# Carlson's 2020 Fun with Fescue



## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Hey All
Now that I've been around a week or so and am getting the hang of this place, I wanted to start up a journal. I live in MA and have an 18,000 sq ft lawn in the middle of a nice patch of pine/oak/maple trees. We moved in here in late fall 2016, and with job and a few other life changes shortly thereafter, I only really started focusing on the lawn in mid-2018.

At this point I view the lawn in two major sections:
8,000sq ft front & side yard
10,000sq ft back yard
I'll do a post on each separately in a few moments, but with this being the first post, I feel like I need to include the "pic of the year" from last summer to show what my yard _can_ look like once it's out of dormancy...


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

The back yard had a ton of trees when we moved in, so we wound up getting about 50 taken down in 2018. My wife and I spent the summer that year getting a veggie garden started and I began to work on trying to smooth out the yard - all the stump grinding left it looking like the surface of the moon out there.

In 2019 we had a sun room put on the back of the house, and I had the opportunity to have the excavation crew flatten the yard and top-dress everywhere with composted loam. Here's where we were around the start of September last year:

I seeded about 90% of the yard with a blend of three types of TTTF: Rhizing Moon, Regenerate, and Titanium LS. I had to leave 10% for this spring due to trucks still driving around that area finishing the addition.

The day I rolled the seed in was a bit rainy, which wound up making the soil stick to the roller and left me with a fair number of bare patches. Here is the current status:

Seeded the truck area way too early (I needed to get outside)! At least it's coming in now though.

I have a slit seeder coming tomorrow for a more thorough overseeding to fix up the patchiness. I am going to add Valkyrie LS to the mix as well and will do a few doses of tenacity for Pre-Em.

You can tell from my soil test I went a little overboard with the Green County Air-8 last year...

->I added 60% of a 15,000sq ft bag of Jonathan Green MagiCal w Biochar 2 weeks ago to raise the always-dropping-thanks-to-pine-trees pH
->Added XSoil at 10lb/k yesterday
->Planning to add XStart with the seeding tomorrow to bring up P without adding too much K.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

And the front yard... oh the front yard. There has been something like grass up here all along, but there has also been tons of moss and weeds. I overseeded parts of it with JG Black Beauty in 2018 but it has really needed a lot of soil work to get ready for prime time. The soil test shows I went a little nuts on Air-8 up here, too.

This yard got the other 40% of the MagiCal 2 weeks ago, also got XSoil, and will get some XStart too.

Now the big PITA here is I have a few huge triv patches. I roasted them with my weed dragon in the fall and again in early spring, but as expected it came back.


I did a diagnostic pass with Tenacity a few days after the MagiCal, and it looks like I have plenty of Poa A or other junk around still, too.



My plan up here for the year is something like this:
->Hit the major triv patches with Gly once it's warm enough in a couple weeks
->Do a follow-up 2-3wks later
->Let front look lousy for the summer
->Get irrigation installed for the whole yard at the start of Aug
->Mid Aug, do a @PokeGrande-style reno in the front (gly the whole yard & seed a day later), although in my case I'll need a slice seeder to do the seeding properly. I'll be doing the same 4-way blend up here that I will have in back:
Rhizing Moon
Regenerate
Titanium LS
Valkyrie LS


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Posts will be shorter moving on from here lol

One final note I'll make for starters is that my lawn needs a lot of leveling work, but I want to get strong turf going first! I've fixed a few major craters, but I'm nowhere near reel-mower friendly...


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## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Looks real nice in that first picture. I love how flat it is. Nice job on the leveling work.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Looks real nice in that first picture. I love how flat it is. Nice job on the leveling work.


Thanks Ohio. I'm pretty happy with how most of the major unevenness is gone now - and mowing tall does a great job evening out any minor problems I can fix with sand or compost later. 👍


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Yesterday was a beauty so I spent several hours outside. First task was mowing - did the front at 2.25" and the back at 1.75".
Second was fert - put down my bag of XSt. Since I have 18k sq ft, I did 20lb on the front yard (8k) a d 25lb in the back (10k). Little lower than bag rate but not much.
Last was a more thorough overseed / top-dressing in the back. I had rented a slice seeder but it was basically DOA - the hopper lever was jammed and the drive for the scarifying part did not function properly either. I'm going to get a refund on the rental, but it did result in me using my garden weasel on probably 1000-2000sq ft that needed particular help. That was exhausting. Top-dressed with peat and will be watering the thinner parts manually. I'll let nature water the rest of the overseed for this spring job since I don't have a real irrigation system yet.


