# Joe's Front Lawn Journal 2022



## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Starting a new maintenance Journal now that I have a newly established lawn. Bumpy ride last year:Joe's Front Lawn Reno but lots of knowledge collected along the way.

Here's where I left off last October


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

This new toy came in today!

Purchased via Amazon Treasure Truck for $84


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@joec-ct $84, that's a steal.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

3/26 - Soil temps are between 47-49. Planning on Pre-Em next week.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/2 - Pre-Em

Too windy for sprayer. Lots of rain coming. Plan B. 
*Applied Lesco Stonewall 0-0-7 Prodiamine at Max Rate, 5lbs/1k.*


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/8 - Applied via sprayer: *SLS Soil Loosener @ 1oz/1k, with some SLS Root Hume*. Rain Tomorrow.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/11 - Spring green-up is consistent with neighbors. Some other surrounding neighborhoods look much greener, but I'm not rushing to put down any nitrogen just yet.

Dark patches are from the dog. We have her go in the driveway on the stone, but she got away with voiding on the front lawn a couple times while I was looking at my phone  The patches look beautiful though (for now)!






*Erosion Control Blankets* from last seaon's reno have not fully bio-degraded yet. Can clearly see netting in right side of this photo:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/11 - *Actively growing weeds or other observed.* No pre-em was put down in the fall/winter.

Tested using Tenacity on a small area since it's not 100% determined if this is a weed, nutsedge, or annual ryegrass and I don't want to spend on selective herbicides right this moment.

If the leaves turn white and they start to die, I may be able to rule out Annual Ryegrass. Waiting until after first few mows to re-evaluate.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

@joec-ct I think you're on the right track with annual rye, at least with the first picture. Good luck this season!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4-12 - First Mow of the season. HOC 2in. Bagged clippings to pick up junk in the lawn.

Observations - 
Dog pee spots really woke up the surrounding turf. 
Many areas look thin. A bit impatient but from all my reading, I need to simply wait as this is still a new and young 60% kbg lawn.

Observed some sprout growth of a particular plant, 4th picture. Not sure what is, early dandelion?

Considering starting spoon feeding at .2 or .25lbs of N next week. Thoughts? Still too early?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/13 - *Soil Test Results are in.* Used Rx soil as it is tested by Waypoint. Don't have Waypoint nearby.


Surprised to see such high iron. Looks like I won't be spraying it this year. Should I bag clippings?

Capacity to Retain Nutrients (CEC) very low, but don't really know how to fix this

pH seems ok but they are suggesting lime to bump it up a bit closer to the mid-range. Need to be careful with lime amounts.


How do I increase Zinc and Copper without touching Manganese and Iron?


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I would get a light feeding in just before the next rain give her a little kickstart. You have a new lawn she's going to be hungry plus you want to get that KBG to start spreading


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@M32075 Agreed, I'll be watching the weather and throwing some N down either Fri or Mon.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

*4/15 - Applied Urea at .2N/1k.* Diluted 1.3lbs of granules and sprayed over 3000sqft. Walking speed @ 2 passes (E-W, N-S) Lightly watered in with hose, rain in forecast tomorrow.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/16 - No rain Yet.

*Applied Dolomitic Lime at 2.5lbs/1k per soil test results remediation. *Another 2.5 pounds to be applied in the fall.

Ordered a pro plugger, going to take some sod from side yard (being renoed in fall) and fill some bare spots.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

I have thin areas. Upon closer examination it appears that the curlex blankets could be a contributor. They have definitely not biodegraded at the rate I was hoping for (90 days). Some areas are so thick that they are blocking sunlight to the soil. Granules don't make their way to the soil either. They just sit on top.

I'm not sure what to do. My gut tells me to wait and see what the spring N will do, but I'm also thinking I should cut out these thick parts of the blankets and fill with pro plugger.

Thin areas:








Here's an absolutely gorgeous section of my KBG mix near the light post. This is the potential. I wish the entire lawn looked like this!


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

What if you used a dethatching rake on those sections with the blankets? Would that help pull it up? I honestly have no idea as I have never worked with those, just trying to throw some ideas out there.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@jskierko The thought crossed my mind. My worry though is breaking the pre emergent barrier if I do it.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4-19. Pro plugger came in!!

Took some great plugs from the side yard (to be renoed fall) and replaced some thin areas or areas where the erosion mats were too thick.





Still debating on taking a dethatcher to pull up the blacket fibers, I feel like there could be a problem with light, water and nutrients hitting the soil. I could roll the dice and disrupt the pre emergent barrier I already put down, to make the lawn more breathable and allow the KBG to spread and thicken...


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Documenting Spring Green Up - First spring the lawn is seeing, posting these photos to show how spring green up is going, mainly so I can reference this next year. Both taken on cloudy days around 5pm. Applied Urea at .2N/1k on 4/15.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@joec-ct what kind of security camera do you have? The clarity looks real nice.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Jeff_MI84 Thanks. This is a Nest Cam outdoor (Wired) which they have now discontinued. They now have a battery version. They are coming out with a new wired version soon which I believe will replace the now also discontinued Nest Cam IQ Outdoor. The IQ was the one I originally wanted as it had even better resolution, but it was very expensive. When building the house, I should have ran Ethernet in case I changed my mind to go the POE route.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@joec-ct it looks like better quality than my Arlo cameras.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/22 - Mowed @ 2in


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/23 - Sprayed .2lbN/1k


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Finally a striping kit for ego lawn mowers. Just placed my order!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

4/25 - Applied Soil Mastery 5-0-0 at low rate (.1N). Rains tomorrow.


