# TravisT - 2021 NoVA Lawn



## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Hey TLF,

After my first mow of the season, I'm getting ready for more plans this year. Last year, I had big plans that fell a little short.

Other projects trumped my sprinkler system install, which impacted much of the other lawn projects. One thing I did do was add some french drains to help with standing water along the back edge of the property line, as well as added several yards of topsoil to level the area out a little better while still allowing runoff. It's better, but will need some more work this year. After doing so, I did a makeshift renovation, but had very low germination of the KBG I planted. I think it was due to the amount of rain and my crazy boxer who decided to go tearing through the area, then needing to roll it out after. In a last ditch effort to not have mud all winter, I threw down 2 or 3 bags of annual rye grass to quickly green up and keep things together. I'm still hoping the KBG will pull through once the rye dies off with the heat.

I'll post updated pictures soon to show where I'm starting this year. I have the sprinkler install on the schedule, so within the next 30 days, it should be installed. I'll still have some leveling work to do, and with any luck I'll be doing a renovation on the back lawn this year. Focus will be on getting the lawn leveled this spring/summer.

Otherwise, getting ready for pre-m that I will probably split into two applications - one prior to sprinkler system install and one after. I may not pre-m the back lawn at all knowing I'll be bringing in topsoil and will be seeding in early fall after a glypho application anyway.


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## sam (Mar 10, 2018)

You're mowing already? Do you really have growth or was just a recreational mow?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

I could have not mowed, but it was looking a little shaggy. Note that I overseeded late fall with Rye, which is why I also have the only green yard around!


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

We have had so much rain. I had no idea how you mowed in all the wetness!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Luck I suppose. And I only mowed the front lawn, which was dry. The back would have been a mud bog, but most of my grass is long gone there anyway ;-)


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Updated first post with some pictures. Temps are creeping up from time to time pushing more rye growth. May be mowing again soon.

I picked up some dimension to apply pretty soon. I'll probably do a split app since there will be some digging happening pretty soon for the sprinkler system install (no date yet). I'll do one app before and one after, in hopes it will suppress some of the weeds. I don't want to apply too late because I do plan to reseed this fall.

I am also planning to do some more leveling, especially in the back lawn near the fence in the above pictures. You can see the grade against the bricks. I'd like to fill a good bit of that in, maybe even to the point where I need to raise the back fence.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

Looks like a big hill behind you. Where does rain water from the hill run off? You don't want to do anything that will direct water toward your house's foundation. If rain water runs through your low area to the street, might be better to leave it alone.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

TravisT said:


> Updated first post with some pictures. Temps are creeping up from time to time pushing more rye growth. May be mowing again soon.
> 
> I picked up some dimension to apply pretty soon. I'll probably do a split app since there will be some digging happening pretty soon for the sprinkler system install (no date yet). I'll do one app before and one after, in hopes it will suppress some of the weeds. I don't want to apply too late because I do plan to reseed this fall.
> 
> I am also planning to do some more leveling, especially in the back lawn near the fence in the above pictures. You can see the grade against the bricks. I'd like to fill a good bit of that in, maybe even to the point where I need to raise the back fence.


We are getting to 70 next week. I would put down the pre-em soon


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

VALawnNoob said:


> TravisT said:
> 
> 
> > Updated first post with some pictures. Temps are creeping up from time to time pushing more rye growth. May be mowing again soon.
> ...





Virginiagal said:


> Looks like a big hill behind you. Where does rain water from the hill run off? You don't want to do anything that will direct water toward your house's foundation. If rain water runs through your low area to the street, might be better to leave it alone.


@Virginiagal There is a big hill behind me. It's really difficult to capture the grading in pictures. When looking towards the hill, the ground slopes toward it, but also to the right. There is a French drain that runs the length of that fence and drains to the right into a storm drain. Near the fence, the grade gets steeper towards the fence. It was always wet in this area last year, which is why I put the French drain in. I hope to lessen the grade towards the hill, but maintain it towards the right (if that makes any sense at all). I'll try to figure out a way to show it better.

@VALawnNoob Absolutely. I was worried about not getting it down soon enough, but also don't see any chance of rain until later in the week. I actually picked up 100lbs of dimension (13-0-5) at site one on Friday. Went ahead and mowed again today (needed it), and applied about 2.75 lbs/k.


