# PNW_turfnoob journal



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Hi all, I live in the Seattle Burbs and am just getting into learning about DIY home lawn care. My home has a small lawn in the front yard and I plan to grow a much larger lawn in the back for the kids. I have 2 kids and a dog, so I expect traffic and have always tried to be organic when possible. I've been trying to learn a lot from youtube (LCN, Ginga, Ryan Knoor, Brett's Grasscapades, GrassFactor).

The front yard is sod that was installed 4 years ago. It's had a lot of moss and some snow damage, but held up pretty well. Most of the work I've done this year has been getting the front tuned up and the back tilled, graded and amended.

I dethatched, mowed low, overseeded with PRG/finefescue/KBG in late April. I used Scotts Starter fert and topped it off with peat moss. I've since read that Fall would have been better, but I'm in Seattle and have a lot more sun in the Summer and we don't get too many days above 80F. 




Here's what things looked like two weeks later, 5/6/20. I have some crabgrass in one corner and a little patch of oxalis, but it mostly was looking good:





On 5/12/20 I mowed and overseeded some bare spots. There's a sloped area seen in the lower left of the close up pic that had a lot of snow damage and it's steeper than it looks in the photos. It's always been a problem area:





Between 5/12/20 and 5/24/20 I mowed about every 3 days and gradually reduced HOC to 1.5" to encourage lateral growth. On 5/24/20 I applied worm tea compost via an ortho dial and spray at the 8oz rate. (no pics). It's an areated worm casting tea with kelp/fish emulsion and basal rock dust added. It's amazing for our veggie garden and I'm hoping to get similar results with the lawn. I think it will have similar effects to the Biostimulants that LCN likes, but time will tell. I may also end up with a mushroom farm! Is anyone else using vermicompost or worm tea on their lawns?

It seems like this journal is the best way to document my progress and share what's happening with this community. I'm open to any input others have as well. I'll try to get more consistent with my photos and may be able to do an overhead shot from an upstairs window.

Thanks for stopping by!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Also, here are a few pics of the overseed project in back and the areas I still have to final grade prior to planting. The wife is after me to plant new seed now, so I will have to seed a new lawn in June, which from what I can tell isn't a great idea, but I'll do an extensive overseed in the Fall as well. Happy Wife > Best Practice  .

This is why I've optimistically called my lawn 4000sqft, when in reality it's about 500 currently :lol: 


The back has some decent Shade Mix (FineFescue/PRG) from last year, but also some crabgrass and a lot of creeping buttercup. 


Can't wait to be past the grading phase and onto turf care phase!


----------



## PNW_George (May 28, 2018)

Best time to seed in Western Washington is April and May. You are a little late but you should be OK. Just hope we don't get a week of temperatures pushing 90 degrees.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

PNW_George said:


> Best time to seed in Western Washington is April and May. You are a little late but you should be OK. Just hope we don't get a week of temperatures pushing 90 degrees.


Thanks for the info PNW_George. Judging by your lawn you know what you're talking about!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Mowed at 1.5 HOC today in front and applied Milorganite and Weed Clear to the oxalis patch.







Bare spots are starting to fill in. Hopefully the color will darken up with the Milo app today.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Big day in the back yard! I'm been doing all the not fun grading and grunt work this Spring and it all paid off today... finally got some seed down! It's late in the season in the PNW for seeding (thanks for the advice PNW_george), but what are you going to do...

This Spring, I've been removing debris, rough grading and defining the shape of the lawn. When we bought the house 4 years ago, this entire side yard was blackberries and alder trees. I've ground stumps, torn out roots and found a stone that is like 2 feet in diameter! I had to pull it out with my truck and a tow strap!

The past few weeks, I've focused on preparing the seed bed. I've tilled a few times with my little RYOBI plug in tiller. That thing is a beast! The soil was just full of dead roots, rocks and debris.

This week, I topdressed with a local 2 way topsoil (loam/compost). Then I applied Milorganite and lime. Sprayed that awful smell with some aerated vermicompost tea (which actually smells good, kind of like forest after rain) and tilled it all in. Then, raked leveled, rolled, rake leveled, dragged, rake leveled... I am really happy with the final grading, but I know I'll need to level again in the near future.

Today, I finally got to spread my seed with an app of Scotts with Tenacity, rolled it in and topped it all off with straw!



Our local big box stores are out of peat moss, so I picked up a bale of straw (not hay) for $8 and only used about 1/3 of it. It was so much cheaper than peat moss! I think it will provide some nice shade for the seedlings since I'm pretty late with getting the seed down. I've never used it before so we'll see how it turns out.