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## gregonfire (Sep 18, 2017)

Looking good man, I wouldn't sweat the thin spots. Just keep spoon feeding and mowing frequently, once the KBG fully wakes up you'll see it start to fill in drastically. I would say by the end of May you'll have a full thick lawn with minimal bare spots.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@gregonfire Thanks. I'm going on vacation next week so I won't be able to look outside every day and try to watch grass grow and frustrate myself.

I bet I'll be pleasantly surprised when I get back. Throwing down a little N before I leave.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

No journal for the backyard, still debating on that, but just wanted to put this shot captured on my backyard cam the other day. When the light hits it right...

Backyard TTTF:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Mowing tomorrow before heading on vacation. 2 apps of N so far, it's looking better this week.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Mowed @ 2.5 HOC


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Back from vacation. Saw a ton of tree seedlings revealed in the backyard. Lawn is starting to thicken up for sure.

Installed striping kit on the mower. Very beefy and made a difference. Hate the bumps, but I'll fix them this fall.
Mowed @ 2.5in.
N so far = .5lb


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

5/9 - Threw down Milo today @ bag rate.
Sitting around 1.1lb N for the year so far.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Mowed today. Took a photo of my yard from neighbors yard.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

5/11 - Sprayed NexT SeaK 0-0-5


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

Coming in good man, keep at it.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@kay7711226 Thanks man!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

5-16 - Mowed. No apps today, throwing some water down in the AM. Posted in cool season about this problem area, need to do an irrigation audit as a couple folks suggesting some stress. It's been warming up fast with very little rainfall.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

5-18 Mowed. Threw down some SLS 6-0-0 with Iron. Getting ready for memorial day party. 40 guests, need to impress!







The side lawn is being renoed this fall, so I haven't done much, but I'm really suprised how well it looks. 

The KBG spread.

It's darker than the front lawn.
 
It's north facing

It's only received granular, balanced ferts, where the front has been both liquid and granular.
 
It's also flat!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

5-20 - Woke up and saw this all over the lawn this morning. It's probably spiders, but I still applied propi.


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## lbb091919 (Apr 26, 2020)

They should be impressed. It's looking dark and full


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

*5-23:* Sharped the 'new' blades as suggested in my post about lawn spiders. I will take care of the insects this week. *Mowed at 2.5in HOC*

Sharp blades made a difference especially on my side lawn. Mowing the front lawn is still producing some tearing of the grass blades, I have to assume it has to deal with a bumpy hill + HOC.

I plan on leveling this fall, but could use some advice. I have looked through many journals, can't find much about leveling on a slope. I don't want to throw sand on top of clay, and I have low OM so I need to mix in some compost. Was thinking 50/50 sand and compost for leveling.

@mowww I noticed you have a decent slope in your yard, and you're reel mowing. How did you get that so level and do you have any additional recommendations/suggestions about leveling/watering/mowing on a slope? The depressions in my ground range from a quarter inch to 2 inches. I may have to do more leveling once (or if ever) we get sidewalks, aprons, and driveways done on my street.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Hi @joec-ct. Getting things smooth doesn't necessarily have to be an all-or-nothing full-fledged sand level to make progress. I usually walk the lawn with a bucket of mason sand or raised-bed soil mix and my thinnest, most flexible shoes to get a feel for the bumps. Then fill each spot by hand and use your hand or a dustpan broom to work in the mix. If I didn't have any mix on hand I sometimes just walked it and threw flags down until I could get more material to topdress with. I have pretty clayey soils with low OM but chose to level with sand because I've had success with it in the past and it is the easiest material to work into the canopy.



I did add 0.25" of topdressing sand last fall finally which made the spring hand-filling much quicker.

As far as moisture goes, an irrigation audit and wetting agents can be your friends. My "professionally installed" system was all over the board.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@mowww I Appreciate the response. I like the approach, I do tend to think in terms of all or nothing, I'm doomed, etc.  I have an old pair of Allbirds that are perfect for this activity.

Some areas are low enough where I will probably need to throw some seed down as the existing grass might not be able to grow through but I can deal with that. I noticed in that photo, did you buy a home in a new construction neighborhood (2nd owner?) Did you bring in any topsoil? I was only able to afford about 1inch and know it's not enough, so I'm establishing a program of light and frequent applications of nutrients/fert.

The color difference from construction subsoil to screened topsoil was telling. (From last year reno)


Wow, your irrigation audit is interesting. I have a DIY Orbit system with 6 heads rotating 360. Once sidewalks and driveway is in, I'll do another audit and make adjustments.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@joec-ct Good eye, we built the home with a national builder who made promises of bringing in topsoil but that was far from the truth. All of the yards in the neighborhood are sitting on rocky subsoil and like you, we're trying to build up OM and nutrients through fertilization and root cycling.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Thanks @mowww. Your lawn is an inspiration. With the right program, it's possible. That's all I need to keep me going and improving.

Molly seems to think so too.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Memorial Day weekend was busy outdoors. We finally got around to working on our garden beds. Live edges can be a pain to create if your edge tool happens to hit a huge rock (which happens here a lot). Removing the rock then causes support loss for the sod and can sag or collapse.

We brought in 50/50 topsoil/compost for the beds. I also mixed in some Biochar and mushroom compost. Front porch bed has 3 perennials in the back and the rest are annuals. We added another bobo hydrangea in the back along with some hostas. Added new local cedar mulch to all the beds. The main front bed still needs a live edge.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Memorial day party was a success. I took the drone out. As you can see the neighbors are also struggling with new construction soil. They think I have a golf course lawn. I know I do not 



I only account for the front lawn in this journal. Spoon feeding (Spraying Urea) N over 5 weeks has not produced the same results the 1lb of N granular I put down on the side and back lawn. You can see the difference in this next shot.



