# Sock's Lawn Journal



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Thought it was time to start one of these...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Yesterday it got to about 81 and we got plenty of rain (~ 1 inch) so no need to water today. Also took the plunge and made all my purchases for fall this year. Awaiting my local site one to get the bags of stuff I want to try this fall.

Did some research and jumped in with a sprayer's plus 105Ex. It gets here tomorrow so I can wait for that as a time consumer throughout the remainder of the week to get ready for a tenacity spray this weekend!

In other news, grass is dry enough for a cut today. But because of the die off from what I believe was really bad fungus, I felt the need to dethatch those dead areas in preparation for the end of this month. So just finished that - off to cut!

Here is what came up with a manual dethatching rake in the backyard...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Here is after the cut - can more easily see the damaged areas of the yard.

Being honest, I'm really happy with how this summer has gone. Fungus aside, to get a yard this lush and green in from a spring seed, and keep it as green as it is (in the areas that weren't impacted); it definitely could've gone a lot worse - the sprayer will help me keep the fungus away next year!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Not much to do today - continuing to research for the fall. This did come in today though...

High of around 83 with a pop up shower or two coming this afternoon.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Had a nice pop up storm last nice that cooled temps off and dumped about .4 inches of rain. Ground is nice and damp from the showers these last few days so I went and cleared up some rocky spots in the front yard and put some seed down to get a head start on those areas. Misted the spots with the hose and an doing a light sprinkle of the whole front yard.

Tenacity got here early, so I can start spraying tomorrow! Going to do a late evening application and water the following morning with no rain in the forecast the next week.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Very good bones to work with, looking nice already. :thumbup:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

@Powhatan thank you! Very excited to find this forum and hang out


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Last two days we've seen highs in the mid 80s and lows in the low 60s. Was a very dewy morning (which I love, especially since I seeded some bare spots to give them a head start).

Turned the sprinklers on for about 15 minutes to rinse off the dew and keep the soil moist. Let it dry and started prepping everything for a tenacity spray!

First spray went well - unfortunately my blue marker dye isn't here yet, so I may have gone a little heavy on some areas, but for the entire yard I ended up using about 7 gallons at a rate of 1/2 tsp per gallon of Tenacity for about 5.5-6k (I sprayed into my neighbors yard and the community hill to the sides of me) so any feedback on those rates will be awesome! Will post pics in the coming days of the bleaching and progress.

Here is a view in the morning as the sun was rising and dew was on the tips still:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Let the tenacity dry in overnight... was a beautiful morning in the low 60s. Turned the sprinklers on around 10am for 20 minutes, then again around 2 and one more time around 4. Keeping the seeds wet... excited to start to see this bleaching and bare spots sprouting... countdown to overseed has begun in my head as well.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Based on the forecast and models, today was the last really hot day for the year. Hit 90 today, so I threw down some water throughout the yard and decided to reseed a few more bare spots earlier. Still waiting for tenacity to start bleaching, a couple more days I think.

I'm hoping if I keep everything damp in the front I'll see some sprouting from last weeks bare spot seeding. We will see!

My order of prodiamine arrived today as well. Overall a good day.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Went ahead and bought a new blend for overseeding - read good reviews and hopefully can introduce some KBG into the thinner areas and areas that got impacted by fungus over the summer.

https://unitedseeds.com/product/super-turf-ii-ls/


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was a wet day - but not too hot. High around 85 and somewhere around .5 inches of rain in several separate showers. One was pretty heavy, so I'm hoping the bare spots I threw some seed down with had enough soil contact to not wash away.

Before the storms I was able to pull some weeds and dethatch a few more areas that were impacted by fungus this summer (by hand as I noticed it).

Still waiting tenacity to kick in - am noticing some minor bleaching in severe spots, but no impact to any of the barnyardgrass or crabgrass (yet!). Can't wait to see these suckers start to die off.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Had a pop up shower overnight that dumped about a tenth of inch of rain - so I only watered once for about 20 minutes today. High of around 88 degrees. Decided it was too beautiful not to cut, so I went at 3 1/2 inches today. Yard is starting to look a lot better outside the spots that died from the fungus.

Also... starting to see bleaching in some of the weeds today! Day number 4 after spraying so that is a nice turnaround to see. I also managed to find some seedlings - though I'm questioning if they're weeds or fescue... oh well, even if they are weeds the tenacity will kill them (planning another blanket spray in ~2 weeks and I'll spot spray a month or so after that).

Here are some photos:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was a really nice day - got up to about 90. I watered about .5 inches this morning. Decided I wanted to top dress the bare spots in the front yard and reseed with the new seed (which got delivered this morning). So I did that and covered with peat moss and then watered it in for about 15 minutes. I'll keep watering in the AM as no rain in the forecast.

Also decided to grab a clear container and grow some of the new seed as a plug (more for fun and tracking along than to put somewhere).

Tenacity day 5 is showing great signs. Even some of the harder grassy weeds I have are showing heavy bleaching.

Photos below:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Another nice day today - neighborhood PWS showed a high of around 84. Watered several times throughout the day for a total of around 1/2 an inch. Continuing to see good germination and additional bleaching/wilting from the tenacity spraying 6 days ago.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was a high of only 82! Just couldn't pass up this awesome weather anymore. Decided to clean up and top dress the remaining bare spots throughout the side and backyard. Also cleaned up the edge along the road. Once the top soil was down and leveled I threw some seed down at a new seed rate for these areas.

Tenacity is continuing to amaze me 7 days in - some of the weeds that were in the bare spots I manually pulled, but am really enjoying watching the others die off.

