# DiabeticKripple's 2022 Lawn Journal



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Hey guys, I'm new!

I'm 25 and from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I bought my first house here in Blackfalds, Alberta last summer.

Found this forum a couple weeks ago when researching the ins and outs of lawn care.

This is my first summer in my house as I took possession last August. All I did last year was put an app of Scott's Fall Lawn Fert down (32-0-10) and it really made a big difference.

The previous owners had 2 female Boxers so the lawn was very spotted.

I also got my own fur baby in Sept named Ruger. He's a purebred chocolate lab out of a breeder specifically for gun dogs. He's going to be my hunting pal for the next decade.



Anyways back to the lawn, I have no idea what grass I have. I imagine it is a northern blend of KBG, TTTF and PRG.

So far this year I've dethatched twice and yesterday I sent my soil samples off to Waypoint in TN.

We've been having decent weather but nights are still cold, keeping lawn temps down.

Today I put the rest of the Scotts down just to get rid of it. I also watered it in.

Plans for the year are to topdress, overseed with KBG and get the holes in the backyard filled in. Next year I'll get an irrigation system put in. I may do a Reno in a couple seasons once I get experience under my belt.

Anyways here's some pics!

Front Yard





There's a pretty good hole here I need to fill in with topsoil. I already put a bunch of dead sod in it.







Here's a spot where the sod from the build died. I'll pull it up and overseed KBG there.





Back Yard


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Anyone know what grass type this is?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Anyone know that grass type? I can take better pictures if needed.

This week has been crappy. Highs around the 40's and lows in the high 20's. We got 4" of snow Friday night which slowly melted throughout the day Saturday.

This week is looking much better and the lawn should hopefully take off with the fert o put down last week.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Looks like a fescue, but is hard to tell.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

g-man said:


> Looks like a fescue, but is hard to tell.


ill pull some grass tonight and get some better pics.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@g-man

Here's some better pics. Looks maybe like a fine fescue? It appears to be growing in clumps.


----------



## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Those last pics look like bluegrass to me.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Pete1313 said:


> Those last pics look like bluegrass to me.


I did some more digging and according to this link it looks like it's bluegrass.

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/grasses/kentucky-bluegrass/

It has the same prominent mid vein and canoe-shaped tip of the blade.


----------



## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Yeah that looks like bluegrass. Most sod farms plant straight bluegrass so that's what the builder probably installed. If it is mostly KBG feed it with some N this spring and it will help with spreading.

Good that you got yourself a soil test. It's a excellent way to start. Spend this season trying to get any nutrient deficiencys fixed and work on proper mowing, watering and fertilizing.

There is another member from Alberta on here. @llO0DQLE Is in Edmonton. He might be able to help you out if you need to find anything locally.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Thanks Bob. I think he already asked about UFA in a different thread and I did mention it's great for grains. I get my urea, Serenade and other basic fertilizers like MOP and MAP from a local garden store and most everything else online. He is in Red Deer though but he may have better access to farm stuff.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I can get "the good stuff" from UFA as my uncle has a couple sections of land in southern AB.

I've got a jug of RoundUp Transorb which is so concentrated I don't think I'll ever use it all. It sure kills stuff dead though. I sprayed my alley with it.

I'm lucky to have Bluegrass Nursery in town and they have tons of knowledge. I'm going to order a yard or two of their top dressing mix for my next days off.

The plan is to aerate, top dress and overseed. Since it doesn't get super hot here, spring seeding should work out

Soil test results should be here today or tomorrow. They got my package and called me yesterday for payment.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

This spot is going to need a bit of work. The water isn't soaking in like everywhere else. Even when I'm watering it floods instead of soaks. Hopefully aeration will loosen it up enough.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

DiabeticKripple said:


> I can get "the good stuff" from UFA as my uncle has a couple sections of land in southern AB.


What sort of good stuff?



DiabeticKripple said:


> I'm lucky to have Bluegrass Nursery in town and they have tons of knowledge. I'm going to order a yard or two of their top dressing mix for my next days off.


What's the name of the business? If you're going to see them, can you ask if they sell 100% KBG sod and what cultivars they use?



DiabeticKripple said:


> Since it doesn't get super hot here, spring seeding should work out


In my experience, spring seeding, or at the latest, early to mid July is ideal for seeding due to our short growing season. If it's a shady area, I go as early as possible esp since I find that I always need to reseed certain sections.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@@llO0DQLE

The "good stuff" I can get is just anything a farmer can get to spray his crops. Lots isn't allowed in the city, but it works very well.

The name of the place is Bluegrass Nursery.

It doesn't look like the sell 100% KBG sod but here's the link

https://bluegrassnursery.com/order-sod/

I was just browsing their catalog and found this section on organic fert.



The ph decreaser is what I need since my lawn is 7.9


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Ah, I've checked out that company's sod info. They don't have 100% KBG. Thanks though. I would be wary of pH decreasers. I'm no soil expert but if that's sulfur, my understanding is that it doesn't work, esp. with our cool climate, and can be harsh for the soil microbes.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Just finished doing some core aeration on the lawn.

Man is that a workout. Went over the yard pretty heavily and got 1-2" plugs. The tines wouldn't go deeper since my soil is so compacted. Even the plugs are rock solid.

The lawn is starting to wake up finally. We had some crappy weather this spring that lingered longer than last year.















Couple spots where the snow was piled high and had a bunch of salt in it. I'll rake it up and overseed when I top dress.





This is one year ago. When I was viewing the house.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

DiabeticKripple said:


> I can get "the good stuff" from UFA as my uncle has a couple sections of land in southern AB.
> 
> I've got a jug of RoundUp Transorb which is so concentrated I don't think I'll ever use it all. It sure kills stuff dead though. I sprayed my alley with it.
> 
> ...


Good luck! That sounds like a good plan. It looks like you have a lot to work with. Do you have access to Tenacity? I know some things are hard to get in CA. If you can get your hands on some, it should help at seed down to complete with spring weeds.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> Good luck! That sounds like a good plan. It looks like you have a lot to work with. Do you have access to Tenacity? I know some things are hard to get in CA. If you can get your hands on some, it should help at seed down to complete with spring weeds.


Tenacity and Prodiamine are in the mail! Hopefully they make it through the border.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbup:


----------



## JasonRMorrow (Sep 11, 2018)

Hey guys I'm from Calgary and will be sodding new construction soon.

I'm going with Manderley Sod. 
https://www.manderley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Calgary-2018-Less-Water-Spec-Sheet-web.pdf

It's KBG only in Calgary. The Edmonton sod has 10% fescue in it though.

Ok if we hang out in your journal!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I'm going to grab a couple bags from Eagle Lake Landscape Supply in Calgary.

They sell 100% KBG seed for $25/2.2lb bag.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

DiabeticKripple said:


> Just finished doing some core aeration on the lawn.
> 
> Man is that a workout. Went over the yard pretty heavily and got 1-2" plugs. The tines wouldn't go deeper since my soil is so compacted. Even the plugs are rock solid.
> 
> ...


Oh man, this made me chuckle. This reminds me of my first year of lawn care, pretty much the same scenario. It was 2013, just got the house, lawn was mostly dead because the previous owners had a big dog that used the backyard as a bathroom. I also core aerated with a manual tool. It was quite a workout! Then I learned about chemical aeration. (Kelp, Humic acid, SLS) and I'm never going back to manual core aeration.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@llO0DQLE I rented a power one from Lowe's (50% off Mon-Thurs!) and even just picking it off the wheels so it's weight is only on the tines, and trying to manhandle it around was the hard part.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

JasonRMorrow said:


> Hey guys I'm from Calgary and will be sodding new construction soon.
> 
> I'm going with Manderley Sod.
> https://www.manderley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Calgary-2018-Less-Water-Spec-Sheet-web.pdf
> ...


