# Eddie's 2020 Fall Renovation



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Summary

General Information
Location: Lexington Park, MD (Southern Maryland)
Lawn Size: ~4500ft2
Grass Type: Tall Fescue

Renovation Timeline
June 12, 2020 - Had soil tested. Results below.
Sept 11, 2020 - Lawn was tall and had a lot of weeds. Mowed on highest setting and bagged the clippings. Didn't want to till the tops of the weeds into the soil (assumed to have a lot of weed seeds?) (~1.5 hr)
Sept 12, 202 - Mowed lawn at the lowest setting, did not bag clippings. (~ 2 hrs)
Sept 12, 2020 - Began tilling lawn with push tiller in first direction (~ 4 hrs)
Sept 13, 2020 - Finished tilling lawn with push tiller in first direction (~ 8 hrs)
Sept 14, 2020 - Had 16 yards of double screened 1/4" top soil mixed with compost from Culluson Excavation LLC
Sept 14, 2020 - Graded yard
Sept 14, 2020 - Began laying down top soil at an ~1" depth. Plan to have ~4 yards leftover to use to level/smooth out yard after it settles (~ 2hrs)
Sept 16, 2020 - Finished laying down top soil
Sept 19, 2020 - Put down fertilizer and lime
Sept 20, 2020 - Began tilling perpendicular to direction tilled the first time (~ 5 hrs)
Sept 21, 2020 - Finished tilling perpendicular to direction tilled the first time (~5 hrs)
Sept 21, 2020 - Began smoothing soil (~ 2 hrs)
Sept 22, 2020 - Finished smoothing soil (~ 6 hrs)
Sept 23, 2020 - Seed down
Sept 24, 2020 - Rake soil with tine lawn rake (2 hrs)
Sep 29, 2020 - Germination Day!!
Oct 05, 2020 - Re-Seeded next to the house
Oct 14, 2020 - 1st Overseed: Re-seeded bare spots in front and lightly overseeded backyard
October 17, 2020 -2nd overseeding of most the reno
October 18, 2020 - First application of Nitrogen (~0.2 lb/Kft)
October 25, 2020 - 1st Overseed Germination!! (estimated)
October 27, 2020 - Second application of Nitrogen (~0.2 lb/Kft)
October 31, 2020 - Put down 40 lb/Kft of lime (200 lbs)
November 06, 2020 - Third application of nitrogen (~0.2 lb/Kft)
November 10, 2020 - Apply Prodiamine (PreEm)
March 21, 2021 - Apply Prodiamine (PreEm) and spot seed dirt patches

Equiptment
Tiller


Fertilizer/Lime/Seed


Lessons Learned
1) Don't roll dirt when it's wet
2) Leveling after tilling is difficult. Better to let settle for a while, then add soil on top to smooth
3) Ground cover is more important than I thought to help keep seeds moist when first put down. Use peat moss, mulch, or top soil next time.
4) Need to better prepare irrigation system to water several times a day when seed is first layer down
5) Tilling top soil into the dirt was probably unnecessary as my soil test results showed a high enough level of organic matter (>3%)(ref). Next time I would simply kill off all the grass, level out the ground with top soil, and plant.
6) Apply Pre-Emergent way before the weeds germinate (like in February). Weeds started to appear March 15, 2021
7) Use the Soil Remediation Guide to determine max rates to apply fertilizers

Ask the Experts (UMD)

New Lawn - Weeds During Germination (https://ask.extension.org/questions/693043)
Lime Application Rate for Lawn Renovation (https://ask2.extension.org/tickets.php?id=676798)
Seasonal Watering Requirements (https://ask2.extension.org/tickets.php?id=677010)
 Fall/Winter Leaf Coverage (https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=677935)
 Appying Herbicide in Winter (https://ask2.extension.org/tickets.php?id=678435)
 Browning Spots All Over (https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=756186)
 Odd looking grass after mowing (https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=776160)
 Why does the new grass I planted have such variety? (https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?a=search&q=Why+does+the+new+grass+I+planted+have+such+variety)
 Was 2021 a short growing season? (https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=777426)
[*] Negligible Roots in Core Soil Sample (https://ask2.extension.org/tickets.php?id=783176)