You can just make out the peat-covered section near the woods at the back of this pic.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Looks like night time temps may be above 50° this coming weekend, so I'm thinking it may be time for round one of my springtime glyphosate double-tap on the major triv patches in the front yard...


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Got out the spreadermate and gave my 1000sq ft spring seeding zone a feeding. I seeded way too early so it has been growing super slow - we have a few 70° days this weekend, though. It's 1" or so today but I think it'll pick up the pace pretty soon.

Gave it:
16oz GreenPop
6oz RGS
1/2tsp Tenacity
Splash of surfactant
Hoping for a comfortable first mow height in the next couple weeks with the incoming warmth...


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Sprayed the triv zones out front with gly over the weekend - I think I got pretty good coverage, but I'm definitely going to hit it again in a few weeks. I'll probably even be a little more prejudicial with some suspect areas I left alone last weekend. With the pending irrigation system install over the summer and the planned reno in the fall, I figure I can live with a spotty front yard for most of the season.

I did mow everywhere I didn't spray over the weekend too. Even though I didn't use my striper, the fescue out back still striped up pretty nicely. Won't be able to mow again this week as the new overseeding I did on April 26th is starting to germinate now.


I think this coming weekend I'll go around and give the whole yard another dose of GreenPop, Humic, and RGS.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Been doing a poor job keeping up over here. The back yard is doing OK considering I don't have irrigation yet. Definitely got some dormant areas though

I'm gearing up for my front yard reno now, though. I have my four fescues on order - the three from SSS arrive tomorrow. I had to call Hogan to get a special order of Rhizing Moon though - so that will probably arrive next week.

Gonna do my first full round of gly out front either this weekend or next week. I have a patio & path going in now so I'm waiting for that to wrap up.




I also have irrigation getting installed the week of July 27th. Perfect timing for everything to be dead from the gly so I can fire up the new sprinklers for fallowing! 👍👍


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Like the angled corners!

Irrigation, are you well advised  ? Down here, they default to the basic (eg no concern for optimal pressure, overlapping coverage) from the ones I've dealt with.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

@jayhawk I think so, or at least the guy I went with seemed a little more on the ball than the other guys I got quotes from. I can say for sure that we discussed my well/pump for pressure concerns, and likewise on that front he indicated his sprinkler head layout behind a valve will not all be in one long line (resulting in poor pressure from the last head or two). His quote had a few more heads than the others, too.

I suppose we'll find out, but the signs are good IMO.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Everything but the polymeric sand got done today. Also had the crew power rake & top-dress the areas where I nuked the triv earlier in the season...




Once the crew was gone for the day I did my first full-spray of the front yard with glyphosate in prep for the reno next month.

My 3 seed bags from SSS showed up today - the Rhizing Moon from Hogan should get here next week. My new slice seeder shipped today, too. The next several weeks are going to be fun!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Irrigation install wrapped today. Time to start fallowing!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

So I had some minor hills in my back yard from the irrigation going in - decided to fix them this weekend.

Took out my new toy - got myself a Billy Goat slice seeder. I followed all the irrigation lines using it as a veticutter, then went over the whole yard. Swapped out the verticutter reel for a spring-tine dethatcher reel and did the same following the lines, followed by a whole-yard pass perpendicular to the veticutter pass. Finished up with a double-cut and bag with my striper on at 1.75". Lawn looks a little beat up but it is super-flat and ready for overseeding!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

I had the rest of my front yard leveled out last week. I've put down some xsoil and some jonathan green magical to help the pH stay in the right range. Going to give it 7-10 days of watering before fallowing the weeds one last time and getting seeded.


I used the remainder of the front yard soil to level off some areas in back in prep for overseeding. Going to do that tomorrow probably.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Overseed done. Really liked how the slice seeder I bought worked - seems like really even seeding and great seed to soil contact right out the gate.

Put down 25lb of X-ST before the seeding, then 60lb of my custom blend, then went over the top with tenacity and propiconazole. I'm betting we'll have germination by Friday.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Got the front yard seeding done today - some exhausting work doing 5 passed with a non-self-propelled slice seeder.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

The excitement is beginning in the back yard areas...