Pictures below (ignore the glare off the grass that was matted down from pushing around the wheelbarrow).


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Looks like a high around 85 today. Got a good watering in early and moving the sprinklers to get good coverage... makes me want irrigation, but perhaps in the future.

Also looking into ideas for a nice fire pit area...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

So fun watching tenacity take out all the crap. This is the top section of the front of my yard that has been neglected (we are going to be digging it out to extend the mulch bed to the driveway, but keep procrastinating). Funny thing is - right in the middle of this patch is where we saw our first germination from a bare spot seeding.

This is 8 days in at 4oz/acre rate:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Wow - we got almost 3!!!! Inches of rain last night. I was fully expecting to walk outside and see all my hard work washed away - nope! Might've lost a little peat moss but overall it looks like little to no seed loss from the storm. Might drop by hand some additional seed around the edges I'm trying to fix just to be safe - but awesome!

Going to give it a little bit longer and then do a nice mow at a low setting. Will post pictures later.


----------



## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

looking good!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Was able to get a cut in - front yard only today. Dropped HOC down to 3" - I'm usually at 4" so I thought an inch off what it normally is cut down too would shock it just enough for new grass to have a better chance, but not so much that when I drop N in a couple weeks it isn't up to growing.

The back didn't really need it so I didn't want to stress out any germination if I didn't need to. A lot of germination is starting to happen in some of the patches - expecting this weekend to really start showing.

Also - day 10 after Tenacity (4oz/acre rate) and the weeds are just dropping all over the place. After a mow the front yard is holding up really well, was just the tips bleached for a majority of the good grass in the lawn.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Woke up to Mycelium all over the community managed section of grass next to mine... did a walkthrough and my yard held up really well except for the hill in the back.

Luckily, I had a bag of disease ex left over - but it wasn't enough because I dumped curative down several feet into the community managed portion. I tried to cover the spots in the yard I thought needed it most. Will probably go to Lowe's and grab another bag to finish the yard with and have just Incase. I thought temps would be cool enough at night that this wasn't as likely, but you live and you learn!

Watering the fungicide in really briefly and going to hold off on water for the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow... I'll probably hand mist the bare spots I seeded and hope the peat moss holds enough moisture for them while I let the yard dry out some.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was grass baby day! Seeing our Saturday seeding starting to germinate in multiple places - so 5 days. I'm super happy with how this is going considering it's still a little earlier than what is recommended. But this allows me to get several weeks of growth and still treat any bare areas that don't take in September.

Pictures of my little plug experiment below shows the germination:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Not much to report today - a few rounds of watering to keep seeds wet and help out the babies. Continuing to see good germination, even in dry areas - so that is nice!

Considering a spray of humic acid and micronutrients tomorrow.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Seeing more and more germination. Since Saturday's are lawn days, I decided to mix up a tank of Feature and some HA. 2oz/k rate for both in 4 gallons of water (which with my new aixr11004vp nozzle went down so smooth and was all it required). Been excited to get this down to start helping the soil - and it is going to help with the patchy dark/light green from not being able to throw down fertilizer yet. I actually had a little left so I decided to dilute it further and spray some community grass and some of the plants in the landscape.

Still nervous to cut... was able to get the front in after a big rain before germination, but now that it is taking off I think I'm just going to have to be patient before another mow - maybe another week. The scalp helped so it isn't out of control (yet). Also just a waiting game (2 weeks?) before I can throw down my first N of the fall.

Tips are still a little frost from the Tenacity treatment 2 weeks ago - but color is definitely heading in the right direction. Just waiting for these bare spots to fill in and the overseed to start filling in as well!

Next few weeks will also be fixing landscaping and edges of mulch beds.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Already showing an impact on color today (more uniform). I just know once I throw down some Lesco NOS it is going to be so dark green.

Today was extremely hot - 93, so lots of water. Hand pulled some weeds that tenacity marked. With it being so late in the year and the blanket spray working so well, I doubt I'll do another blanket spray. I'll just spot spray more heavily weeded areas.

Germination is going great. The heavy rains over some seed around so it isn't 100% even coverage - but that is why I did it so early in the year! I can reseed any bare spots again in a couple weeks to make sure I'm 100% covered.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Another VERY hot day - got into the low 90s. Disease pressure is probably going to be high the next few days, so hopefully the DiseaseEx does it's job. Can't wait for next year when I spray my fungicides...

Watered several times, and it is going to rain lightly the next few days. Am noticing that the heavy rain from last week pushed some seeds around so I will need to overseed a few areas again, but will wait for temps to drop back down a bit.

I'm definitely adding feature and humic acid to my regular lawn care routine...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Yesterday was a stormy hot mess. The good news is, after today it looks like temps drop and stay in the low 80s/high 70s during the day and high 50s at night. Perfect to fill in any spots that didn't take!

We also got around an inch of water from some showers. Still waiting to cut and start dumping N! The feature and humic spray is just doing wonders in the interim.

Here is a photo of the sky from last night in lieu of a lawn picture:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Held off on watering as we are getting storms overnight. I'm not seeing any germination along the road side strip - not sure if I'm not getting enough water or what. Going to adjust watering for that area, but I'm also doing a pre-germination test. Soaking seeds as we speak to spread along there.

I think tomorrow I'm going to cut and bag, overseed a few areas that look like they were washed out in the storms last week and spread a little more top soil and peat moss as I see fit.

