# KoopHawk 2020 Lawn Journey



## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Hey guys, we finished (are finishing) building our house in NW Iowa. I've been following a few journals (@Pete1313 - @g-man - @NoslracNevok to name a few) and doing a lot of research over the last year or so in preparation of planting the yard. TLF has been a great resource.

Anyway, here are the nuts and bolts. When I get the landscaping completed, I will have roughly 18,000 square feet of dirt that I need to turn into grass. I decided to go with Bluebank KBG from SSS. I was going back and forth between Bluebank and Mazama but the finer texture of the blades from the NTEP tests was the deciding factor. Everything was very comparable and both would give me the nice dark color that was top priority.







I sent soil samples off to Waypoint and A&L Great Lakes to be analyzed. I wanted to send them to different labs to get tested to compare and hopefully be as accurate as possible. My soil pH is high. Looks like there will be some elemental sulfur applications in my future.(@IaHawk here are my Waypoint results.)




























The A&L sample calls for 5 pounds total N in the first year. That seems excessive. Or is it? Here is my tentative fertilization plan:

Starter Fert 12-24-16 (.43-.85-.21 per 1000sf) 1 app with seed
Milo 6-4-0 (1.16-.77-0 per 1000sf) 2 apps - 1 app with seed and 1 app late summer
Urea 46-0-0 (1.28-0-0 per 1000sf) 6 apps - weekly apps to spoon feed N, may spread out more during heat of summer
10-0-20 (1.11-0-2.22 per 1000sf) 4 apps - weekly apps, alternating with Urea to spoon feed N
Total 3.98-1.62-2.45 over 13 applications

Interesting to note that A&L calculated higher ppm Magnesium but only had it in the high/optimum column whereas Waypoint has it off the charts.

The CEC number from the soil tests and numbers in the Purdue CEC Guide match the USDA Web Soil Survey of my lot that I have Silty Clay Loam soil.



















If I can get everything lined up (need to put in sidewalk, final grade, concrete edging around the house, and irrigation system) and a favorable forecast, I might try to seed this spring. Obviously not ideal but neither is a whole summer with no grass and two young kids (5 and 2), especially if they are going to keep making us be cooped up due to the pandemic. The positive is working from home would let me keep a close eye on the progress!

Thoughts? Concerns? Advice?


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## NoslracNevok (Jun 12, 2018)

Congrats on the new home! We're tossing around the idea of building as well.

I'd say go for it this spring. A year ago I did a small spring renovation and it made it through the summer just fine after letting it grow taller.

I'll be looking forward to your updates!

*edit: Glad to see the two tests were relatively close


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Here are some not so timely updates  :

I did an experiment to see if soaking the seed would expedite the germination process. What I found was that soaking seed for 5+ days essentially cut the germination time from 8-10 days to 4-5 days.




























With that information in mind I decided I would try to soak a fifth of the seed for about 5 days before seed down thinking that if I could get some seed to germinate quicker there would be less of a chance of runoff in a rain event. I ended up soaking 7 pounds of seed for 14 days due to rain. Oops!

Concrete curbing went down on May 9.



















Irrigation system went in on May 14/15. I drug around a pallet to break up dirt clods and re-level the dirt after the irrigation ripped thru. Then it essentially rained for about a week and a half. When it finally dried out I found that my soil was rock hard. I rented a soil conditioner and slit seeder from my buddy that did the concrete curbing.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*MAY 29: Seed down day!!*

I was about 2 weeks behind schedule due to the rain. I seriously considered waiting until August to put the seed down. My wife was sick of dirt and wanted me to put the seed down. I checked the extended forecast, which looked favorable low 80s for highs 50s for lows. So it was go time!

I did double rate of Soil Moist seed coat, filled up the slit seeder, set it for 2 lbs per M (M = 1000 sq ft) and set out on the journey!










Turns out the slit seeder didn't work at such a low rate of seed. It put down 2 lbs of seed total. So I scrapped that idea and decided to mix the seed with some Milo and broadcast the seed. My seed to Milo ratio was around 13 pounds of seed to 32 pounds of Milo. Milo down equaled .36-.24-0 per M.



















Here was the wet seed. I let it drip dry overnight and it mixed with the Milo very well and spread just as easy as the dry seed.



