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## ColeLawn (Nov 11, 2020)

TravisT said:


> I picked up some dimension to apply pretty soon. I'll probably do a split app since there will be some digging happening pretty soon for the sprinkler system install (no date yet). I'll do one app before and one after, in hopes it will suppress some of the weeds. I don't want to apply too late because I do plan to reseed this fall.


This is an actual question for you because your answer will help me  How late [when] are you planning on putting down your second app of PreM? I was just going to put down a 3 month app this spring since I plan on overseeding in the fall, but I will also be doing some digging/leveling/other work so maybe a split app is better? I plan to overseed in August (I'm in western NY so I _should_ be able to get away with an earlier overseed) if that means anything...


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

@ColeLawn I'm by no means an expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt... I think the key is the timing on you disrupting your pre-m layer. If you're doing it soon, I'd say a split app may be good to keep things under control now, then knock back anything else that comes up after disrupting the barrier. Based on what I understand (and the label), the effective time of dimension is from 3-6 months. I would be weary of any application within 3 months of you seeding.

Depending on when my irrigation guy can get out and get that installed, I will probably do my second app right after that. This will also give me the ability to ensure it's watered in well. I'm hoping that will be before the end of March. If not, I may just do a spray application of tenacity post-irrigation install. My plan is to have seed down by late August/early Sep if all goes right, so I'm already pushing the 6 month window. I don't want any chance of reduced seed germination due to the pre-m.

Bottom line, unless you have a bad problem with weeds, I think I would pre-m now at full rate and get your landscaping work done prior to seeding in August, then deal with any weed issues after that. If I recall, Tenacity is a good alternative that can be used when seeding.

I'm sure others can weigh in as well, and may have better advice that me.


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## ColeLawn (Nov 11, 2020)

TravisT said:


> Bottom line, unless you have a bad problem with weeds, I think I would pre-m now at full rate and get your landscaping work done prior to seeding in August, then deal with any weed issues after that. If I recall, Tenacity is a good alternative that can be used when seeding.
> 
> I'm sure others can weigh in as well, and may have better advice that me.


Much appreciated advice. I like your advice, so full rate going down as soon as temps warm up here and then I'll worry about postM throughout the summer if I have to. Scotts starter + meso is going down at time of seeding. It's probably not as good as Tenacity but it's what I have on hand. Since I am seeding this season I am OK dealing with some continued weed pressure. Next year will be an entirely different story.

Good luck with your journey, I will be following along!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Great! Glad I could help. Thanks for following along, it will pressure me to keep this updated!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Today I added a new piece of equipment to my arsenal...


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

@TravisT do you want me to move this to the Lawn Journals subforum?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

@Ware Please do... my mistake!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Got another early spring mow in today. Buried utilities marked as of last week, so irrigation should be going down soon.





Lawn is nice and thick, green and growing great (where I have rye grass). A little more heat and that will start dying off I'm sure.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Received the call from my irrigation guy today. Install starts tomorrow, and should be done Thursday or Friday. Just in time before the weather warms up.

Question for anyone following along: im seeing a good bit of what I believe is KBG coming in where I did a lot of leveling last year. It's dense but short and patchy. Of course, I had to overseed with rye to get something growing over the winter. Now that the rye is so tall, what should I do to promote KBG growth? With a little more heat, the rye will start dying off, but not sure how long that will take.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

It's about time for an update, and probably some pictures.

Irrigation is done! We've gotten plenty of the wet stuff lately, so it's only run a couple times. I'm really hoping to fine tune the program to water only when needed. The installer set run times Monday, Wednesday and Friday for about an hour total. I'm going to check this with catch cans in each zone in the next week or two so I have an idea how much water I'm putting down in each zone.

I also did one more application of Pre-M on the front lawn. I skipped the back lawn because I'm really hoping for a fall reno of the entire back lawn if all goes well. I need to keep working on leveling and grading before that time comes.

Everything is growing good and fast. I've been cutting lower than normal, hoping it will help any KBG that is growing from getting choked out by the fast growing rye and fescue. I think the rye is on it's way out, as the temps are getting hotter. Did two cuts this week about 4 days apart, and I'm glad I did. It was getting tall.