Soil Sampling: Midwest Labs


> We will need a minimum of 2 cups 1-1.5 cups of soil or about a quart size bag filled halfway. When collecting the sample from your yard, you'll want to go to 4 or 5 sections, and using a spade or shovel, take a vertical slice of soil, approximately 6 inches deep, from each section. Combine the samples in a clean, plastic container. From the combined sample, place about two cups into a plastic Ziploc baggie. Please make sure the roots are removed. In regards to organic matter, you don't have to pick through it to get all of that out. Just make sure the soil is mixed well from your collection spots. When the soil is received, we dry it down and then grind the material to a fine sieve for the lab analysis. No, you don't need to break the clumps up. Just mix what's collected and then that should give you a good composite sample of the area collected.
> Please be sure to have your sample order form included with your soil, so that we can begin processing it upon arrival. You can either create your order form to print through your MyLab account
> Mailing Address: Midwest Laboratories, Inc. 13611 B Street, Omaha, NE 68144


Perdue recommends sampling to a depth of 3" for turf: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-71-W.pdf
UMD recommends sampling to a depth of 4" for turf: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/soil-testing-and-soil-testing-labs

Sprinkler Advice

Impact sprinklers do not provide even coverage (i.e. the amount of water put down changes with the radius. This problem can be exasperated by low water pressure. This can be cause by small hoses (radius) over long runs). To deal with this, use multiple sprinklers with "head to head" coverage" (i.e. sprinklers are placed their throw distance from each other)
Irrigation King Recommended Sprinklers for home with ~15 gpm and 40-60 psi at the spigot
-https://www.irrigationking.com/senninger-xcel-wobbler-3-4-mid-angle-6-3-32.html (Wobblers provide very even spray. Should be put on a 12-24" riser)
-https://www.irrigationking.com/sprinklers/senninger-sprinklers/1-2-senninger-20-series-impact-sprinkler-23-6-9.html
-https://www.irrigationking.com/sprinklers/brass-sprinklers/1-2-part-circle-brass-impact-sprinkler-25-w-nozzle-5-32.html


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

June 20 Soil Test Results

Took 8 samples around my yard, mixed in a bowl, and sent in about 2 cups of dirt in a zip lock bag.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

June 11 - Before

This is before I mowed my lawn with the deck at the highest setting.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

June 12, 2020 - After mowing lawn on highest deck setting


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 13, 2020 - After first tilling

This is after I (almost) finished tilling the soil in the first direction. Tiller used is in the image.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 16, 2020 - Finished laing down top soil


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 19, 2020 - Put down fertilizer and lime

Based on my soil test results, I put down the following

22.87 lbs 20-20-20 (MD limits nitrogen application to 0.9 lbs/1000 ft2 per application)
10 lbs 0-46-0 (will put another 7.99 lbs later, I didn't have enough)
9.900 lbs 0-0-60
253.85 lbs lime


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 21, 2020 - Finished 2nd tilling perpendicular

Tilled the soil perpendicular to the direction I did the first time to get the lines I missed (left some grass in the ground previously) also worked in the soil amendments. Tilling was much easier the second time.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 22, 2020 - Finished final grading 

Smoothed everything out with a landscape rake. Soil was still fairly bumpy but I'm hoping that works itself out with time.


----------



## dwaugh (Aug 25, 2020)

eball said:


> June 12, 2020 - After mowing lawn on highest deck setting


That looks way better than my lawn  What seed are you planting?


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Sept 23, 2020 - Seed Down

Vitality Double Coverage Seed down at 7 lbs/1000 ft (~ 35 lbs total). Put seed down in multiple directions to get an even spread. Used 8-9 setting on Scott's broadcast spreader.

Tried to lightly rake the seed with landscape rake & tine lawn rake in but the soil was so dry and hard, it felt like I was doing more harm than good (bunching up the seeds) so I stopped.