After the seed was down, I put down Scott's Starter Fert w/ Meso (.82-.86-.16 per M), 40 lbs of Humic DG, 50 lbs of Elemental Sulfur (3 lbs per M), and rolled. When it was all said and done my phone said I had walked 14 miles with all of the back and forth, up and down the yard. I was spend. It was time to have a beer and watch the sprinklers do their thing.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*June Update*

Remember the extended forecast of low 80s? Mother Nature is a cruel entity.










Basically worst case scenario for a week and a half. 100 degrees, full sun, and wind. My goodness did the wind blow during the day. Thankfully it died down at night so I was able to get a good soak but the days were brutal. I would spend essentially all afternoon supplementing the sprinklers with a hose because sprinklers down like 30+ mph winds. I even had to have my sister come over a couple afternoons because I couldn't keep up with keeping the soil moist in the heat/wind. In the end I was dirty, sun burnt, and mentally and physically exhausted but ultimately I weathered the storm and we had success. Grass babies on day 6!! You can also see the meso working.



















Four days later on Day 10 I was seeing some second leaves start growing.










On Day 11 we got dumped on. .7" of rain in a short period of time. Thankfully there were no washouts!










Day 16 the mud is starting to turn green.














































Day 31 Updates














































Day 34 I sprayed propiconazole and .25 N per M via urea.

Day 35 I mixed up a gallon of tenacity and spot sprayed some of the areas where there was some weed pressure.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*July Update*










As you can see, rain continues to be nearly non-existent.

Day 41 I mixed up a batch of tenacity and .25 N per M and sprayed.

Day 45 First mow at 1.75"

Day 45 Pics














































Day 49 I put down .24-.24-.24 per M via 10-10-10 quick release granular.

Day 52 Second mow at 1.75"

Day 54 I sprayed .25 N per M via Urea along with myclobutanil.

Day 58 Pics














































Day 62 Mowed at 1.75"

Day 63 With a week of cool weather ahead, I wanted to push the grass a little so I sprayed .36 N per M via urea.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*August Update*

Day 67 Poked around and took some cores. Had pretty good moisture down 4"-6" and found some root activity in the 4"-5" range.



















Day 69 Mowed at 1.75"

Day 71 Sprayed another app of Myclo and .25 N per M.

Day 73 Mowed at 1.75"

Day 74 Pics














































Day 80 I aerated then put down 1.01-.68.-0 per M of Milo, .30-0-.60 per M of LesCo 10-0-20, 40 lbs of Humic DG, and 50 lbs of elemental sulfur. That night I sprayed BioAdvance Weed and Crabgrass killer (24D plus Quin) and Prodamine (.185 oz per M or 3 month rate).

Day 82 Mowed at 1.75"

Day 87 Pics














































Day 87 Bonus pics! Bluebank up against my neighbors NorMix. The mature color is really starting to come in.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Wow!! This looks absolutely amazing. You crushed it out of the park.

What a beautiful cultivar. Hard work right here on your part!


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

not fair versus N MIX. very nice ............ Water $$$ total ?


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Chris1 said:


> not fair versus N MIX. very nice ............ Water $$$ total ?


Mother Nature hasn't been very giving this summer. I have only recorded 4 measurable rains in August. Thankfully, water here is pretty cheap and gets cheaper after you use the first 32,000 gallons. The irrigation system has used right around $175 per month for June and July. I've really backed off the frequency of my waterings, especially during cooler weather, so I'm interested to see what August will be. I used A LOT of water in June and July.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

KoopHawk said:


> Chris1 said:
> 
> 
> > not fair versus N MIX. very nice ............ Water $$$ total ?
> ...


Any interest in putting a dedicated Well in just for the sprinkler system? I know they aren't cheap either - just curious if you analyzed that pathway.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

JerseyGreens said:


> KoopHawk said:
> 
> 
> > Chris1 said:
> ...


I am pretty sure there is a City ordinance against having a well so I didn't look into it much. I have a separate meter on the irrigation system so I am just paying for the water, not sewer as well.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Speaking of water, I am going to need it! It is going to be 95 degrees today with full sun and sustained 20 mph winds with gusts 35+ mph. ET rate is .32 for me today. That is a tenth higher than my typical summer day.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Wow. 0.32in Reference ET. I just checked and some areas of Kansas have 0.35in FRET.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

About 75 miles due west of me in NE Nebraska there is a pocket of .42in. Crazy. They can keep it.