Nice, there's 5 of us in AB now! Where's the other Edmontonian? Yeah, it bugs me that the Edmonton sod has fescue in it! I've been looking for 100% KBG and it seems that anything in Edmonton has 10-20% CRF.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

DiabeticKripple said:


> @llO0DQLE I rented a power one from Lowe's (50% off Mon-Thurs!) and even just picking it off the wheels so it's weight is only on the tines, and trying to manhandle it around was the hard part.


Yeah, I highly suggest looking into chemical aeration. I haven't done mechanical core aeration since that first one in 2013 and my soil has been very nice since. With chemical aeration, I really don't think you'd need to do it manually anymore.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

llO0DQLE said:


> DiabeticKripple said:
> 
> 
> > @llO0DQLE I rented a power one from Lowe's (50% off Mon-Thurs!) and even just picking it off the wheels so it's weight is only on the tines, and trying to manhandle it around was the hard part.
> ...


I just wanted something quick, even if it meant tearing up the lawn a bit. Since I power raked twice it's looking beat so I figured what's a bit more abuse?

Next up is topdress and overseed next week. Then I can be nice to the lawn


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

A little bit overloaded and super sketchy driving down the highway.


----------



## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

A lot of weight for those springs back there lol


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got one bag of screened loam spread out, went back and got a second, got home and it's garden soil!

Have to go back in the morning to exchange it. Sucks.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed short. Grass is starting to green up nicely.









Spread a cubic yard of screened loam in the backyard. Got 2/3 done before I ran out. I went and got another yard but they gave me garden soil so I need to go back in the morning and exchange it.

My DIY PVC level rake worked really good. Just need some more soil in some low areas.

Front yard is tomorrow.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Done! 3 cu yds of screened loam over 3ksqft

Man I'm sore.

Started watering it in today, should be perfect for overseeing Monday. Soil seems to hold moisture really good so I should only have to water once a day to keep the soil moist for the seed.


----------



## 6Ninjas (Apr 4, 2019)

Hey guys! I'm from Edmonton and 8'm following this journal.

Where do we get kelp and FA around here? Got my HUmic Acid from Black Earth in Ryley, AB.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

6Ninjas said:


> Hey guys! I'm from Edmonton and 8'm following this journal.
> 
> Where do we get kelp and FA around here? Got my HUmic Acid from Black Earth in Ryley, AB.


I'm not sure where to get any of that.

Seed down!

Got home from the cabin this afternoon and the lawn looked way better than before. Grass grew up through the loam.

Now that it was all dry, I raked it into the grass a bit more than it was. I then went over it with the level rake again and then mowed the tops off the grass and to break up the bigger clumps of dirt. What a dusty mess!

After that I levelled again, put some Scott's Starter Fert down (10.3lbs bag weight, 2.47lbs N, 0.82lb of N/1000) and then seeded at 2.2lbs/1000.

I went with a KBG blend with a bit of PRG for the shady spots, especially between the houses. I saved about a half pound to cover the spots that didn't have any grass growing there at all (behind and under the A/C unit, dead sod spot between houses) and I'm currently giving it a good soak of water.

Post Rake and level










I'll probably grab another bag when I head back to Calgary for another overseed in the bare spots come August.


----------



## 6Ninjas (Apr 4, 2019)

Lookin' good!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

6Ninjas said:


> Lookin' good!


Thanks!

I'm over 7 hours away from home now for the next 2 weeks. The lawn is all in the girlfriends hands. She's been watering every night when she gets home from work (the soil stays moist for the day so I can get away with just one watering a day)

Hopefully by the time I get home June 6th, I'll see some little green babies.

We are walking the dog now to go to the bathroom (picking up after him of course!) so that he A) doesn't track a boatload of mud into the house and B) to let the grass seed do it's thing without him wrecking it.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

6Ninjas said:


> Hey guys! I'm from Edmonton and 8'm following this journal.
> 
> Where do we get kelp and FA around here? Got my HUmic Acid from Black Earth in Ryley, AB.


Hey another Edmontonian! 3 of us now! Whereabouts are you in town? I get my Kelp and Humic acid (powdered) from Kelp4Less. What's FA?


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

DiabeticKripple said:


> I went with a KBG blend with a bit of PRG for the shady spots,


I wasn't aware that PRG was shade tolerant. But I'm afraid that it's not gonna survive our winters. You do have Bewitched in your blend, which is fairly shade tolerant for KBG. You may be fine with just this blend. Worse case scenario, if too thin, you could overseed with Fine Fescues. Just make sure to research the cultivars so you can get a dark green that can match your Bewitched and Blueberry. Not sure how dark green Ridgeline, I've never used it. And I'm not sure you can find FF that's as dark green as BW and BB, but if it's between the houses, it probably doesn't matter that much.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

llO0DQLE said:


> DiabeticKripple said:
> 
> 
> > I went with a KBG blend with a bit of PRG for the shady spots,
> ...


You're right, I just got my FF and PRG mixed up. Either way it's a small percentage and I bet the KBG will overtake it.

That spot between the houses gets about 3hrs of light a day, but the siding also helps reflect some light down. The grass was growing pretty good there except for the dead sod.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

You will probably be okay with 3 hrs. especially if it's unfiltered sun, which is usually the case in those sections.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Lawn has been coming up nicely. The GF is going to mow the back yard tomorrow since it's getting pretty long.

Still waiting on the seed to germinate!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Just got home from work after being away for 2 weeks.

There's lots of weeds on the lawn. Mostly dandelions and thistle. Should be easy to take care of. I'll hand pull them then do my first blanket spray of Tenacity to get rid of the crabgrass.

Still no green babies (Day 17 I believe)

I forgot to save some seed for test plots


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Some progress pics.

Mowed today, pulled some dandelions and sprayed Humic/Kelp. Supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday so I'll spray Tenacity Sunday.

I've got more seed coming tomorrow. I'm going to spread it by hand in the bare/thin areas, cover with peat moss and fence off most of the yard so the dog doesn't muck everything up like I think he did.


----------



## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

How often you watering the seeds @DiabeticKripple?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@SNOWBOB11 I can only do it once daily. That might be why they are hiding a bit longer


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

You're making some nice progress! Keep it up. Once the seed pops, you might want to consider spot dropping some alfalfa pellets in those areas, besides being a nice organic fertilizer, they have a growth hormone (triacontanol), which should help them develop a little more quickly.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

It's snowing!