Indoor test pots germed at day 4. Today is day 5 outside. Off to a good start!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Gave the front yard a preventative dose of propiconazole today since it seems others in MA are getting fungus in their renos. Back yard is sprouting up nicely at this point. 7 days from seed down:


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Looking great! Some of those blades look a couple of inches high already. Did you seed more heavily around the edges?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Looking great! Some of those blades look a couple of inches high already. Did you seed more heavily around the edges?


I did! For both the back & front I mixed up 10lb of seed mixture for a pass around the perimeter, sprinkler heads / boxes, etc, and anywhere else I thought it would be hard to get the seeder into. Worked that in with the garden weasel before going at the rest of the yard w the slice seeder.

I'm hoping I can mow by next weekend because the existing grass is picking up the pace with all the watering.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

The garden weasel is an amazing tool. I wish it came with a wider tine base so I could cover more area with it. Those edges should be nice and dense to crowd out the weeds.

I'm a bit worried about disease too. Expecting some germ within the next few days, and the temps are staying super hot. I know I'm gonna have to do some night watering to keep the soil damp. I put down preventative Azoxy at seed down thinking of doing propi in a couple of weeks.

Existing grass? What's that? I've been so caught up in my reno, I almost forgot what it's like to overseed lol. It does present a challenge with competition, but at least it helps hold your seed in place.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

I can't tell you how many times I've thought how great it would be to have one of those with 7, 9, or even 11 of the little roller pairs instead of just the three.

I'm trying not to go too crazy on the watering. I used seed moist on my seeds plus I slice seeded. I figure so long as the surface only looks dry for a few hours at a time (vs all day), the seed is probably OK ¼" down.

Since I just got irrigation this year and am on a well (a 650' well, but a well nonetheless) I'm not sure much I can really do...


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

I'm actually pretty upset I didn't use seed moist. I've read it really helps preserve the areas with bad irrigation coverage and I have quite a few of those.

You should be good. I think bluegrass seed likes to be closer to the surface so I was afraid to slice or rake it in too deep. I just rolled. A lot of the seed is exposed to the air so I'm watering like crazy now.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

@bf7 I've been seeing the crusty dirt in your journal... would using the weasel on those areas to integrate some peat in to the top ½" of soil help? Maybe some spongy material mixed in to the clay would help more than just a top-dressing does.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

I thought of doing that, and you are probably right in terms of boosting the soil profile. I was hesitant to do that over the whole yard and disturb whatever progress the seed had made toward germination, after dropping 30 lbs of it and breaking the Tenacity barrier.

The crustiness was partially a result of my poor watering schedule which I have since corrected. I added more peat to the bare areas, and I think with the better irrigation practices the peat is starting to work its way in the clay layer naturally. I am also putting down soil amendments and can see a difference. The topsoil looked fine to me prior to when I compacted it down with the roller. Sure there were little clay pebbles in it, but I see those all over my neighborhood and in my native soil. My old grass grew just fine.

Since we should be getting close to germ time, I'm playing by ear now. Whatever doesn't come up or doesn't look right, I'll address it. If I feel I need to till / weasel up the whole lawn again, so be it. There is still time. Just don't want to jump the gun.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Welp... getting an inch of rain in the next hour or two... watching some washout in the side yard that I'm not sure even slice seeding can stop.

Good thing I have 40 extra pounds of seed.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Back filling in a bit more, plus some good darkening up after a thunderstorm yesterday.

I have mixed up a 10lb bucket of seed for touch-ups next weekend... if I'm lucky I'll get a mow in first too. I think the area pictured needs a couple more pounds... it was a bare area but it got the same amount of seed as the overseed, and it shows.

Front yard has a few of those fast-germinating regenerate blades popping... Tomorrow will be 5 days from seed so we'll probably start seeing some real green fuzz.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Front yard starting to show green on camera today



Also added 10lb of extra seed to some thinner areas in back.

I couldn't resist the urge to mow the existing grass yesterday, and in the course of doing so I may have ripped out a few seedlings. I'm going to very specifically give it until September 5 or 6 now before mowing again, at which point I should be ready for the final touch-up seeding.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Front yard coming in 👌👌


I'm thinking at this point I should be good to mow everywhere labor day weekend, and then I'll do the classic seed & peat routine on whatever bare spots remain in the back. I still have 30lb of seed left so I should be able to take care of what few spots need it pretty easily and still have 10ish pounds left for spring if need be.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Did my first mow on the front yard full reno this evening.