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## mribbens (Jul 13, 2018)

Amazing job, what a lawn and seed job, and the house, white with the black windows, just awesome man!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

mribbens said:


> Amazing job, what a lawn and seed job, and the house, white with the black windows, just awesome man!


Thanks! I'll take credit for the lawn but my wife gets credit for everything with the house.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*To finish up the August Update:*










As you can see August has been much better from a temperature standpoint. Still not much in terms of rain.

Day 91 I broke out the big mower (Ariens 52 IKON XD) for the first time and mowed at 2". It only took me 22 minutes to mow! That makes mowing every 2-3 days much more agreeable. I'm done mowing the lawn before my wife knows I left the house.

Day 94 Mowed at 2".

Day 95 Put down Azoxy at the .77 oz rate. Hopefully this is my last fungicide app of the year. You can see some faint stripes from after the spray. Encouraging since I don't have a striping kit on the Ariens (yet).


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This yard looks really nice. I know Iowa is having a drought and high heat. Keeping a yard looking this good is tough. Good job.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

g-man said:


> This yard looks really nice. I know Iowa is having a drought and high heat. Keeping a yard looking this good is tough. Good job.


Thanks gman. I've got a couple of areas in my irrigation where the coverage is a little light but with a lot of tinkering it's getting better. On the bright side I don't have a problem drying out the grass in between waterings.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

It always looks best in the morning after a nice soak! :thumbup:


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Deep green. Love it.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

@KoopHawk Would you say the sprout and pout phase felt like absolutely forever with this cultivar?

I see your first mow came in at day 45.

I mowed my hell strip twice already but my main front yard...no luck / no clippings. Just stuck.

Also have a decent amount of seedlings coming in sideways - most likely the ones that didn't get pressed in well - I'm hopeful that they straighten out as the roots get stronger underground but who knows!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

JerseyGreens said:


> @KoopHawk Would you say the sprout and pout phase felt like absolutely forever with this cultivar?
> 
> I see your first mow came in at day 45.
> 
> ...


Yes. I had some areas that took off like wildfire and had clippings in that first mow at 1.75". I swear I have a couple of areas that still weren't getting cut during my last mow at 2" on day 107. Patience!! :thumbup:


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

*Mid September Update*










As you can see we have had some nice grass growing weather this month. Even got a nice soaking rain! Over a period of 5 days it was cloudy, cool, and wet.

Day 97 Mow 2"

Day 101 Mow 2"

Day 102 Put down 10-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of .48 N/P/K per M. My Last P/K app of the year. Straight spoon feeding foliar apps of Urea from here on out.

Day 106 A couple of pics on day 5 of clouds/mist. Nothing greens up a yard like a good rain. I think we are something like 5 inches behind normal for rainfall this year.



















Day 107 Mow 2" and sprayed .23 N per M from Urea

Day 108-109 I leveled off a few low spots around the driveway and sidewalk with a 2/3 sand 1/3 topsoil mixture. Threw down a little more seed and topped it off with a little peat moss. Before I seeded this spring I was unable to get more topsoil from the local rock yard to fill in the low spots because they told me for a week straight that the dirt was too wet. I said to hell with them and figured I'd fill it in later. I had a couple of spots I damaged with the mower in my square hell strip area. The lip was too high on the sidewalk and I spun the rear wheels tearing up the grass so I decided to redo the whole area.




























Day 111 Bonus Pic!










Day 112 (Today!) going to mow 2" and spray .23 N per M from Urea with .2 oz per M FEature. Excited to see if I can push this Bluebank KBG even darker


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Amazing progress in such a short period of time.


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## gregfromohio (Aug 14, 2019)

Looks amazing! The bluebank dark color is phenomenal. I wanted to go with a bluebank mono stand but I threw in some mazama and bewitched because of my shade. Are you going to have to trench through that beautiful grass to run your downspout lines?

Also, definitely interested to see the results or the FEature application!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

FEautre Update:

4 days ago I put down FEature at 2 oz/M rate and Urea at .25 N/M rate. I ran out of mix before I was able to finish so I had to mix up a couple of gallons of straight Urea to finish my last couple passes. I need to drive faster. I was trying to keep it at about 3.8 but I think I need to be closer to 4.1 mph to put down 1 gallon/M. Starting and stopping to create my control zone probably didn't help as I was a little heavy on either side.