Getting a good inch of moisture through last night and today. This will help big time as we haven't had any measurable rain in over a month


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

DiabeticKripple said:


> Still no green babies (Day 17 I believe)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm sorry to say but I believe your seed did not germinate. I did not want to say anything at first because you stated that your soil was staying moist all day with one watering per day, but I was skeptical. IME, I've always had to water multiple times per day to keep seed moist. Esp. with our dry weather here. But you're in Red Deer and I've never lived there, so I hesitated to say anything. Once, you get the seed wet, you need to keep it moist 24/7 until it germinates. You mess this up and you don't get germination. Most people get germination around Day 5 - 9. With no germination at Day 17, I would say those seeds are a goner. I was also thinking earlier in the thread that the progress you were seeing was your existing grass growing and thickening with the watering and extra attention it was getting. After seeing the current state and your reports, I now believe that this is the case. I could be wrong in all this but this is what I'm thinking. The good news is that it seems that your lawn was not too bad off and you probably only need to get it spreading and maybe some plugging. Feed it N, spread some Alfalfa (15-20lbs/M monthly), water it every 3-4 days approx. 0.5" to keep the upper level of soil moist and help grass spread (watch out for fungus, I would highly recommend a steady diet of Serenade), get on top of the weed control and you should have it fairly covered by the end of the season.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

llO0DQLE said:


> I'm sorry to say but I believe your seed did not germinate. I did not want to say anything at first because you stated that your soil was staying moist all day with one watering per day, but I was skeptical. IME, I've always had to water multiple times per day to keep seed moist. Esp. with our dry weather here. But you're in Red Deer and I've never lived there, so I hesitated to say anything. Once, you get the seed wet, you need to keep it moist 24/7 until it germinates. You mess this up and you don't get germination. Most people get germination around Day 5 - 9. With no germination at Day 17, I would say those seeds are a goner. I was also thinking earlier in the thread that the progress you were seeing was your existing grass growing and thickening with the watering and extra attention it was getting. After seeing the current state and your reports, I now believe that this is the case. I could be wrong in all this but this is what I'm thinking. The good news is that it seems that your lawn was not too bad off and you probably only need to get it spreading and maybe some plugging. Feed it N, spread some Alfalfa (15-20lbs/M monthly), water it every 3-4 days approx. 0.5" to keep the upper level of soil moist and help grass spread (watch out for fungus, I would highly recommend a steady diet of Serenade), get on top of the weed control and you should have it fairly covered by the end of the season.


Do you think adding some peat moss on top would help with keeping things moist long enough?

I'm really limited to 1 time a day, maybe the GF wasn't going long enough.

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get irrigation in


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

I don't have underground irrigation and have overseeded/renovated multiple times successfully. Just get a timer, they can be programmed to do multiple waterings a day. I have an Orbit and a Melnor. Both work well. And yes, I always use peat moss to help keep things moist. Going long enough once per day isn't going to cut it as all that will do is have water go deeper (or runoff) but the soil surface where the seeds are will dry up. The key is short but multiple waterings a day. I generally do 5x a day for a few minutes each time. You need to play around with your sprinkler and see how quickly things dry up in your own yard as your yard has it's own microclimate.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^ +1

Also with multiple areas to water, focus on the larger ones. Eg. The side strip by the car, plug that area.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

It's hard with the U shape of my backyard.

Irrigation guy is coming tomorrow to do a quote. If the price is right, I'll just get it done and then try and reseed again with peat moss on top.

Combined with the Tenacity I got now I should be in good shape.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Check the irrigation design before the price.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

g-man said:


> Check the irrigation design before the price.


Definitely. Head to head coverage, and even water distribution.


----------



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Lol that yard is so easy to water with multiple hose end sprinklers. But underground irrigation is definitely sweet. I wanted to do it a couple years ago but it was too expensive. $4,500 for my 1800 sf lawn. Ugh!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

llO0DQLE said:


> Lol that yard is so easy to water with multiple hose end sprinklers. But underground irrigation is definitely sweet. I wanted to do it a couple years ago but it was too expensive. $4,500 for my 1800 sf lawn. Ugh!


My dad just got his done in Calgary for $3100 and his yard is much bigger and more complex than mine


----------



## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Try doing yourself...grab one of these.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rain-Bird-32ETI-Automatic-Sprinkler/dp/B00K72WU3Q/ref=sr_1_39?crid=3EWQZ7MCZWN0V&keywords=rainbird+drip+irrigation&qid=1560098567&s=gateway&sprefix=Rain+bird+%2Caps%2C521&sr=8-39

Yours would be pretty easy to do just get a couple of buddies and done in a day or two. Personally I would setup some adjustable sprinklers and set a timer for 4 a.m. Might have to move them once or twice. Maybe train the dog to do it.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

$4800 for 6 zones.

He said I need 6 zones since I have low pressure and won't get the flow rates to do 4 zones.

I'll get another guy in the quote and see if he's in the same ballpark, if so I'll just spend a couple hundred on an above ground system


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got a bit of landscaping done today. The GF and I hated looking at the big planter on the front lawn with terrible looking bushes and saplings coming up through the middle.

Pulled a bunch of mulch out, backfilled with topsoil and then planted a bunch of flowers and trimmed the bushes. We bought a Nanking Cherry for the Center piece.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Blanket sprayed Tenacity at label rate over the whole lawn, hand seeded the bare patches up front and on the side, put a layer of peat moss on and now we wait again!

I'm only doing the yard in patches. With my water pressure I can't even run 2 sprinklers at the same time on the same zone.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Crabgrass and weeds are turning white from the Tenacity! 7 days after spraying. No grass coming up yet, even in my pots.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Home from work a couple days early. Mowed the lawn tonight and it's filling in quite nicely. Looking back at what I started with, there's a big difference already.

The areas I seeded are starting to sprout, so a couple more weeks of watering those spots and I'll move onto the next ones.

Tenacity is doing its thing and I'll spray my second app next weekend.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Wednesday night I mowed and fed the lawn 0.6lb of N/1000 and then we got a nice inch of rain through the whole day so it's all watered in now.

Did my second app of Tenacity yesterday. This time with NIS and marking blue.

I let it dry then did an app of Humic+Kelp.

Not supposed to rain for a few more days so I'll be watering the lawn again.

I'll take some more pics when I get home after the long weekend. The grass I'm growing is in the sprout and pout phase.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed today. It was pretty overgrown from being away since Friday.

The grass seed is coming up good in the spots that didn't wash out. Anywhere there is peat moss there is grass seed.



I planted these pots to use as big plugs later on. They will go good in some of the dead spots in the back yard.



This was the big dead spot I had. Coming along nicely!



This has been filling in good by itself. Some of the seed I put down on the overseed took.





This is a bad washout spot. The water doesn't like to absorb through the dirt here. Once the seedlings get taller I'll do another round of peat and seed here.



Domination is starting.

Now here's the backyard













Second round of Tenacity hasn't kicked in yet, hopefully it gets the rest of the crabgrass


----------



## jdc_lawnguy (Oct 30, 2018)

Great read. You are making great progress. Keep up the good work!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

jdc_lawnguy said:


> Great read. You are making great progress. Keep up the good work!


Thanks!

It's tough being away at work for 15 days at a time, but at least the GF is willing to mow and water for me while I'm gone.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

So now that I have had seed down for a month now, and green babies for 3 weeks, when should I stop the 4x daily waterings?

All germination should be long done by now, so would I be better off driving those roots deep with deep, infrequent waterings?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes. Start to make the watering longer and less frequent. Like twice a day, then daily, then every other day.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

g-man said:


> Yes. Start to make the watering longer and less frequent. Like twice a day, then daily, then every other day.


Right on. I'll take 2 of the water times out and double the other ones.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Just got home from a week away.

There's a noticeably darker spot of the front lawn.

I'm not sure what it is, but I'm thinking maybe not enough water? As you can see in the close up picture it looks like the blades of the grass are folding in and shrinking. The rest of the lawn has flat blades and good colour.

I set a sprinkler there to water for 30 mins. I'll give it another shot in the morning before I leave for work.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Maybe leaf spot?

