# JJ Epeto's Shady Backyard



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

New to the forum and have really enjoyed looking through everyone's lawn journals from previous years, so figured I'll start one here. It will also help me keep track of what I apply to the lawn and when it's put down.

I have a warm season bermuda lawn in the front, and will post a lawn journal for it and link the two here.

Last summer we purchased a 1940 bungalow. It had previously been a rental property, so the lawn care strategy was non existent for years. The backyard was half overgrown with ground ivy and shrubs, and looked like it had never been raked. Over about 6-8 weeks I ripped out all the ground ivy, raked up all the leaves, and discovered old flower beds under all of it, edged with small boulders. So then started the boulder pile, and we kept finding more buried throughout the yard. Once we got all the boulders out and filled holes with topsoil I raked the whole as level as I could with an ordinary bow rake. We threw down a mix of 80% Rowdy Tall Fescue, 10% Bewitched KBG, and 10% Beacon Hard Fescue. The yard is mostly shaded by a massive oak(?) tree on the southwest corner of the lot. So morning sun reaches the yard for a few hours, then it's just whatever sun can get through the leaves. This is why we opted for cool season grass and focused on shade tolerant varieties that were available from seed superstore.

Lawn size: 4,000 SF (including side yard to be done this year)
Equipment: 
- Ryobi 40v rotary mower
- Ryobi 40v string trimmer w/ cultivator attachment
- Ryobi 40v jet fan blower
- Scott's 2 gal pump sprayer
- Scott's mini spreader with edgeguard

After clearing out the ivy and cutting down some smaller trees:









Found some boulders:









Boulder pile, all pulled from the lawn:









Final debris removal, ready to seed and cover with peat moss:









Hurricane Michael came through about 2.5 weeks after seeding:









But it recovered nicely except for a few spots:









About 8 weeks after seeding:









Final mow of last season (shows some bare spots where I put down too much post emergent too soon and killed off some grass with spot spraying weeds):


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

For 2019 I haven't done much. We had the huge pine tree removed which tore up the yard quite a bit. I've got to fill some holes from where it fell with topsoil and I'll also do a bare spot seeding in a few weeks. I'll be applying mesotrione to the entire yard so that I can add seed, then do prodiamine later in the spring once the 60 days after germination comes. I'm also going to be cultivating the side yard, spreading about .5" topsoil and seeding that area. The side yard is only about 1,000 SF.

February 2019 soil analysis:









No longer have to deal with all these pine needles!









I raked up as much sawdust and chainsaw woodchips as I could after the tree came down, but couldn't get most of them. The areas that had the woodchips seemed to be turning slightly yellow so I threw down a little bit of 10-10-10 I had laying around to get some nitrogen in those areas. It seems to be doing a little better. I'm going to seed the bare spots soon, then really push it to fill in this spring with lots of nitrogen. I'm thinking right now that I will alternate Milorganite and some sort of liquid fertilizer spray every 2-3 weeks. So Milorganite every 4-6 weeks and liquid fert every 4-6 weeks, alternating. My goal is to keep nitrogen in the soil and push lateral growth and thickening. I'm still working on the exact plan.

Planning on throwing down some lime as soon as the rain clears out, which looks to be about a week from now.

Seeds arrived for the sideyard. I still have about 3-4 lbs of seed leftover from last falls renovation, so I'll probably mix it in with the new seeds and do bare spot plus side yard seeding at the same time.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Excellent job getting the lawn into shape :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Powhatan said:


> Excellent job getting the lawn into shape :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


Thanks. Here's a bonus gif of the big tree coming down. Left quite a few craters in the yard. Looks pretty rough out there right now, but it was for the best in the long run.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

The rain finally stopped around noon. 8 or 9 days of nonstop rain. Thankfully today was sunny and warm. I haven't figured out how to get my PWS to show rain over a specific range of more than a week but less than a month. 









I put down 100# of lime over the full 3,000 SF. So about 33#/M. I'll do about the same amount in 6 months and then do another soil test to see where I'm at. That's less than recommended but right at the yearly max for lime. The mini spreader barely held a full 40 lb bag.









Also trimmed the taller grass along the sides of the foundation and started cultivating the side yard to re grade and put down seed in a few weeks.

I filled in some low spots where the tree was taken down as well. 









Going to overseed those areas when I seed the side yard. Can't wait for spring.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Finally a break from the rain and things are starting to dry out a little bit. The past week was a little cool, but started to warm, and the week ahead looks even better. Hoping for some growth and maybe get the first mow in next weekend.

This weekend I put out fertilizer at about .75# per thousand of 29-0-3. I also put out bifenthrin granules to keep the ants, fleas, and ticks out.