Watered the soil to get it wet then tried to roll it with a water roller. Worst idea ever. The roller did help press the seed into the soil a little, and smooth out the solid a little, but the soil started sticking to the water barrel. It started to pick up the top layer of soil and move it. Ended up having to re-seed certain spots where it was bad. Stopped rolling halfway through my lawn. Would have been better to not use the roller at all or not water soil before using the roller (I think my soil has to much clay mixed in to do wet).

Seed Information
Purchased from Lanescape Supply (delivered from Chesapeake Valley Seed? https://chesapeakevalleyseed.com)
https://www.landscapesupplyva.com/
671 Commerce Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
240-547-4614

https://vitalityseed.com/products/double-coverage


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Watering Plan

Plan is to water as often as possible to keep the seeds wet until they reach a 2-inch height, backing off of night watering after germination.

After grass reaches 2 inches, taper to watering 1-2 inches total per week in 1-2 applications (want to get soil 4-6 inches down moist).

After lawn is well established, water on an as needed basis (https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/watering-lawns)


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

September 24, 2020

Decided to rake my lawn with a tine lawn rake because the seeds looked like they were all sitting on top of the soil. Made a pass in each direction to try and keep the seeds spread evenly.


----------



## Jtgorman75 (Jul 31, 2019)

Not planning to cover seeds with anything? Straw, peat moss, pelletized mulch, etc..


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Jtgorman75 said:


> Not planning to cover seeds with anything? Straw, peat moss, pelletized mulch, etc..


Hello Jtgorman75! Thanks for checking out my lawn journal.

I wasn't planning on covering it. My understanding was covering just helps keep moisture in. Ad since we're teleworking, I can water as much as I want so I figured that wasn't a big problem. Would you recommend I do even tho I out the seeds down a week ago?

-Thanks!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

September 29, 2020

Germination day! (Front yard)


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

September 30, 2020

1 DAG


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 1, 2020

2 DAG

Areas in the shade near the house seem to not be growing as heavily. Considering adding some seed (https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=23891&p=338083#p338083).


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

dwaugh said:


> eball said:
> 
> 
> > June 12, 2020 - After mowing lawn on highest deck setting
> ...


Haha @dwaugh, that's the grass I took out!! ...maybe I should have kept it lol


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 5, 2020

Decided to re-seed the areas close to the house that did not seem to have much growth. From the replies I got on another thread this might have been a bit too hasty in laying down more seed.

I covered the seed with a very light layer of topsoil to help hold it in place. (I thought maybe it washed away before). I'm thinking it might be more important to keep the seed wet that I had thought.

Re-Seed Bad Area 1


Re-Seed Bad Area 2


I also re-seeded next to my house in the side yard (no picture)


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 6, 2020

6 DAG


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 6, 2020

7 DAG
13 Days after seed down

Starting to see some weeds pop up all over the lawn. Not sure what to do about them :?


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 7, 2020

9 DAG
15 Days after seed down


----------



## jamesonw (May 3, 2019)

Cool! Looks like you timed your window just right as far as germination and not worrying about washouts. That's some good luck on your side. I'm seeing weed pressure as well, and similar to those small guys with 4/5 broad leaves. I trust what winter doesn't get, pre-emergent and some 2/4-D and other broadleaf herbicides will get. Don't sweat it, from what I'm thinking, push growth and feed all of it, spot spray if there's time. Great reno, and great work put in!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

Hey @jamesonw !! Thanks for checking out my journal and thanks for the kudos!

What are 4/5 broad leaves?

My goal is to do exactly what you are suggesting: get as much growth as possible before Winter! haha


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 12, 2020

14 DAG
20 Days after seed down

And the rain rain rain came down down down

Lots of rain. Found some low spots that I need to fill in:


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 14, 2020

16 DAG
22 Days after seed down

October 15 is the recommended cutoff day to put seed down in Maryland so I overseeded my entire backyard with a broadcast spreader going N-S and E-W on the "3" setting for the spreader. I talked with UMDs Ask and Expert and they said I may be able to put down seed a little later since I'm in Southern Maryland.





Filled in the low spots and mixed in seed.


