# OnTheLawn's 2021 Lawn Journal - NJ TTTF + Mazama Mono



## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Feels good to be back! Spring is here and the grass is coming out of dormancy slowly but surely. So far I have not applied anything to the lawn, but will be soon with Pre-Em apps and lime. Got my soil test back and need to raise the pH quite a bit, but everything else is mostly ok.



The TTTF plot (main lawn) is doing ok. It's taking a bit longer for the entire blend to come out of dormancy, but this was expected. A couple of the cultivars didn't grade too highly in the GCI TTTF blend for spring green up, but that's fine. I went through last night with the dethatch rake just to remove some debris and old dead stuff that's been sitting. I then ran the mower over it at 2" and bagged the clippings to allow some air flow and help the soil get a bit warmer with the sun today.

Pre-Dethatch/Mow:


Post-Dethatch/Mow:


The real problem area is the Mazama monostand under the maple. I regretfully did not apply a pre-em in late fall and that section has been absolutely annihilated by Poa A. I've hand-pulled about 50-60 plants so far that are going to seed, but it's never ending. I may hit the area with tenacity when I apply my spring pre-em app depending on how many plants I can get hand-pulled. The Mazama KBG is starting to wake up though (lots of shade, taking longer), so that should help cover the Poa and take it over once it gets going.

Pre-Hand-Pulling:


Post-Hand-Pulling:


Better shot of Poa infestation:


Lesson learned... oh well! Things are now moving though and the ground is waking up. We have one more week with some cold weather ahead and then we should be in the clear here in southern NJ.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

The Mazama is looking great post hand pulling! That must have been some work. Fortunately not a huge 
plot.

This makes me glad that I put down some prodiamine in late October. If I'm remembering correctly, we had a pretty warm November, so probably lots of poa a germinated then. I am dealing with some poa now (expected), but nothing like what you had there.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

bf7 said:


> The Mazama is looking great post hand pulling! That must have been some work. Fortunately not a huge
> plot.
> 
> This makes me glad that I put down some prodiamine in late October. If I'm remembering correctly, we had a pretty warm November, so probably lots of poa a germinated then. I am dealing with some poa now (expected), but nothing like what you had there.


It's getting there! I got about half of it pulled over the course of two days haha. It's frustrating, but manageable. And yes, very warm November and tons of Poa!

Plan is to hand pull more tomorrow and then get an app of pre-em down with a 2oz/A rate of tenacity.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Prodiamine and tenacity went down. Also hand pulled a ton more Poa from the Mazama plot after raking it out a bit more. Hopefully the tenacity lights it up a bit and I'll make another follow up app in a week or so.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Ok, here's the tentative plan. Dolimitic lime is on order at Site One and I'll be picking it up Thursday. I tried looking for calicitic lime to do an app of each, but it's tough to find in this area apparently (will be checking Home Depot tomorrow). 0-0-53 SOP is also on order. I only have about 1400 sq ft, so I opted for a smaller bag from Greenway Biotech that's water soluble. Outside of that, I have most of what I need on-hand for the year, but will need another nitrogen source towards the end of the year.

Spring/Pre-Summer:

- Lime applied Friday evening 4/2, watered in heavily following morning (50lb bag going down). Next lime app will occur roughly 45 days after this application
- SoP applied to get 1lb of P down on Monday 4/5. This will reoccur every 4 weeks until I hit 3 lbs of P down
- Nitrogen will start Thursday 4/8. The goal is to get 4 lbs of N down this year in total, with 1/3 (1.34 lbs N) of that coming between now and the second week of June. I'm going to spoon feed every 2-3 weeks with low inputs due to my soil being coarse and sandy.
- I'll make apps of bio stims in between. I've got micros and RGS/Humic and what not to throw down at will

Post-Summer/Fall:
- I plan to overseed the TTTF with some type of KBG. Whether it's a single cultivar, or a blend, I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to go for it. I know this is difficult, but I want to give it a shot
- the remaining 2/3 (2.65 lbs) of N will be applied during this time through the remainder of the season until winter, again following a spoon feeding approach every 2 weeks


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Lawn is continuing to wake up! Took it down to 1.5" today and threw down 50 lbs dolimitic lime/1000. The Site One near me had the Lesco pelletized dolimitic and it spread great if anyone needs a recommendation.

After that I put down an app of RGS and Humic12 at 4 & 6 oz/1000 respectively. Watered it in afterwards with about a 1/4" and I'll water again on Saturday to keep getting the lime in as best I can.





As for the Mazama Maple, I have continued hand pulling Poa A almost every day and it just won't disappear. I've gotten the front section more manageable, but the back I'm leaving for now. I'll continue the tenacity apps every week or so at 2oz rate to try and knock it out, but my gosh this stuff is everywhere. The Mazama is finally waking up a bit though and growing now. Hopefully the RGS/Humic12 app kicks it into gear a bit more.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

The spring blitz is on.

- 0.60 lbs/1000 46-0-0 (0.276 lbs N /1000)
- 1.39 lbs/1000 0-0-53 (0.737 lbs K /1000)
- 8 oz/1000 Air-8

Watered in with 1/4" of water immediately after spraying. Will have pics tomorrow.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

The wake up continues. Still not completely there, but increasing every day. Will water again tomorrow morning early on and next input will be in two weeks.







As for the Mazama, the Poa struggle continues. It's better, but still not ideal. I've continued hand pulling and will do some more tonight before the sun goes down. The back section I decided to just kill off in certain spots because the infestation is that bad. I will address this later in the season as I have some seed leftover.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Any idea why the Mazama got slammed with weeds but not the fescue? The GCI stand looks ready to rock.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Any idea why the Mazama got slammed with weeds but not the fescue? The GCI stand looks ready to rock.


The only thing I can say is this... pure stupidity.

I got very in my head about that section because it was taking so long to fill in and get going, so I kept throwing seed down. It stays pretty shaded, so the lack of sunlight led to a slower process and it's KBG, so not the quickest establishment to begin with even with an elite cultivar.

I was nervous about damaging the new seed I had thrown down a few weeks after the initial seed down and opted not to do my follow up tenacity app, as well as skipped the late fall pre em thinking it would be ok. Really what I did was create a hot spot for Poa. The TTTF was fine because it took so quickly and established quickly, so even without the pre em app it did just fine. I've still had to pull Poa and there are a few bad spots that were thinner, but it was certainly more manageable.

But yes, it was pure stupidity on my part to not put down the second tenacity app, as well as skip the fall pre em altogether.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Makes sense. I also skipped the 2nd tenacity app because I had to re-seed significantly 2 weeks after first seed down. Not only that, but I think the washouts eroded so much bare soil that my seed down tenacity app was basically nullified as well. Kbg is tough to get established.

I'm seeing a lot more poa patches now. I never noticed them in my old nomix yard. Not sure if they stand out more because the kbg is so dark, or it's because of the unfortunate series of events after seed down. Probably both.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Lessons learned... will certainly not be messing around with pre-em apps this fall!

In other news, I think I've finally landed on the cultivar of KBG I want to overseed with this fall. I've been leaning towards Blue Velvet, but I honestly might just get another few pounds of Mazama. It has great disease resistance and does well in full sun, plus the color is gorgeous. Blue Velvet also has great drought tolerance, but just something about the Mazama that I'm drawn to.

I have a small amount leftover from the Maple plot renovation, so I'm going to test out in a couple of weeks soaking the seed for pre germination before overseeding it in the backyard. This way I can get an idea of timing before taking on the project this fall. Plan will be to hit it with propiconazole, scalp it, and then mix the soaked seed with Milorganite and spread it. My backyard doesn't get a ton of love because of the dogs and will honestly be a miracle if it catches at all, but it'll at least be a way to test out soaking seed, and timing.



Thats the left side that fairs decently and has woken up. The dogs don't spend too much time there and it shows, as they primarily run up the center of the yard and to the back.



That will be the area I test the overseeding with. We'll see how it does, as it's heavily trafficked and not sure how I can stop the dogs from hitting that area for a few weeks while things establish. Won't be much of an investment though so not worried about it.





