first gallon of was spread across three different apps two weeks apart and the last app was with Hydretain.

I went from 1-2 inches on the screwdriver test to 5-6 inches in some places. It seems some areas took it better than others. My yard is heavy clay, it feels just like modeling clay, if that makes sense.

I realize its not a quick fix. I am going to shoot for monthly apps now at the 6oz/M rate. Coupled with the mechanical aeration this fall, hopefully I can loosen this stuff up.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Great info! Thank you.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Mowed today, I am mowing every three days right now at 3.25 on the Super Recycler. I will bump it up to 3.75 here before long to see how it likes it, with summer coming. It may not want to stand up at that height.

I applied 2.0oz/M of FS and 1.7oz/M of AS to the yard. I spot sprayed weeds and glypho'd the weeds under the pines. I also put down three bags of Disease Ex.

As I was mowing, I did some investigation and found a bunch of leaf spot again, which is what I had early in the season. I will switch to prop for the next app cause I have done azoxy twice now. This may be something I fight all season long.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

In preparation for Indelendence Day, I put a liberal dose of Bifen on the yard, trees, house, pretty much anything I could reach with my sprayer. Now to mow and hang the flag out.

Not much else to update as the yard is in cruise mode. I dont want to put too much N to push growth right now without irrigation. I have been impressed with the ability of clay soil to hold moisture, my last house was sand and needed water every 2-3 days.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Obligatory post mow pictures:






Drought stress is setting in, i plan to let it go dormant, if it gets there.

Also, the big brown patch is from the slip and slide. The "landing" area is the only area that burns, but it will recover.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Spilled RGS smells like protein skimmate from a saltwater aquarium... and the whole garage smells bad when you spill it on the floor.

And if you get heavy handed with Soil Loosener from SLS, it makes a lot of bubbles. Like a freaking lot.

That is all. Much needed rain today.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Ouch! I hope the Rgs wears off soon. What method did you use to apply the Soil Loosener? Last year, I went at a heavier rate with a hose end sprayer, but it wasn't too bubbly. Do you have photos? Thanks for the reminder. I need to get some down in a few bad spots.


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

since you are not over seeding , I would PRE M to attack and limit POA A . Really bad this year . Thrown down post aeration.

i think humic /AIR8/RGS will help with compaction , incremental benefit over time


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Definitely some triv popping up, dried, thin blades and pulls easily by hand. I will keep these areas on mind next fall for the first phase of my reno. 




Most of the yard looks decent after the 3" of rain we had. It did highlight the fact that this heavy clay soil needs to be dealt with. I am planning a little work this fall, but short of a full reno.

I reserved an aerator for July 29th, my plan is to scalp the yard, dethatch heavily, aerate, rake the cores, and spread garden mix soil across the yard. I am hoping this will help improve the soil structure faster than organic fert or N-ext apps will.

I will do the same thing next year, only with the kill and fallow of one section (about 4k square-foot). Only reason I am not doing it this year is irrigation. I need more time to plan and dial in irrigation before I nuke a significant portion of the yard.

This is what the good spots look like right now. Due for a mow today, blades sharpened and mower fuelled up, ready to go.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Chris LI said:


> Ouch! I hope the Rgs wears off soon. What method did you use to apply the Soil Loosener? Last year, I went at a heavier rate with a hose end sprayer, but it wasn't too bubbly. Do you have photos? Thanks for the reminder. I need to get some down in a few bad spots.


I used my backpack sprayer. I currently do not have a hose end sprayer, but that probably would have been better. The first tank was fine, but the second and third were a bubbly mess (I used 3 tanks to cover the whole yard). I didn't get photos, unfortunately. I will stick to the 1oz per M label rate in the future.

As of today, no more RGS smell, so that was good. I was rushing to try to get an app in between rain showers and in my haste, spilled some. I was surprised how easily it hosed off the garage floor too.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Chris1 said:


> since you are not over seeding , I would PRE M to attack and limit POA A . Really bad this year . Thrown down post aeration.
> 
> i think humic /AIR8/RGS will help with compaction , incremental benefit over time


Definitely looking at a pre-m. I have prodiamine, both granular and WDG 65. Eventually I would like to just use it year round and not have to seed.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Sprayed some FAS today cause I felt I needed to do something. I went with 2oz/M of both AS and FS. I also used a nonionic surfactant for the first time with FAS. Not sure if it helps or not, but made me feel better.


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

I have used 4oz FS per M cool season turf, no burn


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

@Chris1 that is good to know, thank you! I have been slightly disappointed by the response I have gotten using FAS, and just chalked it up to my crappy 15 year old grass types. I will slowly increase it to see if that helps.