I was able to get a nice soak in on the yard this morning. The wind blew non-stop for the last 2-3 days.

Here are a couple of pics 4 days post FEature application. Can you see the control spot? I think it is easier to see in person. Also, the lawn hasn't fully matured at the same rate so there still are some color variations. 


















Control pics coming in the next post!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

What a beautiful lawn - and it's just getting better!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Control pics:



















Bonus lot line pic! My neighbor needs to sharpen his blades. He is shredding his grass. The top 1/8" to 1/4" is just a dead, shredded end. That is what is making such a drastic contrast.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

he's an a-hole because he stands no chance in competing with you!


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

That is come serious contrast between your neighbor's property! :thumbsup:


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## tilsonturf (Aug 19, 2019)

Spectacular lawn. What is the grey landscape you're using? Lines look crisp.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

tilsonturf said:


> Spectacular lawn. What is the grey landscape you're using? Lines look crisp.


It's concrete curbing. So it is one continuous curb all the way around the house. It has a pretty good sized wire embedded in it so it shouldn't move, hopefully ever. I have a couple pics of us putting it in on the first page.


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

End of September update:

No measurable rainfall for the last 3 weeks. The dry spells this year have been incredible. Driving around town many lawns look barren and I wonder if they'll come back. I have a feeling a lot of roots got cooked. We had a nice hard freeze last night. It was 28 degrees and my 4am watering was frozen on the grass. Mowing at 2" about every 6-7 days to let it grow out a little bit to see if some of the thin areas fill in better that way.

Applied an app of granular Maxlawn lawn food at a .5N-0P-.07K on day 117 and sprayed .23N from urea on day 123. It was nice and warm high 50s and calm so I sprayed around 10AM. I didn't run the sprinklers until later on that night after the wind died down and I did notice some tip burn the next day. Not much but it was there even with the cool temps and low N amount. Chopped them off the next day.

I am going to post Day 16-Day 74-Day 125 pics for comparison to see a timeline of the growth back to back to back. FYI Day 16 was June 14, Day 74 was Aug 11, and Day 125 was Oct 1.

Day 16








Day 74








Day 125









Day 16








Day74








Day125









Day 16








Day 74








Day 125









Day 16








Day 74








Day 125









Day 16








Day 74








Day 125


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This looks like a sod farm. Hopefully you are on a well, because the water bill during this year dry spell can be high.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Looks great my BlueBank brother!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

I had a slight panic attack Sunday morning. I looked out the back and saw this.










My first thought was fungus and I was going to lose the entire yard. Turns out there was a spider hatch and there were thousands of baby spiders all over the yard. Their webs were covered with a light frost which made them very noticeable. Crisis averted. I have never been so happy to have spiders in my life!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Putting the lawn to bed tomorrow and blowing out the sprinkler. Extended forecast is cold. A lot of highs in the 40s and 50s and dropping below freezing just about every night.

Today is Day 140. We're a long way away from the 100 degree heat and 30-40 mph winds I was fighting shortly after seed down. Overall I am very pleased with the Bluebank KBG. It has GREAT color. Overall inputs this year were 7.15-2.74-2.46 (N-P-K) lbs per M with 4.33 N coming since mid-August during the blitz. I had one more app of urea planned but it looks like Mother Nature has other plans.

I'm already looking forward to next spring. I have a few areas that need to do some filling in yet and hopefully that takes off in the spring. A couple small areas I am going to reseed/overseed. I think they are low spots where water gathered and I never could get much to come up. A few sprinkler heads need to be dig up and straightened out or raised or lowered. Otherwise I think I've got the irrigation system pretty dialed in.

My Father-in-Law is unhappy with his 'low-mow' sod he laid down 15 years ago. He gave it a shot of Roundup a couple weeks ago and told me to do to his yard exactly what I did to mine. So we have another project for next spring! Stay tuned for that. I am already putting a plan together for him. I'll likely throw his reno into my year 2 journal. It's going to be a long winter!


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## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Follow along with my 2021 journal!

KoopHawk 2021 Lawn Journey Plus FIL Reno


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