I've been mowing some of the back while waiting for overseeded & reseeded areas to fill in a bit.

This weekend I'm gonna do the whole yard at 1.75" then do seed & peat on any remaining thin or bare patches out back then. I think that should work out nicely.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Carlson said:


> Did my first mow on the front yard full reno this evening.
> 
> 
> I've been mowing some of the back while waiting for overseeded & reseeded areas to fill in a bit.
> ...


 Nice even turf! Did you use a rotary mower for your first cut?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Carlson said:
> 
> 
> > Did my first mow on the front yard full reno this evening.
> ...


Thanks, man. I did - I only have the one mower for now.

With all the trees around I don't know if I could even ever get away with a reel mower save for the couple mows after a reno like this -- there are always sticks or acorns or whatever on the ground somewhere.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Carlson said:


> Scagfreedom48z+ said:
> 
> 
> > Carlson said:
> ...


I hear ya on that! I have too many bumps and ebbs and flows in my lawn. I'll stick to my zero turn!

How did your new grass do with the rotary? Handle it well?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

@Scagfreedom48z+ fairly well. It was a tiny bit damp so the wheel lines are a bit flat and I got a ton of buildup under the mower deck, but I think the growth the mow spurs should have everything standing back up quick. Certainly the sections that didn't get directly hit with the wheels look 100% upright/happy.

I'll give it a once-over with the leaf blower tomorrow if the wheel tracks are still looking flat.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Carlson said:


> @Scagfreedom48z+ fairly well. It was a tiny bit damp so the wheel lines are a bit flat and I got a ton of buildup under the mower deck, but I think the growth the mow spurs should have everything standing back up quick. Certainly the sections that didn't get directly hit with the wheels look 100% upright/happy.
> 
> I'll give it a once-over with the leaf blower tomorrow if the wheel tracks are still looking flat.


Awesome man. I overseeded last Saturday and I'm hoping I can start mowing by this weekend to do the same- GET THAT GROWTH GOING!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Carlson said:
> 
> 
> > @Scagfreedom48z+ fairly well. It was a tiny bit damp so the wheel lines are a bit flat and I got a ton of buildup under the mower deck, but I think the growth the mow spurs should have everything standing back up quick. Certainly the sections that didn't get directly hit with the wheels look 100% upright/happy.
> ...


Mine was only one week from germination so if you've also got a lot of fescue you might be good by this weekend.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

How did areas with ungerminated seeds hold up, did the mower suck most of them up?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Not too many, but I did slice seed, and what had germinated was relatively thick (for new grass anyway).

That said I definitely disrupted some thin areas in my back yard overseed by going at like 4 or 5 dag...


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Carlson said:


> Not too many, but I did slice seed, and what had germinated was relatively thick (for new grass anyway).
> 
> That said I definitely disrupted some thin areas in my back yard overseed by going at like 4 or 5 dag...


My problem, I can't put the seed down. I'm out every other day finding spots that are lagging behind and throwing more seed down.
I need to stop


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Carlson said:
> 
> 
> > Not too many, but I did slice seed, and what had germinated was relatively thick (for new grass anyway).
> ...


I'm with you there in my back yard. I think I've touched it up every 4 or 5 days. This weekend will be the last time I swear lol


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Carlson said:


> Scagfreedom48z+ said:
> 
> 
> > Carlson said:
> ...


Today was the last day until I get my first mow down so I can get a decent assessment. I'm already ahead of the game compared to last years overseed/Reno. I'm 2 weeks ahead of seed down compared to last year so I'm hoping this buys me some time if I need to throw anymore seed down.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Haven't posted an update pic back here for a bit.

First round of seeding is absolutely mow-ready, but the reseed I did for it being thin is just a couple days past germ. I am really fighting the urge to mow it as I don't want to tear out round 2 by accident. Just need to sit tight for 2-3 more days...


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Looking good. I renovated mine around the same time with Hound Dog 8 TF. I also need some reseeding. Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

Definitely tempting to mow, it is coming along great.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks @Baretta and @Zcape35! Fortunately it's raining today and thus keeping me from going too early for another day haha.