I'm irrigating with the Melnor adjustable sprinklers and they are really adjustable and provide a nice rain-like watering.

The overseed area of the back yard is germinating nicely.



Time to celebrate and chill for a while! I'm so glad to be transitioning from grunt work to watching the grass grow!



Wish list:
Sprinkler system 
Curbling or paver mow strip
Manual reel mower (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotts-18-in-Manual-7-Blade-Push-Walk-Behind-Reel-Lawn-Mower-716-18S/313196042)
Mild weather for the next few weeks!


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

It's nice to see that you started a journal. I've been following some of your posts in the CS forum and am always interested in what other areas have for growing conditions. I haven't seen a whole lot of members from the PNW, so it's a benefit for the TLF community, especially the lurkers, who just want to learn. Good luck with the reno!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Chris LI said:


> It's nice to see that you started a journal. I've been following some of your posts in the CS forum and am always interested in what other areas have for growing conditions. I haven't seen a whole lot of members from the PNW, so it's a benefit for the TLF community, especially the lurkers, who just want to learn. Good luck with the reno!


[email protected] LI! I've lived in the PNW for about 9 years and have a good sense on the timing of my veggie garden, but not so much with the lawn. A lot of the advice I've read on the CS forum seems to apply more to the Midwest and there seem to be a lot of Canadians!

At my house we don't get a ton of scorching heat, have pretty dependable rain until July and most of my lawn is growing in the shadows of evergreens. I've started to check out PNW_george, but he is on a whole different level from me and it appears he has a much sunnier property. I'm decidedly tier 1 (for now) and I hope my journal can serve as an example of an entry point for us mossbacks in the PNW! I'll be sure to share my fails along with my successes.

I'm hoping to use mostly organic inputs ( vermicompost home brew) and limit my use of herbicides. I'm pretty interested in checking out the N-ext biostimulants as well. Cheers!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

I mowed at HOC 2" and didn't get many clippings. It's been 5 days since my milo and weed b gon applications. Oxalis patch doesn't really seem phased by it, nor does the crabgrass. Hard to say about color overall, but looks a little darker? Also I think things are filling in a bit, but still def a patchwork quilt of rye, fescue, weeds and crab! :lol:







I think 1.5" HOC stressed out the fine fescue? It has a bunch of dead leaves, but also some really solid green growth. I think I'm going up to 2 or 2.5" heading into Summer.



Hard to know what the best shot will be for monitoring the progress in back. I'll try this one and see how it goes. The starter fertilizer with Tenacity seems to be blanching the creeping buttercup. Patches of crabgrass have shot into the lead in a few areas. Seeing some solid germination with the dense shade mix and happy with my janky mis-matchy hose and triple oscillator irrigation set up!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

No pics today. It's been raining a lot and cools temps (50s-60s).

Front Lawn: I'm increasing the HOC to 2.5" for the front lawn and just waiting for the turf to grow. It's not growing super fast, which I think is good. I think my light covered patches are bermuda and trying to figure out how to get rid of these. I think I may just dig them out and put down a patch from another area I'm planning to remove for a path/landscape planting. Either that or I'll let them grow out and apply glypho x 2. Fescue still has a lot of brown/yellow areas, but seems be coming back. Not sure if that is a fungus or just stressed it from HOC of 1.5".

Back lawn: been super lucky with the weather after my late seeding in the back. Overseed area is showing really strong germination and growth. Free water is falling daily from the sky! No growth on side yard seed application (covered with straw).

Wife gave me the okay to plant another area of our front as a lawn. Thinking about the best grass type for this area. Gentle slope, decent sun exposure, expect kid traffic. I've been reading that colonial bentgrass grows well here and am considering a rye/bentgrass mix.

Also, realized that Washington State University has a bunch of extension bulletins on WA lawn care. Starting to read up and plan a year round program.
Year Round Calendar: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2071/2013/12/Lawn-Care-Calendar.pdf
EB 482 Home Lawns: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/412/2015/02/EB0482_Home_Lawns.pdf


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Mowed front today at HOC 2". Some clippings, not a ton. Seems like the PRG is dark and growing faster and the fine fescue is brown and not growing. Not sure what that's all about. Haven't had a ton of heat and there has been plenty of rain. I hand pulled most of the oxalis and aside from the patches of what I believe are bermuda grass the front lawn is thickening up and mostly weed free. I've also been giving the front a light raking to remove debris prior to mowing. I'm starting to like the look from the street, but the top/down is still really patchy.