Yard is greening up extremely well. Really pleased with this feature and humic mixture. Might also run and grab my Nitrogen to start dropping this weekend!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Put down the primed seeds in the areas that were super dry. Beautiful grass growing weather these next few weeks so I'm excited to see where the yard gets.

Tomorrow is mowing day! Most of the new grass is around 2 inches. Going to site one tomorrow morning to grab fertilizer as well to start my N blitz.

Continuing to water and baby some spots along - will post pictures after a mow tomorrow :thumbup:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Cut this morning [email protected]". Also went to site one and picked up my fertilizers for fall. 2 50# bags of NOS (46-0-0) and a 50# bag of SOP for $80 - pretty happy with that! Put down 5# of SOP for 1/2# of K per 1k. Holding off on the N until tomorrow (we are supposed to get good rains throughout the week so I'll let the rain water the N in).

I also purchased my CheckMate striping kit! Should be here in a week or so. Also found out my local site one carries Anuew PGR (1.5# bag) and they're only asking $100 for it. Tempting...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Lawn is showing signs that it didn't like the HOC drop - but that is okay. I believe I'm putting N down tonight and letting the rain do the rest these next few days.

If I feel like it I might spot treat a few spots in the swale where nutsedge is continuing to pop up.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Already seeing huge improvements in color from the nitrogen. Excited to get a second spray of feaure down and another drop of N - should help get some of the patchy color out.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Installed my checkmate lawn striper today - the results are terrific, but I'm having trouble getting my bag to work with it on slopes. Finished cutting late though so no pictures until the morning. HOC @3" - still noticing some stress dropping it down. Lawn is also shedding a ton of dead stuff.

I'm going away on a fishing trip and won't get back until Sunday - I'm terrified and hope to return not to a dead yard like my last trip. Going to do a ~30 minute sprinkler session in the AM before I leave since no rain is forecast until later next week.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

I know it's hard, but don't worry about the lawn during your fishing trip. Have fun :beer:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

@Powhatan oh I'll try...

Here is a shot this morning in the front:



Let's hope the yard gets greener as I'm away :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Just got back from our long weekend away - and to my amazement, the yard looks awesome. Bare spots that hadn't take yet are growing thick and the color has improved tremendously.

Tomorrow is a cut and might even spray some more feature (or wait until later in the week not sure yet). Photos to come tomorrow...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Terrible time of day for photos - but you can still get a sense for the color. The barespots are still coming in, but some areas will need reseeded again because of the unusually high temperatures we've had.

Anyway - here it is after a cut @ 3"


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Feeling sick so nothing done today - but the yard is continuing to shed dead stuff. Will post close ups tomorrow to see if there is anything to be concerned about.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Came down with a nasty sinus infection so haven't been able to keep up with my journal this week. Beautiful weather though. Got about an inch of water down on Thursday with the sprinklers. Had a birthday party today and still wasn't feel well enough so didn't get to cut - hopefully tomorrow. Also need to spray another round of FEature/HA as well as get another 0.5lb/N down in the next day or two. Looking pretty good - definitely needs some more N. Also sending my soil sample off this week!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Ugh... I came across a pretty good shape Lesco #80 SS spreader on Craigslist for $200. It's 2 hours away though so anxious to commit to that without knowing 100% about it.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Woke up today to mycelium all over... great. Gotta love my area, where you have to worry about fungus into late September. I didn't want to have to this season, but I purchased some fungicides to spray. I'm holding off on azoxy until next year as this is mainly DS, but bought some prop 14.3 and clearys 3336f to get a curative down this week to make it through the rest of the month. Next year I'll add in Azoxy on 28 day intervals and the other 2 on a 14/21 interval.

Probably going to cut this evening. I'll spray and fertilize tomorrow and throw some water down then as well. Will post pics.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Found an awesome deal on this Earthway c22hd. Only thing it needed was some air in the tires. No grate/cover but honestly wasn't going to pass this up. Paid $35!

Thanks @lawnguyland for answering a few questions on it!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Well, been a bad couple of weeks. Been really sick so haven't been able to keep up with the yard. One of the longest heat and droughts in a long time so the newly germinate grass is almost all wiped out and existing grass in struggling. Here is a cut this morning.



This also happened today...









Ive been trying to get the utility company to come out and cut this down for almost a year down. Sure enough, the mower wheel caught it just right and brought the whole thing over. Filed a claim so hopefully they'll replace the mower...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got down a spray of the following this evening:

FEature @ 2oz/k
Humic Acid @ 2oz/k
Prop 14.3 @ 1oz/k

I also mixed in some Southern AG biological fungicide as I've seen some other people have success adding it into their routines. Did 1 tsp/k of that as well.

Hate having to do fungicide this late in the year, but considering the heat and humidity we've had lately it's just insane.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Going to be making a decision on a mower In the coming days...

Tomorrow I'll be dropping 0.5# N/1k and watering it in... really excited to see what the color does. That FEature spray really made the lawn happy. Here is the current color:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Dumped 1#/k of N today. Won't reapply for several weeks with that rate. Really excited to see how it pushes the yard. Going to water it in early in the morning with a nice heavy irrigation.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

1lb of nitrogen /ksqft? Fast or slow release?


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

@g-man yep - I was trying to do 0.5# every other week but couldn't keep up with it (got sick) so decided to do this.

I'm using Lesco NOS 46-0-0. It's fast release with stabilization for supposedly longer effects and better uptake. I'm mainly trying because I've read good things and got two 50# bags for a really good price ($70 for both).