----------



## jamesonw (May 3, 2019)

eball said:


> Hey @jamesonw !! Thanks for checking out my journal and thanks for the kudos!
> 
> What are 4/5 broad leaves?
> 
> My goal is to do exactly what you are suggesting: get as much growth as possible before Winter! haha


Sorry, I was not clear there. I meant to say 4 or 5 leaves on the weed plant. 
Either way, I'm guessing they won't survive through winter and next spring a 3 way herbicide should take care of them if they return. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. 
Sorry about the rain. That's always a bit of a bummer. Low spots always make things trickier too. At least now you know where to watch out for some disease pressure.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

jamesonw said:


> Sorry, I was not clear there. I meant to say 4 or 5 leaves on the weed plant.
> Either way, I'm guessing they won't survive through winter and next spring a 3 way herbicide should take care of them if they return. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.
> Sorry about the rain. That's always a bit of a bummer. Low spots always make things trickier too. At least now you know where to watch out for some disease pressure.


O okay no worries! Thanks for the clarification. When you say I can use a 3 way herbicide, is that the same thing as 2/4-D? And would you suggest putting BOTH a pre-emergent down and a 3 way herbicide? Or just the 3 way herbicide in the bad areas?

Yeah, when I was mowing my lawn today I realized that I may be significantly over watering it recently. It was squishy in a large portion of my backyard, to the point I was sinking in some spots (tho those spots tended to be the areas where I had tilled/dig a lot deeper when I was leveling the lawn, so it may be further from settled).


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 15, 2020

17 DAG
23 Days after seed down

1 Day after overseed down. Debating if I should put more down before it gets to cold?? :?

First mow today!! I Cut it to about 2.5" because the lawn mower kept catching hight spots at 2" :roll:





Finally putting up some pics of the backyard. Decided to only cut the right half because of how wet the rest of the lawn was. The area around the sprinkler and tree have a lot less coverage. I I think there is less coverage around the tree because of the shade but still not sure why the center of my yard is having trouble.


----------



## jamesonw (May 3, 2019)

2, 4-D is one of the more active ingredients, along with dicamba and Mecoprop. They target broad leaf weeds selectively without causing too much stress to the lawn. Avoid spraying over 85 degrees or you will smoke whatever you put it on. I think you're best spraying on established lawns, which sometime in the spring you will be good to go. 
My plan going forward is to let winter take care of many of the annuals. Come spring I'm going to put down a pre-emergent. As spring rolls on and broadleaf weeds (winter annuals) pop up, spot spray with a 3 way/2,4-D, broadleaf killer (they're similar). Long story short, pre-emergent and spot spray, u less it's rampant with weeds popping up, if it's over say 10/15% weeds, go with a blanket spray.
Hey, low spots happen and it's just the balance of keeping the germination rates as high as you possibly can. I definitely have plenty of areas that some germination did not happen because of more sun and drier conditions. Some spots collected some run off from the slope and caused poor germination/seed rot. Things look great for you. Smile at the positives and know you can always push it with nitrogen and more seed in the fall if needed. Great conversation man!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

jamesonw said:


> 2, 4-D is one of the more active ingredients, along with dicamba and Mecoprop. They target broad leaf weeds selectively without causing too much stress to the lawn. Avoid spraying over 85 degrees or you will smoke whatever you put it on. I think you're best spraying on established lawns, which sometime in the spring you will be good to go.
> My plan going forward is to let winter take care of many of the annuals. Come spring I'm going to put down a pre-emergent. As spring rolls on and broadleaf weeds (winter annuals) pop up, spot spray with a 3 way/2,4-D, broadleaf killer (they're similar). Long story short, pre-emergent and spot spray, u less it's rampant with weeds popping up, if it's over say 10/15% weeds, go with a blanket spray.
> Hey, low spots happen and it's just the balance of keeping the germination rates as high as you possibly can. I definitely have plenty of areas that some germination did not happen because of more sun and drier conditions. Some spots collected some run off from the slope and caused poor germination/seed rot. Things look great for you. Smile at the positives and know you can always push it with nitrogen and more seed in the fall if needed. Great conversation man!