Back lawn overseed project continues to show strong germination and I'm pretty happy with the seed coverage. Little bit of striping, no major bare spots. It's really interesting to see the buttercup try and come up through mesotrione. It's all blanched out and sickly looking.



Side yard new seeding hasn't shown any germination at day 7.

Starting to dream about what seed to plant in my remaining front yard. I have looked on PNW_George's FF/colonial bent grass lawn with envy, but don't think I'll be able to mow low and don't see a powered reel mower in my near future. Maybe a nice monostand of an elite cultivar of a PRG? There's a seed company in town (JB in Woodinville/Redmond) that sells to home owners. Also still need to stop by our local Site One and see what they have to offer.


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

Looking very good!

I really like your property especially the big cedars. Similar to my location a bit north of you here in BC.

How much sun on average are you getting in the front? 
If your getting 6+hrs maybe a kbg? 
This is my first time seeding a kbg and im extremely happy and surprised by it so far. This lawn can easily get 16+ hrs of sun though and kbg is water hungry.

Keep up on your research. I think your off to a good start. 
Always think a head too. Ive been doing that. 
Once things started warming up and now with all this rain we're getting i was like 'oh shoot, I don't have a fungicide' this, along with most lawn products I have to order from the States so it takes time.

A PRG will do really well in our climate.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Thanks for the compliment @Justmatson .

The front yard gets a little less than 6 hours of sun. Our neighbor has some big leaf maples to the East and we have that nice grove of cedars to the West. So probably a little more than 6 hours now, but the rest of the year it's less for sure. Looking at your journal it looks like you have a lot more sun and I've got some KBG envy for sure!

I'll definitely consider your advice about thinking ahead! I think my interest in the lawn is going to be like the cool season growth chart. Big in Spring and Fall and a lull in the Summer. Starting to think ahead for my Fall apps and if I should plant the lawn in Fall 2020 (likely not) or Spring 2021.


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

Haha thats funny &#128516; 
Spring and fall are definitely nice for lawn care.

Have you thought or looked into Fescue?
You've seen I've got a Fine Fescue reno on the go. That area gets less then 6hrs of sun. 
Once its established its very low maintenance. Creeping Red will spread as well.

Honestly I think spring time is better with our climate for seeding. Just my opinion.


----------



## Wickerman323 (Jun 10, 2020)

Thanks for the journal. I'm in Granite Falls (east of Everett at the base of Mount Pilchuck). I've also started really getting into the lawn care this year after watching some of the same YouTube channels. Glad to find more people from the PNW on here. I raked out a ton of moss this spring and put down seed w/o Tenacity. Creeping buttercup is my mortal enemy right now. I look forward to see how things go with your yard. Keep it up.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Thanks for stopping by @Wickerman323 and glad to hear we are growing our PNW tribe!

I'm definitely consider fine fescue @Justmatson . I love the texture and look of FF and don't know if I have enough sun for PRG (it looks like it's a larger component in sunny mixes and FF is a bigger component in shade mixes).

Couple of quick updates from today:

Grass babies in the back poking up through the straw!


Also got my merch this week. Now I can rep TLF everytime I mow and with every post mow beverage. Thanks Ego for giving me a perfect spot for a sticker!





My turf looks more like the rough than a fairway, but still digging the golf ball.


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> Thanks for stopping by @Wickerman323 and glad to hear we are growing our PNW tribe!
> 
> I'm definitely consider fine fescue @Justmatson . I love the texture and look of FF and don't know if I have enough sun for PRG (it looks like it's a larger component in sunny mixes and FF is a bigger component in shade mixes).
> 
> ...


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Justmatson said:


> PNW_TurfNoob said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for stopping by @Wickerman323 and glad to hear we are growing our PNW tribe!
> ...


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

First mow on the back overseed area at HOC 2". Bagged the clippings and later learned first mow should be a reel mow or mulching mow. Doh! I'll have to hit the creeping buttercup with Roundup for lawns. Weed B Gon doesn't do much against it. Hoping that I don't have a bunch of residual Bermuda growing through. I still have some leveling and a bigger reno to do in the back at some point.


Front yard is looking okay. PRG looks a lot better than the FF. Trying figure out a brownish patch in front. Might put down some Disease X and a light app of Vigoro fert.


Grass babies in side yard coming in strong.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Light rake of front to clear out some dead grass and get some debris (peat chunks and cedar droppings). Lawn is actually starting to feel decent on bare feet.