I'm most looking forward to a uniform cut across the whole yard, front and back. Gonna be the most satisfying mow of the year... at least until I throw the striper back on my mower :mrgreen:


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

First dose of urea today!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Gonna get the first full mow out back done today... Just need a couple more hours of sun to dry things out enough.


Final seeding touch ups & peat moss planned for tomorrow I think.


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

Awesome, enjoy the mow! I'm super jealous haha


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Zcape35 said:


> Awesome, enjoy the mow! I'm super jealous haha


Your KBG is gonna be well worth the wait, no question! And since I'm doing more seeding this weekend I'll probably be in a holding pattern again for another 10+ days after today.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

What's the rule? Cut off at least 2/3 of the blade at a time, right?

I had no choice really. The existing lawn was getting
T H I Q Q
So it really needed a lop to let the new grass compete.

I'll probably add a couple more lbs of seed in the area off the patio, plus more down back for sure - but at least what stayed and germed is pretty evenly spaced - should be a big help in keeping the final seed round in place in the event of rain.


Mower was bogging down hard around here... crazy density.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> My problem, I can't put the seed down. I'm out every other day finding spots that are lagging behind and throwing more seed down.
> I need to stop


I thought I was the only one! This is a big reason I want to get to a KBG yard. When i start overseeding TTTF in the fall, i keep walking around every day for weeks adding seed in places....multiple times.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

badtlc said:


> Scagfreedom48z+ said:
> 
> 
> > My problem, I can't put the seed down. I'm out every other day finding spots that are lagging behind and throwing more seed down.
> ...


I am nearly 100% sure the KBG guys do the same thing hahaha


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Carlson said:


> I am nearly 100% sure the KBG guys do the same thing hahaha


Well........as long as nobody tells my wife I think I will survive. I sold her on no overseeding to justify spending the money on KBG reno.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

That is looking lush. What kind of mower are you using? I bought a manual reel to pamper the babies, but looking at your lawn, I'd be tempted to go full stripe :nod:

PS has there been an update on the 4 test pots? I don't check the general cool season forums much anymore. Want to see how bad the RM is kicking a$$


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

@bf7 using my timemaster. I have a big league striper for it that I can't wait to break back out in a couple more weeks.

As for the samplers I did an update yesterday. All four are looking very similar at the moment still, but I have cut them at this point so I think the differences will really show once the plants start tillering & maturing.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Got it, thanks! Subscribed now. Thought I was before but apparently not. I agree they all look the same lol


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Good evidence that they blend well at least!

Seems this wood frog approves of the reno up front.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

That is one happy frog. Be careful not to run him over with the timemaster.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

The frog was spared in today's second mowing of the front. Overall the front yard is looking good, but the slope coming off my walkway coupled with the mower deck being wide and relatively low caused me to scalp a couple spots.




It striped up pretty nicely for not actually using my striper.

I did another mow on the back to chew up the mower deck clumps leftover feom yesterday when I had to do the major cut. Looking better out back, but it seems like I'm going to be mowing every other day for a bit haha


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You don't have kbg, so throw more seeds in the thin areas.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

g-man said:


> You don't have kbg, so throw more seeds in the thin areas.


On the long weekend to-do list :thumbup:

This is week 2.5-3 from seed depending on if we're talking about the front yard or back. Of the 200lb of seed I bought mid-summer in prep for this reno & overseed, I have about 30lb left now and most of that is getting spread tomorrow.


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

That is looking awesome my man!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Final touch-up seeding and peat moss today. While some of the original sprouted areas are thin, at least they are fairly even. I think it should do a decent job holding the peat & seed in place.

I gotta say - I have one of those peat moss rolling drums, and that thing worked a mint for spreading peat over baby grass areas without trampling anything.


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

I'm finding peat is much more fun to spread once you have some germ'd grass to hold it in place. I've probably lost 5-10 bales of peat from storms when the dirt was bare. Now I know I'm getting some OM and moisture retention, and it's not going anywhere. With my soil the grass grows so much better in the areas with peat.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Welp, looks like I'll be putting down some Azoxy today...

I need to mow today, too... Azoxy first or mow first?


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

I'd check the Azoxy label. How much are you watering? It was super muggy outside so that probably did you in (is muggy a known word outside of New England)?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Zcape35 said:


> I'd check the Azoxy label. How much are you watering? It was super muggy outside so that probably did you in (is muggy a known word outside of New England)?