The side lawn, north facing, is the best looking area on the property.


Backyard shows that the ledge rock buried (and exposed due to erosion this past winter) affects the growth and color dramatically. This hill area in the back is not worth removing the rock. I plan to hardscape or plant creeping perennials to cover this.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/1 - Cooler temps and some rain. *Applied Lesco 24-0-11* granular on the front at half rate (0.4N). This brings the front lawn total to 1.4N for the year so far. I know for KBG up to 4lbs/year is recommended, but being a 1st full season lawn, can I go more?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/4 - Mowed today. Inch of rain between wed-fri this week. Finished the live edge and added mulch.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/7 - Rain and clouds in the forecast. I have 2 yards of compost from our planting bed project leftover, and need to get rid of it. Brought the lawn down to 2" (slight scalp), borrowed a Landzie and spread it over the front. Have some more to do, ran out of time.

Pros: Adding Organic Material that is desperately needed.
Cons: Introducing possible new weeds.





Night vision cam shot shows how far I got. Don't need to go down to the bottom of the hill, sidewalks will be there someday, when the builder decides it's time...


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/8 - Finished spreading the compost in the front. Leftover to fix some of the side yard.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/11 - Applied NexT Microgreen 0-0-2 @ 10oz 1k. Tank mixed with 6% iron at 3oz 1k.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/12 - Mowed today. No applications. Seed heads are *finally* disappearing!


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Happy Birthday! Front lawn looks great this year, and so does the side lawn reno!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Hey @Chris LI I appreciate that. Thank you!! Things are coming along and maturing.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

joec-ct said:


> 6/1 - Cooler temps and some rain. *Applied Lesco 24-0-11* granular on the front at half rate (0.4N). This brings the front lawn total to 1.4N for the year so far. I know for KBG up to 4lbs/year is recommended, but being a 1st full season lawn, can I go more?


I've seen people do 6lbs a few times I think. As long as you can water and mow. Just keep a closer eye for disease.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

6/20 - Applied Feature 6-0-0 @ 2oz/1k
- Applied SeaK 0-0-5 @ 1oz/1k

6/22 - Mowed. Going to hit 90 this weekend, don't think I'll be mowing until Monday. Will probably have to raise HOC from 2.5" to 3".

Pointing the stripes towards the street so cars can see the lines as they come up.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

joec-ct said:


> Pointing the stripes towards the street so cars can see the lines as they come up.


 :thumbup: I do the same thing. My other favorite pattern to alternate with this one is back and forth perpendicular to the street. Burning those in will make for some nice diamonds. :gum:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Chris LI so I should mow straight up and down the slope vs. 90s to my current stripes?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

joec-ct said:


> @Chris LI so I should mow straight up and down the slope vs. 90s to my current stripes?


It's a blank canvas. You can do whatever you like. That's the best part of this hobby. You can do circles, waves, etc. If you want to do 90's, try it! I've done them and they look great. When you mentioned lining stripes up when cars come up the street, I thought to and from the house would be cool, because they will be slowing down to stare at the manicured lawn and those would pop. :nod: To and from the street is my other favorite pattern. Since you were thinking 90's, maybe go with that. You can always do the to-from house on the next mow and have some ghost stripes in a 6 point star shape.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Chris LI I think I'm gonna try diamonds first. To and from the street looks awesome. I was at my neighbor's house looking across the street at my lawn and it looked awesome, way better than I expected. I hate my lawn up close! Let's see what the chef cooks up next mow...


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Came back from a six day vacation yesterday. Came home to issues with sprinkler range and what looks like water runoff.

I'm frustrated to say the least.

Draught and browning observed. Sprinkler system is DIY from hose bib. 1/2" underground poly pipe, 6 heads running at full 360 using 0.5 gallon nozzles. Low water pressure (40psi) and low flow (5GPM) is another problem. Water main comes into the house and through a meter, but there is no pressure regulator. It could be at the street level, but I'm not positive about that.

I want to install MP rotator heads to help with some of the runoff, but I don't have the flow to run 6 MP2000 360 heads on the same zone off the hose bib. According to their website I would need 1.48GPM and 40PSI at each head. I actually bought the Hunter bodies (40PSI) and rotators but they are not installed.

Can't really afford a 'professional' irrigation system at the moment, so I have to use what I have for now. Additionally, it's going to be best to wait until the sidewalks and driveway are installed, so I can make proper sprinkler adjustments. Last year when I installed the irrigation, I was just going off of _proposed _sidewalk and driveway lines.

Builder did NOT remove underground rocks or perform a good cleanup of sidewalk area for obvious reasons. I don't know when these sidewalks will be done, so I'm just going to fix the area and seed it anyway so it doesn't look like crap.

Neighbor's lawns? Can't comment on that! 

But hey, @Chris LI I still made diamonds! :lol:


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Those diamonds are sharp! :thumbsup:

I have similar issues. Slopes can be difficult to deal with, between runoff and sun angle. Supplemental hand watering helps. Also, perimeter areas, especially near driveways/hardscapes need extra water (and handwatering). Sometimes, running an extra cycle helps. The first will moisten, and the second may help with penetration (I do this with hand watering, too).

I've used Hydretain, which has helped some. I'm anxiously waiting for my Pellet Pro to arrive today and have Tournament Ready pellets ready to go. I may also try the H20 Maximizer pellets, too, but haven't purchased them yet. These products may be helpful for your situation, too.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Chris LI said:


> I'm anxiously waiting for my Pellet Pro to arrive today and have Tournament Ready pellets ready to go. I may also try the H20 Maximizer pellets, too, but haven't purchased them yet. These products may be helpful for your situation, too.