I see some in the close up


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Looks like I've got some powdery mildew growing in some spots. Biggest spot is in between the houses.

Should I bag the clippings next time I mow?


----------



## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

I bagged my clippings, when I first got it I didn't know what it was and it spread fairly quickly throughout my whole lawn.

I bought Potassium Bicarbonate off amazon, and it helped most places where I had it. I just have a little left, I've just been working and don't have time to do another app


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

The pots I have been growing are coming along really well. They will be transplanted into some of the pee spots this weekend and a new batch will start.


----------



## 6Ninjas (Apr 4, 2019)

How did the plugs take?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

6Ninjas said:


> How did the plugs take?


They took good. Not much spreading but some of the pee spots aren't as noticeable.

I didn't take pics, but I fenced off half the yard to keep the dog out and then I put down some more seed, a bit of topsoil, and then peat moss on all the pee spots.

I had germination after 1 week this time and it has been 2 weeks since the second seeding. I think this will be my last seeding this year, as I want to put some prodiamine down before winter so the crabgrass doesn't come back.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Put down 0.5 lbs/1000 of N yesterday.

Grass seed isn't doing well. I think I may have covered it in too much peat moss. Most spots didn't germinate, although a couple did. Oh well.

Dog broke the fence down and mangled the one good patch I had growing. It's still growing in the clumps he tore up so I smoothed them down and hopefully the roots take hold in the dirt.

I replaced the fence with wire gate used for puppies. He can't get through that but I know he can jump over it. He hasn't yet though.

Front yard has some dry spots now that I'm focusing on the back. Looks like some lawns in the neighbourhood are starting to either go dormant or are just super dry.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I forgot to update this journal after August.

Not much happened in Sept, just mowing and a fert app or two before the snow hit.

This is the last picture I took of my lawn last year.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

This is the start of my 2020 journal.

We had a fairly mild winter, but lots and lots of snow. We got 3.86ft of snow through the year and at least 2ft stayed up until the beginning of April. The last of the snow finally went away last week.

I didnt use salt this year on the driveway or sidewalk to prevent the grass from dying like it did last year.

On Tuesday the 21st I lightly power raked the front and back, followed by a cleanup mow.

Looking at pictures of where I started last year, and I am way ahead. Now to only see what grass in the back comes back from all the dog pee. Theres a couple big brown patches.

I have a couple good sized spots that are bare dirt. One corner I tried working on last year but didnt have luck, under and around the A/C unit and a big spot by the man gate where the dog tore up the lawn last year. I have that spot blocked off with fencing again so I will give it another try this year. I think a contributing factor is that spot is a low spot and water collects there. I noticed it when the snow was melting and that spot turned to soup. I will take some dirt out from the other side of the fence in the alley to let the water drain out under the fence.

I was planning on using Brett Young this year to get a 50lb bag of grass seed to last me and some buddies a couple years, but I read elsewhere that they are only doing orders of $500+. I may just bite the bullet and make a big order in fert to last this year and next year. Ill make some money back selling the seed to family and friends.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got some fert down tonight.

0.75lb of N/1000sqft and 0.23lb of K/1000sqft to the front and back yard. Its supposed to rain overnight and tomorrow.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

April 27


May 4


Starting to green up now. I sure hope the dog pee areas start going soon.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Home from work finally.

Dog spots are still brown, test of the lawn is nice and dark green.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got some seed down. Brett Young T8 blend.

100% KBG with 20% Bewitched, Blueberry, Milagro, Endurance, Midnight.

Blocked off access to the pooch and put a thin layer of peat on top just like last year. Set up the sprinklers and now I wait.


----------



## doverosx (Aug 7, 2019)

Looking good! I wonder if Brett Young ships to Ontario... their new fertilizer line up is very impressive!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

doverosx said:


> Looking good! I wonder if Brett Young ships to Ontario... their new fertilizer line up is very impressive!


I am going to inquire about their fert once I hear if I'm laid off or not, waiting on a phone call the last 2 days....

I've heard some members are having issues ordering from them, it seems like they want a $500 min for an order, or they won't even sell to residential at all.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Had a bit of an oopsie this morning. Sprinkler was set to come on at 530am for 2 mins, but when I came outside at 1030am to check on how wet the seeds were, it was still running. Not sure what happened but the timer didn't turn off and completely flooded the area and washed the seed out. Not a big deal, I just reseeded and put down some more peat moss.



Then I spent most of the day doing some small stuff, got the front yard dethatched again in 2 directions and then double mowed to clean up the mess.

It's still coming out of dormancy, but based on the backyard being green, and the temps this week I don't think it'll be long before it pops.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

We've gotten 3 inches of rain in the last 2 days. Forecasted to stop this evening so I just finished spreading 0.5lb/N/1000 of AS on the lawn. It should finish watering in with the tail end of the storm. A perfect light drizzle right now.

Next time I need to cover the hopper. I figured it would be alright since it's barely raining right now, but it was hard to get the last bit out since it got wet.

Plan is to aerate on Monday, top dress some low spots and overseed. Picked up a couple bags of dirt and some peat moss for it.

Fungicide is on order from seed world. Hopefully it shows up soon as I'm seeing the beginnings of leaf spot and powdery mildew.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Seedworld has been slow. My stuff was ordered may5 and hasn't even left yet. They said end of this week or early next week before stuff gets moving again. Hopefully yours moves quick.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> Seedworld has been slow. My stuff was ordered may5 and hasn't even left yet. They said end of this week or early next week before stuff gets moving again. Hopefully yours moves quick.


yeah i saw your post, i hope it ships out next week


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

I just checked. Mine left 2 days ago, it's here in Winnipeg already. So you should be soon


----------



## doverosx (Aug 7, 2019)

Seed world? Hrmmm ships from Canada?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

doverosx said:


> Seed world? Hrmmm ships from Canada?


Ships to Canada.

I got tenacity, marking dye, and NIS there last year. This year I got just propiconazole so I should be good from ordering from there for a while unless something weird pops up.


----------



## doverosx (Aug 7, 2019)

Thanks a lot! I was looking for seed from seedsuperstore but they don't shop across our border annnnd the border is closed. Yuck!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

doverosx said:


> Thanks a lot! I was looking for seed from seedsuperstore but they don't shop across our border annnnd the border is closed. Yuck!


Try Brett Young. I got a 50lb bag from them and then just sold parts of it to people on here and friends.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

So im doing a thing right now, its taking forever, and my lawn looks terrible, but i think in the long run this is what i need to do. pics to follow once im done, most likely this evening at this rate.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Killed the sun joe. It's shorting out and tripping my breaker. It also blows out some smoke which isn't good.

My plan was to scalp the lawn, dethatch it on the lowest setting to get all the dead spots out and then aerate and slit seed.

I only got 3/4 of the backyard done before she died. I'll rent a gas powered dethatcher tomorrow and get the rest done.

What drove me to do this was the dead pee spots, and the colour of the front lawn. The pee spots were driving me nuts Just looking at them, and there's still a whole bunch of dead grass in the front lawn which is throwing off my colour and won't help my overseed.

So tomorrow the plan is to finish dethatching, aerate, then slit seed and water.

I want to slit seed because I feel like it will help me immensely with having the dog in the back yard I want the best chance for germination. 
Here's some pics I took. I forgot to take before pics.

Pre scalp, colour and thickness look good!


Post scalp, a lot brighter and I found some high spots with the mower


After dethatching the big dog pee area, thats a lot of dead grass!