Yep - label said 2 days before & 2 after. And yeah the stupid mugginess along with a ton of rain yesterday did me in.

Put 3lb/k of azoxy out front. Gonna mow the back today to tame the established grass, then I'll mow everywhere Sunday (and double-cut the front as it will probably be >4" by then...)


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Ugh. Do you think it's pythium blight? I think I was seeing that in my test pots.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Ugh. Do you think it's pythium blight? I think I was seeing that in my test pots.


PB is my suspicion yeah - could be brown patch but I do have one spot that is a little further along with the infection and it has that slimy blight look.

Hopefully the azoxy at 3lb/k takes care of it. At a minimum I don't see the mycelium anymore a few hours later...


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Got the back yard mowed - did 2.25" this time and that mow was a JOY compared to the massacring-down to 1.75" last weekend.

Gonna do both the front and back at this height on Sunday and then hit everything with a dose of GreenPop & RGS.... maybe some Air-8 too.

Then with more urea next week I'll need to say goodbye to my wife as I commit myself to non-stop mowing until frost hahaha


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Haha the 2.25" looks solid. I like anything around 2". It's short enough to have a nice tight appearance yet long enough to give you some darker green and avoid any scalping. One day I will have a flat enough lawn to go shorter. I have a lot of work to do.

Hope your wife is cool with you being outside all the time. My fiance can't stand it.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Haha the 2.25" looks solid. I like anything around 2". It's short enough to have a nice tight appearance yet long enough to give you some darker green and avoid any scalping. One day I will have a flat enough lawn to go shorter. I have a lot of work to do.
> 
> Hope your wife is cool with you being outside all the time. My fiance can't stand it.


Ha actually yeah she is - she loves gardening - veggies/fruits as well as the ornamental plants. Usually when I say I'm gonna go mow, she'll go water or pull weeds or something :thumbup:


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

You lucky son of a gun :lol:


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Looks great. How's the reseeded areas coming along? Did mine 3 days earlier but not much to show for just yet. Wish I could get my hands on compost roller for peat purposes.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Baretta said:


> Looks great. How's the reseeded areas coming along? Did mine 3 days earlier but not much to show for just yet. Wish I could get my hands on compost roller for peat purposes.


Pretty well, although we got a few major downpours at day 4 after my final seeding, so a little bit did wash around. The area around the patio is looking good, even if a keen eye can notice that there were multiple rounds of seeding days apart...


A few more mows and some N shouls have things pretty uniform by October I think.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Front yard this morning.

Mowed the back yard Friday, front yard Saturday, and then everywhere on Sunday. I also sprayed with GreenPop - used a little over two gallons on my 18k sq ft. Skipped the RGS and Air-8 for this weekend as I did not want to have the liquid to be too thick and didn't feel like doing a separate app. I'll do those next weekend with the urea.

I do think ideally I should be mowing every three days at the moment. The front yard is growing insanely fast.


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

Hi Carlson - this is looking great! I'm using regenerate in mine as well, so hoping it comes in as nicely as yours.

Had a quick question looking through your journal, is the growth progress from your Aug 27 post and Aug 31 post really only 4 days? it seemed to take off considerably in that time frame. These seem to be some fast growing cultivars!

Best Regards,
Dan


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Dan1234 said:


> Hi Carlson - this is looking great! I'm using regenerate in mine as well, so hoping it comes in as nicely as yours.
> 
> Had a quick question looking through your journal, is the growth progress from your Aug 27 post and Aug 31 post really only 4 days? it seemed to take off considerably in that time frame. These seem to be some fast growing cultivars!
> 
> ...


Indeed it was. Some of that speed can probably be attributed to slice seeding (great seed-to-soil contact) plus the fact that I used Soil Moist on my seed before putting it down.


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## elgrow (Mar 30, 2020)

Yard is looking great Carlson, very impressed with the renovation!

How much seed have you thrown down/1000 ball park? I saw you threw 60 down initially in what I think was the backyard overseed but just wanted to figure out where you are at compared to what I've been doing


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

@elgrow thanks man!

For the front yard full reno I landed at 12.5lb/k over 8000 sq ft - so 100lb.

Back yard is about 10k sq ft - I had probably 2k sq ft of full reseeding and 8k sq ft of overseeding. I used 100lb total back there too between the initial seedings and repair work a few weeks later.