Speaking of the Mazama plot! The second tenacity app is really lighting up the Poa now. I'll be making one more on Monday or Tuesday depending on weather and we'll see what happens. The goal is to choke it out before higher temps get here as much as possible and then hopefully the heat kills em off completely. The fight continues, but I'm feeling more positive about it. The Mazama is also starting to take ground and grow now. The dose of N kicked it into gear a bit and should be ready for a mow soon. The color is looking great on it up close although it's tough to tell in the pictures because of all the dang Poa. Oh well, it'll be prime time come this fall.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Tried to get the next round of tenacity down this morning, but the weather was not cooperating. There was a slight drizzle right up I had to leave for work, so the app had to wait until I got home. Tenacity tends to move with water, so even a little drizzle will move it off of the plant.

I was able to spray another 2oz/A blanket over the Mazama plot. I then went with a 4 oz/A blanket over the TTTF, as the Poa infestation there is worse than I first thought. It's not nearly what's going on in the Mazama, but the lack of shade kept it at bay a bit longer.

Here is the Mazama after spraying tonight:



Here's a close up of one of the more bleached plants. This next app should really start choking it out:



Here's the TTTF post-spray:





The bottom picture is from this morning. I turned down the exposure, which shows the seed heads more clearly. Again, not nearly as bad as the Mazama, but enough that hand-pulling is just too time consuming.

The TTTF is nearly due for a mow again after the scalping. It's looking good, but we'll see what the blanket spray or Tenacity does to it. I'm going to target 2.5" HOC, but that will depend on when I can actually get the mower on it. We're due for rain Thursday (my day off) but I would really like to not mow it tomorrow night after just getting the tenacity apps down. Want to give it at least 24 hours, but was hoping for Thursday. I'll have to play it by year as the weather report keeps changing, but I may be able to push it out until Friday night.

The Mazama is alllllmmmooosssstttt ready for a mow at this point. Some parts are outpacing others largely due to the tree and certain spots getting sunshine more than others, but it's getting there. I may just let it grow out though to outcompete the Poa.

Next fertilizer doses will come next Thursday-ish, weather dependent as always. Planning for the same rates as last time


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Well I could've sworn I had updated this, but apparently not.

Here is where the Mazama stands as of a couple days ago:


I spent another good half hour hand pulling more Poa out of it and gave it its first mow. I set the Honda to 1" and had at it, looking much better now and the KBG is really getting going.

And the TTTF:


This got a mow at 2.5" and it's growing quite a bit for this early in the season. Colder temps this week, especially at night, should slow it down a bit.

In other news, some experiments begin:


I dethatched and scalped down the hell strip to 1", bagged clippings. Plan is to throw some seed down this coming Thursday for an overseed test. I didn't put any Pre Em down here for this reason. I also hit it with a low rate of Propi to see what growth regulating effects it has. Seed of choice you ask?



@bf7 was kind enough to hook it up with some of his leftover from the renovation. I'm currently testing germination rates in paper towels:



Idea here will be to see if this can happen successfully. It's not exactly apples to apples with what I'm planning for the fall overseed, but it'll give me an idea of what to expect and some experience. The following week I'm going to test out about 250 sq ft in the backyard, half of it seeded with the seed as is, half seeded with soaked seed. I'm looking at soaking the seed for 3-5 days, mostly dependent on what I find in the paper towel test.

Next N dose will go down Thursday as well. I am also planning on picking up a bag of Carbon Pro G for some soil amending with how low my organic matter and pH were.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Nice!! Happy I could help. Can't wait to follow your testing.

I've tried soaking seed before. In fall 2019, I overseeded Blueberry KBG into my GCI TTTF / Pennington mix and did a pre-soak to try to get the KBG up faster. I think it helped, but the problem was spreading the seed. I think you're supposed to dry it fairly quickly after soaking, and it's difficult with a lot of seed. Takes a while to dry. I ended up spreading mostly wet seed and it was a mess. Try to get a large area in the sun where you can lay it out to dry.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 I've been giving that a lot of thought. Thankfully I only have about 1000 sq ft to over seed, so it'll be 1-2 lbs total of seed and I'm likely going to err on the lighter side of that. I know some have mixed it with Milorganite in a spreader, but I'm trying to avoid putting down N with the seed. The Site One near me does have Dynamic Duo (Milorganite alternative from the company that does Screamin Green) that I may try it with. I also have about 10 lbs of X-Soil left over from last year and will also be picking up Carbon Pro G. Either of those should work in a spreader with the seed and should make it easier. We'll see!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Slight change of plans today. The freezing temps have significantly dropped soil temps here. Greencast has the average at 44° and the meat thermometer is currently reading 50-51°. Urea won't be as effective, so I'm opting to put down the last bit of 8-1-8 I have left today which is derived from AMS. I wish I could still find the 8-1-8, it's a great fertilizer, especially for my soil analysis. I had planned to go straight urea until my final spring app in early June, which was going to be the 8-1-8 heading into summer, but this will still work and should get a better response from the grass since the AMS will be more plant available. This actually worked out since today is fairly windy as well and spraying the entire lawn would've been a hassle with gusts.

Im also planning on picking up the Carbon Pro G today, but may delay putting that down another few weeks to allow the soil to warm up again. Other then that I'll be mowing today and picking up some annuals/perennials/plants from the garden center today for some landscaping and gardening.

The overseed of the hell strip will also be happening today. Will update with pictures later tonight.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Welp, the weather really put a wrench in today's plans. I mowed the TTTF and got the 8-1-8 down. I attempted to water it in but the wind was just wreaking havoc and it was just too inconsistent. I'll water in tomorrow morning when it's calm.

I opted not to overseed the hell strip today due to the high winds and potential for heavy rain on Sunday. I'll divert that Monday morning and we're due for some nice spring weather next week.

When mowing the TTTF I got a bit discouraged. All that hard work in the late summer and fall and it just sucks to have so much poa to deal with. I'm also a bit put off by how bumpy and out of level it feels when mowing compared to the fall after the renovation. I know it's fixable and was likely going to happen with settling, but it's frustrating.

Oh well! No time for a pity party. I'm well aware this is a marathon and not a sprint and I just have to roll with the punches and use sound cultural practices. It'll get there.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

@OnTheLawn it seems like everyone is battling the poa this year but that TTTF looks great, what led you to use the GCI over say a TTTF mix from SSS?


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Togo said:


> @OnTheLawn it seems like everyone is battling the poa this year but that TTTF looks great, what led you to use the GCI over say a TTTF mix from SSS?


It's getting there! Temps are finally warming up for good, so this week will be a good week to go out with another blanket tenacity application to continue the battle.

As for the seed, I honestly just wanted to support Pete. I love his YouTube channel and have learned a ton from him, so I wanted to give him a nod and use his product.


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## Togo (Jun 7, 2017)

OnTheLawn said:


> It's getting there! Temps are finally warming up for good, so this week will be a good week to go out with another blanket tenacity application to continue the battle.
> 
> As for the seed, I honestly just wanted to support Pete. I love his YouTube channel and have learned a ton from him, so I wanted to give him a nod and use his product.


I've see quite a few people posting that they're using it and it looks good so figured I'd ask 😀


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Some updates:





Hell strip has seed down. Went with the Blue Velvet/Moonlight SLT/Prosperity blend and put down a thin layer of a compost/peat moss mixture over top. The propi has certainly held growth back, especially after scalping. I also put each seed in this planter like I did last year with the TTTF. The paper towel test didn't do anything yet because I accidentally left the bag out in the garage during the freezing temps. I want gauge when the seeds should be germinating in the hell strip, plus I split them up to see which germinate when. Alphabetical from left-to-right (BV-M-P)



The backyard got some much needed love as well. The growth has really kicked off back there and it's been difficult to keep up with because of the weather. Every chance I have to mow it seems to rain! Got it done today though before an afternoon shower rolled through. I also had to clear some ivy from a couple trees that were getting out of control.