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

So, I've decided I'm just going to buy another Honda HRR216VYA for the time being. Already have the striping kit for it and I love the cut quality. Also in talking with the fiancé - she says that after the wedding I can buy what I want, which means I'm going to be looking into the pro stripe 560 for sure.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

A pound of fast N is risky. One wrong overlap and you will have dead grass. It is ok if you miss a week, just treat the next one at the normal rate.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

g-man said:


> A pound of fast N is risky. One wrong overlap and you will have dead grass. It is ok if you miss a week, just treat the next one at the normal rate.


Thanks for the heads up! I probably won't drop another app down until the second week of October. It seems to be doing very well, here is a photo from today (lots of shade/light interrupting the picture...) showing the color and density continuing to improve (haven't had a chance to cut again with the mower getting destroyed so I'll post new photos tomorrow after a cut with the new mower).



My biggest challenge now are the bare spots that didn't fill in from my overseed. Going to dethatch those areas tomorrow and heavy overseed to try and fill in before winter.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Wow, that looks great! What a comparison to the lawn in the background! Sorry to hear about your lawnmower plight.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> Wow, that looks great! What a comparison to the lawn in the background! Sorry to hear about your lawnmower plight.


Thank you! And yeah... it'll get sorted out.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Had a busy day so didn't get around to dethaching the areas impacted by fungus over the summer. I'll do that tomorrow and reseed (finally forecast for steady light rain on Monday so that will help).

I did get a cut in though...

Bought a new mower, same as my previous one I messed up. HRR216VYA- and I'm glad I did. The cut of this mower is second to none and for only $430.

Cut @ 3" in the front and 3.5" in the back as I wasn't able to cut it last weekend from the mower being destroyed...





Also had TWO separate complements on the yard - first ones since prior to Pythium wreaking havoc in July!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Haven't even started working in the yard yet - but it's just so nice out I had to post a picture. The same weather that is making me receive "you may have a leak" bills from my water company is also giving us days like this...


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

Yard looks really great! Love the color


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

DonInTheLawn said:


> Yard looks really great! Love the color


Thanks! Once fall actually starts for us here in Cincinnati and we get out of this dry spell it should really improve. Hope all is well on your end! :thumbup:


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

Socks said:


> DonInTheLawn said:
> 
> 
> > Yard looks really great! Love the color
> ...


Oh Cincy! Same here, west side. This drought is killing me lol yard is so stressed and on the verge of more fungus after watering so much from my overseed and the general extreme heat lol


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

DonInTheLawn said:


> Socks said:
> 
> 
> > DonInTheLawn said:
> ...


I'm standing there hand watering the bare spots that didn't take from my earlier overseed... and it dawns on me that it is the end of September and I shouldn't need to be doing this :lol: Keep on chugging though... it's well worth it!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was a good day. I dethatched with my Sunjoe today on the areas where fungus hit over the summer. That's where the overseed didn't take and still seeing bare spots. SO MUCH STUFF CAME UP OH MY...

Anyway - after that I loosed the soil a little more by hand in those areas and then overseeded at 5#/k with my United Seed blend. I love this stuff.

After that I got out my new Zero-G hose (100 footer to make my life easy). So happy...

It was a good day... let's just hope these bare spots take :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got my soil test in today:



Need to add a few things. No idea why Magnesium is so high, but definitely need to work on lowering the PH levels a little.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Watered about 1/3" tonight and hand watered some more of the bare areas I seeded yesterday. Just really happy about the color and density.


----------



## Harts (May 14, 2018)

That is some dense turf! I love the look of it at this time of year.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Harts said:


> That is some dense turf! I love the look of it at this time of year.


Definitely happy with where it's at overall :thumbup: on a side note - I grew up a little north of you in Wasaga Beach (back when it was a town of about ~1,000 people).


----------



## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I haven't been there since I was a teen. Small world.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Watered the back today and hand watered the front bare areas I reseeded. Finally getting some beautiful fall temps - this morning was 52 and a high of around 80. Perfect growing weather! Still no rain though...

Also, I finished up work and walked out of the office past the front door and saw this...



They're lucky it's the hellstrip I've been fighting all year and it's close to the property line so not as big of a deal... just overseeded this too. Put a sign out that says to not put any seed or straw down and that I'll handle seeding it. Let's hope they listen... I'll be watching like a hawk tomorrow.


----------



## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Yay!!!!! hahaha. Oh man that sucks! I'm sure city workers will take great care to make sure they leave you with a clean lawn, free of rocks. :roll:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Harts said:


> Yay!!!!! hahaha. Oh man that sucks! I'm sure city workers will take great care to make sure they leave you with a clean lawn, free of rocks. :roll:


I'm fully expecting to find the large concrete blocks somewhere in my yard :lol:

I've actually been working out of my living room so I can see into the front yard for when they come to fix this...


----------



## Harts (May 14, 2018)

That will hardly drive your stress level through the roof.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Slow day - watered the bare spots I reseeded to keep them damp. No movement on the curb issue, so that's great. Going to be really warm these next few days before finally turning into fall. Going to keep the grass watered since no rain in the forecast.

Planning to drop another FEature/HA application this weekend.

Might get a mow in tomorrow.


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

I am so tired of watering the lawn, if we could just get some damn rain, I would be so happy haha


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

DonInTheLawn said:


> I am so tired of watering the lawn, if we could just get some damn rain, I would be so happy haha


They keep calling for it and then... nothing. I actually got a note from the city asking me to check for leaks since my usage was up so much :lol:

And if these next 5 days aren't just Cincinnati I don't know what is... tonight a low in the 40s and then the next few days highs in the mid 90s before back down to fall temps...


