# Alex's 2019 Reno



## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Alright I made a thread on this so now I'm definitely committed to it. 

I've been thinking about doing this for the past two years, but I'm finally ready to pull the trigger. Going with a mix of Award, Midnight, and Bewitched KBG because I had great success with it on my parkway last year.

Original lawn journal: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=3736&hilit=alex

7/7/19 -- Roundup Round 1 
Fallow 
7/15/19 -- Roundup Round 2 
Fallow 
Week of 7/15 OR week of 7/22 -- ~20 yards of top soil will be brought in for leveling and re-grading 
Fallow 
8/11/19 -- Roundup Round 3 
Fallow
8/16/19 -- Roundup Round 4
8/18/19 -- SEED DOWN; Tenacity 
Water, water, water, pray. 
8/29/19 -- Vacation, more prayers

Looking forward to finally getting this done. I gave the lawn a final striping today. Here's where I'm at:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Reserved


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Curious to know if peat moss is absolutely necessary? I'm hoping to avoid the extra work (and expense). I've done renovations both with and without it -- both were successful.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Why not do a test and spread peat on a small section and compare the results when everything has grown in?

Good luck with the reno. I will enjoy following along :thumbup:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Harts said:


> Why not do a test and spread peat on a small section and compare the results when everything has grown in?
> 
> Good luck with the reno. I will enjoy following along :thumbup:


I could probably do that in my side yard -- hit half of it with peat moss and the other half just bare dirt.

I'm just trying/hoping to avoid peat moss altogether though. :mrgreen:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

7/8/19 -- First round of glyphosate is down.

Is it me or is the toughest part (mentally at least) of a Reno just getting that Roundup down? Most on this forum have great lawns, and it just seems tough for me to justify killing it off. No turning back now though!


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Alex1389 said:


> 7/8/19 -- First round of glyphosate is down.
> 
> Is it me or is the toughest part (mentally at least) of a Reno just getting that Roundup down? Most on this forum have great lawns, and it just seems tough for me to justify killing it off. No turning back now though!


 :shock: yeah definitely no turning back now! :thumbup:


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Alex1389 said:


> 7/8/19 -- First round of glyphosate is down.
> 
> Is it me or is the toughest part (mentally at least) of a Reno just getting that Roundup down? Most on this forum have great lawns, and it just seems tough for me to justify killing it off. No turning back now though!


Luckily for me, when I did my reno the yard was mostly weeds. I get what you're saying though. I would feel so conflicted killing off my grass now after all the work I put into it.

Looking forward to following along and seeing your progress!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Not much new here. The rain yesterday should help with weed germination. Glypho is doing its job of killing off the lawn. Will need a second app soon.

Only thing new to report might be a change of plans with seed choice. Thinking of going with a Bewitched monostand instead.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Alex1389 said:


> 7/8/19 -- First round of glyphosate is down.
> 
> Is it me or is the toughest part (mentally at least) of a Reno just getting that Roundup down? Most on this forum have great lawns, and it just seems tough for me to justify killing it off. No turning back now though!


I started my second Reno last week. I sprayed the Roundup and after said to myself "what am I doing?" I am putting four different types of kbg. Good luck and I will be following


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> Alex1389 said:
> 
> 
> > 7/8/19 -- First round of glyphosate is down.
> ...


Thanks and good luck to you on your renovation as well!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Applied second round of Roundup today. So far the killing is moving right along. Some spots I missed first time around though. In the first image, the parkway in the background is the SS1100 mix from last year. If my renovation turns out even half as good as that, I'd be happy.

Cut the front down to 2.75" before Roundup. The back went down to 1.75". New topsoil should be brought in next week.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

By the way, the entire neighborhood gives me dirty looks and thinks I'm insane :lol:


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Looking good man! Can't wait to see how it turns out.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

A little ahead of schedule now. Old lawn is fully dead. Backyard was graded with new top soil.

I may push my seed down date up a week depending on weather.

I'm now in full blown fallow mode.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Alex1389 said:


> I'm now in full blown fallow mode.


Looking good!

You may already know this and just happened to post a photo of the new topsoil when it was first spread and all dry, but when fallowing new topsoil you should be watering with the same planned watering schedule you'll be using after you sow the new seed.