Next up was a mow to the front lawn. I was also able to edge somewhat with the trimmer and clean it up a bit. The TTTF is definitely showing signs of tenacity bleaching, but it's not terrible. The heat definitely kicked it up a notch the last couple of days and hopefully the Poa is toasted in the next week or so. I put down a blanket app on Tuesday morning at the 2oz/A rate.





The Mazama is looking really good. I absolutely love the color of this grass and part of me wishes I had just done a complete monostand in the main lawn as well. The Poa continues to be a eyesore there, but it's not bugging me too much anymore.

I got done mowing and decided to put down a little N with a Humic kicker. Targeting 0.2 lbs N/1000 and 1.5 oz/1000 Humic, got the tank mixed up and pump getting pressure when an afternoon shower rolled through. Of course! I was timing it with all my weather apps that had rain starting at 6 PM so I could hit the 4-hour foliage window for urea. It has subsided so I'm gonna go out now and do it anyway despite the risk of another storm shower shortly.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Oh man - this is getting good!! Very excited to see what happens with the planter. I didn't have time to test the cultivars last summer, and I've been wanting to see what they look like by themselves vs the blend.

Looks like you are getting that poa under control now. Mazama is starting to shine.

Question - do you let the liquid urea sit on the blades for 4 hours before watering?


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 I'm excited as well! Will definitely be interesting to see how they all come up out of the dirt and what each one looks like.

As for the urea, yes. I read up on the Spraying Nitrogen thread a couple of weeks ago. Tons of great information there about both urea and AMS and best practices for spraying them.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Last night I put down another round of SOP at 1.39 lbs/1000. Along with that I tank mixed some Humic 12 and RGS. The color isn't quite what it was at the end of last season, but I also haven't added any iron yet. That app is coming up in a couple weeks.

Early this morning I put down my first app of Lesco Carbon Pro (granular) at the 10 lbs/1000 rate. I'm not sure how often I'll be applying this at the maintenance rate of 5 lbs, so need to do a little more research.

Now I am top dressing. I'm going with a mixture of peat moss and compost and aiming for a 1/4" layer to blanket the lawn. I really need to improve my organic matter and CEC. For reference, I'm doing about 1200 sq ft total and I'm using one bale of peat moss and twenty 0.75 cubic ft bag of compost. Of all the composts I've used, the Scott's Premium Humus and Manure seems good. Ideally I'd like to just have some delivered, but most places are 3 yard minimum for compost delivery.

I don't think I'll have the top dressing completed today, but I'm off again tomorrow and will get it done. After top dressing I'll be doing another app of urea at 0.2 lbs N/1000.

TTTF:


Mazama:






Also, babies have emerged in the overseed!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Congrats on your babies! Any sprouts in the pot yet?


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 yup! I'll post a pic below. The Prosperity seemed to be the first to have visible sprouts and is definitely ahead of the other two. Blue velvet and moonlight came up a day or so after. Seeing germination in the whole pot now and good coverage.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Awesome - that was quicker than I expected for a spring seeding. Now you can look forward to a few weeks of pout!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

My neighbor's lawn is on point right now. Everyone around me hit their first fertilizer app of the year this past week and they all do a great job of maintaining their lawns. After the scalping and top dressing, mine is having a bit of a dark yellow-ish tinge to it. I checked the blades and the rotary seems to have a bit of tearing going on as well. I'd be surprised if it needs a sharpening already as it was brand new this spring, but I'll check the blades out tomorrow.

I put down 12 oz/1000 of 18-0-1 GreenePunch along with 3 oz/1000 of 0-0-2 MicroGreene. This should push some top growth and deepen the color a bit and I know it'll be a couple of weeks until the top dressing really settles in and disappears completely.

TTTF:




Up close of the TTTF blades:


Mazama:


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## dleonard11122 (Jun 24, 2020)

I just got caught up reading this 2021 journal after following your reno last year. It's cool to see someone else in south jersey and what they're facing. The lawn looks great coming out of a reno, I know my TTTF was pretty slow to wakeup/grow the first spring but this spring it's looked much better.

Do you plan to maintain the TTTF at 2.5" I've been mowing at 3.5" this spring and will probably go to 4" for the heat of summer. I know a lot of people like the low mow look though. Just gotta keep up with watering.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

Lawm looks great man. I read that you were facing some bumpiness the organic matter will only make.it worse so keep that in mind. Also you will need to dump a lot more than what you are putting down to increase the organic matter. Watch matt martin video on this was really helpful. Mulch mowing and root cycling are the best ways to do that.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

dleonard11122 said:


> I just got caught up reading this 2021 journal after following your reno last year. It's cool to see someone else in south jersey and what they're facing. The lawn looks great coming out of a reno, I know my TTTF was pretty slow to wakeup/grow the first spring but this spring it's looked much better.
> 
> Do you plan to maintain the TTTF at 2.5" I've been mowing at 3.5" this spring and will probably go to 4" for the heat of summer. I know a lot of people like the low mow look though. Just gotta keep up with watering.


SJ is tough! Our climate is all over the place with hot summers and cold winters haha. My plan was to mow the TTTF as low as it could handle, but I'm thinking of taking it up. It's looking stressed right now for some reason and the pictures don't really do it justice for how off it looks. I'm sure it was the minor scalping and then top dressing in conjunction with the tenacity apps I had made a couple weeks prior. That stuff takes forever to really kick in and I'm still seeing the effects of it.

I'm going to just let it grow to about 4" and then cut it back to 3" and see how it looks after. Then by mid-June I'll look to have it up to 3.5" and then probably 4" come July. That's the current plan and I'll be playing it by year with how it looks. I may even hold off on any more N for a couple weeks and see what happens. Sometimes it's best to just back off for a few weeks and monitor when things are looking off.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

uts said:


> Lawm looks great man. I read that you were facing some bumpiness the organic matter will only make.it worse so keep that in mind. Also you will need to dump a lot more than what you are putting down to increase the organic matter. Watch matt martin video on this was really helpful. Mulch mowing and root cycling are the best ways to do that.


Thank you sir. Yea that is an issue that I'm willing to deal with for now. The organic matter is a more pressing issue and needs to be addressed. I've been working on getting Carbon down as well via bio stimulants and trying to promote root cycling as much as possible, this was more an additive to that.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Seed soaking has begun. Plan is to let it soak until Thursday morning, dry it out as much as possible, and hand spread in a 250 sq ft area in the backyard. Then in another 250 sq ft section I'm going to do dry seed with Soil Moist Seed Coat and compare. Soaked seed should germinate quicker, I just want to see how much quicker and if it's worth having to hand spread it.





Will follow the same steps as the hell strip: scalp/bag, propiconazole on Tuesday afternoon - dethatch and scalp/bag again in Thursday morning - spread seed - spread peat moss - water water water.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Added a few new tools to the arsenal:

First up is the FlowZone Storm Pro 2 sprayer. I really liked the Field King I was using, and will continue to use, but the inconsistency in the pressure from the pump was too difficult to compensate for. I believe that may be why I had issues with the TTTF and the tenacity apps, as some spots just seem really hit hard and others don't. I opted for the Storm 2 because I don't really need anything over a 2.5 gallon and having a bunch of variable pressures to choose from just isn't up my alley right now. I managed to get one of the last ones they had in stock and also ordered the TeeJet adapter. What I love is that all of their nozzles are quick connect.







Next up is a DIY lawn striper. I took tidbits from all of the different videos I watched on YouTube and came up with this. A lot depends on the mower you have, which will determine the best way to mount it, but the Honda HRN series has fairly accessible bolts that it can mount to. I should've measured a bit more accurately, but by some miracle the back cover misses the frame by about 1/8". I used 3" ABS pipe (I wanted to do 4", but it's incredibly difficult to find right now in small 2' sections and insanely expensive). I also didn't really want to use standard end caps and would have preferred knock out caps, but those are also proving difficult to find. It connects to the frame with eye bolts that are connected to the axel, which is 3/4" galvanized pipe. The main frame is a bar of steel, which connects to L corner braces that are connected to aluminum mending bars, which then connect to the lower. All in all this cost me around $60 at Home Depot, which is a bit higher than normal due to material cost increases.