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

Socks said:


> They keep calling for it and then... nothing. I actually got a note from the city asking me to check for leaks since my usage was up so much :lol:
> 
> And if these next 5 days aren't just Cincinnati I don't know what is... tonight a low in the 40s and then the next few days highs in the mid 90s before back down to fall temps...


This next week better be the last of the heat. I wanted to put down more fert today but I'm worried about the heat stressing the lawn. My front yard gets all day sun exposure


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

As long as you water it in well enough it'll be fine. I dropped 1#/k of N last weekend and it turned out great. Going to apply some more FEature tomorrow which is 6-0-0.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Cut the front @ 3.5" since we are getting close to 100 this week... I'll drop it back down next weekend to 3.0" and might go a little lower than that for the rest of fall. The color just keeps getting better and better.



Tonight I'll be dropping another application of FEature/HA and might throw in some Prop just to be safe this week.

In other news... next weekend is finally going to be good enough weather to cut out the new mulch bed in front of our walkway so I can stop staring at the bare patches there :lol:


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

Looks great!! I'm so excited for cooler weather. Still no rain in sight though


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

DonInTheLawn said:


> Looks great!! I'm so excited for cooler weather. Still no rain in sight though


We got maybe a tenth of an inch Saturday morning. I actually haven't watered much these last few weeks except by hose for the bare areas I'm trying to get to fill in.

After this week weather is looking AMAZING for us. Let's hope :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got all of our mums and gourds for the porch today. Was going to do a spray tonight, but think I'm going to hold off until next weekend and do the spray along with putting my P and K down (plus temps drop off and rains are forecast).

Here is the yard just now:


----------



## DonInTheLawn (Sep 10, 2019)

Looks great!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Watered the front and back today. Hottest day of the year today... in October. That makes sense! Going to mow tomorrow most likely as the grass is growing like crazy. Starting to see germination in some of the bare areas - let's hope they make it thorough this week, then it is prime growing season!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Amazing temps and weather coming after today! Bare patches are filling in nicely and color is just amazing. This weekend I'll be cutting out and edging new mulch beds. Check out the pics:







Going to use some of the grass I'm cutting out to fill in some areas in the back as well.

Planning on a spray of FEature/HA once these are all dug up.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Been a really busy week. Lots of yard work and other things - but I finally finished digging out the new beds and also got a cut in @ 3". This weekend we will be going to look at plants and maybe even get some topsoil delivered to build up the beds more. Also planning a FEature/HA spray.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Really smooth :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Sharpened the blades up today - also went to a local nursery and bought some of the new plants for the landscaping. Got a great deal on a 10-gallon baby blue spruce for $90. The thing was worth a lot more than that. Gonna get a mow in tomorrow and finally get a FEature/HA spray down.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got a cut in & 3" HOC. Finally was able to get a spray down of some FEature/HA. Also continuing to add in the healthy bacteria as it can't hurt anything.

Also changed my blades after sharpening. Need to do a few adjustments on the new mower to get the cut perfect.

Here is a wide angle/normal shot after:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Been MIA because all of my time has been going towards the landscaping... and we are almost finished. Need to find a nice specimen tree or maybe a dwarf Japanese maple for the mound. Going to pepper in a few more boulders and build up the bed around the spruce. Other than that - we are close!

Finally getting some good rain tomorrow, so I might wake up and get my last application of N down @ 0.5lb/k.

Planning to dump a custom mix of P & K per my soil tests for the winter as well, but going to wait for a couple days after this app of N.

Color is looking amazing, density is still great. Seeing a few areas I think may be red thread, but my fertilizer plans will take care of any of that. Unfortunately the areas near the landscaping we've been working on have taken a beating and are laying down more than usual. I blow these areas every day to try and get them more upright, but I know in a week or two it'll all be just fine.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got a cut in today @ 3" and a nice edge. Neighbors are getting their starter yard laid so tons of straw flying all over the place, so I've been picking that up non-stop. Overall I'm really happy with how this yard is turning out having been planted in the spring.

Going to get the P & K down this weekend in an evening and water it in the next morning.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Still seeing some decent top growth - planning on a mow this Sunday if the weather holds. We are going to get some good rain tonight/tomorrow which will be really good for the yard and landscaping as a whole.

Still debating whether or not to put down another application of FEature next weekend... I want to, but any feedback is appreciated.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Got a cut in @ 3" all around. Seeing some signs of the grass going dormant in some areas with top growth slowing significantly. This week will all but deal the deal with all the frost and freezing. Guess I'm done with spraying and fertilizer for the year. Time to clean out all the equipment and get it ready for next year! Probably still 4 weeks of mowing though.


----------



## Guest (Oct 31, 2019)

Four more weeks of mowing in Ohio? That would be surprising this year, we already had snow over here.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

@macdawg we are going to get a few days of freezing temps - but it should stabilize back into the high 50s which will push enough top growth that I should need to cut.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Nice edging, looks like you used an x-acto straight edge knife to slice it. :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Powhatan said:


> Nice edging, looks like you used an x-acto straight edge knife to slice it. :lol:


Aren't we all just a little OCD :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Well... first snow of the year:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Well... think this was the last one before winter. Barely saw any top growth, and dormancy is rampant throughout the yard.



Time to clean up the tools and prepare for next year.... already excited!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Oh man - this weekend will be the opening window to put down PreM in my area! Time to clean off the tools, sharpen the blades, and prep my calculations :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Went out today and assessed any problem areas. There was a very small area in the back corner of the house where some clover has popped through, so I sprayed that down with some weed-b-gon. The only other areas are along a landscape bed that I didn't get a chance to shape and edge last year, so not too concerned about it!