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## gatorguy (Mar 13, 2020)

Front looks amazing man! I've got a couple RM renos coming in now. Hope they turn out as well as yours did. Do you have a top view photo so we can see how thick it is?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

gatorguy said:


> Front looks amazing man! I've got a couple RM renos coming in now. Hope they turn out as well as yours did. Do you have a top view photo so we can see how thick it is?


I got you

Pretty happy so far. Tillering should keep increasing as I mow so it'll get a bit thicker yet.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Just as an additional reference, here is the same view in the back yard. Same varieties of fescue but the back yard has a whole season in (overseed notwithstanding)


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

the back and front looks great - can't believe how fine the blades are after one year, not as wide as most fescues!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Dan1234 said:


> the back and front looks great - can't believe how fine the blades are after one year, not as wide as most fescues!


Oh yeah man these cultivars stay really fine - especially when I keep it at <3". If you don't look close enough at the blades to see the ridges/texture that fescue has you could easily mistake it for KBG.

I'll also say that even though rhizomatous fescue spreads nowhere near as well as KBG does, it certainly gets very dense if you keep it happy!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

@Carlson it looks like it's really taking off. You must be mowing like a madman to keep up with it.

@gatorguy do you have a journal for the RM reno? I really would like to see what an RM monostand looks like.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> @Carlson it looks like it's really taking off. You must be mowing like a madman to keep up with it.
> 
> @gatorguy do you have a journal for the RM reno? I really would like to see what an RM monostand looks like.


I'm trying to keep it to 2-3 mows a week, but it's definitely putting on about ⅓" or so per day.


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

thats great news on the spreading, not expecting kbg results, but anything to help keep it thicker will be great.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Dan1234 said:


> thats great news on the spreading, not expecting kbg results, but anything to help keep it thicker will be great.


Yeah I mean to be clear, it would not fill in a sizeable gap like KBG would -- at least not for a few years anyway so you would have weed pressure. But it does do a good job thickening up in areas that are on the thin side.


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## gatorguy (Mar 13, 2020)

@bf7 I dont have one going although dont mind starting one. I actually have two renos one for a client and my own in RM. I posted a pic of mine at 9 days after seed down in the British Columbia hometown forum. Dont want to hijack @Carlson's thread. Loving the progress, gives me something to look forward to!q


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

Went through your journal and the yard looks fantastic.. it seems within 30ish days you've gone up to a full lawn.

I wanted to ask you where you get your RM from? I searched everywhere and never found it. Ended up seeding 2 weeks later than planned. 
Also why not add any KBG in the mix?


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

uts said:


> Went through your journal and the yard looks fantastic.. it seems within 30ish days you've gone up to a full lawn.
> 
> I wanted to ask you where you get your RM from? I searched everywhere and never found it. Ended up seeding 2 weeks later than planned.
> Also why not add any KBG in the mix?


I got the RM from Hogan this year - last year I ordered from Hearne but they haven't restocked this year. Called Hogan up, the gent I spoke with called DLF Pickseed, and a bag arrived at my door a couple weeks later.

Mostly because I just really like tall fescue, I guess. Fescues tend to be more drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant than KBG (generally, although there are exceptions), and ultimately I want to get my lawn to a point where it needs mininal watering beyond what rain provides. And while I know rhizomatous fescues don't spread like KBG, it is interesting to see what it can do on it's own.

Also I'm WAAAAAY too impatient to wait 2 weeks for germination only to have a pout phase right after hahaha. I will say I am jealous of the color I see on some of the KBG lawns though!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Evening colors on a cool day 👌👌

Gonna do a mow and a spray tomorrow. Definitely ½lb N/k of urea, plus some combination of rgs, humic 12, and air-8... I haven't decided if I want to do all three this week or just one or two yet.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Is that what beauty looks like? Hope to get there next spring. Only 180 more days to go. 
:banana:


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Carlson said:


> Evening colors on a cool day 👌👌
> 
> Gonna do a mow and a spray tomorrow. Definitely ½lb N/k of urea, plus some combination of rgs, humic 12, and air-8... I haven't decided if I want to do all three this week or just one or two yet.


Amazing color! Gotta love those evening shots in the fall.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks @bf7! Definitely satisfying.