Mowed at HOC 2". Applied DiseaseX, iron and Vigoro fert. Have a friend coming over next weekend and it's the first time I've ever cared about how the lawn is going to look and what he's going to think... feels something like teenage insecurity! Unfortunately my lawn still has a squeaky voice and acne! :lol:


----------



## Are-Jay (Sep 9, 2018)

Cool to see another PNW member. Not many of us on here.


----------



## Wickerman323 (Jun 10, 2020)

How long after seeding are you doing RoundUp? After a couple mows? I have some creeping buttercup to get rid of but don't want to compromise my seeds.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Wickerman323 said:


> How long after seeding are you doing RoundUp? After a couple mows? I have some creeping buttercup to get rid of but don't want to compromise my seeds.


I'm using Roundup for Lawns, not Roundup (glypho). It's a combo of MCPA, quinclorac, dicamba and sulfantrazone. I've applied it previously and it's worked so much better than Weed B Gon on the creeping buttercup. It also kills crabgrass and will yellow bermuda (I have both in my overseed project in back  ).

For a newly seeded lawn, the label says wait until at least 4-6 weeks after seedling emergence (once well established). I had seed babies about June 1, so that puts me into early July for the MCPA app.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

2nd mow on the back today. First time feeling like the pics don't do it justice. It's starting to fill in really nicely.



Not super stoked about the germination of the PRG/FF/KBG seed I bought from my topsoil place. It seems really slow compared to the PRG/FF shade mix from JB. There's a Ewing's Irrigation nearby and I need to check them out for their seed and ferts/pesticides.



I feel like joining this forum has made me so impatient! I feel like my turf is moving so slowly, when in reality it's probably fine but I just want it to get nicer faster!

Also, tinkering with a diy striper. If it works out, I'll post some pics. I'm really impressed with the Checkmate system (can use a Honda kit for Ego), but $100 is money I could spend in so many other ways.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Are-Jay said:


> Cool to see another PNW member. Not many of us on here.


Thanks for stopping by @Are-Jay .


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> I feel like joining this forum has made me so impatient! I feel like my turf is moving so slowly, when in reality it's probably fine but I just want it to get nicer


Marathon not a sprint 

I'm having a love/ hate relationship with mine...
Some days I'm just amazed and some days I feel like give up. 
I keep reminding myself lawn care is a Marathon.

After a Tenacity app 8 days ago im getting some bleaching and hate the look but I know its temporary and for the better.
Decided to spend some time with the lawn this morning. Took HOC from 2.25" down to 1.75" and fell in love again with it haha. Its getting so thick.

I've been cutting about every 3 days, mostly at 2" 
Most of the time only 20-40% is actually getting cut.

Keep cutting, often, and it will thicken up = look better.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Justmatson said:


> PNW_TurfNoob said:
> 
> 
> > I feel like joining this forum has made me so impatient! I feel like my turf is moving so slowly, when in reality it's probably fine but I just want it to get nicer
> ...


I've been trying to channel my energy into other things now. It was so much work doing all the grading and getting everything prepped that it's hard to just watch the grass grow and mow. I'm mowing about 3 times a week and trying to stay positive. Thanks for the encouragement!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Mowed front to HOC 2.5", not many clippings. Having a love hate relationship with the front right now. Color is better after Vigoro Fert/Ironite/DiseaseX, but still have a lot of bare spots. I don't think I'll buy seed from our topsoil place again, the germination was pretty crappy.

Comparison time:

5/21 driveway shot


6/19 driveway shot


5/21 top down


6/19 top down


Different HOC on the two shots and I think the lawn was wet on the 5/21 shot. Feels like the progress is slow, but at least I'm learning faster than my grass is growing :lol: . Starting to have one of the better lawns on the block, but the competition isn't that stiff! One neighbor has TruGreen service and I like my color better, but he has a much thicker more estalished lawn.

6/4 back yard


6/19 back yard


I'm realizing I don't get a ton of sun on the back even in Summer, so we'll have to see how this part goes. I'm happier overall with the germination of the JB shade blend.

Plan to hit the back lawn with MCPA in July and might try an application of Crabgrass destroyer sooner (it can be applied 28 days after seeding of tolerant grasses).


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Mowed the front to a HOC of 2.5". Happier with the color and the FF seems to be bouncing back. Still not really sure what happened to it. I'm pretty sure my patches of light green grass are Poa Triv. First I thought it was crabgrass, then Poa Annua, then Bermuda, now Triv... Now you know why I'm Turfnoob!