I've never heard of this, I might try this out. Thank you! Yes I'll be hand watering in the meantime, just sucks I have irrigation and still need to do it, lol.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Those products are from Underhill, who has great GC irrigation supplies that are available through them and other vendors. In particular, those are wetting agents and applicators. There are plenty of threads on TLF with info on them, to do some HW to see if they are something you might be interested in using. I have some of their nozzles and a brass shutoff, and like them. They supposedly have very good hoses, but I haven't bought one yet. These include commercial 1" hoses and adapters to fit the standard residential garden hose thread (GHT), in addition to the residential 3/4" hoses in their lines. FYI-I bought the Pellet Pro from Drip Depot and the pellets from Amazon.

I would try the PS body and MP rotator at one location, since you already have them. Also, Hunter has lower pressure MP rotator nozzles in their line to work with the gray 40 psi regulated PS bodies (in case the nozzles you spec'd out are the regular ones). I think they were at the bottom of the chart when I looked. They might help a little bit with your situation. Running 6 heads on a small 1/2" line will lead to a noticeable pressure drop. You probably should have 1" line, or at least 3/4" line at a bare minimum, but the low pressure body/nozzle combo might work, so you don't have to dig up and replace. Since you've already looked up some specs, maybe call Hunter's tech line before buying more equipment to experiment. I was considering buying some of both to try in trouble areas, but don't really want to spend ~$15 on a body alone, when HD and Lowe's has the regular black PS bodies for $4-5. Thanks for the reminder; I still need to pick up a PS body to replace one and repair the line torn up with stump grinding. :roll:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Chris LI said:


> I would try the PS body and MP rotator at one location, since you already have them.


Out of the six, I connected 1 and tested fine, then another, and then when I got to the third, this happened 

FYI, my current nozzles on my Orbit Saturn IV heads are 0.5gpm each.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Now that I think about it...MP 2000 rotators come factory at full throw (21'). I forgot to adjust them down since my nearest head is 16' away. But I still bet when I get to 6 heads, I'm gonna have this same problem. Each nozzle at 360 throwing at their minimum, 16' means I need 1.20GPM at each head. I have 6GPM at my hose bib, so I need minimum 7.2 total. Am I doing that math right?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I think so. However, pressure is not equal throughout the same line will multiple heads. The head at the end of the line will have less pressure, all other things equal (pressure drops with distance and orifices upstream). It may not matter too much, but what is your configuration? Two lines with 3 heads, three lines with 2 heads, or something else? If you can dial back heads upstream with a lower output nozzle or resistor of some sort, you may be able to boost pressure down the line. I probably won't have time tonight to look for the nozzles I mentioned, but will try to find them.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Chris LI 2 Lines with 3 heads each. Shown below in their recommended setup, mine is sideways.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This is a really bad design. There needs to be a head at each 90 degree corner. Check the Hunter design guide and irrigationtutorials.com


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

g-man said:


> This is a really bad design. There needs to be a head at each 90 degree corner. Check the Hunter design guide and irrigationtutorials.com


Totally agree. Once driveway and sidewalks are installed, it will be reconfigured or professionally done.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

7/13 - Taking a 4 day short vacation (golf!) to Carmel, Indiana on 7/14. Raised HOC to 3.5" and mowed during evening. Not many clippings. Still not a drop of water and weather is not looking good for lawns next week with 3-4 days in the 90's. Looked at city website in regards to water consumption. No limits right now.

Since I'm running this setup from the hose bib, I'm getting charged both water and sewer usage. Just looking into the future, the town allows an install of a separate, 1" water line for irrigation purposes, and will have a separate water bill.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Is drilling a well an option? Even if you install the 1" city water irrigation only line, over time you may save $$$ with a well, since you are looking to have a nicely irrigated lawn.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Chris LI honestly didn't even know it was possible to have a well solely for irrigation.


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

Not until you made it/survive your first summer....... until then you will be inaugurated into the "real" lawn game  Keep at it, still looking good! What's you HOC's? Notice you are using battery mower? Any issues at your HOC?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@kay7711226 I was thinking about it while I was on vacation. Haven't "earned my wings" yet! HOC is 3.5" and it cuts well at that height. The issues I have with the EGO are cutting through seed stalks, and blade 'lift' capability. I am using the high lift blade and it does ok but not as well as a gas mower. There is a 2.0 lift blade I can buy and I may try that as reviews say it's much better. The other issue I have (not really EGO's problem) is the stripe kit from Big League Lawns. Due to the installation and design being mounted on the rear bar, I cannot lower the mower blade lower than setting number 3, or ~2.5."

I kinda want a Timemaster for some wide strips and better cut quality, but since my plan is to reel mow the front in the future, I'll just stick with the EGO.

7/17 - Came back from vacation and the brown spots are getting worse. Still no rain, and we're now in "Moderate" drought for my area.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

7/18 - We finally got just over an inch of rain. I'm putting my seatbelt on for this week.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

7/24 - Needed a better hose solution and decided on a Hoselink. This got pretty good reviews so I went with it, and I really like it so far.

Dug a 2' hole with a post digger, leveled and poured poly foam quick set. Cut off remaining foam. Covered with a PVC sleeve and top, mounted the reel. This area will be a future planting bed, for now I may just mulch around the post.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@joec-ct nice Hoselink. I've been searching for something myself. Is there anything you don't care for so far?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Jeff_MI84 I didn't care for the lack of guidance on mounting to vinyl siding. They have videos showing you how to mount onto uneven siding, but the siding they demonstrate is wood, and you have to make your own flat surface board and then mount the hose to that. Once I realized I couldn't/didn't want to do that and mess up my siding, I went the 4x4 post route. I was all in about $300 buying the wood, a PVC sleeve and a post digger.