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## creediddy2021 (Mar 27, 2021)

Thanks Travis for sharing the very first pics of your lawn. From the looks of the pics your soil seems to be compacted. When was the last time you aerated or dethatched and aerated? My suggestion is to focus on your soil nutrition. That way you can experience much better seed germination.

I love the second set of pics you posted! Looks great!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

creediddy2021 said:


> Thanks Travis for sharing the very first pics of your lawn. From the looks of the pics your soil seems to be compacted. When was the last time you aerated or dethatched and aerated? My suggestion is to focus on your soil nutrition. That way you can experience much better seed germination.
> 
> I love the second set of pics you posted! Looks great!


Good eye! I've fought with this for a while now. This area was farmland prior to them building the neighborhood, but the stripped any and all topsoil off prior to building. I'm surprised grass grows at all!

I've aerated twice now (fall of each season). I honestly don't notice any differences yet. I also put a lot of gypsum down over the course of last year based on soil test results. I know some are against aerating, but in this case it seems like it's the easiest/quickest way to get results. I plan to keep chipping away at it from both mechanical (aerating) and chemical (soil composition) sides. Would love to hear what others think.

I have very little if any thatch. Dethatching is no concern at this point.


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## john5246 (Jul 21, 2019)

sam said:


> You're mowing already? Do you really have growth or was just a recreational mow?


I already did 3 "recreational mows" to my back lawn :lol: 
mostly to shop up fallen twigs and other debris


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

I've sat back this season a little as I've been busy with a lot of random projects. Things are going pretty well with the lawn, but I would really like to promote more thickness. There is very little, if any thatch which i think would give it volume. Not sure how to best work towards this, but welcome any recommendations.

Also have a bunch of different grasses growing throughout the lawn, but I'm horrible at identifying them. What is this?



It's very course and grows faster than most everything else. I think a good bit of my KBG took in the back lawn, but it's mixed with a ton of other grasses, even after glypho-ing the area first.

Next problem I think I'm going to tackle is leveling. I still have some really low areas (inches) that I think I should work now to allow any weed seed germination prior to seeding in late summer. Thoughts?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Ok, it's official… I'm embarking on a Reno for the back lawn. My seed is ordered, and I did a low mow today. I'll go a bit lower next mow, but went ahead and dropped it almost all the way since I was bagging it.

Here are some shots from a couple different angles:













Not sure how well you can tell in the pictures, but there is a swale near the back fence and a hill on the other side of the fence. I'm trying to level the swale while still maintaining a slope towards the drain at the back corner of the property (not shown). Since putting in the French drains, I have not had any swampy areas in the swale, so I don't think it is needed anymore.

You can see that I've already started leveling the lawn. I used a topsoil/compost blend, and so far that's 2 yards. I'll need a lot more! Ignore the pipe sticking out of the ground - it's temporary as I didn't want any washout of the new dirt if we got heavy rains. I'm probably safe to cut it now.

Finally, the trampoline. I'm going to have to work around it to keep the kids happy. I'm going to park it in one spot during the Reno, instead of trying to move it back and forth. I'll Reno that spot next year, when I'll probably move to my side & front lawn.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Here's my tentative schedule for the reno, based on the lawn reno guide written by @g-man:


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

So I tried something new this afternoon... I did a spray application of urea (spoon fed ~.25lb/K) along with some iron. I ended up doubling my water volume and did a couple passes to ensure better coverage. It may not even make a huge difference with the low rate of application, but figured better be safe than sorry.

Irrigation is scheduled to run tomorrow morning, and we had freak fall weather today with overcast skies and temps maxing out around 70° today. For iron, I mixed in 8oz/K. I only did one section of the lawn, which worked out because my backpack sprayer died just as I was finishing up this section.

It seems like the spray application would be way more effective than spreading (which is what I've always done in the past), but time will tell.

I need to get my soil off for testing, but I'm debating which lab to use. I used Logan once before, but I've heard mixed reviews and I'd like to try another lab this time. Any recommendations?