Wound up mowing at 2.25" on Saturday and then spraying Sunday. On the spraying I actually skipped the urea since the growth rate is still so quick out there. Wound up doing 3oz/k of RGS and Humic12 plus 6oz/k Air-8. I'll do urea at 0.5#N/k next weekend.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Did an app of urea for 0.5lb N/K on Saturday then had a few 80-degree days in a row. The color at this point is really something.




Gave it a mow at 2.75" today and I was definitely cutting a fair bit off - was a little wet but we're about to get 2-3 days of rain so I had to get it done or risk an 8" lawn lol


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Carlson said:


> Did an app of urea for 0.5lb N/K on Saturday then had a few 80-degree days in a row. The color at this point is really something.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok this dark shade of green shouldn't be legal.

Hadn't heard from you in a while. Didn't realize you were cooking up this insane lawn in the meantime!

Bravo my friend!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Carlson said:
> 
> 
> > Did an app of urea for 0.5lb N/K on Saturday then had a few 80-degree days in a row. The color at this point is really something.
> ...


Thanks man - It takes time to hand-paint 18k sq ft lol

Just been super-busy with work these last couple weeks. I gotta pop into your journal and see how it's coming!


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## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

That grass looks sick!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Finally decided it was time to bust out the striper today. I am pleased with that decision :thumbup:


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## gatorguy (Mar 13, 2020)

Looks amazing!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Zcape35 said:


> That grass looks sick!


Thanks man!


gatorguy said:


> Looks amazing!


Thank you!


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## bf7 (May 11, 2020)

Carlson said:


> Finally decided it was time to bust out the striper today. I am pleased with that decision :thumbup:


Are you implying the previous glorious mow before this one WASN'T striped? WTH man!

This just isn't fair. Don't make me push for a late season RM overseed!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

bf7 said:


> Carlson said:
> 
> 
> > Finally decided it was time to bust out the striper today. I am pleased with that decision :thumbup:
> ...


Haha! I've been too chicken to take the striper out on the young grass til yesterday - I was getting a bit of tear-out from the wheels on the mower when I would turn so I was afraid the striper would do more considerable damage. Things are getting stronger now so it was stripe time!

I see no reason why a dormant seed with RM would be a bad idea... Last I checked, Hearne had restocked! :mrgreen:


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

absolutely amazing! this is what, 1.5 months after seeding??


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Dan1234 said:


> absolutely amazing! this is what, 1.5 months after seeding??


Thank you!

Yep, although the backyard (2nd pic) was an overseed into an already dense-ish lawn. Same 4 varieties, just most of it is 1yr old already.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Today felt like a good day to do some single-doubles.


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

those curved striped single-doubles look great! i keep checking this journal to see the possible potential in my yard as you are about 3 weeks ahead of me. This week I'm going to graduate my lawn from the recycler to the timemaster, but now I really have to think about a striper.


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Dan1234 said:


> those curved striped single-doubles look great! i keep checking this journal to see the possible potential in my yard as you are about 3 weeks ahead of me. This week I'm going to graduate my lawn from the recycler to the timemaster, but now I really have to think about a striper.


Thanks man! I'll have a new set of post-mow pics up later this afternoon... feeling some double-doubles today.

I have the checkmate striper from Big League Lawns - lays awesome stripes - and at least when I bought it there was 10% off with "gciacademy" as a discount code (thank you, Pete). I think the official Toro striper is a little easier to take off when you don't want to use it, but I sorted mine out by mounting it with cotterless clevis pins and washers instead of nuts & bolts.

I'll pop into your journal & take a look!


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## Dan1234 (Aug 31, 2018)

well - you convinced me. I was thinking ordering one for the spring season, but just placed the order. Will get a few mows in this fall with a striper!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Mowed!



(^I love the plaid pattern single-doubles followed by double-doubles makes :mrgreen: )


Rodent damage in the front... ugh.

Probably moles but could be chipmunks. I love living in a woodsy area but there's no way to stop 100% of critters here.


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## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

That is really beautiful! So green and lush I just want to walk around barefoot in it haha


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

Looks awesome! Color is great, density is great and those stripes are on point! Good job!


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## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Cdub5_ said:


> That is really beautiful! So green and lush I just want to walk around barefoot in it haha


Thanks man! I'm pleased to think I've achieved barefoot-status :mrgreen:



Butter said:


> Looks awesome! Color is great, density is great and those stripes are on point! Good job!


Thank you! Color is already pretty good for sure - but I can't wait to see what some iron does to it in the spring...


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