Same spot after a clean up mow


After a clean up mow


After cleaning up, you can see further up where I didnt get to dethatch


This spot didnt get dethatched since the sun joe died


Heres a good before/after dethatch pic


Front lawn after getting scalped, the grass just isnt growing like it is in the back






Side strip between the houses, quite sloped so seeding is difficult, but slit seeding should help


Quite thin here from the last time I dethatched, the sun only shines a few hours a day here


You can see all the dead grass thats throwing my colour off. Ill get it all out tomorrow with the gas dethatcher.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

How many hours did you have on the sun joe? Were you just too aggressive?? Do you have any plans to keep the dog spots off the grass?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> How many hours did you have on the sun joe? Were you just too aggressive?? Do you have any plans to keep the dog spots off the grass?


I'm not sure on the hours, it was a hand me down. I know I put probably 5-6 hours on it and I lent it to a few people as well.

I think I was too aggressive for it. I should've just started with the rental gas job as that will power through it. The grass that I do have is suuuuper thick so it bogged down the sun joe quite a bit.

As far as the dog, I noticed that when he pees in the summer, the grass burns but it does come back. In the winter when he goes on the dormant grass it just dies. So for the winter I will fence him out to the RV pad so he can only go on there, then next spring I'll train him to pee there because he will be used to it.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

I have the same problem with dead blades wrecking my colour. I was told to put down molasses to speed it up. Something to consider??


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Its still pretty thick in there, I think ill mechanically dethatch instead of chemical this year. I only used the sun joe last year and it did good, but i mustve had a lot of grass die over the winter.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I'll start this post off by saying sorry to my lawn. I beat the hell out of you but I do love you and want you to come back. Lol.

So today was the day I was dreading, aeration day. Last year the machine kicked my butt.

But! This year they had a different machine that was much easier to handle, although it was heavy and turning it around sucked. But I powered through it and got it done.

I started off by renting a dethatcher. This one had verti-cutting blades so I set the height and went to town on the whole yard again. Didn't get much from the back since I already scalped it, but I got a lot out of the front.

This is post clean up mow. 




This is what I got out of it with the dethatcher before mowing it up 


This is what I got out of the front lawn, still lots of thatch left behind but I just couldn't do another pass in the time I had the rental. 




My buddy stopped by to have a look. He is in his first year of serious lawn care (I think I pushed him into it) and he wanted some help spraying tenacity+Humic+Kelp. He mentioned he had an edger at his house so I borrowed it and edged the driveway and sidewalk. It looks so much better!




And here is post aerating, I overlapped by half on each pass so I effectively went over the lawn twice. 












Battered and beat up. Poor grass.


But I'm positive it will come back very quickly, especially since I fertilized a few days ago. Once I get some more height on it, I may spray AMS on it to get it to pop. I will be applying Humic and Kelp in the next day or two as well. I will use Tenacity at seed down to keep weeds at bay, although I haven't seen many this year, only one or two dandelions and a thistle.

The sun joe may be alright after all, I fired it up this morning, it sparked once but it didnt trip my breaker or blow out any smoke, but I didnt have any load on the motor. Maybe it got wet yesterday since I was dethatching a few wet spots. I will leave it in the garage and maybe try it out again this fall.

Still debating on what to do with the cores. Mulch em as is, rake them and bag them, or what I might do is rake them up and then spread them out and use my homemade level rake to level out the bad spots, effectively using the cores to level some parts of the lawn. Thoughts?


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

I have never aerated so I can't say what I have done. But if I did, I would probably rake them all up and topdress some compost or something similar into the holes with your level rake. Does the mower mulch them up pretty good???


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@Matix99def yeah last year i just used the mower and it did a good job, they disappeared fairly quick.

Im leaning towards using them to level, maybe spread them out where they need to go, then mulch them up with the mower.

That new blade I bought for the mower is getting beat up too, glad I did buy it to keep my other one sharp.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

raked up the plugs on the front lawn and put them in a bin, I may use them to further level the back out. I will mulch up the ones in the back yard tomorrow since it has some deep spots.

I also sprayed Humic and Kelp tonight. 50ml/ksqft of humic and 20ml/ksqft of kelp.

Weather looks good for the next 2 weeks. Not super hot and no big dumps of rain. Seed will go down tomorrow morning with the slit seeder.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Where is your humic and kelp from??


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> Where is your humic and kelp from??


Gardeners Pantry. It was the recommended rates on the label.

Well today I got the slit seeding done, I lightly raked the yard once to kind of help the seed get covered up and in the aerator holes and slits. After I spread some peat moss on the bare spots, set up the dog fence in a different spot to block him from 2/3 of the yard, set my sprinklers up and soaked the yard. I have 2, 2 zone timers so I have 4 sprinklers on the go. Im going to adjust the timing on them tomorrow so I can see how the soil dries during the day between periods of watering. I dont plan on mowing the lawn until I get back from work on the 17th of June, so it will be quite the jungle back there. I want to give this seed all the chance it has.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Oo nice. I hope it works out! How was using the seeder?? And are you using the powder humic or the liquid


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

super easy to use the seeder. it was self propelled forwards and backwards. it was hard to find the right setting though. The label said to use 2/10 but I ended up on 7/10 to get the right rate.

Im using the liquid humic. i used it last year and it helped big time in nutrient uptake.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Blanket sprayed Tenacity at 0.5 tsp/gal/1000sqft. More for pre-emergent since I don't have any weeds right now!

I also got some burlap and overlaid it on the bare spots to help keep the seed from washing out, and especially in the back, keep the sun off the soil. I was having trouble keeping the soil wet with my timers throughout the day. The burlap will let the existing grass poke through, and keep the sun off the soil while still allowing air circulation. Hopefully the slit seeding combined with the timers and burlap will give me a good germination rate. 




I also did burlap down half the side strip between the houses, mostly to keep the seed from washing out down the slope.

Now to sit back and let it grow until I get back from work!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Looks like I got some germination happening from the seed I originally planted a few weeks ago to try and speed things up.

This is from the spot that washed out, I took the pic from the alley side of the fence. I also noticed some new seedlings in the corner that's hard to grow in.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got some pics from the GF.

WE HAVE GERMINATION!

Not sure exactly when it sprouted, but I do have some coming in.

Rest of the lawn is bouncing back after it's beating. Tenacity is bleaching what needs to be bleached. Onward and upward from here.











This spot isn't looking great, not sure what's up with it. She is going to water it again tomorrow morning.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got soil test results back. They look awesome.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbsup:


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Wow nice. I would take those tests all day long! Are those the first ones you have ever done??


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> Wow nice. I would take those tests all day long! Are those the first ones you have ever done??


Second year.

If you search my topics you can find my soil test thread. Not much info in there but it has last years test results.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Home from work finally.

Holy seed heads batman. I had no idea I had them yet. The GF never said a word.

The backyard was a big jungle. Most likely around 7-8" tall with the seed heads being the tallest.

Looks like I have a huge poa annua infestation. I don't remember there being that much of it last year. There was seed heads everywhere.

The seedlings are doing quite well. I pulled the burlap up and I have good coverage. I'm happy with everywhere except the man gate area. Just can't seem to get good germination there.

This crap was everywhere. 


Before I mowed the back




Lots of seed heads. I found KBG, Poa, and some PRG. 










Set the front yard height to about where I want it. Needs FAS. Just got my iron today in the mail. 






