# Brian's Cincinnati lawn quest



## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Hi all I'm Brian. Going to keep track in here and very open to critiques or suggestions.

First ever lawn

Cincinnati OH

Inherited looked terrible , kind of making progress

3500sq ft

Attempting soil test tmrw for first time ever

Prior to these pics:

Tons of weeds this spring - spot sprayed and pulled myself

Bare / dead spots from cutting down and winter - seeded and strawed by professional

Caught moles that totally damaged yard


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

In before pics! :mrgreen:

Good luck on your journey and keep us updated


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

6/30 left of walk looking at house

Up to this point:
Pro company June fertilize x 1 and weed spray x2

Me: 
fungal application group 3/11
ironite spray x 1

Mowing 4" q3 days

Irrigate 45 min q weekly


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

6/30 left of walk


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Pro seeded spot in spring now dying 
Mole hole down in there


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

6/30 right of walk

Up close of one of the alive grassy weeds (I think creeping bentgrass , others are dead)


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Today - right of walk

7/1: grub control by pro company

New since last pic:
Irrigated 20 min daily x 7 days prior to 3pm in 90-100 and humid weather wth zero rain per recommendation of pro lawn company


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Right of walk


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## bellts02 (Apr 16, 2018)

Im excited by what youve got going here. I think if u hit it hard with fert + water this fall its gonna look great. I hit my lawn with 3lbs N over 6 weeks this spring and it was thickening like crazy.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

bellts02 said:


> Im excited by what youve got going here. I think if u hit it hard with fert + water this fall its gonna look great. I hit my lawn with 3lbs N over 6 weeks this spring and it was thickening like crazy.


Thanks! Planning an aeration and overseed by the pro company ...after that I'm on my own so I'm reading and planning and learning now 😀


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Today

Left of walk



Down the middle


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## bellts02 (Apr 16, 2018)

Roger. Dont overcomplicate it and youll do fine.


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## bellts02 (Apr 16, 2018)

Btw, thats a sweet yard gnome on ur porch. Very lifelike. &#128512;


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

bellts02 said:


> Btw, thats a sweet yard gnome on ur porch. Very lifelike. 😀


hahahahaha.....that's the pro


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Found this today , noticed it before too...


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

How much shade those trees give you?


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

g-man said:


> How much shade those trees give you?


Quite a bit. Planning to have them trimmed here soon


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

7/12/18

These have been popping up, what is this?



I also have this. Is this the prg brown stem stuff I've read people discussing on the forum?


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

What's this? Been weed free for a while until these have been popping up.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Brown circle seems to be getting worse. There is a deep hole and tunnel down in there. I can stick half my arm down in there. When I tap on the ground in many places it sounds like a drum and I can tell it's not solid. Moles den or something? Also, there used to be a tree there sometime ago and I noticed some trees roots in the ground. Also it went totally dead in the late fall last year, thought it was suffocated by leaves. What should I do about this? I have traps out in the yard where I've seen active tunnels.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

7/12

90-100 and humid lately except for today.

Have still been irritating with sprinkler in am 30 min daily (per recommendation of pro lawn company)

Applied the hose end ironite today just to see what it would do

4 days since last mow


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Daily irrigation leads to fungus. Deep and infrequent is the key. By deep we mean to apply more than 0.5in of water at once. A tuna can (audit) is the best method to know how long that takes.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Don't know what "pro lawn company" your using but I'd stop listening to what they have to say if they're telling you to water daily.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Don't know what "pro lawn company" your using but I'd stop listening to what they have to say if they're telling you to water daily


If you put down preventative fungicide applications at intervals, will you still get fungus if you water too often in the am?

I know I've read the rule one a week and deep thrown around. However, after reading some other sources I'm not sure people are unanimous on that for summer watering. What do you think? I think lcn posted a video where he is doing 3xweek or something like that?

What about watering after a fall overseed?

What about watering after a spring overseed?

Time of year and temps play a role?

(Cutting ties with the pro company btw, lot of bad advice from them so far)


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

I've also read other posters say that in the summer heat the roots retract so one a week 1" doesn't necessarily apply in 90-100 degree summer. What do you guys think?


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Preventative fungicide will help with fungas but the best preventative is proper cultural techniques. That would definitely include not watering lightly every day even when it's hot.

When it's really hot out you can water 2-3 times a week but I wouldn't go more than that.

Watering after a overseed is a different story. You need to keep the seeds moist with light frequent irrigation until the grass becomes established. This can mean 3 times a day.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Preventative fungicide will help with fungas but the best preventative is proper cultural techniques. That would definitely include not watering lightly every day even when it's hot.
> 
> When it's really hot out you can water 2-3 times a week but I wouldn't go more than that.
> 
> Watering after a overseed is a different story. You need to keep the seeds moist with light frequent irrigation until the grass becomes established. This can mean 3 times a day.


Can't tell you guys how much I appreciate the advice and help!


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

7/15

Rgs 3oz/1k sq ft + humic n-ext product 3oz/1k sq ft + 20oz 2-1-1 organic fish fertilizer made by my brother &#128512;

Finally under 90 today and tmrw

Tested tenacity according to label for spot spray in 1 gallon on what I think is a grassy weed.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Need some help....