And you just know I had to test it out! The Mazama was ready for another cut, so I set the Honda at 1.5" and went over it twice.

Before:




After:






It works fairly well. I filled it with pea stones for weight and just need to adjust to mowing with it, but I like how it turned out.

Next up will be using the FlowZone for the first time this Thursday. I'll be mowing the TTTF back to 3" to see how it looks after letting it grow some. It has a lot of stress marks to grow out and needed a break for a bit. Once I get it mowed I'll assess whether or not I throw down some N via urea. With the warmer temps this week it may be a good idea, but we'll see. Second split app of Pre Em is also coming up next week.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Got a head start on testing out the FlowZone. Initially, I was met with immense disappointment. I set it up with the Blue TeeJet XR tip to do a blanket foliar app of propiconazole in the backyard where I'm overseeding. Again, I'm using the propi as a growth regulator here to slow down the top growth of the existing grass. This worked very well in the hell strip test and I still haven't had to mow it while the KBG is growing in.

I turned the pump on and began spraying... drips and drops everywhere! It seemed to be coming from the tip and the nozzle body and if I had been spraying tenacity or another herbicide it would have been a complete disaster. I just kept thinking "great! A defective unit!" What was worse was that I was already a bit put off by how long it took to arrive. I had ordered it with expedited shipping and it took over 7 business days just to get out the door. I was understanding though as working in retail, I totally get inventory issues and shipping delays. All good.

After I got done spraying it hit me. So dumb! I had never gone through and really tightened up all the connection, nor did I do a calibration test run. So so dumb. The night before I opened the TeeJet adapter and got the tip put in, then connected it to wand, but never actually tightened everything down! I took the assembly apart, reseated the tip and gasket, tightened down the nozzle body and got everything nice and locked in. Filled it back up with water, fired up the pump, and it worked like a charm. The pumped runs very quietly and the PSI is extremely consistent from what I can tell without a gauge. It runs at that same pressure until it gets to the very last ounce of solution and then drops, which I like because it doesn't keep pumping and bleed the line causing mist and drift.

I ordered a few pieces from Spray Smarter to hopefully get a quick cap setup on it. I sort of ordered blindly, but hopefully the adapter works with the quick connect piece that came with the TeeJet adapter.


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## dleonard11122 (Jun 24, 2020)

Have you been noticing dryer than usual conditions? I had to run my irrigation this morning to compensate, which I don't usually expect to do until mid-June.


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## amartin003 (Apr 30, 2021)

Nice work with the DIY lawn striper! I was thinking of doing something similar once my lawn thickens up a bit.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@dleonard11122 yes, I have. We've gotten some rain, but more often than not it's been sporadic and not enough quantity to count as a thorough watering. I have a couple of rain gauges and at least by me, we got about 1" over the last two weeks. I ran the sprinklers yesterday to get some more water down and it's looking that dry trend is going to continue.

@amartin003 thanks! It definitely adds to the aesthetic once the lawn can handle it. If you need a more thorough breakdown of the actual parts/pieces and construction just let me know and I'll do a more detailed post in the equipment thread. I would build it soon though as materials cost is going through the roof and we're seeing inflation like we haven't seen since the 80s! My biggest regret was doing the steel bar as the main part of the frame and not aluminum. It was about $6 more for the aluminum, but would have been well worth it since the black steel is a pain to drill through unless you have a press and the right bits haha.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Today was a haul, but we'll worth it. Got started this morning by heading to my buddy's Garden Center for some more perennials and annuals to fill out the landscaping. Planted four White Albums, some Lavender Ice, and a whole bunch of Sun Patients for some pop. If anyone is following this and lives in southern NJ, you need to check out Bast Brothers Garden Center. Great place, great people, very knowledgeable and a ton of selection for now.

After that was getting the overseed down in the backyard. Now pics yet, maybe tomorrow. Threw down the soaked seed and also threw down the dry seed with Seed Coat. Covered it in peat moss and watered. No fert yet. Also threw some top soil down in some areas to level things a tad.

Then it was on to the front lawn. The TTTF got a mow at 3" as I didn't want to stress it out too much. It's been under heat basically since waking up, but is recovering nicely. The damage is almost certainly from the tenacity applications and one foul spray that I didn't calibrate correctly. All good though, as the fall overseed project will benefit from a slightly thinner stand. I then sprayed about 0.21 lbs N/1000 with a 4 oz/1000 kicker of 7-0-0 Lawn Energizer from Simple Lawn Solutions.



Here's an up close of some of the damaged areas. With the tenacity apps and being scalped twice in early spring, it took a toll on it and I'm not surprised. Like I said, recovering nicely though!



The real star here though is the Mazama. Mowed at 1.5" and then gave the same fertilizer treatment. It's astounding to me how far this plot has come in a month.

April:


May:


Every time I mow there's a part of me that kicks myself for not doing the entire lawn in a Mazama mono. I know the summer will remind me why, but man, it just looks so damn good right now.


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

Man, that Mazama sure has come a long way. I can only imagine how long you were out there pulling poa. What makes you think that the Mazama won't handle the summer well?


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Liquidstone many, many hours haha. The KBG has taken over now and it's hiding what Poa remains. Hopefully it'll die off this summer and then I'll be getting to my pre em early this fall on that plot.

The Mazama is very drought tolerant for KBG, but our summers here can get extremely hot in late July and early August. Without a full on irrigation system it would be difficult to keep it from checking out. The TTTF should manage better. Honestly just wish I had went for it though haha. Oh well, next house!


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

That makes sense. All of your yard looks great! I'm highly considering going the mazama route so thanks for the feedback.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Liquidstone i would imagine it would perform very well in Denver. The best part about is the dual drought/shade tolerance. Also has a beautiful color. I would absolutely go for it if I were you.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

You might be the busiest person on this site right now - overseed, test plots, poa battles, taking care of 2 or 3 separate stands. Yikes! All worth it though - the whole front yard stripes and colors amazingly well. I would like to see the full potential of the fescue without all the stress.

No sign of any poa in the KBG anymore!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 haha busy indeed! Definitely well worth it and I'll say that my lawn is a size where I can manage it. The TTTF is about 1000 sq ft, Mazama is only 250, and the backyard section in overseeding is about 500. With the hell strip included it's only about 2000 sq ft total. The main hassle is watering right now as we also have a small vegetable garden and new perennials/annuals to establish early on. Like you said, well worth it.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Here are some updated pics of the other projects:

Backyard Overseed:


Roped off so the dogs stay out of it. The little guy still goes in, but it at least keeps him from sprinting through it when he gets the zoomies! The left side that runs between the garden and the arbor is the soaked seed. Everything to the right is dry seed with seed coat.

Vegetable Garden: 


These are the tomatoes. One Abe Lincoln, one patio variety, and one sun gold cherry. This a good mix and not too much to keep up with.



The other side has zucchini, cucumber, spinach, and a blueberry bush. I'm likely going to relocate the blueberry bush though at the wife's request. The cucumber was damaged from a cold night and I don't think will recover, so I'll have to plant another.

Landscaping:


Added three sun patients to the hostas that are in the Mazama plot. Two will come in with white bloom and the middle one with pink. These do well in the shade and should create some nice curb appeal.



This section is right behind the maple/Mazama. Added in three White Albums, some purple ajuga that our neighbor split for us, and more sun patients.



This is the corner of the TTTF. Planted the Lavender Ice here with sun patients behind to fill in. These sun patients should be bigger than the three in the Mazama bed. The Lavender Ice are a hardy ground cover perennial. Also added in another White Album.



This is the bed on the side of the house. Added six sun patients to create some pop as you drive/walk up from the side. Again, white and pink variety.





This is my favorite spot. The from corner. Features a Scotch Broom and a Knockout Rose. As you can see, when the Scotch Broom blooms it is EPIC. Next to the pink knockout rose it looks great.

Mulch is coming up this week and that will cap it off.