I like the attitude! Thanks for the positive vibes Haha, I should look more at the positives. The front is coming in great!

If come spring time it looks thin, would you overseed with the pre-emergent? Or wait until the fall as you recommended above?

Also, when you say blanket spray, do you mean spray the whole yard with the 2,4-D?

I really appreciate all the advice! Thanks!!


----------



## jamesonw (May 3, 2019)

Pre-emergent will prevent seed germination in good (desirable grasses: bluegrass, fescue, perennial rye for us cool season-ers) and undesirable seeds (weed seeds: crabgrass). It's one or the other if you want to seed in the spring, then don't apply a pre-emergent; if you want to push the grass to thicken up and try to gain a foothold over crabgrass apply a pre-emergent when soil temps are approaching 55 in the spring. Since I had a large amount of bluegrass I planted (bluegrass will spread through rhizomes, plants like perennial rye and fescue are bunch type that will thicken from the primary plant, but won't fill in large holes unless overseeded) I will push that to spread as much as I can. I also brought in a lot of fill soil (new construction), in turn I would like to prevent crabgrass from establishing, I'm going to apply a pre-emergent in the spring and apply several rounds of nitrogen to push what I have established come spring. 
My backup plan was to do a dormant seed, but I think I have been lucky with the weather and decent germination all around. I'll overseed with more of the regenerating perennial rye next fall, depending on how things look then. That's a long ways away though and who knows how summer will go. 
Blanket spray in my mind, is walking the lawn similar to mowing and spraying patches of areas that have more weed pressure. Spot spraying to me, is more of the walking back and forth just hitting single weed plants. I guess they're probably one in the same, I'm not the most knowledgeable on here, not by a long shot. I think you can spray the entire lawn with selective herbicides, but I haven't ever had the need to hit everything. I want thicker grass to prevent weeds and not rely too much on herbicides, but it's always a battle. I think the main goal of using a herbicide is to use the right rate and the right time so the plant is dead and not increasing resistance to certain ingredients.
I look forward to keeping up with your journal man!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

@jamesonw , again, makes sense to me, thanks for the advice! I took a look at your renovation and can't wait to see how it turns out as well!!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 17, 2020

19 DAG
25 Days after seed down

3 Day after 1st overseed down

0 Days after 2nd over seed down

Decided to put a little more seed down. Got a lot of rain yesterday and am leaning towards thinking too much seed is better than too little.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 18, 2020

20 DAG
26 Days after seed down

4 Day after 1st overseed down

1 Days after 2nd over seed down

Put down ~2.5 lbs of Urea (49-0-0) which is about 0.2 lbs/1000. I used the Scott's Mini broadcast sprayer doing 2 passes on the 2 setting and 1 pass on the 2.5 setting. I'll plan to put the same amount down again in about a week (October 27).


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 21, 2020

23 DAG
29 Days after seed down

7 Day after 1st overseed down

4 Days after 2nd overseed down


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 23, 2020

25 DAG
31 Days after seed down

9 Day after 1st overseed down

6 Days after 2nd overseed down

2nd mow!!! First time mowing the whole backyard!!







I'm seeing chickweed pop up all throughout my lawn. I find it odd that it's growing the best in areas that also have the thickest grass (but I guess if the conditions are good for the grass, maybe they're good for the chickweed as well...):



Next to the tree is still having trouble. I think it's because of the shadow it casts:



This is my biggest trouble spot at the moment. It always seems to be very wet despite being one of the higher points on my lawn. Some of the grass looks duller, almost a pale grey. Not sure what to do about this :? : (EDIT: I'm starting to think this is funus? Maybe I should have applied propiconazole?)


----------



## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

I am seeing a similar chickweed outbreak. I know that they drop a lot of seeds here in the winter and can come back very heavy in the spring. I'm not sure if I want to try to do something about it now in my reno using chemical or just hand pick what I can now and rely on pre-m.