Other than that, this thing is awesome. Slow pull if you need more length, short tug and it retracts perfectly. High quality connections and spray wand.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@Joe G if there's one thing I hate, it's a hose dragging on the lawn and pulling around the corner of the house. It looks like a nice reel.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Haven't put down any significant N since July. Since my irrigation is poor, I've been hand watering and managing through the stress. I have brown patch and rust identified in the sides and rear lawn.

8/15 - Applied Azoxy at curative rate with .2N/1k
8/17 - Mowed

Cooler temps are approaching. Fall plans are hindered, wife is hosting a shower 8/28 on our property and we can't have dirt piles or other activity going on. My focus is leveling. Some day my goal is reel mowing the front, and at this stage it's simply not possible.

I will be ordering a compost/sand mix and leveling the front yard. Many spots will be smothered. Therefore, I'm deciding between overseeding bare spots with Elite rye, or pre-germinating KBG along with Primo Maxx.

Will add some topsoil and seed in the proposed sidewalk area since it looks like crap and it will still be a while before the road and aprons get done.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Plan for the weekend. Any thoughts or feedback appreciated.
- Scalp lawn lowest setting on rotary (1.5in :| )
- *Wait 1hr - Spray PGR* ? - Thoughts on this?
- Dethatch with SunJoe
- Bag Clippings and dead material
- Mark larger depressions/bumps in lawn with flags
- Aerate multiple passes
- Bag up plugs
- Spread Andersons BioChar DG
- Spread Lime
- Half bag of Milo
- Fill large depressions front yard (will smother existing so will have to reseed some areas)
- Spread multiple piles of sand:soil mix across the front*
- Make a final pass with leveling rake
- Seed areas that were smothered
- Rake seeded areas
- Roll the lawn
- Peatmoss spread with Lanzie / Pennington Slope master on bare areas
- Spray Simple Lawn Solutions 3-18-18 at double rate
- Tenacity down
- Consume 1 or 2 Treehouse King Julius IPA, 16oz cans

My biggest concern right now is being able to level most of the yard without smothering ALL existing grass. I'm aware some areas that will not be possible, but with only 1.5in being the lowest mower setting, I really hope I'll be able to use the lawn leveler to get the mix down into the canopy. Having a sloped front only makes this whole thing a big more tedious.

*Leveling mix is going to be 2:5 Mason Sand:Topsoil. Otherwise I'd be left with an >1in of pure sand in some areas. If I can get the front yard smooth enough, in the future I'll be able to use pure sand.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

I'm not sure why you want to scalp to the lowest setting to prepare for a leveling. Don't you want the grass to be able to poke above the added material? To me, this sounds more like the prep for an overseed.

Additionally, if you are overseeding, I would not simply scalp to the lowest setting. I would actually mow as low as possible without having the blade hit the ground or without destroying the existing grass totally. But your lawn looks too good for an overseed to be needed overall.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Green Definitely not an overseed, the grass is very thick. I misused the term scalp. Lowest setting on the mower cuts to about 1.5 inches. I don't dare to get near the bare ground.

What height should the grass blades be at for leveling depressions ranging from .5in to 4in?


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

Your basic idea is right but a dew things that I learnt.

1. Spray the pgr the day before. Give it 12hrs to be absorbed. If you cut off most of the grass and only leave the stalk when scalping there is very little plant left to take anything in.

2. I love the idea of marking depressions. I always missed some.

3. I'm not sure how you are planning to spread the soil/sand mix but if you are using a drag I would not bag the plugs. Just break them with the drag and only pick up the organic matter. It will help with leveling. Unless the purpose of sand being to improve drainage and that's all you want in the holes.

4. I would just do a overseeding of the areas that aren't smothered either. Will give you better color.

5. I feel a soluble fert is more for instant feeding. It will actually push the existing grass to grow rather than stay put. The seed has everything needed to grow. Put either a slow release or apply fert like 14d after germination.

Enjoy the process.


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

I tried the levelling last fall and my personal view, unless you can spread the top dressing very thin with multiple passes you will smother the existing lawn no matter HOC. If I had to do it again I will mow to the HOC I want to keep it at then go around find the bigger depressions address those first. If it's deeper than your HOC then you more likely will cover up the existing grass. Unless your lawn is somewhat level no more than an inch depressions then levelling tool will be useful and not matt down the existing grass. But my lesson learned is thin passes multiple times. Good luck man, routing for you. Btw make sure your dressing is very very dry!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Two full days of work would have been enough, but I seemed to have caused a lawn sickness amongst my neighbors. They've all approached me for advice throughout the year, so they fired the local lawn care company and I helped them overseed. One of my neighbors had a lawn roller from a relative, and the other helped me build a simple leveling drag out of wood. Everyone was exhausted, but they learned a lot and I was happy to help. Plus, they have tractors and I don't!

8/27 
- Applied PGR
- Mowed to ~1.5 in
- Dethatched with Greenworks 14" (this thing really does work well)
- Bagged Clippings
- Aerated (did not pick up plugs @uts )
- Helped the neighbors and called it a night

8/28
- Flagged Lawn for very low spots
- Mixed Sand & Topsoil (used small auger bit) and spread piles all over the lawn
- Waited for the piles to get nice and dry, thanks @kay7711226! You can clearly see the difference in soil/sand mix color (wet vs dry piles). 
- Helped the neighbors
- Leveled with drag and leveling rake
- Called it a night

8/29
- Seeded bare areas with same mix (SS5000) planted last year
- Over seeded entire front with some Grand Slam PRG (@Green) Whoops, wasn't anticipating overseeding but with so many smothered areas I threw some in at a light 2lbs per 1k.
- Rolled in seed with a Brinly roller 54 gallon tow-behind
- Hand spread SlopeMaster in bare areas
- Spread peat moss, heavy in bare areas
- Didn't get super phosphate in time, so used most of the SLS 3-18-18 I had on hand. There's so little % NPK in these bottles, I'm probably not going to use their products anymore. Cost per application is just too high. Mixed with some Humic.