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## dleonard11122 (Jun 24, 2020)

Looking killer over there. This drought is kicking my butt. I am holding off mowing right now just got try and avoid stressing it any further. I will check out that nursery though, it's not too far from me.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@dleonard11122 the drought is real. Looking like it's going to stick around a bit too with no rain in the forecast for another 9-10 days. Thankfully I can cover the entire front lawn with two oscillating sprinklers. Takes a while to get down a half inch of water, but it works.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Sunday is evening mow night. Keeping the Mazama at 1.5" for now and may raise it to 2" this coming Thursday. There's a heat wave coming end of this weekend and we could hit 90s with nights in the 60s. Looks like I may have to move up the fungicide apps to this week.

TTTF is getting better every day. Today's mow is at 2.5" and it's still recovering, but looking so much better.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Decided on a preventative fungicide app now. Way ahead of schedule, but temps are rising quickly this week with nights heading into the mid-60s. Went with a foliar app of propiconazole at the lowest rate and threw in some natural adjuvant. This will give me 14 days of coverage and then I'll likely just keep the preventative rates going through the summer.

I haven't yet decided what rotation I'm going with. Azoxystrobin is my best bet with TTTF, but I just can't tap the budget for another $120 bottle or my wife will kill me. A 10 lb bag of Scott's Disease Ex will last me for about three applications, so I may just have to go that route. I'd prefer to do liquid/foliar, but I just don't think it's in the cards. Heritage SC has a 4 oz bottle that's only $40, so about the same cost as Disease Ex per application, but it's currently out of stock at DMO and they do not have an ETA on when it will be available.

Oh well. First app is down and pre-emergent will be going down tomorrow at just under the 3-month rate. This should then wear off by my target overseed date in late August.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Fairly easy going day today relative to the last. The insult warm temps have thrown us all for a loop here in NJ. We hit about 82° here, which is around 7° above the historical average. And to think today was one of the cooler days we've had the last week!

Anyways, spent some more time getting the landscape ready for mulch. I would love to mulch earlier, but the Maple drops it's seeds very late, so waiting for that to finish before I do mulch. I put down pre em in the beds and also the Simple Lawn Solutions liquid soil Loosener as a wetting agent.

As for the lawn, I double cut the TTTF at 2.5" and Mazama at 1.5" with the intention of burning in this pattern for a bit. After mowing I sprayed urea at 0.25 lbs N/1000. Will be watering in 0.5" tomorrow morning.


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Looks really good!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Both sections are rocking with those burned in stripes! Looks great and so do the new plants. Got to show some love for the landscaping!


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Looks great man! The dry-spell here is awful. I watered a couple times already.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@ericgautier thank you! The TTTF has rebounded really well after the tenacity apps thankfully.

@bf7 I finally got the path set for consistent striping! Took me a bit to figure out the best way to do the Mazama because it's such a small plot with a large tree in the middle of it haha. Gonna burn this one in for a bit and then switch it up to doubles. And heck yes for the landscaping! I have an immense appreciation for actually good looking landscaping because it's very difficult to get right. I'm ready to move on from those hedges, but that may have to wait until next season.

@gregonfire thanks! It has been absolutely insane how dry and hot it's been for this time of year. I mean I love this weather, but holy smokes would a good rainfall do us (well, our lawns) some good.


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Wow very impressive! Looks amazing! Keep up the great work!


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Looking really nice great transition from early spring I'm impressed


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Man, loving the grass and overall landscaping - great work!

I'd pay you to landscape design my beds!!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@JerseyGreens haha thanks! Honestly it's a crap shoot. Just gotta pick stuff out and plant it and see how it comes in.

Applied Azoxystrobin via Scott's Disease Ex last night. Watered it in this morning with a half inch. The drought is still real and my neighbor's lawns are really feeling it now. Looking like some rain in the forecast through this weekend hopefully! Color is still there though as I've been keeping up with irrigation.







Next up is another dose of N tomorrow along with SOP and I'll likely include some Humic acid.

I discovered one problem area near the spot where my sprinklers overlap. I wasn't sure if it was disease, lack of water, or compaction, so I took the hose and sprayed it. The water collected and took a while to drain, so I'm guessing it's having difficulty penetrating there. Could also have been missing with the sprinklers as it's in a corner where there's an overlap. I applied Simple Lawn Solutions Liquid Soil Loosener to the area and added a bit of extra azoxy just in case.





Also a quick update on the backyard overseed. It took quite a while for the soaked seed to come up, but I think that was due to me burying it too deep in the areas I put soil down. The seed coat area came up as well not too long after, it was about 7 days for the soaked seed and 8-9 days for the seed coat. The seed coat area had less soil applied though, so that lended to it as well. I think when it comes to the TTTF overseed I will just go with seed coat and not soak the seed. It wasn't too bad spreading it by hand when still wet, but not completely even coverage and I didn't see enough benefit to it to do it again. I'll just use seed coat and throw it done and hope for the best.


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## gravely G20 pro (May 22, 2021)

Really like the opposing diagonal stripes. Nice and straight and bright contrast


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@gravely G20 pro thank you much! The way the sun hits in that direction the diagonals look the best and pop the most. I tried checkerboard today and it just doesn't hit right haha. Gonna stick to diagonals!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Mowed tonight. TTTF at 2.5" and Mazama at 1.5"

Pictures didn't turn out great as I tried checker boarding the stripes and the lighting just isn't right for it. The way the sun tracks I need to stripe diagonally for the most pop.





Then applied the following:

TTTF:
- 0.25 lb N/1000 via urea
- 0.53 lb K/1000 via SOP
- 6 oz/1000 RGS

Mazama:
- 0.25 lb N/1000 via 8-1-8
- 0.25 lb K/1000 via 8-1-8
- 6 oz/1000 RGS

Hell Strip Overseed:
- 15 oz/1000 of 16-21-2 GreenePOP
- 6 oz/1000 RGS

We got rain for the first time in weeks last night and a lot of it. About 1.5" total in three separate passes of storms. We're slated for more tomorrow around 5-6PM, but I'm going to water this in a little bit in the early morning. Just about 20 mins to get the residual down to the soil.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

TeeJet Quick Cap parts arrived and got everything setup. The threads for the nozzle body are not a direct match for the FlowZone TeeJet quick connect adapter, but they're close. The quality of the TeeJet nozzle body is solid though, and the threads were able to make it onto the adapter. If they are a direct match (I don't think they are as TeeJet is proprietary I believe?) it was quite difficult to get on! Tested it out though and no leaks or issues with it on the high pressure setting with the least amount of flow tip.

The main ones I'll be using for foliar apps are the solid yellow and blue caps fitted with the XR tips. The yellow is a very fine mist at 60 psi and will work great in calm conditions. The blue cap will work great as well for foliar and if there's the slightest air movement, will be a better option for foliar at the 45 psi setting.

For soil applications I have the solid red setup fitted with a Turbo TeeJet Induction tip. This will give me an ultra coarse droplet size at both 45 and 60 psi.

Then there are the two hybrid green cap/red tip setups. One is fitted with the XR tip, the other an AIXR. If conditions are breezy and I need to make a foliar app, one of these two will be my go-to. The AIXR can even be good for soil targeted apps at 45 psi.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

First time this season I haven't been able to mow on schedule. The long rainy weekend got me and I went an extra day. I broke the 1/3 rule on the Mazama, but not a huge deal and not by a lot. To be honest both sections aren't quite sure what the hell is going on with this weather. The TTTF hasn't grown much since the last mow. The quality of cut I'm seeing from the Honda has a weird look to it as well. I'm not sure if it's just old blades that just haven't grown enough to be cut again, but there are yellow tips running rampant in both the TTTF and Mazama. I checked the blades and they seem fine, but I'm going to order a sharpening kit and give it a once over.

One thing I've been trying to do lately is rake the grass before mowing to work on the texture, especially for the Mazama since I'm at 1.5" right now. Anyways, no applications tonight, but will have some stuff to throw down Thursday. On to the pics:

Mazama Pre-mow:


Mazama Post-mow:


TTTF:


Pano:


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## gravely G20 pro (May 22, 2021)

Your yard does it for me man keep up the awesome work


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

Looking good!