Back is coming in nicely. If I could turn back time (if I could find a way  ) I'd have nuked the back prior to overseeding. I'm pretty sure that it's mostly Poa Triv and Poa Annua some some of the FF/PRG that I seeded. It's going to have to do for the Summer though. Starting to actually look like a lawn! I hand pulled some Triv, Poa A and buttercup and let the kids run around on it for the first time tonight. The side yard part looks a lot better. Germination was slow, but it's filling in. I finally raked the straw off and mowed the side and back to HOC 2".





The Tenacity in the Scotts Starter fert isn't working any more. The creeping buttercup is shooting out new growth and nothing is really blanched looking anymore. Think I'll order some Tenacity from Domyown and blanket spray just to see what's really out there. If not this Summer, then when things start growing again in Fall.

I made a DIY striper for my Ego. 2" PVC with some corner brackets and attached to the back of the mower with clothesline bolts. It actually put down some decent stripes, but I'm going to try and make it nicer before I share a pic!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Front: We've been having cool weather and just got some more rain. Haven't had to irrigate the front lawn much at all this year. Still really happy with the color. It's one of the darkest on the block. Two little patches of what I believe to be Triv and the scattered Poa Annua are starting to drive me crazy. For the Triv I'm going to dig it out and do a little sod patch this Fall. For the Poa Annua the plan is to use Prodiamine WDG this Fall. Still need to calibrate the cheapo Harbor Freight 4 gal sprayer I bought with a store credit. Mowed at HOC 2.5" and attempted to lay down some stripes with my DIY PVC striper.

Back: I recently ordered some Tenacity from Domyown and read the label. I applied Scott's starter fert with Tenacity prior to seeding. It looks like you are supposed to avoid Tenacity with seeding fine fescue, so no wonder my germination sucked in the back and side. I am starting to see things fill in and did some hand seeding of the shade mix on the barespots. Mowed to HOC 2". Irrigating the back daily now.

I started an excel spreadsheet to keep track of the applications this year. Plan to hit the lawn with post-emergent on 7/12 and milo on 7/20. Trying to figure out when to get a tenacity app on (late Summer vs early FAll).


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Front: mowed at HOC 2.5" and laid down some noob stripes. 

I had a nice green up after my Vigoro, Iron, Disease X app and things are thickening up. Fescue that was suffering previously looks a lot better.





Back and side yards are slowly filling in. I seeded bare spots and am seeing some germination about 5 days later. It's been so cool and rainy here in the PNW that I haven't had to irrigate much this past week, even after putting down some seed!


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

Looking good &#128077;

The weather has been weird this year of us on the west coast.
So much rain and cooler temps. Grass is sure Loving it! 
Mine is just going crazy! I'm mowing every 2nd day.


----------



## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

For sure, even further south an hour of Portland we're seeing low 70's and overcast for the next 10 days. Cant say im sad though it makes for perfect growing weather and makes it much easier to keep reno's watered.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Things are going well with the lawn:

Front: Fine fescue is starting to brown out with the heat, but the PRG looks really good. I'm 99% sure I'm going to use PRG on the new lawn next Spring and overseed the existing lawn with PRG as well. Just finished a manual bow rake debris removal and really stoked that I ordered a SunJoe Dethatcher. Debris removal has been important in making the front more barefoot friendly and doing it by hand just plain sucks.... Fertilized the front with a light hand spreader app of milo.

Back: need to get some new pics up, but wanted to write an entry to document the applications. Milo went down on 7/19 and I'm going to apply Ironite soon. I realize after reading both the reno and overseed threads that I should have been spoon feeding more often and am probably behind on N. I'll try to make it up in the Fall with some variation on the N blitz. I've made the decision to just live with some broad leaf weeds for now since I don't want to stress the lawn in any way with an herbicide (Tenacity or Roundup for LAwns) app at this point. I'm pretty happy with how it's filling in, but realize that I should have seeded a little more heavily and am pretty sure I'll need to overseed next Spring. The fine fescue is looking really good in the back. Realizing there is a TON of triv and Poa A that I'll have to deal with in some way.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Here are some updates of the back and side lawn. I'm realizing that I'm getting a lot of the striping issues from my crappy Scotts edge guard spreader. I'm going to hand spread next time and if that doesn't work I'll have to decided between a nicer granular spreader or getting into spray fertilizers next.





Not too bad for a late Spring overseed, but there are still some bare spots and really uneven color. Also quite a bit of Poa A and Triv in the back section.