* Edit: almost forgot - seed arrived today. I'll be setting up a germination test in the next few days. Any pointers on this other than using moist paper towels?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Still haven't gotten around to the germination test, but I have mowed as low as possible, and aside from the mostly brown lawn, it actually looks pretty good. Can't wait to see what it looks like when it's actually level.

Got the soil test results in today. 


First round of glypho will be coming in the next week or so... stay tuned!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Ok, a couple of updates. I started my germination test on Monday, so I'll start checking for germination daily in about 2 - 3 days. I also did the first application of glypho on Monday as well, so I'm 3 days in now and I'm seeing some browning already.

Finally, I did a mock-up to get an idea of how much it was going to take to level the back area as much as I'd like to. Below are a couple visuals, but may be hard to see.







I'm debating if I want to dig up all the fence posts or not. I'll also need to raise the sprinkler heads if I go the fill route.


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## kevreh (Apr 3, 2018)

I haven't read your whole thread, but that's pretty brown considering we've had decent rain. I live in Annandale. Maybe you mentioned why. What seed did you get and from where?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

This is all 1 week post-glypho application in preparation for a 15 Aug renovation. Trying to kill off all the fescue/K31 and weeds prior to seeding KBG.

Edit: Missed your question about seed. I ordered 10lbs of the seed superstore KBG SS1100 blend.


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## kevreh (Apr 3, 2018)

Ah ok that makes sense. You don't think aug 15 is too early? You might be dealing with 90 degree days still.

I'm doing a reno on my front yard, probably won't seed until end of august. Getting seeds from Hogan Seed Co. Reasonable price @$5 a lb.

Btw, I tried kbg years ago and it struggled. I watered it a decent amount, but it didn't like the heat here.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Last year, I waited later in the year, had very little germination and no time to do anything about it. I figure it will take 2 weeks for germination which will put me into early September, with watering, I think (hope) I'll be ok.

Love to hear any feedback on the plan though, I'm open to suggestions!

What type of seed did you go with? That's a good price for the seed, depending on what it is.


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## kevreh (Apr 3, 2018)

For TTTF this is what they have in stock:
Firewall, hemi, gto, hound dog 8, Michelangelo, paramount, rebounder, rowdy. That's today, stock is low due to various factors.

I'll pick 3 or 4 of those and maybe a KBG. Haven't decided yet.

All rated well with NTEP and recommended by the VCE;
https://vcepapiprod.tecra.com/product/DownloadPdfFile?productname=202021VirginiaTurfgrassVarietyRecommendations&pdfurl=https://vce.accuconnect.com/VCEAssetRepo//NwA=/acpra/MgAwADIAMAAwADgAMgA0AA==/MQAxADYAMQA5ADYA.pdf?page=hsn#toolbar=0?id=3089


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Nice, best of luck with it. Thanks for following along!


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Good luck on the renovation I'll be following along. Any problems or concerns plenty of friends here for support.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

M32075 said:


> Good luck on the renovation I'll be following along. Any problems or concerns plenty of friends here for support.


Thanks! Glad I'm not just posting this for me to look back on next year!

I did some fence prep this weekend and elevated my rear gate right around 12". Also have a lead on some free topsoil that I'll have more info on tomorrow. Don't think the quality is great, but it will do just fine for the far side of the back fence.

The fence to the left of the gate in the picture will have to be raised next weekend. Hopefully it's not a million degrees next weekend!

Still no germination as of this morning on my seeds.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

It's official - I have a 40% germination rate as of today (1 week). I imagine that over the next couple of days I'll see more as it's a little early for KBG.

At what point should I cut the losses of any ungerminated seeds? 2 weeks?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

At about 10 days, I was up to a 60% germination rate, and as of today (day 15) there has been no change. This was a small sample size (10 seeds), but at least gives me an idea of what to expect.

I'll be ordering 10 yards of topsoil tomorrow for delivery on Friday, then the real work begins. The good news is the lows are dipping into the 60s over the weekend, so that should make things a little better.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Been at it hard over the past couple of weeks. Did a ton of digging to raise my fence allowing me to level out the back of my back lawn without covering up the fence. There are so many rocks - it was painful and slow-going, but I got it done.