Small dump cart and pre-mixed


Waited for piles to dry




Built a drag and used on all of our lawns




Area in the top right (down by the street) was mostly rocks since builder only rock hounded up to the proposed sidewalk line. This area need a lot of topsoil.


Slopemaster and peat moss make a nice seed cover


Lawn Roller which was handed down from a neighbor's relative. Recommended my neighbors with Firecracker SLS mixed with Titanium 2LS. They want lower input. I'll post some images of the Firecracker results to some of the TTTF threads here.


With some significant leveling done (it's nowhere near perfect, probably 2 more seasons away), I'm going to bring down my HOC in Spring/Fall to 2in. This means that my striping kit will have to come off. Due to the design of Big League Lawns striping kit for ego mowers, it only allows the deck to be lowered to setting 3 which is about 2.5in The rear wheel axle makes contact with the striping kit brackets and there's no forcing it down. If I have time, I throw the kit back on and double cut for strong stripes.

This was an insane amount of work. Rented aerator doesn't do a great job, my soil is just too compacted. I pulled 1-1.5in plugs. Need to find a hydraulic version to really pierce the soil. Otherwise, the silty clay just smooshes the holes back together with water and a few days (reminds me of a memory foam mattress)


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Wow, lots of work. Now you just need to keep the seed watered--a few minutes of water, 3-4x per day before any further watering conservation measures kick in. I think I'm going to do 3 minutes, 4 times a day for my soon-to-be overseed. Adds to about an hour a week, which is equal to I'd normally be doing all at once. Don't want to make it too wet.

This work will be so worth it. Glad you took the opportunity to overseed.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

These are really cool group/neighbor projects! It's great to see camaraderie at the neighborhood level. That's how it used to be when I grew up (and should still be). I have it with one neighbor, who through happenstance, I worked with many moons ago, and coincidentally moved in next door, when I was engaged. Now, our kids are very close and ride together to school each day, and we all look out for one another. Your positive relationships with your neighbors are a good example of what community is about, and it looked like you all had a lot of fun, as you tired yourselves out! :thumbup:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Thanks all, the support is much appreciated! @Chris LI that's a crazy story, really awesome. It's a rewarding experience and will be even more rewarding when I watch them observe what real elite seed looks like after germination. All of them have measured their yards, and they are all in for a soil test next year.

Meanwhile...

In my backyard, I "neglected" this TTTF giving it one maybe two fertilizer apps all year, no irrigation, and after today's mow, it looks like this:



Granted the back lawn gets 4-6 hours of sun, while the front gets the entire day. When the experts say that certain KBG requires "medium to high input," don't take it with a grain of salt!


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

Nice work, now can sit back and enjoy it grow. One tip on aerating is to water the lawn first next time. This will give you some nice plugs, but with this drought it was gonna be tough anyway. Did you consider applying tenacity to help keep whatever you disturbed in the soil at bay?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@kay7711226 I did put down tenacity, just forgot to notate that, thanks! We did get some rain and I watered the day before aerating, but not the day of. I'll have to try that next time.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The backyard looks amazing, considering that you "neglected" it.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/5 - 9/6 - 2nd year in a row where we get a ton of rain during the "ideal window." Flash flooding in the area, forgot to check the rain gauge before I left for work today. Hopefully I didn't lose too much soil from my leveling project. In terms of the overseeding piece, my PRG has germinated and I wonder what heavy rains could do to these little buds. Plenty of peat moss and slopemaster hoping the tackifier agent did its job. I'll have photos when I get back from work. I'm starting to believe that I need to do these projects in early August or the Spring to avoid the inevitable washout. I don't think I want to risk this happening in 2023 when I do some more leveling.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/10 - Fixing some of the damage near the bottom of the street once grass blades are rooted enough for me to work some material into the canopy. 
9/10 - Applied Anderson's 10-10-10 at an N rate of .45N/k. Lawn overall color looked like it needed some N. Planning on spraying .3N/k on friday or saturday in the evening, with feature and humic.

Biggest noticeable area of some erosion is down by the street, at the steepest part of the front lawn. Peat + Slopemaster didn't really do much.







Mixed feelings about new grass babies and giving it 'blitz level N' but after seeing how fast the KBG filled in this spring, I'm just going to go for it and see what happens.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

*I'm going to start incorporating the back and side yards into this journal.*

Continuing forward, then starting next season I'll be tracking all progress and applications in one place.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

What do you think of the front after leveling and overseeding?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Green said:


> What do you think of the front after leveling and overseeding?


Except for the edges and down by the street, a noticeable difference in smoothness. It's still not perfect, but I cut with the manual reel mower and the quality and overall evenness of cut is beautiful. I'm going to continue reel mowing at 1.5" , then go over it with the Ego and stripe kit. Haven't mowed the front since the reno with the manual reel, I just love it.

I'm eyeing a Swardman Electra, just need to save some cash. I like that you can ship the reel to them for sharpening in their custom box.

However my future order of operations for the front lawn is:

1. Continue to smooth and level this slope
2. Modify existing and / or install new professional irrigation
3. Purchase Swardman


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

joec-ct said:


> Green said:
> 
> 
> > What do you think of the front after leveling and overseeding?
> ...