Where did you purchase your mazama? Thank You.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

gravely G20 pro said:


> Your yard does it for me man keep up the awesome work


Thank you much! Just checked out your journal and I'm loving the HOC you've got going on. I'll be stepping mine up soon with the summer coming it definitely helps.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Liquidstone said:


> Looking good!
> 
> Where did you purchase your mazama? Thank You.


Thank you! I got my Mazama directly from a user on here actually. He was doing a renovation last year and had some left over that I purchased from him. If you're looking for it, depending on how much you need, there's only one online retailer that has it that I can find, which is CD Ford. Theirs isn't sod quality gold tag, but it'll be certified. Seed Super Store usually has it as well, but I'm not seeing it on their website currently.

You can also check your local supply stores, but it can be difficult to track down. CD Ford is $40 for 10 lbs + shipping, which will be in the $20-40 range. You can also post here in the Marketplace as a Want To Buy thread and if anyone has some, they'll message you.


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

OnTheLawn said:


> Liquidstone said:
> 
> 
> > Looking good!
> ...


Thank you much! I think I remember reading that you got it from FuzzeWuzze? Believe I saw that they got it from Vista Seed but I could just be spewing a bunch of nonsense! Just for others sake possibly researching as well, Seed Super Store does not currently have Mazama in stock by itself but may have some more supply later this month. I'll check out your other options. Keep that property looking stellar :thumbup:


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

That Mazama plot has come a ridiculously long way over the past couple months. Just looked back at the poa infestation pics in March. Very impressive progress!

You make a great point about the weather. So much variability. Seems like the lawns are changing colors daily.

How is the planter coming along? I didn't forget!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Liquidstone actually it was from @synergy0852! He hooked it up. Check out his reno thread and 2021 journal if you haven't yet, looks awesome. And yea I was thinking of renovating part of the backyard with Mazama where it's shady, but wanted to do a custom mix, so I've been looking around for it as well. I got the boot though from the wife on that one!

@bf7 ohhhh I know you haven't! An animal decided it didn't like the grass I planted in it, so it wreaked havoc. It's still filling in nicely though and it WAY outpacing the grass from the overseed in the hell strip. Kind of to be expected though as it's ideal soil, ideal conditions, no competing adult grass... it needs a cut!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@Liquidstone PM me if you need a smaller quantity. Probably have somewhere close to 8lbs left.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Haha woah! Looks like mature grass already. Those puppies definitely need a haircut!

What are the cultivars on the left and the right? The blades on the right look more fine.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 the left is Blue Velvet and the right is Prosperity. The middle is the Moonlight, but whatever went through it and jacked it up totally mixed the middle up haha. I'm gonna cut em tonight and I'm gonna leave it as is to see how it fills in haha


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

This is awesome. Now I feel like I can identify my grasses. I'm learning so much about my yard on your journal!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Got an app in before the rain tonight. Applied the following:

- 9 lbs/1000 X-Soil (remaining from last season)
- 0.30 lbs N/1000 via 18-0-1 GreenePunch
- 4 oz/1000 0-0-2 MicroGreene

That puts me at just under 2 lbs N/1000 so far this year. I'll be making one more planned N app before summer officially hits and it will be a light dose. Going to pickup a bag of Clarus Dynamic Duo (Milorganite alternative) from Site One tomorrow and apply on 6/13. Going to target about 0.20 lbs N/1000. The real idea is to get some calcium down as well and then I'll monitor the grass through the summer, but doubt I will push anymore N. The grass looks healthy and FEELS healthy. Very strong stand and is continuing to establish nicely.

Outside of that I have another app of SOP to finish off before summer and then one more app of Carbon Pro G and that should do it. Both of those will come on or before 6/13. I then plan to let everything settle in and will just water the grass through summer. I may throw in some apps of RGS during June/July, but nothing much til August. Then it's overseed mode.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@OnTheLawn, great journal. I'll keep checking back.

@Liquidstone, It would also be worth checking with Hart Seed here in CT if you can't get what you need from a member, as they normally stock Mazama.


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

@Green thank you much, I'll give them a look as well.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

No lawn work today, but finally got the mulch done!

Before:








After:








This is triple shred bark mulch that's black. Better quality than standard dyed hardwood mulch and is great for plants/beds. Holds on to moisture much better, prevents erosion, and breaks down much better throughout the season adding organic matter into the beds. The sunpatients are already starting to bloom as well! One of my favorite annuals.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Welp, found the culprit of the cut quality issues I've been having:



Not exactly sure how this happened, as I've been avoiding sticks and debris at all cost and haven't used this mower in the back section of the backyard where things are rough. Oh well, going to try and file it down and see how it looks, but I have a feeling I'm headed to Home Depot in the morning for replacement blades. I knew I was due for a sharpening, but this definitely explains why some of the grass is looking torn up after mowing.


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## dleonard11122 (Jun 24, 2020)

Happy Birthday!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Got the blades changed and a mow in last night. It needed it. Both plots have exploded with growth thanks to the warmer temps and 1.5"+ of rain over the weekend. Had to up the HOC, especially with the heat the last few days.

TTTF @ 3"




Mazama @ 2"


Left the striper off for this mow. Was able to get down an app of propiconazole as well at the 2 oz/1000 rate tonight during the light rain. My hope is that this will regulate the growth a little bit heading into summer and help reroute energy to the roots. Last N app of the spring will be via Dynamic Duo (milo alt) and then it will be focus on bio stims and micros.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Your lawn is gorgeous and the flowers are lovely!

If you want the bottom of your yews to be fuller, you have to cut the top of the bushes narrower and the bottoms wider. Also, go into the shrub and prune some of it deep to get more internal branching. You should be able to get them back to fullness in a few years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14WGR4GUEgs&t=51s


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

That yard just looks happy as all can be. Looking great!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Lawndress thank you so much! Landscaping and gardening has turned into a passion of mine as well. I've been debating what to do about the Yews and if they could be salvaged, or if it was time to move on and replace them… part of me wants to put something more interesting there, so if you have any recommendations on what could go there please let me know! (Should I decide to change them)


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

OnTheLawn said:


> Welp, found the culprit of the cut quality issues I've been having:
> 
> 
> 
> Not exactly sure how this happened, as I've been avoiding sticks and debris at all cost and haven't used this mower in the back section of the backyard where things are rough. Oh well, going to try and file it down and see how it looks, but I have a feeling I'm headed to Home Depot in the morning for replacement blades. I knew I was due for a sharpening, but this definitely explains why some of the grass is looking torn up after mowing.


What type of blade is that?! Looks about 1 cm thick and odd shape. Cast-iron and forged in the backyard workshop? And it has wood grain in it? Lol. Optical illusion? Not sure what I'm looking at in that photo.

Edit: Nevermind. I see it now.

It looked like a piece of plywood amalgamated with cast-iron initially.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

OnTheLawn said:


> @Lawndress thank you so much! Landscaping and gardening has turned into a passion of mine as well. I've been debating what to do about the Yews and if they could be salvaged, or if it was time to move on and replace them… part of me wants to put something more interesting there, so if you have any recommendations on what could go there please let me know! (Should I decide to change them)


Well, what do you want? Something evergreen that flowers? Something that you can make hedge-like? The easy answer is azaleas. Autumn Sunset is the variety that I've just planted for my foundation because it stays dense and hedges nicely. It took me a long time to develop the confidence to make hedges because so many turn out poorly, but remember: smaller on the top, bigger on the bottom, and go in deep with pruners after shearing to bring branching and leaves back into the inside instead of being just a shell on the outside.

You can also underplant the front bit with daffodils if you don't mind putting up with two months of the leaves rotting down. Sticking them under big hostas usually works pretty well.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Me likey the shine on that fescue. Any thoughts of using PGR other than propi?


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Oh yeah buddy - looking sharp!