And here's the jungle after it's haircut. I set the mower to the highest setting. Tomorrow or Thursday I will drop it down again to the same as the front.





And a puppy pic


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

When you got home from your work stint, did you 
A. See your dog first
B. See your gf first
C. Run right to the back yard to check the progress for yourself


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> When you got home from your work stint, did you
> A. See your dog first
> B. See your gf first
> C. Run right to the back yard to check the progress for yourself


Pulled up and had a look at the front lawn, went and saw the dog, started working on the lawn immediately and the GF came home from work after I finished the yard. So she came last haha.

Rain tomorrow though so I'll re-cut the lawn again Thursday. Sounds like I might get a month off work again so I can get some practice with my sprayer, I want to get a teejet for foliar apps.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Went to UFA and grabbed a teejet nozzle (XR8004), got home and sprayed Humic+Kelp.

Let that dry then sprayed FAS with 0.2lb of N/1000. Recipe was 1lb AMS and 2 oz of ferrous sulphate per 1000 sqft.

Took a few pics to compare color with. I took them just after spraying.











That big dark patch in the middle of the front lawn is bugging me. Hopefully the rest of the lawn turns that colour. You can also see stripes in the front, 2 of them that run long down the side. I think that's my overlap from spreading the AMS last time I fertilized. Hopefully going to foliar apps will get rid of my striping.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

FAS results are in. Made a big difference in the front yard, back yard seems untouched. But holy cow is the back growing. Definitely broke the 1/3 rule today.

Dropped HOC down a bit to get the KBG seed heads. They were making me mad.













I also put some topsoil in some low areas up front, added some seed to the bare spots and covered with a bit more soil.

In the back I put topsoil in the pee spots that didn't get any germination, then some seed and more topsoil and then watered in. With the sprinklers covering these spots anyways I should get some germination by this time next week.

Existing seedlings are just starting to come out of their pout. Blades are getting wider and it's starting to grow taller.

Tomorrow is curative rate of fungicide for a bit of leaf spot and some powdery mildew. I will also put roundup on the RV pad to kill whatever is there.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed the front at the same height and sprayed AMS (0.2lb/1000) and PPZ (2oz/1000) on the front yard.



Color is still really good. There is definitely 2 types of sod on my property which really sucks. Maybe a Reno next fall or the year after if I can get in ground sprinklers put in.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Nice job! This is a huge turnaround from where you began. The last photo really stood out and I went back through your journal to look at your trials and tribulations. This is an example of perseverance to inspire others to keep trying. :thumbup:


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Ya color is good. Back yard came in good, sure it will take a couple more cracks. Fall time you should be able to make some good progress. Should try and edge that sidewalk if yours. &#128541; Clean line makes a huge difference imo.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> Nice job! This is a huge turnaround from where you began. The last photo really stood out and I went back through your journal to look at your trials and tribulations. This is an example of perseverance to inspire others to keep trying. :thumbup:


Thanks! Its been a lot of work and there is still a long way to go but its coming around. I attribute it to this website and reading though other journals to see what guys are doing. @g-man seems to have the answer for everything.



Matix99def said:


> Ya color is good. Back yard came in good, sure it will take a couple more cracks. Fall time you should be able to make some good progress. Should try and edge that sidewalk if yours. 😝 Clean line makes a huge difference imo.


Yes I was just looking at the pics before I saw your post and realized that it does need another edge job. Tomorrow!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

@Matix99def better? Haha


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Was just going to spray PPZ in the backyard but noticed some crabgrass and other weeds coming in so I also sprayed tenacity+NIS.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Much better!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed yesterday at the same height.

Lost a bunch of color. The tips were just starting to tear again so I resharpened the mower blade. While I did that I also scraped all the caked up mud and grass from the bottom of the deck and then pressure washed it clean. Talk about a dirty mower. I need to keep up on this more.

Got an inch of rain today in a nice slow drizzle, still raining now so I expect total rainfall to be 1 1/4" by the time the storm moves past.

I will mix up and spray FAS+citric tomorrow to get my color back. Still a few seed heads in the front that are now white and look like crap, but I don't want to drop HOC anymore. I guess it'll grow out eventually. Maybe I'll spread some starter fert to get my P for the year.

Backyard seedlings are finally tall enough to be mowed. Looking real good now that the texture of the lawn is starting to become one height. The color is still quite light but that should darken up as the seedlings mature.

Little bit cooler for the next while. Lawn will love it.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Sprayed FAS 0.2lb/1000 sqft of N, 2oz of citric acid, then 2oz of ferrous per 1000.

Tenacity is starting to bleach the things that need bleached.

Germination has happened on the spots I reseeded. Couple more days and then time to turn the water down, I'm scared to get my bill for June.


----------



## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

You are getting prime growing conditions. I could go for a little Red Deer summer weather. I am always there when it is freezing lol.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Stuofsci02 said:


> You are getting prime growing conditions. I could go for a little Red Deer summer weather. I am always there when it is freezing lol.


Yeah here in central AB we get prime growing weather basically all summer.

We don't get the heat like you guys do, which is why I treat my grass more like a warm season, just grows all summer instead of just spring and fall like typical cool season grasses do.

August we can get 30-33 degree days, but they are few and far between and not very humid.

I think the hottest it's been all year so far has been 26. Perfect for me! Best beer drinking and boating weather.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed tonight. Lawn needed it, I was away all weekend.

Backyard is coming along good, but the repeated defiling of the 1/3 rule is starting to take its toll. But now that the seedlings are being mowed and the blades are thickening, it's time to cut more frequently and higher. I want to bring the front up too to restore some better colour.


----------



## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@DiabeticKripple Damnn! Those are my favorite temps. Our asses are on fire on the east coast!


----------



## doverosx (Aug 7, 2019)

Babameca said:


> @DiabeticKripple Damnn! Those are my favorite temps. Our asses are on fire on the east coast!


LOL dry and on fire! Send help!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I can't do anything over 27 degrees. Too damn hot.


----------



## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

DiabeticKripple said:


> I can't do anything over 27 degrees. Too damn hot.


We call this a cool and refreshing day here now...


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Babameca said:


> DiabeticKripple said:
> 
> 
> > I can't do anything over 27 degrees. Too damn hot.
> ...


Nope not for me.

2.5 inches of rain yesterday. Cool temps this week again! Perfect conditions for a lawn.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Raised HOC up a notch on the mower and gave it a mow.

Some progress pics.

Dog area. Need to move some more plugs.







Really happy with how this came in. Sick of it being a mud hole.





Front looks good, but the 2 types of sod is making my OCD mad.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Raised HOC again and mowed. Not sure if I like it so I reset the mower to the previous height and it'll get mowed again in a few days.

Also got some granular fertilizer with some P and K to hit that. It was a 19-12-15. I put 0.83lb of N, 0.53lb of P and 0.66lb of K per 1000 sqft down. 30% of the N was fast release, the rest is slow release I'm assuming.

Should give me a good flush of growth right when I leave for work! GF won't be happy haha.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Growing in well though. &#128077;&#127999;


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Haven't updated since I haven't done anything except mow until tonight.

Been super busy and haven't had time to do anything with the lawn. Finally had some time tonight to spray some badly needed FAS+Humic+Kelp with 0.2lb/1000 of N.

Going to start the fall N blitz soon with PGR so it's not so bad with the mowing.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed then dropped ~0.85lb/1000 of N from AMS. Start of the fall N blitz. Watering in right now.

Not much for clippings, it has been hot during the day and dry lately, starting to see drought stress so I need to be more active on watering.