Really need to get PreM down tomorrow so hoping I get a break from all the rain to do that. Been cleaning the sprayer and charging/testing the battery. Really itching to clean up and tune all the equipment, but it's just not time yet (the warm days are rainy and the sunny days are cold here still).

Really considering buying and building the DFW wand for my Sprayers Plus 105ex. Anyone have this setup and could talk me into it?


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

The rain broke this afternoon - so I cleaned up my sprayer, got it locked in and went to work!

Got PreM down - Prodiamine at ~0.4oz/k (60 grams in 6 gallons of water). This should give me a right around 5 months of coverage. So excited to finally do this after not being able to last year. Also mixed humic acid in at 2oz/k as well.

The lawn is greening up really went in the front, and patchy in the back. I expected this, as I couldn't get the back on track last year. I'm going to do the best I can with it this year, but chances are I will be doing a full reno on the back later this year.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

This morning has been beautiful - got the Earthway out and cleaned it up a little (going to do deep cleans on my tools in the coming weeks).

Based on my soil test I laid down 0.5lb of Potassium per 1k. Also added in a tiny bit of P since I was on the low end of optimal.

Still no N and not planning on it for a while... I might to my first spray of FEature (I have a couple lbs left...) in early/mid April.

Going to really need to find time to mow here soon... the problem isn't my lack of time, but the fact that it is SOOO wet that I actually cannot cut.

Also fed some of the plants and tossed the mulch so it looks fresh. Here is the lawn today:



Never thought I'd get to 100 posts in my journal.... thank you all for the help last season and can't wait for this year!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Today was finally the day!

Got the mower out, changed the oil, sharpened the blades and leveled the cut, cleaned the mower and applied some wax and 303 aerospace protectant. It was officially ready to cut!



Because of the growth in some areas I raised the deck for a 3.5" cut today. I'll probably maintain around 3" for the duration of spring and raise to 4" for the summer. Yard held up pretty well in the front this winter, the back... well it is going to need some work. The plan is to get the back on par with the front this year, and if not I'll Reno the entire back.

Anyway, here is the front after a cut and thorough edging:



Still no nitrogen... and might not apply any for some time. That fall N blitz was the best thing ever... might start dropping some FEature in April and N later in the month/early May.

Here is a side-to-side with my neighbor just because :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

I am so happy with how the yard is shaping up this early in the year. Still not sure when to start pushing nitrogen this spring, so any advice would be helpful.

Anyway, dropped HOC to 3" today and will maintain until temps and humidity go up. Luckily, I have my fungicide regiment all ready:



Plan on doing Azoxy at 28 day intervals and clears/prop at 14 (adjust as needed depending on pressure).

Here are photos from today's cut:





The front is doing much better than the back, but that was to be expected. My goals this year are keep the front dark green all year, and get the back up to par with the front in terms of soil health, and prepare for an overseed in the fall. If the back doesn't get any better, I'm planning on a full Reno


----------



## Mark B (May 30, 2019)

Socks said:


>


Looking very nice :thumbup:


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

The lawn looks healthy and growing. Once it slows down, then do nitrogen. I'm guessing in a couple of weeks.


----------



## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

The yard looks fresh!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Thanks everyone! Let's just hope I can keep it up through the summer this year...


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

It was way too nice to not do anything in the yard today... so got out my shovel, cleaned up the edge in the big bed in the backyard, and finally laid the river rocks down!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Found some grubs while edging the bed the other day, so to be safe I put down a bag of GrubEX season long. Supposed to get storms and rain over the next 24-48 so was a good chance to let Mother Nature do the watering.


----------



## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I really like your lawn and the use of rock and mulch in your landscape beds. Well done!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Butter said:


> I really like your lawn and the use of rock and mulch in your landscape beds. Well done!


Thank you very much! We've been looking for the right Japanese maple to finish the front for over a year now... it is almost there though :lol:


----------



## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I have a Tamukeyama Japanese Maple in front of my house. I love it.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Haven't been feeling well this weekend (allergies) so wasn't able to cut. Did manage to get out and drop about 7lbs of NOS 46-0-0 for about 0.5#/k of N. Growth had slowed so thought it was time for nitrogen.. went with a lower amount to be safe and will drop another 0.5# in a few weeks.

Storms tonight will water it all in.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Woke up this morning to what I thought was frost... as the day progressed the grass kept a whitish tip in some areas. To my surprise, what look like powdery mildew. Of course I look at my neighbors yard and it looks like a field of snow there is so much.





I didn't manage to cut this weekend, so the height definitely contributed to this. I'm just amazed that this happened in April when temps were in the 30s and 40s (it has been in the 60s and 70s until these last few days). If anyone thinks this was something different please let me know!

In the meantime, I cut @ 3" HOC and bagged everything. Afterwards I got the sprayer out and mixed a tank of FEAture, Azoxy, Prop, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (active ingredient in https://southernag.com/residential-products/garden-friendly-fungcde-12x1-pt/) at the following rates:

FEAture - 1oz/k
Azoxy - 0.5oz/k
Prop - 1oz/k 
BA - 1tsp/gallon

I stuck on the lower end of curative rate for prop because I know PM isn't the worst thing in the world, but did want to deal with it. The Azoxy is just to have another type. Depending on pressure I may retreat in 28 days.