My 2oz K of Propi app this week halted my top growth in it's tracks even with all of the rain and warm weather.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Liquidstone thank ya! It's definitely responding well to everything I've been doing, especially through this high heat. My neighbor takes decent care of his lawn and the domination line is real right now. Not that I care about that, I help him out as much as I can when he asks questions and I've even offered to help him reno! But it's amazing what happens without being proactive to conditions. You'll learn this for sure during your reno!

@Lawndress I had that thought this morning! I absolutely love azaleas and will likely be going with them, I was almost hoping you'd say that. Now the question is, how difficult will it be to uproot these things? Will it be worth it? They've been here lonnnnggggg before we moved in and we'll before the previous owners haha. I can only imagine what that process will be like…

@bf7 yes! I looked into doing T Nex, but I wanted to see how it would be without it. I also hit my (the wife's) budget for lawn/landscaping stuff this year, so I had to allocate my resources wisely. However, I am kind of glad I held off. In doing my research, I learned a lot about Anuew and it's effect on Poa A. Next spring I will be getting Anuew for sure.

@JerseyGreens that's what I'm hoping for. I came home tonight though and the Mazama already needs another mow haha. This stuff is exploding.

@Green at a quick glance I see exactly what you're seeing haha. It does look like it has plywood somehow infused! That's actually just my workbench, but a blade with plywood amalgamated to cast iron certainly sounds like something that someone on TLF would have


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

@OnTheLawn ummmmm...that was something I batted my eyelashes at my husband and got him to remove. Looool. Cut them all down, then dig up the roots and use pruners to get them. I did one myself and then decided to get my man to do it. Lol. It's a pain. But he did several in one day. I considered it worth it!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

So I had to cut today because it legitimately doubled overnight. This weather is nuts. Looking forward to cooler, normal, weather next week.

Have to guess any PGR effects of the Propi were short lived.


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

I'm a fan of being proactive. You're spot on there. Did you pick up some new blades?


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Liquidstone said:


> I'm a fan of being proactive. You're spot on there. Did you pick up some new blades?


Yup, the gouges were too big to work out with a file so I opted to just replace them. Cut quality was much better and I'll need to keep an eye on them more often.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Mowed tonight and then applied the following:

- 4.3 lbs/1000 6-2-4 Whole Shebang (Milo alt, just over 0.25 lbs N/1000)
- 5 lbs/1000 Carbon Pro G

TTTF @2.5":






Mazama @ 1.5":




The Whole Shebang is a Milo alternative, but provides a bit more calcium and also K. Not as much P. I like the analysis of it and comes in a 50 lb bag vs the 35 lb bag of Milo. Plus it's just easier to come by at my local Site One rather than hope HD has it. For a summer fertilizer, I'm not sure there's anything better if you need to get down some N while also providing K, which most soils seem to be deficient in.



Supposed to get rain tomorrow, so hopefully that will water it in.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbsup: 
I like the way you make the perimeter pass along the neighbor's property towards the street, to use the dark stripe to accentuate the domination line. I always look for that!

The Whole Shebang looks interesting. I use something in the ballpark, that has some goodies in it called Bioplex 5-3-1.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Chris LI said:


> :thumbsup:
> I like the way you make the perimeter pass along the neighbor's property towards the street, to use the dark stripe to accentuate the domination line. I always look for that!
> 
> The Whole Shebang looks interesting. I use something in the ballpark, that has some goodies in it called Bioplex 5-3-1.


  yeaaaaa you know. Normally it's not this apparent though. He takes great care of his lawn, but this year they went on a vacation and it was the hottest week of the year so far here in the low 90s all week, so parts of his lawn went. No irrigation. He had just had it fertilized too about a week before, which didn't help at all. It'll bounce back in the fall but right now it's struggling.

And yea I love the Whole Shebang. It's mainly the balance of N and K, plus some more calcium than what Milo has. For my soil especially, a great summer fert.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Nothing too exciting happening right now. Mowed yesterday and that's about it. I have one app of SOP left and then I'll be focusing on bio stims and micros.

TTTF @ 2.5"






Mazama @ 1.5"


Also, happy birthday to me:


The wife was able to get one ordered from Walmart. This will make the overseed project and future dethatching MUCH easier. The manual rake is good for about 500 sq ft, but beyond that it's a bear. Very thankful for this!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Happy bday! Got the wife buying you lawn supplies. Please teach me your ways.

Both stands still look really dark.


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

Good deal on the dethatcher. I picked it up from Wally World as well. Best price I could find on the web! Happy Bday


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## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

Happy Birthday and have fun with your Sun Joe. I picked one up and tested on my backyard this past Spring and it was great for what it is. I have some photos of the carnage in my backyard journal. Make sure to get some heavy gauge extension cords if you don't have them. I used 100 feet of 12 gauge cable and it ran fine.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@bf7 botox is expensive, but I make no qualms… lol that's my secret. The color response has been great with the spoon feeding. We'll see what happens now that I'm done N for the summer.

@Liquidstone Thank you! I was trying to hold out for one of the newer models, but didn't want to risk not having one for the overseed in late August.

@Lust4Lawn thanks! I've seen what these machines can do so I'm pumped to try it out. I ordered a 50' 14/3 on Amazon and naturally a 16-gauge showed up. Ordered a replacement and got the same 16-gauge haha. Ordered a different one and should be here Thursday so I'll be able to let it rip.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@JerseyGreens gave the double wide single diagonal a shot tonight. The lighting is very difficult here and stripes just don't pop as much, or I need a drone!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

OnTheLawn said:


> @JerseyGreens gave the double wide single diagonal a shot tonight. The lighting is very difficult here and stripes just don't pop as much, or I need a drone!


I see them - looking sharp. Take pictures around 1pm tomorrow and post. They will be popping!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@JerseyGreens I did the diagonals first, then the doubles. Should have gone back over the diagonals! Oh well, next time.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

OnTheLawn said:


> @JerseyGreens I did the diagonals first, then the doubles. Should have gone back over the diagonals! Oh well, next time.


Hey man - at least they are straight! The doubles will stand out more in the sunlight.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Been a while…

I'll cut right to the pictures:



Renovation is underway in the back. I went the Connor route and decided to spray gly and put seed down on the same day. Basic timeframe was as follows:

8/12:
- 10AM: sprayed gly, let sit for 3 hours (I did this weird. I sprayed about 1250 sq ft in 3 total apps. I used the renovation rate per 300 sq ft like the label says, but did that over 400 sq ft ish with each gallon)
- 1 PM: dethatched and scarified with the Sun Joe at -10 setting in two directions
- 2 PM: seed down, raked in, rolled, azoxy down
- 4PM: final blanket spray of gly at the renovation rate in one gallon over the entire thing. I knew I was going to apply again later on, which is why I went lighter on the rates with the first app. Let sit for two hours
- 6PM: tenacity down, begin watering

8/17: Germination



This area is about 1250 sq ft. I'm not doing the entire thing because I have a hell of a time getting anything but crabgrass and Poa to grow beyond the tree. That section is about 90% shade and I will tackle that in early spring when leaf cover isn't full yet. Going to opt for a hard fescue that I won't have to mow much. I did not bring in any soil, do any leveling, or cover the seed with anything. Just letting it ride!

Here's where we stand as of today:



Germ is looking good with decent coverage. The cultivars I used have varying germ times, so it will be sporadic. Not too worried. More on the cultivars in a minute…

Here's the front:







8/18:
- 6:30PM: sprayed propiconazole at 1oz/1000 for PGR effects
8/19:
- 11AM: scalped from 3" down to 1.5", bagged
- 11:30AM: dethatched and scarified with the Sun Joe at -10 setting, three directions
- 1:30PM: scalped down further to 1", bagged
- 2PM: seed down, raked in, rolled, azoxy down, tenacity down, watered in

The front Overseed project has commenced as well. Now we're on cruise control for a bit with both the front and the back. If you've been following along, you know I was planning to go with the KBG cultivars of Moonlight SLT, Prosperity, and Blue Velvet. Welp, change of plans! @bf7 dont be too disappointed, I still used a couple. However, I did more research and test plots and decided to go for something completely different out front. Here's what we're going with:

Front Overseed:
- Mazama, Bluebank, Everest into the TTTF
- Bluebank and more Mazama into the mono Mazama

Backyard Reno:
- Mazama, Bluebank, Everest, Prosperity, & Blue Velvet

I opted to go with Mazama, Bluebank, and Everest due to the NTEPs for my area and just wanting something that germinated quicker and had deeper genetic color. Since I was overseeding the front, I wanted something to get out of the ground quick. In my testing the other three cultivars took roughly 8-10 days to really get out of the ground. These three, especially mazama, moved that up. Maz got out in five days and the other two followed a day or so behind.