----------



## PrisizhuhnRedNek (Sep 30, 2020)

@Lust4Lawn @eball

I too have that chickweed problem, in the very thick grass areas as well. Will winter take care of it? I am still reluctant to spray any herbicides and plan on waiting for spring.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

@Lust4Lawn and @PrisizhuhnRedNek

Here is the advice UMD experts gave to me. It sounds to me like they recommend concentrating on getting your lawn as thick as possible in both the Fall and Spring, and if the Chickweed competing too much to use herbicide at that point. I think that's what I'm going to do. If after a month or so into Spring the Chickweed doesn't seem like it's being choked out by the lawn, I'll try to apply a targeted herbicide (unless of course, someone says this is a terrible idea haha).


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 27, 2020

35 Days after seed down
29 DAG

13 Day after 1st overseed down
2 DAG

10 Days after 2nd overseed down

Applied a second application of Nitrogen (Urea) at the same rate as last time (~0.2lb/1000 sq. ft.)

Backyard:





Frontyard:





Spots I fixed a 13 days ago have germinated (1st oversees)!!





But these fixes are not going as well I the front where there is a lot more shade


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 29, 2020

36 Days after seed down
30 DAG

14 Day after 1st overseed down
3 DAG

10 Days after 2nd overseed down

Heavy rain today. Probably should have held off putting the Nitrogen down. I'm afraid a lot of it got washed away


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

October 31, 2020

38 Days after seed down
32 DAG

Put down 200 lbs of lime (~40lbs/Kft). That leaves about 13 lbs/Kft remaining to reach the soil recommendations. Will probably wait for the next soil results to determine how much lime to put down.


----------



## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

eball said:


> October 31, 2020
> 
> Put down 200 lbs of lime (~40lbs/Kft). That leaves about 13 lbs/Kft remaining to reach the soil recommendations. Will probably wait for the next soil results to determine how much lime to put down.


Lime doesn't dissolve and incorporate in the soil as fast as the macro nutrients so keep that in mind when you do the next soil test. If it said 50lbs then after putting in that much I would give it atleast 2 years or so to see it's full effect. You can do continous small apps each year to maintain though.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

uts said:


> Lime doesn't dissolve and incorporate in the soil as fast as the macro nutrients so keep that in mind when you do the next soil test. If it said 50lbs then after putting in that much I would give it atleast 2 years or so to see it's full effect. You can do continous small apps each year to maintain though.


O wow, didn't realize I'd have to wait that long! Thanks for the tip @uts! That must be what this white stuff is that's clumping together:


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

November 06, 2020

44 Days after seed down
38 DAG

Put down 2.5 lbs of Urea (46-0-0) equating to about 0.2 lb/Kft. Used the 5 setting on the spreader and it was good if I only wanted to do 1 pass. Need to drop it if I want to two passes 90 deg to one another.

UpdatedLawn Pictures

















Been using these bowls to measure the rate this rainbird sprinkler is putting down water at different radii.








I'm beginning to think that the spots that have poor grown are from being over watered. Near the fence, it gets a lot more water because the water drips down the fence, same kinda thing under the tree. Other spots I think are just low, and the water tends to pool there. I think I may wait to fix this issue next Fall and just worry about fighting weeds this Spring/Summer


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

November 10, 2020

49 Days after seed down
43 DAG

Put down ~0.1 lb of Barricade 65WG (~0.02 lb/1000). Supposed to have at least 0.5 inches of rain after application and were supposed to get like 1-2 inches tomorrow.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

November 14, 2020

53 Days after seed down
47 DAG

Lawns growth is slowing down (tall fescue tend to go dormant below 50 and above 90). Debating putting any Nitrogen down, but decided to put down 1.25 lb of Urea ("quick release Nitrogen") which is about 0.1 lb/1000. MD fertilizer lawn for my reference:



> No lawn fertilizer may be applied between December 1 and March 1. From November 16 through December 1 only watersoluble nitrogen (no slow release) may be applied to lawns at a maximum rate of ½ pound per 1,000 square feet.