Here is the lawn after the cut and spray:



Backyard along the bed (need to fix the one curve it is killing my OCD):



I know the goal this year is to focus on soil health and getting everything ready for a fall overseed to fill in the patches that didn't take last year... but I wish there was a magical zone that was always perfect for growing grass :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Just thought I'd share a picture of the grass today... it is so thick and even for this time of year!



Planning on cutting and doing some landscape work tomorrow. The fungicide treatment earlier in the week has helped a ton - the front looks amazing and the back is completely clear, plus some areas that were impacted last year are growing in!


----------



## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

Man, all those lines just POP!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Finally had a chance to cut tonight... about to get a TON of rain so glad to get it done.

3" HOC - color is getting really good from that last treatment with FEature. Also believe the Prop and Azoxy have helped a ton.



Apologies for the dark photo... finished shortly after sunset. Will upload a new one tomorrow!


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Don't apologize for the post sunset shot! I'm a little bit of a photo buff (quite the amateur, but I did a little developing in high school, eons ago).

The mix of the natural lighting and the warm background (really from the side) lighting from the house sets it off nicely. The stripes pop nicely on their own which is evidenced by low ambient lighting, and no direct foreground or background lighting which would accentuate the stripes (FYI-for folks looking to get the stripes to pop). The contrast from the mulch beds and bright sidewalk help to highlight the lawn in the low light conditions. Nice work! :thumbup:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> Don't apologize for the post sunset shot! I'm a little bit of a photo buff (quite the amateur, but I did a little developing in high school, eons ago).
> 
> The mix of the natural lighting and the warm background (really from the side) lighting from the house sets it off nicely. The stripes pop nicely on their own which is evidenced by low ambient lighting, and no direct foreground or background lighting which would accentuate the stripes (FYI-for folks looking to get the stripes to pop). The contrast from the mulch beds and bright sidewalk help to highlight the lawn in the low light conditions. Nice work! :thumbup:


That's awesome! My fiancé has been wanting to get into photo blogging for some time, and she always laughs at me out there trying to get the "perfect" shot of the lawn after I cut :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Pulled a few areas of Poa A in the front, planning on created a garden off the back corner where the grass is healthy and thick - so will get some plugs in to fill the holes in a few weeks when a do that. You can't even really see the holes so happy about that!



Planning on fixing up the front bed edge the next nice day we have - and if I'm up to it I'll finally edge the side of the house!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

What a beautiful day! Had some constant rain over the last few days and finally dried up enough to cut today.

3" HOC - I think I'm going to lower it to 2.5" this Friday and see what it looks like.



Grilling out after a cut...



Also gave my baby blue spruce a round of preventative fungicide. Needle cast has been bad the last few years so hopefully this helps!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Our new plants and boulders arrived today! Cleaned up the front landscape bed edges and moved some plants around. Dug our hole and our our maple in (finally!).





I extended a few edges and used some of the grass to plug the few holes from pulling Poa A.

Grass is doing so well. I actually am finding some KBG throughout the yard that is developing heads! Super glad some came in!

Also - bought the Tournament Ready Pellet Pro and 3 pellets of the tournament ready with actesol. There was a sale on amazon for the applicator and jumped on it!

Going to cut tomorrow and drop the HOC down to 2.5" and see how the yard handles it. Also need to get another spray of FEature down, but may wait until next weekend.


----------



## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I like the Japanese Maple. What variety is it?


----------



## Mark B (May 30, 2019)

Nice choice of maple! Looks like you found a great location for it against THAT grass. :thumbup: I wondered which one you would get. Can I take a guess at the latin name to make me sound clever? :lol: Acer palmatum var. dissectum atropurpureum? We have the green dissected leaf variety, love it, its reached 10' wide and 2' tall over 10 years.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Mark B said:


> Nice choice of maple! Looks like you found a great location for it against THAT grass. :thumbup: I wondered which one you would get. Can I take a guess at the latin name to make me sound clever? :lol: Acer palmatum var. dissectum atropurpureum? We have the green dissected leaf variety, love it, its reached 10' wide and 2' tall over 10 years.


That's a good guess! It is actually a Tamukeyama variety. Unkept they can grow to 6ft in height and 10ft in width, but with proper pruning and maintenance you can keep the height down to 3-4ft.

We went with this variety for is versatility and color. It is a weeping variety and laceleaf and can be pruned in just about any shape (low to the floor, umbrella like, ball like)

This little one is already 4 years old - so now a new hobby of mine will by Japanese Maple pruning and shaping :lol:

@Butter


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Kicking off this month right - decided to plant our annuals in the front beds. A bit earlier than I would've liked, but I'll get frost covers down on them if it gets too dangerous. It was just way too nice of a weekend to not do work in the yard.

Got some planters in the front too along with our hanging baskets. They're Rieger Begonias - really excited to see how they do this year with proper pinching, deadheading, fertilization and watering. Full bloom should be 12-18" in heights and 10-12" in diameter. Spaced exactly 18" apart and staggered at 45 degrees across two separate rows. May add 2 more in the first row next weekend.

Cut at 3" (too scared to go lower when it looks this good at 3"). If I get a row of nice dry days I may cut at 3" then lower to 2.5" and see how it goes.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Well... our annuals aren't doing too well. When we planted them they were calling for a single night in the high 30s, and last night got down to 22... we covered everything best we could, but that is really cold for begonias. We will give them a few weeks to see if they bounce back, but we're expecting the next 2-3 nights in the mid 30s. Luckily, replacing them is easy, just hate the see it happen!



It was beautiful, but cold today. High of around 54, but perfect for a cut!