That's good. Did the overseed come in well?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Green So far it seems so yes. In the areas the grass was smothered, rye has come up and there are baby blues in there. I dont have high expectations for the new blue but I'm ok with that, the existing will fill spots like this in.

In other areas, that weren't smothered it's very hard to tell. It looks thick and healthy, and that's a good thing!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Here's a timeline of the last 3 weeks of progress.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

My neighbors progress is pretty good too. They had their first mows recently. I'm so happy to have been able to help them and get them on board with elite varieties. They now can reap the rewards. @Chris LI Makes me feel awesome too.

NEIGHBOR 1 - Grand Slam PRG Blend from Stover Seed
(Overseed)



NEIGHBOR 2 - 80% Firecracker SLS and 20% SSS1000 TTTF
('Lazy' Reno Approach, Gly day of seeding)


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

It's cool that you're helping them out and all of you are raising the standards in the neighborhood! :thumbup: All look great, and your time-lapse photos are perfect! :thumbsup:


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/17 - Tank Mixed the following cocktail:

.25N/1k - Urea
2oz/1k - Release Zero
1oz/1k - Feature
.25oz/1k PGR
1oz/1k - Huma Gro Max Pack

AND THE SPRAYER DIED.

I shouldn't have to test the sprayer before adding liquid. Learned a lesson. I read only the negative reviews on this sprayer in which the thing would go dead, bad battery, etc, but they were few and I understand equipment and electronics sometimes have defects. Purchased it last year and well you get what you pay for (maybe?).

My neighbor helped me determine the following:
- Voltage on Battery - Good and fully charged
- Pump - Working
- On/Off Switch - Working
- Control Board - Dead





The board is sealed in silicone, probably not going deeper at this point, but I'm pretty bummed. $$$ down the drain not only via a bad sprayer, but all of that liquid. Probably a loss of around $200. Field King wants $100 for me to ship it back to them. I laughed. I need a new sprayer. Deciding between at a *flowzone cyclone, my4sons, or yardmastery.*

In a pinch, I had some leftover Simple Lawn Solutions 15-0-15 and put that down at double the rate, which gave me around the .2N I was looking for.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Unlikely that's a controller. Most likely it is a voltage regulator. I think the pump is 12V and they have to step down the battery voltage. Any other off the shelf regulator should work.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@g-man Thanks! We'll check it out. Question, what controls the pump? Example: I'm spraying, I stop and walk around. The pump will go on in small bursts to make sure the tube is filled with liquid and ready to spray again.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

These are the pumps most of the vendors use. They are likely all the same pump with a different plastic tank.

https://delavanfluidpower.com/products/pumps/

I think this is the pump I see in your images:
https://delavanfluidpower.com/product/2200-series-1-0-gpm-diaphragm-pump/

They used to have the diagrams for the pumps. At the top of the pump, it has a pressure switch and tells it to cycle (pump). Most of the time the problem with the pump is the filters being clogged. There are like 2-3 filters. The one that plugs for me the most is the one in the wand.

edit:
The manual
https://delavanfluidpower.com/wp-content/uploads/WEBSITE-READY-1.2-GPM-2200-Series-PowerFLO-V3-compressed.pdf


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@g-man Now I get it, so it's the pump that does the priming.

That answers it. I'll look for a voltage regulator. Will still get a new sprayer but if I get this one working I can use for gly.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/22 - Got a new toy as an anniversary gift. She knew I wanted one before mine broke, the timing was convenient. She's a keeper!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/23 - I've been mowing with the manual reel around 1.5" and I'm loving the short cut. It does expose troubled areas, small bare spots and undulations. I don't like these divot areas where the grass is thin. These areas will be my focus as I continue to make the ground more level. It's totally a marathon.

Forgot to finish out my 4 week timeline, so here it is. Really loving the color!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

9/30 - Things are looking pretty good. Adding another .33N/k tomorrow. Continuing with manual reel.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

joec-ct said:


> 9/30 - Things are looking pretty good. Adding another .33N/k tomorrow. Continuing with manual reel.
> View attachment 419


Looking good man. If ypu decide to get a walkbehind greens mower hit me up. I have afew things coming up.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

uts said:


> Looking good man. If ypu decide to get a walkbehind greens mower hit me up. I have afew things coming up.


Will do! 

10/3 - Windy, cold, rainy weather. Haven't been able to get a mow in. Hopefully I don't break the 1/3 rule next time I'm able to mow. Leveled a couple spots with the few minutes I had today, had some leftover soil/sand. 
Looks like rain until Thursday. Lawn is still lush and dark. Really like this time of year. No seedheads, no draught and no heat!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/6
With all the rains from Ian, this was the first opportunity to mow. Had to raise HOC to 2.5". PGR/Fungicide program will begin next year
Getting used to how much N I can put down.

Going away for four days.
Applied .25N/1k
Feature @1oz rate, some
Humic


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/11 - Came back from a short trip. HOC remains at 2.5", need to bring it down this week. Looking really great for year 2. 

Validating that KBG does look way better a year after planting. Hoping it continues to get better.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/14 - Mowed. Planning on another N app early AM tomorrow. Mowed in a different direction this time.

Best this lawn has ever looked, and still fairly young.


















View from the neighbor's house.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

Looking solid!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/15 - Another .33N/K. Getting a little annoyed that the BiG League lawn striper for ego doesn't allow me to go to a lower setting. Until a few weeks ago, I've been cutting with manual reel then striping. With a bit less daylight and work being busier, I haven't had the time.