Going to spray PGR tomorrow at a low low dose to try and ease the lawn into regulation. First time using this stuff so I would rather start it off slow at about half label rate.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Sept 9th

Got home from work and mowed. Wow is the lawn thick. It's so thick I can't mulch, only bag.

I'm very happy with how the spring overseed turned out, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone in a cooler climate like myself.



























Gotta love KBG!


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Hah that's night and day. Looks great. Good job. How has the dog been for going in the same spot?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> Hah that's night and day. Looks great. Good job. How has the dog been for going in the same spot?


He's fenced to the one area, kinda like a makeshift dog run. He hasn't killed any more grass though which is good, we changed his food recently so I'm hoping for less pee burns going forward.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed again tonight, pounding water into the soil as well. I noticed by the deck it's pretty stressed and going dormant. Quite crunchy when walking on it. Rest of the lawn has drought stress throughout as well.

In the morning I plan on mixing a concoction.

I totally forgot to use my Prodiamine so that will go down, along with propiconazole, Humic and kelp.

Next I will spray FAS, and a 3-way herbicide as I have some broadleafs coming in.

Then I plan on spreading 1lb of N/1000 and watering in again in the afternoon.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Just wanted to post some progress pics.

May 12


May 24


May 29


July 11


Sept 10


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

May 13


Sept 10


May 24


Sept 10


May 13


June 16


July 11


Sept 10


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

May 24


June 18


Sept 10


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Dropped 1lb of N from AMS, and sprayed Humic, Kelp, Propiconazole at 2oz/1000 and prodiamine at 0.55oz/1000.

Total N so far this year is 4.73lb/1000.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Looks like 1lb of N from AMS was too much, I burnt the lawn!

It's not the whole lawn, just stripes where the spreader went. Kind of annoying, but freeze up is right around the corner and I still have the greenest lawn in town.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

I thought you meant one pound of ams Per 1000 not a pound of n. Good thing it's the end of the season. Lesson learned hah


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Matix99def said:


> I thought you meant one pound of ams Per 1000 not a pound of n. Good thing it's the end of the season. Lesson learned hah


Yeah I'll stick to 0.75 as a max. You only learn from mistakes!


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

That's beautiful!

Gotta love this time of the year. Sure been warm though out BC and AB.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

DiabeticKripple said:


> Matix99def said:
> 
> 
> > I thought you meant one pound of ams Per 1000 not a pound of n. Good thing it's the end of the season. Lesson learned hah
> ...


Hey; it's even better when someone else makes the mistake so you can learn from it ahead of time 😂


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Forgot to update.

We got a decent amount of snow at the beginning of Oct and that put the lawn to bed.

I lowered a notch and gave it a final mow after the snow had melted, then I cleaned and winterized the mower for next year.

We have about 6" of snow that looks like it'll stick around the rest of the year.

The lawn was the greenest in town before the snow flew, so hopefully come spring it's still green underneath and I get an early green up.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Time to update the start of 2021!

Snow has been gone for a month now, but the temps haven't been great, still getting below freezing every night and most days less than 10C. Things are starting to wake up finally with the amount of sunlight we have been getting.

All I've done so far is watered. The lawn was super crispy and dry so I gave it a good drink, which I think helped some of the green up.

I went to dethatch lightly and mow tonight, but my Sunjoe is officially pooched. I'll go buy a new one tomorrow from HD.

Dog run suffered again this year, but the rest of the yard is miles ahead of where I started last year.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Lightly dethatched the lawn and double cut it last night. Went a bit lower on the second cut to try to make things look more even.

Today I sprayed a mixture of FAS (2oz FS, 2oz CA, 8oz AMS)/1000sqft with some Humic+Kelp and I also spread 1lb of N per 1000sqft of AMS.

After that I sprayed 0.5oz/1000sqft of prodiamine to cover me until fall.

Watering in will happen tonight once the FAS has time to absorb into the lawn.


----------



## Matix99def (Jul 15, 2019)

Ya it's been a weird spring. What are you at for soil temps mid day? I'm right around 50 in Winnipeg. Are you changing anything up this year or keeping the same program as last year?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

I haven't measured temps, but I will be going to work soon so I didn't want to miss the window and be late.

I'm going to keep things the same for the most part, I got samples of soil with my new pro plugger today so I'll send those out to Waypoint tomorrow. Depending on that, I plan on just using AMS since I still have a big bag leftover from last year.

Along the dog side im not going to do much there, just throw some seed down and see what happens I guess. I didn't spray prodiamine in there.

Only new addition will be the Aneuw you sold me last year.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Soil test came in today.





Not sure what's going on with the back PH, I'm going to assume it's an error in their testing. Last year it was very close between front and backyards.

PH did come down in the front compared to last year, looks like the AMS is working and doing its thing.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed and spread some 19-12-15 on the front lawn. 0.84lb of N, 0.52lb of P, 0.66lb of K total. I will get a couple more small bags so I can do the back yard once and the front yard again in a month or two.

I also moved 30 plugs around, I'll do 30 more every day for the next little bit. Moving plugs is boring lol.

I'll spray some FAS tomorrow since it's not supposed to be as windy, then water in that and the fert.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Sprayed FAS+Humic+Kelp+Anuew. N in their was 0.15 lb/1000 so that'll bring my total N over the past 2 days to 1lb in the front and 0.15 in the back.

First time spraying the PGR. Went at 0.25oz/1000 to start on the lower end of the regulation. Hopefully less mowing for the GF this year and a thicker lawn to boot!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed again this morning before the temps got up.

Also spread the same 19-12-15 in the back. Front will get another round of it later this spring.

Currently watering heavy since temps this week are high for this time of year and I'm starting to see drought stress in the typical spots.

Contemplating just pulling the trigger on irrigation…..


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Forgot to update this with my last app.

June 21

Mowed and sprayed PGR at 0.35pz/1000, FAS, Humic and Kelp.

Some weeds starting to show, need to do a tenacity app once the temps cool down.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

PGR+FAS+Tenacity went down today. Currently watering in.

It's hard to keep the grass suppressed with these high temps and being gone for 16 days at a time. GDD was almost 400 by the time I got around to it.

Starting to see a bit of powdery mildew again, will just watch it and maybe spray some propi next time if it's still there.

There's 4 spots that got burnt in the heat wave, I was gone and the GF went to the cabin for a week right in the middle of it. Oh well I've been watering it hoping it'll come back soon.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Well, things went to shit haha.

I went on vacation for 2 weeks, and my cousin was out of town so I had no one to look after the lawn.

I cut it and watered before I left, but came back to a very unhappy lawn.

Parts were still green and growing, so I bag mowed the whole yard to make it look level, and now I am pounding water into the ground. Hopefully it can recover before the end of the year.

The back spot by the deck is toast. Running my fingers through it, the blades are just breaking off and exposing the crown of the plant. That spot is probably going to die, but we will see.













This drought is a bitch. We have barely had any rain all summer. I really wish I did put irrigation in this spring. It's going to happen next year.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Grass has really bounced back with the cooler weather. Looking good except a spot of melting out coming in, propiconazole going down soon.

Mowed and spread the last bag of 19-12-15 on the front. Also spread 0.85lb/1000 N of AMS in the back. Watered both lawns.

Later this week I'll spray my cocktail of chems, FAS, propi, PGR at a light dose due to propi, kelp, Humic and I've got some clover and dandelion coming in so a 3-way as well.