There are two reasons for this: (1) you're trying to get all the existing seeds in the new soil to germinate, and (2) it gives you a chance to check out your watering coverage and experiment with how long you need to water with what frequency _*before *_ you have sowed the new seed, so that you can make fixes / adjustments without having to walk on the new seedbed.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Hey @ken-n-nancy, hope all is well!!

Yep, took that just as the workers finished up. I'll be hitting this with water 2-3X per day now moving forward.

Funny you mention the irrigation piece. I ran the zones through today just to ensure as much of the lawn as possible gets a soaking. I'll be adjusting in the coming days to ensure better coverage. Good call as well on seeing how long the seed bed stays moist. That definitely will help to have an actual plan before seed goes down. Last year I just winged it with timing and frequency of my watering, which still worked out, but this is a much better approach. Thanks!


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

@Alex1389 did you roll or drag mat that after? Everything is looking good!


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

I did a reno last fall with 6,000 sqft with peat moss and 7,000 sqft without.. side by side... you can check my journal.. the peatmoss side did slightly better, but not worth the hassle and expense imo...


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Stuofsci02 said:


> I did a reno last fall with 6,000 sqft with peat moss and 7,000 sqft without.. side by side... you can check my journal.. the peatmoss side did slightly better, but not worth the hassle and expense imo...


Thanks, man. I needed to hear this. I will likely pass on the peat moss.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

ericgautier said:


> @Alex1389 did you roll or drag mat that after? Everything is looking good!


I will likely roll everything out when seed goes down. I was going to leave it be until then, but that's being optimistic. As this top soil starts to settle, I'll probably need to pick up a drag mat and get out there a couple of weekends in a row.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@ericgautier May not have answered your question... I haven't rolled or dragged it to date. The contractors raked it to a final grade.

I'm hoping just a good rolling on seed day will take care of the big chunks, but I'm keeping an eye on how the soil settles in the coming weeks. I don't want to pass on this great opportunity to get out there with a drag mat (although I'd prefer not to lol).


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Damn your lawn looked really good beforehand, that had to be a little nerve racking to spray the roundup lol. No doubt you will be fine in a few months though.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

It was nerve-racking. Still is nerve-racking. And I'm the talk of the town (not in a good way) &#128514;&#128514;


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

Ya looked good before. What caused you to take such drastic measures?


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## 86halibut (Jun 23, 2019)

I agree, the old lawn looked pretty good.

Noob questions, how much old dead stuff remained in the backyard before the new soil was brought in? Did you do anything to prepare for the new soil like scalping or tilling? I'm in a similar position with my small backyard reno.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Vtx531 said:


> Ya looked good before. What caused you to take such drastic measures?


Color was uneven from area to area. Fine fescue in the front full sun was not doing well. I was constantly spraying iron to get it darker. And pretty poor disease resistance.

I'm hoping that my inputs (outside of nitrogen) should decrease with an elite bluegrass in year 2/3.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

86halibut said:


> I agree, the old lawn looked pretty good.
> 
> Noob questions, how much old dead stuff remained in the backyard before the new soil was brought in? Did you do anything to prepare for the new soil like scalping or tilling? I'm in a similar position with my small backyard reno.


I killed off the old grass and scalped down as low as my mower would go. We typically don't recommend tilling because the soil will not settle evenly and you'll bring up weed seeds.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Not much new to report here. Plan is to power rake and expose the seed bed this weekend. I might even get out there and do a couple rounds with the drag mat.

Bewitched seed is on hand. 35# for 12k sq feet - extra ten pounds for runoff.

Thinking of also bring in 3 more yards of top soil - just a little concerned that I only have two weeks to fallow that now.

Last year's renovation is looking good, but depending on how the Bewitched mono turns out I may renovate the parkway again next year to a monostand.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Ok so using the power rake is a pretty miserable experience. Glad that's done. Exposed enough of the soil to allow for good germination. Some areas I'll need to hand rake a little more.

Having a drag mat delivered this week that I'll take to the yard over the next 5 days. I might try for seed down next Saturday because the weather is looking great, but I'm a little worried that the soil still needs some more fallowing (see weeds popping up below).

About 10 neighbors have stopped by these last few days to ask what happened. One landscaper even tried to sell me sod for under $2k. Is it really that cheap?


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Dragging today. I'm thinking this is about 90% ready for seed. Some areas I need to take care of around the edges for sure. One more app of gly this week (Thursday-ish). Tenacity Friday. Seed down Saturday the 17th.