Last week:

















Looking ahead to next week, I may have to pull the sprinklers out to water in the fertilizer. Wonder what the neighbors will think:









I spot sprayed a three way herbicide anywhere I saw weeds, which was quite often since I never put down a pre-emergent after seeding this area last fall. I suck at identifying weeds so here are the most common weeds around the yard right now.









































Lastly, I began cultivating the compacted area of the yard that I didn't seed last year. This area has a lot of standing water after any amount of rain. There apparently used to be a shed/garage on some part, which makes sense because I found a ton of bricks with the cultivator. There is clearly compaction from a vehicle driving over this part yard of the yard to access the shed. My plan is to cultivate the other half of this area next weekend, then bring in about 4 yards of topsoil to level the new seedbed and also various low spots in the front and back yards.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Most of the weeds you have appear to be: mouse-ear chickweed, purple deadnettle, and speedwell.

Weeds | NC State Extension

I normally hand-pull or use *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer* to kill weeds, so can't comment on any of the traditional chemical post-M herbicides. Someone else will have to comment on the post-M stuff.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

I would do a blanket of 3 way, triclopyr, NIS, and AMS. It's easy to miss small weeds which have just germinated if you spot spray. If you only find a few spots but most of the yard is clear, then spot spray is great. Also, put down some spring pre.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> I would do a blanket of 3 way, triclopyr, NIS, and AMS. It's easy to miss small weeds which have just germinated if you spot spray. If you only find a few spots but most of the yard is clear, then spot spray is great. Also, put down some spring pre.


I was going to do a blanket spray but decided against it as the weeds were concentrated in a few certain areas and very spotty everywhere else. I also want to put some seeds down in bare spots in the next 2 weeks so I will put down tenacity when I do that. I'm thinking I will do a full prodiamine application once it is safe post germination. Alternatively, I'm considering prodiamine in the areas where bare spot seeding isn't necessary and the grass is pretty thick already, which is probably the smarter way to go. Hurricane Michael washed the seed out of a few areas last fall, so that is where the spring seed will be going.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

jjepeto said:


> I was going to do a blanket spray but decided against it as the weeds were concentrated in a few certain areas and very spotty everywhere else. I also want to put some seeds down in bare spots in the next 2 weeks so I will put down tenacity when I do that. I'm thinking I will do a full prodiamine application once it is safe post germination. Alternatively, I'm considering prodiamine in the areas where bare spot seeding isn't necessary and the grass is pretty thick already, which is probably the smarter way to go. Hurricane Michael washed the seed out of a few areas last fall, so that is where the spring seed will be going.


Sounds like a good plan!


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Had 4 cubic yards of topsoil delivered yesterday. Started spreading it out after work. My plan is to put about 1 yard in selective low or bumpy spots in the backyard where the grass is already growing well, put 2 yards over the area to be seeded this week or weekend, and the final yard in the front yard which is very uneven.

I finally got a gorilla cart, which is pretty freaking awesome. Way better than a wheelbarrow. I decided to go with the small one for storage reasons and our yard isn't that big, so a few extra trips back and forth with the small one isn't a big deal.

I also made a poor man's leveling drag out of some 2-by material I had leftover and a cinder block I found buried in the yard. Works pretty well, but obviously not as good as other materials or designs, and is one hell of a workout to drag around. I'm expecting rain overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, so I'm really trying to get all the topsoil spread before that comes. Might be busting out the headlamp and working into the night the next couple evenings.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Finished cultivating the side yard. Put down about 2 yards of topsoil and dragged it smooth.

Saturday morning was 10lbs of seed, 16 cu ft of peat moss, starter fertilizer, tenacity, sprinklers setup with dual port auto timer.










Excited to see the results. The weather looks great this week, with 2 nights dipping to 32 but highs in the 60's and 70's.

The larger area that I seeded last fall has started taking off with the spring weather. I mowed and put some seeds down in a few bare spots that I also put topsoil in to level it out a little. I think those spots were fairly bare because of holding water.

I plan on putting down liquid humic/fulvic acid on the whole yard later this week to help with root growth of the new seedlings.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

We have germination! So excited to see this. Waiting is the worst part.










Unfortunately we're going to get pretty cold the next 3 nights, but looks like we should stay just above freezing. Hoping the little seedlings make it through these next few days as the other side of this front later in the week looks like we'll get a lot of progress.










I also put down liquid humic/fulvic acid. I think I need to find a spreadable product somewhere local for my next application. I tried to use the hose end sprayer and it was a little chaotic trying to evenly cover the whole lawn.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Sharing because like children, they'll never be this young again. And I love coming home and seeing the progress.


----------



## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

:yahoo:


----------



## drenglish (Jun 22, 2018)

Looking good JJ I'm following to keep up with your progress. You put a lot of work in so far! What PWS are you using? I've been wanting to get set up with one for a while...


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

@drenglish I have the Ambient Weather WS-2902A. It's a pretty low budget user friendly PWS. I like it a lot though. The web based app is pretty easy to use too.