----------



## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

Let's see some updated pics


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Here you go







Someone cut a big hole in my lawn and then placed the grass back. Kinda pissed about it tbh. No notice from the town or anything. This along with almost being broke into a month or two ago has made me consider security cameras.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mixed up quite the cocktail of stuff to take care of some issues, also to help green up. There seems to be a lot of lime green growth (new growth) coming up everywhere, im assuming thats from when it went dormant and this is new blades coming out from the crown.

Issues I have in the lawn right now

- Powdery Mildew, seems to be a reoccurring item in the lawn, its been there a month but I didnt want to treat it while the grass was struggling
- Melting out, you can see it quite easily in that one pic, just a small bad spot and its starting to spread around it. This likely popped up since I had a sprinkler setup to water the dead spot by the deck every morning at 6am.
- Broadleafs and clover, the backyard is pretty good, not much coming in for weeds, but the front has broadleafs basically all the way around the edges and side of the house. There is also a patch of clover behind the green utility box between the houses
- Lime green colour

So to correct these issues, I mixed up basically everything I had in my arsenal and blanket sprayed. All measurements in g, oz or lb/1000 sqft. I also mixed up 1 gal/1000 sqft.

FAS - 2oz of citric acid, 2oz of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, 1lb AMS
PGR - Aneuw at 0.15oz
Propiconazole - 3oz
Tenacity - 1tsp
Humic Acid - 30g
Kelp - Just put what I had left in
Killex (3-way) - 120ml
Prodiamine - 0.55oz
NIS Surfactant - 1oz

Hope the lawn likes it! worst case ontario is a reno next spring........


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

The pics don't really show it, but there was a whole bunch of dead summer kill blades mixed in with the healthy grass, and it was throwing the colour off.

I quadruple mowed the front last night. Mowed at normal height and each pass I lowered more and more until I was just starting to scalp along the even spots. I took over 4x the normal amount of clippings out and it looks pretty good. Once the growth grows up more, it should just be dark green. Fingers crossed!


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

BACK IN ACTION!

Well spring is officially here in AB (save for May long) and it's time to start working on the lawn.

I have decided to put some sprinklers in this year, and take the dog run out. We don't really do much in the yard and now the dog can have free reign. I will put it back up for winter so he doesn't wreck the whole lawn again.

Here is some pics I snapped just now, back yard is starting to go, front is a week or two behind.

Plan for today is dethatch, mow and spray prodiamine.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Dethatched the lawn and cleaned up with the mower. Sprayed prodiamine at 0.55oz/1000 and some AMS at 0.07lb/1000 just to try and help wake up the lawn. Watering in tomorrow.


----------



## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

Glad to see you're still around. The lawns been slow to get going up here. Can't wait to see your progress this year.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Got home from work, lawn is looking better but its still waking up.

the back yard dog run was an absolute jungle. Deep, dark green bluegrass in the spots that were actually alive. Man it looked good.

Over by the deck where the sun reflects off the wood boards was super dry. We havent got much for rain and I havent irrigated this year.

So I mowed the backyard at the highest setting last night, then watered nice and deep to try and kick the dry spots. This morning I dropped my mower to the normal height and mowed the back again and the front.

I picked up some 16-16-16 and we should get 5mm this weekend of rain so I will spread that out and pray for the rain to hit, if not ill be watering again.

Soil sample is in the mail somewhere between here and Memphis. I am getting a quote on the 30th for sprinkler install so I'm excited for that. I hope its not much more than 3-4k.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed again and spread the 16-16-16 in the front and back.

10lbs spread over 3000sqft. 0.53lb of N,P,K

Also went to the greenhouse and bought some flowers for the year and planted those.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Soil sample results came back. Things are looking decent once again.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

With all the rain we have been getting it's been super hard to mow the lawn without mowing it wet. I bit the bullet and made the wifey cut the grass while it was wet while I was gone. It was almost 6" tall at that point. It's growing like crazy.

Today was a cleanup mow and I blew all the clippings into the grass so that it didn't mat up on top. Needs a good dethatch next year for sure. Other than that I am quite happy with how it looks for minimal input.



















I had a guy come look at the yard for a quote for sprinklers. He said Monday he will have to quote to me so hopefully it's reasonable and I can get that in by August.

Plan for tonight is to spray FAS to restore colour, PGR to tame the growing, and PPZ as a fungus barrier since it's been so wet the past 2 weeks.


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

DiabeticKripple said:


> I had a guy come look at the yard for a quote for sprinklers. He said Monday he will have to quote to me so hopefully it's reasonable and I can get that in by August.
> 
> Plan for tonight is to spray FAS to restore colour, PGR to tame the growing, and PPZ as a fungus barrier since it's been so wet the past 2 weeks.


Did you end up getting your quote??

I remembered getting a quote 4 years ago for my property. Think the guy said around $8 - $10k
I was shocked!
Then a few years ago I got a design done by Siteone and a parts list with quote.... figured I'd save some money doing it myself.... that was $3900.... still seemed high to me.
Did a bunch of research and ended up ordering everything online and installed this spring.
7 zones. I was around $1600. PVC almost doubled in price in a year.

Are you still working in the Dawson area?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Justmatson said:


> DiabeticKripple said:
> 
> 
> > I had a guy come look at the yard for a quote for sprinklers. He said Monday he will have to quote to me so hopefully it's reasonable and I can get that in by August.
> ...


Just got the quote last night. $3800. Includes the plumber to come and run the 3/4" PEX line out the side of the house and 3 zones.

Haven't done much in Dawson, there wasn't a lot going on for our clients there. I've been spending most of my time around Wembley and GP.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Busy day.

Mowed again before taking off for the long weekend.

Sprayed the following as well

FAS, with 0.1lb/1000 of N. I messed up and did 4oz/1000 so hopefully the lawn doesn't turn black

Humic+Kelp

Propiconazole at 2oz/1000

Aneuw PGR at 0.33oz/1000

I mixed everything in a 5gal bucket with 3 gal of hot water and then did 1.5gal for the front and back.

My goal is to slow top growth, treat some fungus, and get some dark green colour back in the lawn.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Back from a mini vacay and the lawn is looking worse than when I left.

Disease/fungus has set in. Good thing I sprayed PPZ. 2 weeks of wet wet weather I knew it was coming. I will reapply PPZ in 2 weeks when I get back home from work.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed and spread some 16-16-16 at 0.8lb/1000

FAS, with 0.2lb/1000 of N.

Humic+Kelp

Propiconazole at 2oz/1000

Aneuw PGR at 0.33oz/1000

Sprinklers were supposed to go in yesterday, but the installer failed to inform me that I needed to get a plumber to install the water line to the outside of the house, I assumed they would handle that since the last guy that quoted said he would. I got a plumber out yesterday and ran a 3/4" PEX line to the outside. Sprinklers are being installed Monday.


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

Mowed and spread some 16-16-16 at 0.8lb/1000

FAS, with 0.2lb/1000 of N.

Humic+Kelp

Aneuw PGR at 0.33oz/1000

Sprinklers are installed. Had to get 2 more heads added after I got home. Still needs a bit of tweaking for a couple dry spots but overall I'm 70% happy haha.

Also got new security cameras put in after someone broke into my car and opened up my garage at 3am. Good thing I was home and greeted them with a loaded shotgun. Didn't take long for them to bugger off. I'll be posting pics from the security cams as I forgot to take pics after the mow.



Look at that domination line.


----------