Anything I should do on seed down day in terms of loosening the top layer of soil again? Would another light drag of the yard be enough?


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Tenacity, starter fert and SEED down.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

:thumbup:


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

@Alex1389 Congratulations!! Looks like great prep work all around. Can't wait to see some little green grasses now :beer:


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

Nice man congrats. That's going to look beautiful come Halloween.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Thanks @pennstater2005, @g-man, and @Jconnelly6b!

Will be spot spraying Roundup today. Expecting babies tomorrow...


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

FYI Round up 4 days after seed is pushing the limits.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

g-man said:


> FYI Round up 4 days after seed is pushing the limits.


Even if I don't see germination yet?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I think the study was up to 3 days. Of course cultivars matter.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

g-man said:


> I think the study was up to 3 days. Of course cultivars matter.


Gotcha. I sprayed a few areas -- wasn't much. I'll keep an eye on what germination looks like in those areas. I figure the KBG will spread and fill any of that damage anyway. Thanks for the info!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

I have babies -- the good kind :mrgreen: :lol:

You have to look long and hard but there is a pretty good amount of germination out there. Some areas that I worried about with the rain are actually coming in fine (for now). Others you can definitely tell the seed and soil moved -- crazy downpours this week.

I'll probably seed a little more before I leave for 10 days this coming Thursday.

I'll probably also do an Azoxy application before I leave just in case anything happens while I'm gone.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Alex1389 said:


> I have babies -- the good kind :mrgreen: :lol:
> 
> You have to look long and hard but there is a pretty good amount of germination out there. Some areas that I worried about with the rain are actually coming in fine (for now). Others you can definitely tell the seed and soil moved -- crazy downpours this week.
> 
> ...


You're leaving your babies for 10 days! What the hell is wrong with you :lol:

Seriously though.......where are the pictures?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

We need a NJ TLF member to check in on Alex's reno, while he's away. Any volunteers?

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@Chris LI @pennstater2005 I am definitely the worst grass father!

Here's a pic of pretty even germination:



Here's a pic where the seeds collected thanks to rain:


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbup: :mrgreen:


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Grass father :lol: I feel like we all need help.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

pennstater2005 said:


> Grass father :lol: I feel like we all need help.


 :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

So here's where I'm at 9 days in. Pretty pleased overall.

I have a decision to make. I'm away 8/29 - 9/9. Need to decide ASAP if I'll drop more seed or not before I leave. I'm leaning towards dropping some more in the side and back where I have more uneven germination.

Appreciate any insight here from those of you that have gone through this/are currently going through this.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I would hedge your bets and map out your worst spots now, and evaluate up to the last day you can drop seed before you leave. This way, you already have a plan to pull the trigger on those locations, but can see what might pop in the next couple of days.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Chris LI said:


> I would hedge your bets and map out your worst spots now, and evaluate up to the last day you can drop seed before you leave. This way, you already have a plan to pull the trigger on those locations, but can see what might pop in the next couple of days.


That's what I'm thinking I'll do. Seems I get more and more germination by the day...


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Thinking of doing a soil application of Azoxy this afternoon. Want to try to stay ahead of any fungal issues. Like this:


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Alex1389 do you have a way to monitor watering and trigger remotely more irrigation or to prevent more? I was gone for one night for work and I was stressed.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

g-man said:


> @Alex1389 do you have a way to monitor watering and trigger remotely more irrigation or to prevent more? I was gone for one night for work and I was stressed.


Yeah, I'm pretty much freaking out about being away for 10 days. I do have security cameras that are no longer guarding the house but are instead looking at the grass. I've coupled that with my Rachio controller, so I'm not too worried about the watering situation.

I do worry about the lack of even germination in the back and side, as well as, fungus. I'm going to spray Azoxy today at the preventative rate. In terms of spreading extra seed, I could drop some more in thin areas now, or I could wait until I return on 9/9. I'm thinking the weather in September should still be nice enough to get some growth going.

Day 11:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Long overdue update! Decided to skip @g-man's advice and not cancel my vacation to baby my reno 😂😂.

Back and side yards are still pretty thin. Dropping more seed today. Will start feeding .25 N/M this afternoon.