The renovation, I went for everything but Moonlight SLT. I didn't like the appearance in one of the test plots I did and it scored horribly in the NTEPs for my area. Which is weird, because it scored rather well in other areas not far from here. I added the Prosperity and Blue Velvet for more variety and because I won't be able to tend to the back as much.

Will update with more pics tomorrow!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Somebody has been quietly busy! That germ on the back reno looks great. Doing roundup on seed day probably adds some protection from washout since all the vegetation is still there.

I am a little disappointed by the seed choices  but totally understand NTEP scores are different everywhere, and people gravitate to the newer stuff. And for overseeding kbg into fescue, germ time is key. It looks like you beat the daylights out of the existing grass so that should help.

Best of luck sir. Following.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

I dig it man! No topsoil...fallow...leveling...crazy other Reno madness...

Gly and Seed - same day reno. Love it!


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## vipersbyms (Aug 22, 2020)

Looks really good. I overseeded my mixed, but mostly kbg, yard last year with GCI TTTF and it came out nice. But without irrigation and life happening it got hammered this summer. In the midst of killing off the front to have it only GCI TTTF.

Back into the 90s again next week. The weather was really not too friendly this year.

Are you in Camden County?


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

Looking good! The ol sneaky reno, I dig it!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Quick update:

Front Overseed Project

- we got hit with a nasty heat wave a couple of days after seed down. Temps were in the mid-90s for a few days straight and soil temps were up. We also had very wet conditions. I also believe I over-applied tenacity somehow - despite using a single mL syringe - and I think the combo of all of those things halted germination. Two weeks after seed down, I wasn't seeing much of anything except a few sprouts here and there. We then got hit with insane weather (downpours and tornadoes nearby) on 9/2. I decided to basically redo the front and spread my remaining seed. Forecasts were clear and temperatures were ideal, so I basically redid it all on 9/3. Saw germination in five days and it's coming in well. If anything from the previous batch makes it through, great! No fertilizer yet.





Backyard Renovation

- thankfully the backyard was far enough along that it held strong through the tornado. I was feeling spicy and decided to add PRG to the blend. I did this for a few reasons, but mainly because I want as much versatility back there as possible. With the summers we have, the heat, the humidity, the disease pressure, the dogs, the traffic… better safe than sorry. I ordered 10 lbs of Stover Seed Grand Slam blend (Grand Slam GLR, Paragon 2, Pangea SLR) and spread about 7 lbs total over the 1300 sq ft on Tuesday afternoon. Seeing germination already. Excited to see this combination of grasses! Also put down its first dose of N at 0.20 lbs N/1000


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The reno is starting to fill in nicely. I like the fact you waited to drop the rye, to give the kbg as much time as possible to establish. I think I've done it a little with spot seeding, but your project will really illustrate the benefits. I'll continue to follow. I can't wait to see what the front looks like with the kbg seeded into the TTTF.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

@Chris LI it's gettin there! I had initially thought about putting rye down with the KBG, but opted to do straight KBG at the beginning thinking that would be it. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to add it. I think the tactic of waiting is certainly useful and the KBG is still in pout phase. The crazy weather didn't help, but it seems to be kicking into gear now. The only real downside is that getting solid seed-to-soil contact is more difficult since taking isn't really an option. I rolled it, and then put some soil/peat combo down on top, which I'll post in more detail about shortly.

I'm excited about the TTTF/KBG mix too. I will say that overseeding KBG into an existing stand is more difficult, but it seems to be going well right now. I'm planning on writing a guide for it with all of the tests and stuff I've tried out over this year. Once I get the fertilizer situation figured out, I'll get to writing it.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Ok so a bit more detail about both the overseed and the reno, but mainly the overseed. Like I said, the KBG I put down struggled out of the game. This may have been due to the heat wave, could have been the excessive moisture and rain that followed, also could have been a heavy-handed tenacity application. Surely could have been all of the above. Regardless, I had issues with it the first go around and decided to take some action steps for the second attempt. This involved a top dressing.

I wasn't a fan of using straight peat moss during my 2020 reno, but I liked its moisture retaining capabilities. I tried some different stuff out with too dressing in the spring and did find that adding another medium to it helps. My biggest gripe with it was that when watering, it tended to move around. I opted to give something a shot and I think it found my go-to for seed bed prep in the future:

1 bail peat moss + 3 bags Scott's Lawn Soil (1.5 cu ft each)/ 1000 sq ft. The Scott's Lawn Soil mixed with the peat moss was easier to spread and had more weight to it than just straight peat moss. I could have used compost as well, which I've done before, but quality compost near me is difficult to come by and the store bought stuff just isn't fun to work with. The Scott's Lawn Soil also has a very small amount of starter fertilizer mixed in. For the Overseed specifically, this was great. I'm sure some of it made it's way to the TTTF, but as of right now I haven't seen much of a push in top growth at all. What I like is that it gives a small amount of nutrients to the seedlings that's available when they can start taking it up, but it's not enough to surge the growth of the existing grass. I'm seeing great germination now, which I also attribute to the much better weather conditions, but I'm sure this helped.

I also used this combo when I put down the rye in the reno. I was able to roll the seed and the KBG held on well. Young grass is resilient, way more resilient than we think, and then spread this top dressing to get better seed to soil contact. I'm very happy with this top dressing combo so far and plan to continue using it.

With that said, if you can find quality compost near you, use it. I can't, so I opted for this and it seems to be working. I also realize that it could have some weed seeds in it, but that's the reality for most mediums. I can deal with those later if need be.


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

Welp, PRG is no joke. I will give a massive shoutout to Ryan Knorr for the Grand Slam blend he puts his name on. Great stuff so far and I'd love to give his elite blend a shot in the future as well. I can see why they call it sissy grass… it's weird. It's like you plant it and expect that when you wake up the next morning, you'll have grass. Then it sits for a few days without germinating and you wonder to yourself, "why do people say you'll have a new lawn in a week with this stuff?" Then it germinates on the third or fourth day, like a lot. Not just some green sprouts here and there, it's grown about a half inch out of nowhere. Then, in 48 hours time, it's almost ready for a mow.

This picture was taken 9/12, which was five days after seeding and two days after germ:


This picture is 48 hours later, from this afternoon:


That area is this spot in the blue box, picture taken 9/11:


Same spot today:


9/12:


9/14:


9/12:


9/14:


Insane stuff. Glad I waited to put down the PRG well after the KBG though. Likely going to give it its first now tomorrow night. Also put an app of N on the front Overseed to kick things into gear. 0.25 lbs N/1000


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

OnTheLawn said:


> This picture was taken 9/12, which was five days after seeding and two days after germ:
> 
> 
> This picture is 48 hours later, from this afternoon:


WOW. Almost seems like cheating!


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## Liquidstone (Mar 31, 2021)

This looks great already! That PRG IS basically cheating!


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

OnTheLawn said:


> Got the blades changed and a mow in last night. It needed it. Both plots have exploded with growth thanks to the warmer temps and 1.5"+ of rain over the weekend. Had to up the HOC, especially with the heat the last few days.
> 
> TTTF @ 3"
> 
> ...


I know this takes you way back, but you noted that THAT photo shows your 'Mazama' cut at 2".
Maybe it is an illusion BUT…from the bottom photo of it…looks no higher there than maybe 1.25" height. Wonder if you measured height of blade there?


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