# Lawndress's Shady Nook 2021



## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Might as well put in my own.... To

I'm doing 100 percent of my own lawn for the first time this year. I've been more of a gardener only before.

I really want the front yard to shape up this year. The back is probably going to have some septic work soon, and I've finally finished making holes in the front for a new well pump, hydrant, etc.

From the front stoop:



This actually looks a ton better than last year, even though I didn't overseed.

A close up of the current sad state:



That's the worst of the main front yard. The side front yard is worse, though, because the shade is so deep.

This lawn desperately needs leveling. We've had all sorts of digging done out there, and it's left it's mark, along with all the removed trees over the years.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

And today I did the whole paved ditch/gutter that starts one neighbor over and ends one neighbor over. I'm the only one to bother to dig it out, usually. One neighbor is elderly, and the other is kinda having a difficult time right now.

My section just needed a little weeding.



You can see the elderly neighbor's on the charity lawn thread.

The far end was almost totally blocked, though.

Before:



After:



As I said, I'm mostly a gardener. My front bed, which is kinda between blooms:



Some of the driveway bed:





I need a new driveway, but that's not happening until remodeling is totally over.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Did work around the yard and mowed. Got the pots planted and a bunch of shrubs in the ground.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Mowed 2 days ago. Watered today. Threw down some fertilizer. Planted 4 shrubs. The tenacity seems to have hurt some of my grass...not sure what type.

Shrubs:



My kid's tomato:



Flowers that were pruned:


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## Lumalux (Aug 23, 2019)

Very pretty yard.


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## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Very nice photos - and best wishes for getting your lawn where you want it. This is for sure the best place on the web for Q&A without the sales pitch. I'm having good luck with SpeedZone herbicide so give that one a try if your find something Tenacity won't kill. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend a soil test. Getting your pH in the right zone ( between 6 to 7) is really important to make sure you're not wasting time and money on fertilizer. Fertilizers are not very effective if your pH is out of that range.

I likegetting soil tests from a local university extension office or https://www.spectrumanalytic.com/ I want accurate results accurate results without the sales pitch... I haven't used spetrum analytic but I don't think they push any name brand products. I used the University of MO this spring... no sales pitch, just the facts.

There are lots of people on the forum who can help interpret the soil test results if needed, however the soil test itself should come with some instructions on how to adjust pH if needed, and how much Phos or Potassium should be applied to optimize your soil for the lawn you want to grow.

Best of luck!


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## nnnnnate (Apr 23, 2020)

Do you have a background in gardening or has it just been a hobby that you've learned about over the years? I'm jealous of your space and the mature trees. I look forward to seeing more of your yard and the progress you make on the lawn.


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## kdxkid (Jun 8, 2020)

Ok - any idea what could be wrong. Yes - concur it looks super thin. I was really hoping to not need to cut it down but probably leaning that way now.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Lumalux said:


> Very pretty yard.


Oh thanks! I'm a silly and haven't been checking this at all.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

johnklein25 said:


> Very nice photos - and best wishes for getting your lawn where you want it. This is for sure the best place on the web for Q&A without the sales pitch. I'm having good luck with SpeedZone herbicide so give that one a try if your find something Tenacity won't kill. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend a soil test. Getting your pH in the right zone ( between 6 to 7) is really important to make sure you're not wasting time and money on fertilizer. Fertilizers are not very effective if your pH is out of that range.
> 
> I likegetting soil tests from a local university extension office or https://www.spectrumanalytic.com/ I want accurate results accurate results without the sales pitch... I haven't used spetrum analytic but I don't think they push any name brand products. I used the University of MO this spring... no sales pitch, just the facts.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I have done one app of Speedzone already this year and one app of some Bayer stuff I already had that had 3 of the 4 ingredients because I put it up in the wrong place. Lol.

Here is progress now....



I got a soil test a few years ago when I wasn't adding anything and hadn't been and my phosphorus was almost too high. So I avoid anything with it.

Other than that, my soil is super acidic. So a large part of my lawn's struggles has been due to not doing anything about that. Or adding iron, which it desperately needs. And having the menfolk do the lawn work because they hate it and do things that damage it badly quite often and won't mow often enough. And not watering it at all. And not fertilizing it more than once every few years....

I added the annual application of pH correcting stuff (Mag-i-cal) before doing anything else.  You're right--dont want to throw that away!

Pics more like my originals:





Progress is pretty obvious even though I had to stop mid mow today because of the rain.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

nnnnnate said:


> Do you have a background in gardening or has it just been a hobby that you've learned about over the years? I'm jealous of your space and the mature trees. I look forward to seeing more of your yard and the progress you make on the lawn.


Weeeell I knew about all the plants that grew in my native central Texas. Then I moved to the high country mountains and had to relearn everything. Then I moved to the Mid-Atlantic and I had to relearn everything again.

My method for learning about new plants and new places is to buy huge numbers of discount plants from the sad racks and just stick them in the ground. Literally nothing beats actually growing stuff!


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

And here was the second almost bald view 6 weeks ago or so....



This is the absolute worst area. You can see how much it has filled in since then.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

And approximately the same area as the patchy bit at the top now looks like this:



Slow improvement. No dandelions anymore, btw. Just most of everything else still....


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

This is hilarious. Look at the line where the poa supina dominant lawn gives out to the fescues:


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## Alisonpv (Apr 6, 2021)

Lawndress said:


> This is hilarious. Look at the line where the poa supina dominant lawn gives out to the fescues:


Hahaha! I love it  go go supina!!!


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Alisonpv said:


> Lawndress said:
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Heat is coming...we will see how it goes when I baby it through the summer!


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## Alisonpv (Apr 6, 2021)

Lawndress said:


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Texas has to be tough. How much/often do you water and fertilize? I'm still getting the hang of it.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Alisonpv said:


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Oh, I'm new Washington, DC now. lol.

Texas was super easy. Had St Augustinegrass and an irrigation system. That's basically cheating. I hand-weeded some obnoxious daisy-like weeds, but other than that, a bright green monostand only requires a bit of fertilizer.

These bunch grasses that take reseeding are like my worst nightmare. I feel like they are constantly trying to die on me! I will freely admit that this is one of the reasons I love the poa supina--anything with stolons or rhizomes is like my best friend in the world.

I've been spoon-feeding fertilizer, and I'm going to take a risk with the supina because it's really hungry and keep going through summer. I got 2#/M down in spring and I'll do another 2#/M in fall and will spoonfeed .5-1 over summer.

I water so that the yard gets a minimum of an inch per week. It's the only thing I use the Scott's lawn app for.


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## Alisonpv (Apr 6, 2021)

Lawndress said:


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Just double checking - 2 pounds per month?

Ok.. I'm on track for .75 every other week and I honestly wasn't sure that was enough.

And yes the self repair, and shade tolerance is why I'm ADORING this grass. Love love.


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## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Alisonpv said:


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Nope, 6 pounds for the year is what U of Mich did! 2 pounds it really struggles. 4 is does well. 6 does better. I'm backing off to tiny spoon feeds over the summer, though.


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## Alisonpv (Apr 6, 2021)

Ok so... talking with a few Germans and watching Perfect Green's video .... I'm aiming for 8#. &#128556;


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