I'm realizing that I still have a lot of techniques to hone: spraying, applying with spreader, seeding density, etc. I can totally see why @g-man and others recommend waiting a least a year before attempting a reno!


----------



## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

The lawn looks like its coming in great! I'm in the PNW and doing a similar reno. Any overall tips you have for spreading seed and problems you encountered along the way?


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> Here are some updates of the back and side lawn. I'm realizing that I'm getting a lot of the striping issues from my crappy Scotts edge guard spreader. I'm going to hand spread next time and if that doesn't work I'll have to decided between a nicer granular spreader or getting into spray fertilizers next.


Were you spreading when the lawn was wet/ damp?

I have the same spreader and found if the lawn was a little wet the fertilizer would build up on the inside of the wheels then let go. 
I've also forgot to turn the edge guard off before :?

Get your PreM down soon.

Its looking good thought 👍

One thing to keep in mind if you decide to seed with PRG is the seed stocks it can produce in the spring. Mowers have hard time cutting them and they stay brown for a while. Look into TTTF, even some KBG can do well in shade but it would be pretty hard to over seed with it.

How much N have you given your Fescue? 
I know its recommended 2-3lbs per year but in the first year push it harder. I'm at 3lbs of N on both FF and KBG and both have spread very well. I plan at being at 5lbs on the FF and 6lbs on the KBG before the first frost. Starting the fall N blitz real soon


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Thanks for stopping by @SOLARSUPLEX .

As far as spreading seed goes, I honestly didn't do a very good job. I had a Scott's edgeguard and ended up with a lot of lines and uneven areas. Evidently the material hits the wheels. I've seen others use a Scott's whizz and that's what I'll probably do in the future. What seed are you planning to go with?


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Justmatson said:


> PNW_TurfNoob said:
> 
> 
> > Here are some updates of the back and side lawn. I'm realizing that I'm getting a lot of the striping issues from my crappy Scotts edge guard spreader. I'm going to hand spread next time and if that doesn't work I'll have to decided between a nicer granular spreader or getting into spray fertilizers next.
> ...


Hey what's up @Justmatson ? Your lawn is looking sharp! 

I decided to get a different spreader and have an Echo RB-60 arriving tomorrow. Since I'm stepping up my lawn game gotta step up the equipment as well!

Thanks for the reminder on the pre-M. I'm going with a split app of Prodiamine WDG (Domyown) in Aug and October this Fall.

It's funny you mention the seed stalks in PRG. I just really started noticing them and they are super annoying! I've been following @FuzzeWuzze to see how his Mazama is doing in Oregon. He's making it look doable even though nobody seems to like KBG for Western Washington. I have a new area to plant in the front next Spring and think I might go with one of the shade tolerant KBG varieties. I have a NoMix in the front that has KBG and although KBG was slower to establish, it looks really good and is super dark! I still love fine fescue for how soft it is on bare feet though!

I've fed the back lawn twice so far this year, probably about 1.5lb N. I probably should have spoon fed a little more, but work is getting really busy again. I'm also going to do a fall N blitz starting later this month. First feed will be Milo, then I'll switch to Vigoro. Probably another 2-2.5lb this Fall, maybe 3.

I'll try and get some updated pics up soon. It's starting to thicken up a lot, but there's a ton of Poa A in the back so the color is really bad. Front is mostly PRG seed stalks!


----------



## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

Yup dont know if its our weather, but my "elite" PRG seed with 3 of the top 10 NTEP rated seeds from their last test ended up looking like crap after year 2 with constant seedheads. It hurt to kill it but i just couldnt take it anymore, people kept saying they are supposed to go away by early Summer and they only got worse, presumably because we dont have hot summers in western OR/WA like everyone in the midwest does. I realize you could grow PRG on a rock here where i am in Oregon, but i'm moving away from it for now except in the back yard where the kids/dog play. And thats only because i cant keep them off the yard for 2 months to let a pure KBG stand grow. Maybe when they are older.

My initial post about it
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6215


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

Thanks man! Really Appreciate it! 
I'm very happy with how this spring seeding turned out.

If i were you, try a shade tolerant KBG. I bet you'll be happy. None of my strains were "shade tolerant" but the stuff under a large maple tree is doing great. 
KBG definitely loves the sun but I'm finding it will do just as good in the shade. One thing I'm finding with this young kbg is it loves water and always seems hungry for N. 
Your absolutely right about the Fine fescue, its super soft, more so then kbg, it also stripes good. Only thing im not liking about mine is its ability to repair. Super slow! 
Did you see my latest Journal post of my FF side? 
It did really good in our heat wave of temps to 100f. It was heavily irrigated though.