Also having a bit of weed pressure:



Overall, I'm happy with how the front is turning out. I've been battling significant washout in the back though. Hoping it starts to fill in through the fall and spring!


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

@Alex1389 how many DAG (Days After Germination) is that? Overall, looks pretty good. Once you start feeding it, should fill in quickly. :thumbsup:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@ericgautier seed down was 8/17. I saw germination beginning 8/23. So less than a month DAG.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Dumped the last of the seed. Absolutely poured the same night. Unreal


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

1 month from seed down, about 24 days DAG. Things are starting to come together in most areas. Side and backyard continue to give me headaches.


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

Front yard looks beautiful! The rest look like they'll be 90% filled in in 3 weeks.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Agree. Feed it and wait. KBG will stress you out at first.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Hope this doesn't come back to bite me... but I'm going to go ahead and say this reno was a success. Some areas will likely need plugging next year, but I'm at about 70% coverage right now and think I'll be at 90% by Halloween.

Backyard is holding a little more moisture than I'd like. I'm thinking I'll adjust watering to every other day at this point. Feeding it ~.25 N/M weekly.

Also noticing some spots are more yellow than others. These areas are super thick so maybe too much seed there? Or more recently germinated?

30 DAG Pics:


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Looks great


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Thanks @ksturfguy!

Update -- the backyard is too soggy for my liking. The mower was leaving ruts last night. It's time to change the watering schedule to every other day. Temps appear to top out around 82 over the next 10 days with one spike to 89 (that day I'll definitely water).

As you guys read along and see any problems in my plans, please do point them out!!

Officially changed my grass type as well. I'll have to renovate my Midnight/Award/Bewitched parkway to all Bewitched next year now. :thumbup:


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Looking great Alex, love seeing your progress.


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

Those green giants look awesome too. Mine are avg 12' now, I planted them last April and they were 4-5' each. Honestly thinking if they go another 4' next year I may be snipping the leader in spring of 2021 to stop the vertical growth. Crazy how fast they grow!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Thanks @gregonfire!

@Jconnelly6b I actually wasn't impressed with their growth until I looked at pics from when they were first planted last spring. They've easily grown 3' in 1.5 years and at least doubled in thickness!


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## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

wow, what a project! Great job! That's alot of lawn to take care of all at the same time.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Thanks @DonInTheLawn!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Tenacity round 2 + RGS + Air8 + PPZ/Azoxy will go down on Thursday when the heat breaks. Need to mow twice a week at this point. May also hit it with .5 N/M Carbon-X this week instead of the usual urea routine.

36 DAG:


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Keeping it at 1.75" so long as the TimeMaster keeps cooperating. It's starting to dislike this HOC.

48 DAG:


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Looks great man, you did a nice job. It will look insane next spring.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

1.75" HOC. Mulch mowed leaves. Dropped .5 N/M Carbon-X (last N drop of the season).


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

The reno is definitely on autopilot at this point. Can't wait to see what this looks like in the spring.

I've got some Poa A popping up, but I'm not too concerned about it. Life got in the way and I didn't get a pre-m down when I should have about 7-10 days ago. Now I'm wondering if I should bother putting one down or has everything basically already germinated?

I can never get good sunlight for my pics:


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I would still do prodiamine. You can also start plugging some sections.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Possibly my last mow of the season


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

It looks like it filled in compared to the last image.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

g-man said:


> It looks like it filled in compared to the last image.


Some problem areas along the rock border still. Nothing some N won't fix in the spring though.


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

Need some updates! Do you have a journal?


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@Jconnelly6b check it out!

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=15864&start=40


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

hey @Alex1389

Did the landscaper regrade that topsoil in the backyard with a skidsteer or by hand?

Still putting my final touches to my reno plan and that was one of them...I want to quicken the processes with a skid steer but I also don't want to compact the soil too much.

Thanks!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

JerseyGreens said:


> hey @Alex1389
> 
> Did the landscaper regrade that topsoil in the backyard with a skidsteer or by hand?
> 
> ...


Surprisingly, they actually had a crew of 4 do this by hand in less than a full day. Then I used a drag mat to put the finishing touches on it.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

that's pretty awesome...see I rather a team of 3-4 guys spread mine out by hand, but the owner just wants to run a skid-steer and get it done himself in a day...

I know it's easier and not back breaking but hoping it doesn't cause me compaction issues.


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