Thanks for the compliment. Barring any setbacks I've got big hopes for the lawn to progress this year.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

14 days after seed down on the side yard. This week's weather looks perfect for growth and more germination. The bare area to the left is shaded by the neighbor's house.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Update to the spring seeding project:



















Probably going to give it the first mow this evening or tomorrow evening. Lots of rain is coming Friday through Sunday night, so I feel I need to get a mow in before it gets too long and the ground gets super saturated. I'll likely mow the new grass around 2-2.25" for the first 3-4 mows and gradually bump up to around 3.5" by the end of May. I'm hoping mowing low-ish now promotes growth and thickening, then mowing high for the summer will help the young grass survive the heat of summer, even though I'm not a big fan of that high of a cut. I'll gradually take it down to about 2.5-2.75" in September, which is the height I prefer to keep it.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^ that's looking really good. Your approach of 2in mow at first is what Purdue suggests.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

g-man said:


> ^ that's looking really good. Your approach of 2in mow at first is what Purdue suggests.


Thanks @g-man. That means a lot coming from you. I based my mowing on that Purdue renovation document you mentioned. Can't find the link. I mowed today at 2.25". No picture as it was a bit too late in the evening and I also needed to get some water down. Both my fiance and my neighbor told me I was crazy for mowing and walking on the new stand :roll:

But, their Spring Seeding Guideline (found this in the cool season lawn guide, thanks) suggests a similar mowing strategy. I'm following this guideline closely as well for the spring seed.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I reel mowed my Reno at 1in at ~3weeks. Yes 300lb mower. It was fine. We baby our grasses, but they are tough.

The Purdue article is a bit dated (pre tenacity), but it is still good.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Obligatory first mow picture. Mowed last night at 2.25" but was too dark to photograph once the sprinklers were done. There's a bit of a thin spot where the sprinklers had been overlapping (hard to see from this angle). I threw some handfuls of seed down from the deck this morning.










The big tree is really leafing in, so we start getting less mid-day sunlight into the back yard.

I've got plans for a new wooden fence and hoping to demo this ugly deck and build a new one around the corner facing the backyard instead of the neighbor's house. Will probably wait until next year though for cost and grass maturity during construction reasons.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Just saw the rocks. That is every bit as bad as here!


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Green said:


> Just saw the rocks. That is every bit as bad as here!


I hate the rocks. Before the grass I was constantly pulling them up. I've managed to get them almost all gone. Someone on the nextdoor app agreed to come and get them all so I let her have them for free. She was using them in her yard/garden. I kept 4 or so of the nicest big ones. I need to figure out a way to integrate them into some planter beds or something.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Yeah, there are always uses for them, even if they're a literal pain to remove.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Happy catkins season to everyone with trees in your yard...










We had just at 5" of rain between Friday morning and Sunday night. Needless to say nothing got done in the lawn. I mowed today even though it was still slightly soggy.

The backyard mowed at 2 5/8"









Side yard spring reno mowed at 1 7/8"









This big old tree drops a lot of debris that I'm always picking up, but it looks so freaking good during sunset, especially now that there is grass in the lawn.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Mowed the spring renovation area for the 4th time at 2.25". I might have to bump it up a notch to 2 5/8" on the next one depending on the weather. Mowing low and often has definitely helped it thicken up but it's also been in the mid 80s the last few days. If it cools off I'll keep it lower, but if it stays hot I feel like I should increase it. I also had to put my ugly temporary chicken wire fence back up so we could let the dog out in the back again but keep him off the renovation...

Here it is after the fresh cut. 









It's not perfect, there are some bare spots and a few spots with weeds coming in. Planning a 3 way application and dithiopyr app once I get 60 days post germination. 









The fall renovation area after its mid week mow.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Gave everything a good quick mow before the rain comes in for the weekend. Cut the fall reno at 3.3" which is the second highest setting on the mower and the highest I've cut this renovation yet. It's been pretty hot and dry this week so time to take it up I guess. I think the crazy spring growth is over.










On my spring renovation I mowed one notch lower at 3". Also the highest cut on this part yet. Slowly working it up as it gets hotter. This is the 5th or 6th mow, I've lost track, so I'm going to start spraying weeds that have begun popping up.










I noticed a few areas slightly discolored. I'm not sure if it's due to heat and I need to increase watering or fungus. I put preventative rate disease ex out last weekend and it's been super hot this week so I'll continue to monitor it and keep watering a few times a week.


----------



## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

It's been a while since I did an update. It's been very hot and pretty dry, so I think our spring is done. The grass has really slowed down due to the heat and dry, so I can pretty well mow only once a week now and keep up. I did get some rain recently and had some fungus show up. Sprayed it and will be more diligent with the preventative fungicides from now on.

Check out this weather from the past 4 weeks:

















Here's some pics of the fall renovation area, it's been doing pretty well with the heat so far. Mowed at 3"


















And here's the spring renovation. I finally took the protection fence down and mow it same height and frequency as the fall renovation. It's struggling a little more with the heat, but that was to be expected. The side yard area actually gets sun nearly all day, where the larger spring reno in the back gets only about half day direct sun, then dappled light.










Because I never created a warm season journal for my bermuda in the front, here's a cool looking pic after blue dye celcius spot spray to kill weeds.


----------