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## wiltonlawn (7 mo ago)

FYI - When I went to order the TeeJet quick connect from the FZ site my CT zip triggered a crazy $20+ shipping fee in their online system. I ended up talking to their sales (which are great) and they adjusted the fee to like $7.



joec-ct said:


> 9/22 - Got a new toy as an anniversary gift. She knew I wanted one before mine broke, the timing was convenient. She's a keeper!
> View attachment 291


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

wiltonlawn said:


> FYI - When I went to order the TeeJet quick connect from the FZ site my CT zip triggered a crazy $20+ shipping fee in their online system. I ended up talking to their sales (which are great) and they adjusted the fee to like $7.


 I had a different experience unfortunately. I paid for 2 day shipping on my teejet because I needed to get some N down and it ended up coming 5 days later. When I told them it came late, they told me to contact UPS. Obviously, I paid through FZ website so UPS told me to pound sand. I know it's out of FZ control what UPS does, but it's up to FZ to seek a refund from UPS, as FZ is the shipper and UPS didn't meet the SLA. After complaining some more, they finally refunded me the shipping cost.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/20 - Family staying with us tomorrow, gave the lawn some fresh stripes. Have I mentioned I can't wait for a driveway?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I just voted for you in the SLS contest...gotta support our TLF brethren!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Chris LI that's awesome, thank you!!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

10/23 & 10/25

Brought down HOC to 1.75, used Earthwise reel. 2nd pass with rotary and stripe kit. Was expecting a loss of color, and it shows. Cut is not as clean and even looking.


















I wonder how much % KBG this has turned into. I've looked at the study done on mixing rye and KBG(purdue?) and the consensus is that there should be no more than 10-15% Rye to achieve a dominant stand of KBG.

With 60%KBG, 20%FF and 20% Rye planted in Aug 2021, I'd say the stand could still be very close to that, as evidenced by the bleaching of FF I see from the 4oz/acre rate of Tenacity applied last week. But it's just a guess.

FF Tenacity Turf injury/bleaching:



























I am still fairly satisfied with how the stand looks, but I'm still considering a full KBG reno once sidewalks, driveway, and the irrigation correction I need to achieve reel mowing at 1" or below. Additionally I must continue to level and make this hill as smooth as possible.



















Temps crept up today in low 70s and the low for tonight is 61. Continuing to add N and K this weekend, and start wind things down in the coming weeks.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

11-2 Bleaching from tenacity worsened, and a close up shows it's not just the FF, it's also the rye and kbg. I think this happened due to the PSI settings on the new Flowzone. I use setting 2 for N apps and it's perfect for my walking pace, but for herbicides I need to tone it down to 1. Don't suspect a tank mix issue.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

11-2 Mowed. Neighbor was able to help me cut the plastic backing on the EGO mower to all me to stripe at setting 2 which is ~ 2" HOC. Didn't have time for double cut.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

11/6 - Beautiful 73 degree day. Mowed, didn't get to take any pictures of the front today. Dealt with tons of leaves in back yard though! Mulched some, bagged some.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

11-9 Mowed again, grass is still growing, but the days are not. Ended up mowing in the dark after work.

Night Mow - lines looked a lot straighter last night than this morning!


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

11/15 - The Final Mow

First full season in the books. Overall very impressed with how the lawn has matured this year. Let's hope we get our driveways and sidewalks next year. 

2023 High Level TO DO:

Planting beds on north side
Planting Bed Around Rear Patio
Reno North Side (with leveling) with 100% KBG
Patch Repair rear lawn from patio installation damage
Small leveling work in front
Level South side, possible planting bed
Consider buying a used reel mower and reel mow north side (@uts I still have to PM you for details)

2022 Final Mow Photos, double cut
















































2023 Journal and beyond will contain the entire property.


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## Mikeslawnct (3 mo ago)

Sad day…. Very sad day….😢


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Great year end wrap.

Just be careful with a 100% KBG reno on the North side due to propensity for shade and possibly high moisture from October to April or so. I'm not sure where it is / what you have there now (back or front?), and whether it's currently got any shade tolerant species or not. The KBG tends to struggle most right up against walls or near structures, especially if it remains not only shaded, but damp as well. Even shade tolerant KBG has markedly lower tolerance than Fescues do. But Ryegrass is not a whole lot better than most KBG in shade, so again, it really depends where you're coming from.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

Green said:


> Great year end wrap.
> 
> Just be careful with a 100% KBG reno on the North side due to propensity for shade and possibly high moisture from October to April or so. I'm not sure where it is / what you have there now (back or front?), and whether it's currently got any shade tolerant species or not. The KBG tends to struggle most right up against walls or near structures, especially if it remains not only shaded, but damp as well. Even shade tolerant KBG has markedly lower tolerance than Fescues do. But Ryegrass is not a whole lot better than most KBG in shade, so again, it really depends where you're coming from.


Thanks!
It's a great point. The mix currently shown is 60% KBG, 20%Rye and 20%FF. Im not entirely sure what took on this side, I didn't examine closely in detail. Maybe I'll throw some test boxes out there this spring.

I'm not sure how to go about this, because half of the "north" side is full sun. Some drone photos below from earlier this year (ignore the dirt area, that was from a gutter drain installation)

There will be a 4' planting bed against the side of the house with shade tolerant vegetation TBD, where what would be considered dense shade.

I could stop at the top of the driveway and plant a different variety, but then I can't really reel mow stripes all the way up unless I define the spaces better

Photos of north side. Red area full sun. Footprints were more prominent on the north side near the house, which leads me to believe that a lot of the FF took over.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@joec-ct 

One option is go ahead with your Reno, picking a blend of 2-4 shade tolerant KBG cultivars, but to expect issues in some spots, and plan to overseed some sort of fescue into those problem areas in a few years when they get really bad. TTTF can definitely work, and it looks a lot like KBG from a distance. But fine fescue can also mix with KBG, and there are dark green varieties out there.


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