I also put down about 3 - 4 yards of topsoil in the area that needed it the most. Rolled it out pretty flat, but will need to get a little more topsoil down to get it dead flat. The rest of the topsoil will topdress and level the rest of the lawn. I'm a little behind on the leveling, but I'm pretty happy with how things are going so far. Fingers crossed for a successful reno!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Here's a couple pictures of the progress. Have one small section left to topdress and level - I'll probably knock that out tomorrow.





Also did a pretty big cleanup job today for a customer:











The pictures don't do it justice of how high the grass was. The Wright Stander blasted through it without even blinking!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Did some early weather recon:



If this holds true, I'll probably target for 13/14 Aug seed date. Looks like the extended forecast shows steadily declining temps around that date. Too early for rainfall predictions.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Quick update, we have been getting thunderstorms almost daily, and I've been hesitant to seed in fear of wash-out. Although most storms have been pretty insignificant, we got one that brought pretty intense rainfall. Like washing your car almost ensures rain, I'm sure seeding would bring in the worst of the storms.

I think there may be a big enough break to get forward motion this weekend. Fingers crossed.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Today was...drum roll...seed down day!

Looks like clear weather for a least a week, so I went for it. Did one last glypho app yesterday, as I've had a bunch of stuff pop up over the last week or so. For some reason, I typically don't see any reaction to glypho until 8-10 days after application - not sure if that's normal or not. Today, I broke up the soil compaction by raking everything. I put down 5 lbs of seed with my hand spreader, then threw down 4 bags of peat moss using the shovel throw method. Finally, went over everything with the roller to get good seed-to-soil contact.

I'm running my rotor zone at 8am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm for 10 minutes each and my spray head zone staggered 1 hr (9am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm) for 5 minutes each. I'm getting some runoff and pooling in areas, so I know I'm putting a little more water down than I need to at the moment. I'll keep adjusting until I get it dialed in. Hopefully in about 10 days I'll see some germination.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

That is way too much water. The seed won't come up good in those areas. They will come up, but very sparse and will take about 2 to 3 times as long as the areas receiving the proper amount of water. The areas that area receiving the proper amount of water will pop up 4 days after seed down this time of year. By day 5 and 6, you will have seedlings up to 1" tall. With only 8k sqft, I would be hand watering the areas that you can reach without walking on it. Use the "shower" setting on the hoze nozzle. Stand on the trampoline, lean over the fence, stand in the mulch beds, or do whatever you can to water by hand. From the pictures, it looks like a large majority of the area can be hit by hand. Unless you get full sun from dawn to dusk, you most likely do not need an 9am and 8pm watering.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I still see green weeds. I would do one more gly app today.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Did a glyphosate app on Friday. Should be good. I have 5 rotors on the zone for the large area, and 4 spray heads covering the little back strip. The large area is not feasible to hand water.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

learningeveryday said:


> That is way too much water. The seed won't come up good in those areas. They will come up, but very sparse and will take about 2 to 3 times as long as the areas receiving the proper amount of water. The areas that area receiving the proper amount of water will pop up 4 days after seed down this time of year. By day 5 and 6, you will have seedlings up to 1" tall. With only 8k sqft, I would be hand watering the areas that you can reach without walking on it. Use the "shower" setting on the hoze nozzle. Stand on the trampoline, lean over the fence, stand in the mulch beds, or do whatever you can to water by hand. From the pictures, it looks like a large majority of the area can be hit by hand. Unless you get full sun from dawn to dusk, you most likely do not need an 9am and 8pm watering.


Just curious - you realize I'm seeding KBG, right? My germination tests were about 10 days, but general rule of thumb is approximately 14 days for KBG from what I understand. I think you're right that I'm putting too much water down, but our temps have been higher here, and I could see some of the peat moss drying just before the sprinklers ran yesterday. I've scaled back a bit more today - 8 minutes for each rotor zone and 4 minutes for the sprayers. I think I'm better keeping the seed too wet than allowing it to dry out, but I'm curious to hear if that's incorrect.


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## 7824 (Oct 23, 2019)

Sorry, saw TTTF in your profile and assumed you were seeding TTTF.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

No worries, this is a Reno to KBG, if all goes well, may eliminate as much of the tttf as possible.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Too much is bad too. It will rot.