Updated Lawn Pictures after Mowing to 2.5" HOC


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

November 19, 2020

58 Days after seed down
52 DAG

First major frost of the year this morning. I don't plan to put any more nitrogen down (presumably grass growth will be stunted and the grass is more likely to go dormant). Probably get 1 more cut in.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

December 3, 2020

72 Days after seed down
66 DAG

Mowed my lawn for the last time about 2 weeks ago. Decided to not mow again and leave the grass in a susceptible state as it's not growing much. Also decided that removing all the leaves wasn't necessary as they didn't cover the lawn too uch. Lawn currently at 2-3" depending on what blade of grass you measure.

I'll be applying pre-em in the Spring along with a herbicide to kill off weeds that grew during the renovation. I'll oversee in the fall and replant areas that had poor growth.

Updated Lawn Pictures Prior to Winter


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

March 10, 2021

Took 9 samples to a depth of about 5". Probably should go a little shallower next time (3-4"). Sample locations indicated below:



Most of my lawn looked like this, where I cut it to about 2.5" before winter.



Surprisingly, this grass that I did not cut so low before winter looks a lot greener/healthier, so maybe don't cut the grass as low next winter.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

March 15, 2021

Weeds starting to sprout.


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

March 21, 2021

Applying prodiamine (PreEm) at a rate of 1 lb/acre. Tried to avoid areas where I was spot seeding.

Repaired rut caused by FedEx truck.

Before


After


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

March 29, 2021

Applied 1.1 oz/1000 of 4-Speed XT


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

March 30, 2021

Applied 20 lb/1000 of lime

Applied {0.25, 0.04, 0.15} lb/1000 of {Urea, Triple Super Phosphate, and Phosphate of Potash} resp. Spoon feeding new lawn based on advice this advice



> Spring
> The lawn is starting to wake up from the winter break. There might be some matted down grass and some snow mold. A light rake will help it get some air, but be careful of causing damage by raking too much. The winter winds could bring some debri so it is good to pick up any leaf piles. Give the mower a tune up and fresh gas. Avoid the urge to apply too much nitrogen at this time. Nitrogen will promote grow but it will sacrifice the carbohydrates the plant stored for the summer, so understand the tradeoff. Try to manage a healthy grow of around 1in of leaf/week. If you do apply nitrogen, go for a low rate of 0.25lb of N/ksqft of a fast source (aka spoon feeding) and monitor the lawn. Once the warmer temps get to the soil, some of the organic matter breakdown will provide naturally provide nitrogen and you can get too much growth. The closer to the transition zone, the more likely that you will need nitrogen in the spring.
> 
> "I'm new" or "I just moved to this house" or "I did not apply nitrogen in the fall" or "This is a renovation" or "I had some winter damage", in your case then yes try to promote growth since there are no carbs in the roots. Try to get that 1in of new growth/week. Give it more nitrogen if it is struggling to get there and/or dial it back if it is growing too much. Using spoon feedings allows you to quickly adjust as the weather/conditions change.


from Cool Season Lawn Guide


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

April 04, 2021

The herbicide seems to be working on the 3 main types of weeds I got!!!


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

April 05, 2021

First mow of the year!! The grass seemed to really green up and grow the next day after mowing.



> Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots. (https://www.customlawn.com/blog/avoid-these-top-10-lawn-mowing-mistakes/#:~:text=Mowing%20actually%20helps%20make%20your,grow%20thicker%20near%20the%20roots.)






The new grass I planted also seems to be growing! Not as heavily as I had hoped, but I'm sure I hit some of it with the pre-emergent so I'm not sure if i should be happy or sad haha


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

April 04, 2021

Put down another 0.25 lb/1000 N and the rest of what was recommended for Phosphate and Potassium. I think I might have put down too much PK at once according to the Soil Remediation Guide



> *Phosphorous*
> If your phosphorus is low, then you can use:
> 
> Triple superphosphate (TSP) 0-46-0 - Apply at 2lb/ksqft every month the soil is growing
> ...


----------



## eball (Jun 29, 2020)

April 13, 2021

Applied ~0.43 lb/1000 of Nitrogen. Intended to only apply 0.25 but had spreader set on 4 and it spread the uras too fast. This is probably because the last few times I mixed in the Sulphate of Potash and Triple Super Phosphate which has larger granulars.


----------