I have a circle in the middle of my front yard:

Here is what I know so far:

I guess there used to be a tree there.

Dead grass suffocated by leaves there this fall

Seeded with straw early spring

Dying this summer slowly

Sinking ground with low unlevel spots

Tap on ground and it sounds hollow line a drum over certain spots

Seems to be some sort of mole holes I can put my entire arm into down in the ground

I can feel the big old tree roots down in there

So, what do I do?

Dig up the turf, fill in with top soil and put turf back?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes, dig and fill.


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## Creel (Jul 2, 2018)

This weather around here has really been making this a tough summer in our area right now it seems like just having some green in the lawn is more than most around here.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Creel said:


> This weather around here has really been making this a tough summer in our area right now it seems like just having some green in the lawn is more than most around here.


Awful weather...a break under 90 tmrw!

About to apply tenacity tonight


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Pre tenacity , couple days after first application of rgs and humic acid


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)




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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

It's been a while but this is July 20ish


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

August 20ish right before overseed. I really felt like I was making progress and was super excited before overseed.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

9/13 after fist 4" mow post overseed (lots and lots and lots of rain and temps 60's-70's)

Matted grass in the sloped area down by the driveway and right of walk right up against the flower bed. Tried everything to get it standing up but pretty much failed


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

4in is too much for that grass. Like all the way to 2in.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

g-man said:


> 4in is too much for that grass. Like all the way to 2in.


Maybe mow the really shaded areas at 2" (assuming it's fine fescue that's thriving) and the three areas at 3..5-4"?


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Also,

I've noticed this spot again. Same circle I've referenced above where g man said to dig and fill. I dug up a small 2x2 foot area that I noticed seemed hollow and filled it and seeded it. However I think that ring is back. There used to be a tree there. Mushrooms grow there after a good rain. It's been seeded twice successfully initially looking great then slowly dies out. Is this a fairy ring? Any suggestions?

These are photos of that spot from different point in time.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

Bkell101 said:


> Also,
> 
> I've noticed this spot again. Same circle I've referenced above where g man said to dig and fill. I dug up a small 2x2 foot area that I noticed seemed hollow and filled it and seeded it. However I think that ring is back. There used to be a tree there. Mushrooms grow there after a good rain. It's been seeded twice successfully initially looking great then slowly dies out. Is this a fairy ring? Any suggestions?
> 
> These are photos of that spot from different point in time.


I'll move this to forum


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

I have a ring in the front yard I've struggled with for a year now. There used to be a tree there (that's what neighbor tells me). Initially I thought it was leaves that suffocated the area. Then I noticed it's been seeded twice and looks great at first then dies out. Mushrooms grow there after a good rain and pop up over night super quick. This summer I noticed it was hollow under some spots and I could find rotting roots under the turf. The soil was very odd to me under there and almost airy and feathery. I've noticed this spot again after the most recent overseed. Is this a fairy ring? Any suggestions?

These are photos of that spot from different point in time.


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## LawnNeighborSam (Aug 14, 2018)

I think I read/heard somewhere it took someone years to finally get grass to grow where trees used to be. Something about the roots still underground and rotting away. But I'm sure you can get it to work - Keep us posted #interested


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Bkell101 Moved this here.

That's doesn look like a fairy ring. It looks like LNS said, roots could be rotting underneath. Grab a shovel and try to get to 12in deep to see what's there.


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Spread something like milo very heavy in the area. The decomposing wood depletes the soil of nitrogen. The milo will help with that by providing as much nitrogen as the microbes can break down. It'll also promote the breakdown action. It's also possible that the wood underneath is preventing deep rooting, so it's creating drought conditions.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

LawnNeighborSam said:


> I think I read/heard somewhere it took someone years to finally get grass to grow where trees used to be. Something about the roots still underground and rotting away. But I'm sure you can get it to work - Keep us posted #interested


I hope you are right.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

g-man said:


> Bkell101 Moved this here.
> 
> That's doesn look like a fairy ring. It looks like LNS said, roots could be rotting underneath. Grab a shovel and try to get to 12in deep to see what's there.


There are definately rotting roots under there because I've dug in and felt them with my


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

I've read that old tree roots under gr ground contribute to fairy ring. Since I felt roots in there and the circle keeps dying off, I'm worried that's what it is.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

samjonester said:


> Spread something like milo very heavy in the area. The decomposing wood depletes the soil of nitrogen. The milo will help with that by providing as much nitrogen as the microbes can break down. It'll also promote the breakdown action. It's also possible that the wood underneath is preventing deep rooting, so it's creating drought conditions.


Ok so I had the same thought. Even if it is fairy ring, the fungus is robbing the nutrients right? So I figure give extra nutrients in that area. I've also read you need to dethatch, water and aerate if it is fairy ring. Maybe throw down some air 8, de-thatch, and extra hand watering too?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I am pretty sure it is not fairy ring. Wood needs nitrogen to decompose plus it takes years. If you want to fix this area, I would remove the roots up to 12 inches deep.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

This spring I started with a terrible mainly weed lawn. And thanks to help of this forum I've made some good progress. Still learning, but thankful for the help and advice this far.


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