Decrease the duration and increase the frequency. Keep it moist.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

@g-man thanks, appreciate the advice!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Got it dialed back a bit more today - down to 3 waterings for now, as it's been hot and sunny and the same is expected for the next few days at least. High of 93 until the weekend. I was afraid of things drying out, but I think I'm in much better shape now. I may cut back just a bit on the time after assessing tomorrow.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

I'm starting to get some germination! For any bare spots, when should I put more seed down? Not sure if I should get it down soon or wait until all the seedlings around the bare spots get a little more mature.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I would only drop a little seed in any washed out areas, at this point. Since the kbg comes in slowly, I would wait two solid weeks to see the pattern of germination and adjust watering practices for areas showing little germination, in the meantime. Once you get to two weeks, a lot more kbg should germinate by then, to make a decision on reseeding. You don't want to overdo it with seed, which could lead to it choking itself out (called damping off).


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

@Chris LI Thanks! I was thinking that waiting at least until mid next week to see how much more germinates. It's still early for KBG since it's only been 7 days. I'm pretty sure I'll have some areas that need it, but hopefully not too much. Fingers crossed for continued germination!


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Good luck! We all get anxious with waiting for kbg to germinate. I've had to wait until late in the season to seed when I built my deck, and it still came up OK. Hopefully, you will see some progress over the next week. Look for patterns of better germination (usually better watered). Hand water drier/sunnier areas with a finer spray or mist. It will help even out the moisture levels and give you something to do while you're literally watching the grass grow.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Update: had pretty good germination overall, but had some areas of washout and lesser germination. I went ahead and reseeded and peat mossed. Also applied about 1/4 lb Nitrogen (liquid) and 6 oz of Humic-12/k on Saturday. And now I wait…


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

And pics or it didn't happen:


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Look at that KBG coming up! I wish I had a bigger trampoline now!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Although it's not easy to see in the picture, I have pretty good germination across the entire lawn. I'm sure I have more from the second seeding that is just beginning to come up or will be soon. There are obviously some areas coming in thicker, but I think once the second round of seed pops up, it will be pretty even.

I'm really working on fine tuning my sprinkler system right now. I've replaced a bunch of standard spray heads with the R-VAN nozzles which not only look cool, but I'm also getting way better coverage. I have some new nozzles coming in for my rotors as well so I can fine tune them too.

We have a couple of days of 90°+ temps before it falls off into the mid to low 80's again. I'll probably begin doing heavier waterings at that point, but reduce the frequency slowly. I also have another batch of seed (TTTF) coming in for the front lawn that will be an overseed. It's really thin up there under the cherry tree probably due to the shade. I plan to try and thin that out a little bit this year in hopes to build up the thickness of the turf. I would love to convert the small front area to KBG also, but one big project at a time. I'll save that for the 2022 Lawn Journal.

Thanks to anyone who's following along!


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

First cut yesterday. Filling in nicely. Wish I had a little more germination near the fence strip, but I think it will fill in over time.


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

Got some "finished" photos to share:







The small back area has actually filled in more since these pictures. I wish this would have been a little further along than it is, but given how far it's come, I can't complain. I thought I was going to have to reseed this area a few weeks back. By next spring, this should be fully covered.

The large side of the back lawn is still pretty thin, but with fertilization and mowing, I'm hoping it will thicken up. I also have some spots that died off, and I honestly am not sure if it was disease related or just from my Boxer peeing. Any tips on preventing burn from pets?

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the outcome - the lawn is very flat compared to what it was before, although I will be leveling more next year. I was able to get down to 1.75" cut on a 42" deck without scalping. On my 21" mower, I can probably get to 1".

Thanks to everyone for all the advice!


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

Did you ever reseed some of the sparse areas? Or was Aug 21 your only seeding attempt?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

I did do a reseed, and while I hit the really sparse areas a little more, I reseeded pretty much everything.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

How much N you putting down and how often?


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## TravisT (Oct 20, 2019)

I'm trying to put down about .2 - .25 a week, but I haven't been as diligent lately. I was spraying as I felt it provides more even coverage, but I put down granular last weekend because I didn't have the time to spray. Still getting pretty good growth, but it's starting to cool off so the season will be coming to an end by early Nov I'd guess.


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