For the N Blitz I would start now. .5lb/N every 2 weeks. 
What Vigoro fertilizer you using? 
If you can grab some straight Urea (46-0-0) 
As for the Poa, you could try multiple light doses of Tenacity (2oz/acre rate) every 10 days. Heard its worked for some people. Or just get down a heavy PreM and winter will kill off this year's Poa.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Front: haven't had much rain and I've been pretty lax on irrigating since I'm just using a sprinkler. Showing some drought stress, which has lead to a more brownish color. But, I'm actually pretty happy with how it's doing. Gave it some Milo and a worm tea foliar app this afternoon. Haven't really had to mow much in the past few weeks, so I think it's gone dormant. Still soft underfoot and plenty of green, so I'm good until the rain comes back.





Back: starting to look thicker and still really green, though not dark. I wanted to fert today, but we did a bunch of outdoor stuff and watched the meteor shower, so I held off on fert and irrigation. Switched back to mowing at 2.5" and put a new blade ("high lift") on the Ego mower. I don't love this mower, just the battery system and everything else they make. Wish that someone could rig up an Ego powered California Trimmer or Tru-Cut reel mower... That would be legit.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Backyard is looking much thicker now!


----------



## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Wow that backyard really came together rather quickly!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Well, between COVID, work, end of Summer and school start I've fallen behind in my journal, but thankfully not my lawn care.

Since my last entry I've appled Vigoro 29-0-4 once to the back and it continues to fill in nicely. The lighting is different in each photo, but the color is a pretty deep green in the back. I'm dealing with some yellow areas which I think are chlorosis, on the side/patio section. 




The front is doing well. I got really behind on water and in August it was mostly dormant. I'm going to need to install a sprinkler system in the next few years to avoid this because I don't have the time to hand water or put a sprinkler out frequently enough. I started watering again in late August and we've had some rain recently as well. I applied Milo and foliar worm tea on 8/12 and worm tea again on 9/13. I have a soil test pending for the front. I used MySoil before reading the soil subforum, so it sounds like I'll want to do a different lab in the Spring.







The front is such a mix of grasses, but honestly it doesn't bother me too much. There isn't much competition in the neighborhood and it definitely the nicest lawn on the street (including a neighbor that uses TruGreen).


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Wow that backyard really came together rather quickly!


Thanks @SOLARSUPLEX! It's filled in really well. I had a bunch of weeds back there that I never bothered to treat and the grass has just crowded them out!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Used the Sunjoe lawn dethatcher on the back, two passes. Got a lot of debris out.

I think I'll get my soil sample tomorrow then apply FAS to the entire back. Mid week going to put down some tenacity. I think I have a bunch of Triv in the back and want to blanket spray to see what I'm up against.

Next weekend plan to core aerate, then I'll finally put down Prodiamine. I think it's probably a bit late for Poa A. Then I'll finally get some N down probably Vigoro 29-0-4.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Last pics of the back just prior to the dethatch yesterday. The patio shot shows the yellowing that I'm dealing with. I'm feeling confident that it's chlorosis.





Today I got my soil sample and sprayed LawnStar chelated iron at the 4oz/K rate. I haven't used this product before. It said to premix to 2oz per gallon, which meant I had to go over my 4K sqft lawn twice with my 4 gallon sprayer to apply 4oz/K. I got to experience the blood bath sent first hand!

I ordered a pH probe off amazon. I have no idea what the pH of our tap water is and feel like it will be helpful info mixing FAS and spraying herbicides. I read that the pH of herbicide foliar apps should be acidic in order to enhance absorption. I usually use an inline filter (one for filling RV tanks) to filter out the chlorine for my garden and worm teas (chlorine isn't good for the beneficial microbes). I'm going to gather a bunch of data in the next few weeks: pH of tap water, pH of filtered water, pH of rainwater, etc. I think I'll pick up some citric acid to use as an acidifier.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

I had a soil test by MySoil done on the front lawn and here are the results:



It's going to be interesting to see how the back differs with the sample I submitted to A&L labs, since I have essentially given the two areas identical fertilizer applications. I hope that the pH number is at least accurate. I'll have to look into a good potassium source since my next app was just going to be 29-0-4.


----------



## Justmatson (Apr 4, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob

Very similar to my results. See if you can find 
K-Mag its potassium, sulfur, magnesium.