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

sure , i incrementally went up. nothing much at lower rate. i do add AMS


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

https://www.wiltonthinlinetrenchingspades.com/store
Wonder if this could help reduce yard destruction when running irrigation. I am debating one for running pex to my veggie garden so I done have to wrestle 100+ foot of hose all the time.
I am in NE WI as well and have a Sun Joe dethatcher/scarifier if you want to try it out. I laid up for the summer and won't need it for awhile. PM me if you want.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

BobLovesGrass said:


> https://www.wiltonthinlinetrenchingspades.com/store
> Wonder if this could help reduce yard destruction when running irrigation. I am debating one for running pex to my veggie garden so I done have to wrestle 100+ foot of hose all the time.
> I am in NE WI as well and have a Sun Joe dethatcher/scarifier if you want to try it out. I laid up for the summer and won't need it for awhile. PM me if you want.


That trenching spade looks awesome! I am thinking of a DIY inground irrigation system and that looks like it would be super handy.

I appreciate the offer on the SunJoe, I actually have a Greenworks dethatcher I purchased a couple years ago. They appear to be unobtainable at this point though.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

There are YouTube videos on that trenching spade if you want to research more. If you use it please share your experience.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Get that pre m down early and have enough for a second application for long coverage time. I noticed the second application helped me after two seasons cut my POA to almost nothing. Lawn looks great keep up the good work.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

I am in desperate need of an update here. The last week of July I dethatched, aerated, and overseeded. I chose to overseed because of how this the lawn looked after the scalp and dethatching. I used Schultz KBG from Menards. I fully understood the risks and just needed something to get me through to the reno next year.

I put tenacity down at 5oz/k at seed down, which was August 1. Wouldn't you know it, the rain stopped and it got super dry. I have been watering and keeping it moist as best as possible through the heat wave. I dropped Milo at 1lb/N/m a week ago as the first nitrogen since overseeding.

The pictures below show how it looks as of tonight. There are still some dry patchy spots, mostly near the driveway and curb. I am hoping they fill in once the temps break this weekend and rain returns.

Plan going forward is tenacity again on Labor Day, along with CX-DIY. Another 3 weeks and more CX-DIY. Then put down prodiamine on October 15ish with a last app of nitrogen. My plan is to use straight AMS for the last app.

Goal is 3-3.5lbs of N total this fall as a mini nitrogen blitz.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

How much have you been watering? Near Appleton things got pretty crispy till a bit of rain yesterday, not even much bit it was something.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

I was doing every evening 15 minutes per section, and every third evening for 30 minutes per section. It has been super crispy the last few weeks, but I wasn't going to lose fresh seedlings over the fear of a higher water bill.

I am using a simple oscillating sprinkler, so watering takes forever (9 sections...). I am ready to be done with that. I also put down prop at 2oz/k because I have been watering at night. I know its not ideal, but its my only option.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

I have 25k of grass so I can't water it all but saved some in the front yard.
Melnor 4200sq rated oscillating sprinkler is doing the trick for the shaded areas i wanted to keep alive.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Its crazy watching storms come across and just fall apart at I-39. Or they go just north or just south of us. Frustrating, but what can you do other than keep watering?

Next year I think i will delay my hydretain app until later in July. I underestimated how dry August would be.

I have 11.5k, but only water maybe 9-9.5k. I have a patch behind some pine trees i decided didnt need it.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

Didn't have a rain gauge out this morning but got real rain.
You are right a lot of storms dried up on the trip east but even what got thru seemed to either hit just north of GB or we had several go south of my place so close we could see them. Hit Neenah but not Appleton.
Hope you got help with the watering too. I will admit to rushing out a quick application of 9-23-30 from the Ag co-op once i knew we were getting rain and should tomorrow as well.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

I'm in the High Cliff area, we got quite a bit today. It was nice. Lawn definitely was a darker shade of green when I got home.

Looks like a bunch more tomorrow, which I will take. I may put out a split app this weekend with the rain coming again on Monday.


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## MarshalOfFire (Apr 22, 2020)

Well, I wasn't going to put the striping kit back on the mower this year due to the new seed, but it filled in so nicely, I couldn't help it.

Freshly mowed at 2.25". I definitely need to practice my straight lines. The curve follows the road curve.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

Looking good the rain we have gotten has helped a lot, though i have still had a few cells near miss.


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## grasscorrection (May 2, 2019)

MarshalOfFire said:


> I also purchased gallon of Air-8, RGS, Greenepunch, and Microgreene.


Do you always use these products? I don't know what your exact goal is but the lawn looks really good. I'm sure your walking it tells a different story.


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