Soon as I started using it I noticed a huge improvement. The grass needs the magnesium to aid in chlorophyll.

Careful with adding to much potassium in the fall. There's many studies showing an increase in snow mold, pink mold with potassium apps in late fall.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

@Justmatson thanks for the rec on the K-Mag. It seems to have just about everything I need!

I picked up some 15-0-21 from SiteOne, which I applied today at 1lb N per 1000ft2. Hopefully that's not too much K. Our Winters are really mild, so I'm not sure how much of a problem snow mold will be? I'm actually happy with how the front looks right now! So different than the back, no yellowing, thick, green (but not very dark).

I didn't get any improvement in the yellowing in the back after applying chelated iron and I'm awaiting the results of my soil test before applying any fertilizer in the back.

I've scrapped my previous plan to apply Tenacity. Seems like there's no point. I wanted to highlight the Triv, but now I think I just don't even want to know how much is back there!


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Applied about 10lbs of AMS (about 0.75lb N/1kft2) to the back and side and watered it in. Supposed to get a sprinkle of rain overnight as well.

Cut the front and happy to see that it's darkening up and growing after the 9/30 fertilizer app. Going to aerate the front tomorrow and will skip aerating the back based on advice in my other thread about the yellow grass. I'm considering hitting the back hard with Tenacity now that the triv is growing again. I read in @Green journal that he was able to control Triv with Tenacity. Still not sure about this plan however and may wait till next year. There's a good bit of fine fescue back there and I don't think it does well with a lot of Tenacity.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> I read in @Green journal that he was able to control Triv with Tenacity. Still not sure about this plan however and may wait till next year. There's a good bit of fine fescue back there and I don't think it does well with a lot of Tenacity.


Kind of. It did seem to kill it when used in October/November a bunch of times in a row, but also some of the good grass, too. Regardless, there was still more waiting to pop up from the stolons in other places in the Spring, so I'm not sure it was a great solution. Almost nothing is, though.

Note, these were repeated spot sprays. I wouldn't do it all over. I hit or slightly exceeded the yearly limit in those small spots over the course of the applications.

Yeah with Fine Fescue, you really have to watch out with repeated apps of Tenacity. Much like Triv, you can end up semi killing the FF.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

@Green thanks for the info. I guess I'll pass on doing Tenacity this Fall and see where I'm at in the Spring. The back isn't in the best shape right now and I don't want to stress it unnecessarily.

Aerated the front today. I hate the way the lawn looks after aeration, but the front is really compacted and I did two passes with the core aerator.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Just a mow to the front today. I either burned a little spot with a fert spill or the dog peed on the lawn, but otherwise it's looking great. 


I got the soil test results for back and side areas. 


Thanks to g-man I feel like a I finally have a plan I can believe in! I put down 0.75lb of AMS over the weekend. Plan is to spoon feed 0.25lb N/1kft2. I was hoping to use AMS, but I went back to Home Depot for more and they are sold out! I sended up going to Ewing Irrigation and getting a 50lb bag of 15-0-5, which is derived from ammonium nitrate (10
%) and ammonium sulfate (5%). Plan is use that for the weekly spoon feeds unless I can get my hands on AMS.

I also found some Pro-Pell-it! lime, which appears to be the correct type for my liming needs. I'll put the lime down at 50lbs/1kft2 in Nov per g-man's advice and then call it a year.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Dropped the HOC from 2.5" to 2" today and spent a bunch of time blowing out the lawn. We had a windstorm yesterday and the cedars are flagging and dropped SO MUCH leaf debris and tiny pine cones...

Applied ammonium sulfate (finally got my hands on some) at 0.25lbs N/1kft2. Seeing a nice green up in the areas that were previously yellow.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Front: removed debris from the front and mowed at HOC 2". I threw down some seed on the bare spot (spilled fert doh!).

Back: Mowed the back at HOC 2". It's starting to darken up from the fall N. It still look pretty thin. Hoping that the creeping fescue will fill in some more. I believe the lighter areas are where the Tric is.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Applied 1lb N/M AMS to the front and back on 10/28. Will be the last N of this year. Today I put down 50lbs CaCO3/M. Had a buddy over last night and got a lot of praise for the back. Still mowing, not much top growth per cut though.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Had a soil composition done with the soil test and forgot to post the results.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Lowered the HOC to 1.5 in the front and back and continuing to blow a lot a cedar debris out of the lawn. It's super crunchy and not nice underfoot so I feel like it's worth the effort.Still seeing a small amount of growth but I think I'm close to the final mow.


----------