The grass is doing amazing. I'm going to drop some N middle of the week as it is supposed to warm up to low 70s during the day/mid 50s at night with steady light rain for weeks.

Oh - I also got my delivery of the Pellet Pro applicator and 3 pellets of Tournament Ready Plus w/ Actesol. Can't wait to use that this summer!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Been raining nonstop here - was supposed to have a good day Thursday, and rain. Haven't been able to cut for so long it feels like.

Grass was starting to show signs of slowing down and lost a little bit of color, so I dumbed a little bit of N down @ 0.5lb/k.

Also still seeing seed heads - not 100% sure what they are so thought I'd post here:


To me it looks like KBG, but I'm definitely not an expert so any feedback is appreciated.


----------



## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

No idea about the seedhead but your lawn looks great. Good move not dropping the height although I am interested to see what would have happened.

What are your practices and tools for maintaining your bed edging? I ripped out the plastic edging I had in mine and will be doing it like yours.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Vtx531 said:


> No idea about the seedhead but your lawn looks great. Good move not dropping the height although I am interested to see what would have happened.
> 
> What are your practices and tools for maintaining your bed edging? I ripped out the plastic edging I had in mine and will be doing it like yours.


Thanks! Yeah - I think 3" is my sweet spot for right now.

Regarding the edges - I use two tools, a half moon manual lawn edger and a flat head shovel to really help define the shape.

If you're not familiar with a manual edger it is something like this - https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-9-in-Flat-48-in-Manual-Lawn-Edger/1000752666

Connor Ward has a pretty good video out there that is similar to the technique I use -


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Finally got a chance to cut! Had to double cut the entire yard. 3" HOC in the front and 3.5" in the back.



Here is the shot of the back which I rarely post:



Going to get some better shots at golden hour - striped look really awesome today.

Also pressure washed the walkway today - plan on doing the entire driveway once the last few houses finish up in our neighborhood.

Planted some Double Knock Out roses in our backyard bed and replanted our Begonias in the front. Excited for them to bloom all summer!


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The backyard looks like a golf course with the undulations. Very cool!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> The backyard looks like a golf course with the undulations. Very cool!


If only I had a KBG/PRG mix I could cut low :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Went on a fishing trip up to Eerie this weekend, ended up grabbing 100 walleye over 3 days (brought 32 in myself) - came back to some beautiful dark green!

Cut at 3.5" and think this is where I'm maintaining all year. Need to drop some more FEature and get fungicide down here shortly with pressure being this high.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Deadheaded some of the annuals and fertilized them. Hoping the ones in the ground take off soon. Need to prune the Japanese maple soon to help it heal from the frost damage - it was cloudy, but the stripes still popped:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

It has been a really busy weekend. First I got a cut in at 3.5" HOC (also grabbed a few bags of Milorganite):



Then we started moving plants around... one thing led to another and we bought another Japanese Maple and moved multiple hydrangeas and bushes around :lol:. The new maple we put in the front. It is a Red Dragon - I've never seen one in person before and this thing was just BEAUTIFUL, so we grabbed it and moved our frost damaged Tammy to the back in a spot we've been looking to fill.

Got new mulch down in the front today and built up the beds some more:









Ending my evening watering the plants and grass (supposed to be cool tonight down to 44 degrees otherwise I would've waited for early morning). Sat and enjoyed the view for a while:



Planning on getting a spray in this week of my preventative fungicides and iron - also planning on getting my first spray of Tournament Ready with actesol down using my pellet pro applicator!


----------



## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

3.5" looks great. You went the opposite way you were talking about on the post at the top of this page. Think you might go higher?


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

For anyone curious - here is a closeup of the Red Dragon. The stem work on this thing really is amazing!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Vtx531 said:


> 3.5" looks great. You went the opposite way you were talking about on the post at the top of this page. Think you might go higher?


Couple reasons - I went on a long weekend fishing trip and when I got back 3" was too low to go from where it was at, so I cut it at 3.5". I loved the stripes at this height. Also - this is shaping up to be a REALLY hot and humid year in our area, so thought I'd maintain it just a little higher to be safe.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Lots of the grass around here is starting to show signs of heat stress and needing water. To stay ahead I got a deep watering of over 0.5" in today. Rain showers sporadically over the next week so shouldn't have to water again for a while.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Been so busy lately haven't had a chance to update...

Since my last post it has been really dry around here.

Finally got a chance to spray my tournament ready pellets with my pellet pro! I should have take before and after, but the results are absolutely amazing. All my localized dry spots are gone and the grass just looks like a fall yard - so healthy.

Here is a photo from my last cut @ 3.5":



Finished our mulch finally - replaced some different plants with some awesome fire chiefs we found at a local nursery.

Today I had a chance to drop down the following:

FEature 2oz/k 
Humic 2oz/k
Azoxy 22.9 - 0.5oz/k (Preventative)
Prop 14.3 - 0.5oz/k (preventative)

Going to water it in early morning tomorrow. Can't wait to see the results of the FEature and humid with the TR down.

Planning on cutting tomorrow.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Getting really bad at updating my journal with all the craziness going on.

Dealing with some localized dry spots throughout the yard - only real noticeable areas are my hellstrip which I've been planning on renovating anyway. I can 100000% guarantee my yard is only making it through the temps and drought because of the TR I sprayed a couple weeks ago - I may drop another application down here this weekend. Also planning on another spray of iron and micronutrients sometime soon.


What is everyone's thoughts on dropping some milorganite during summer?


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Not a lawn update but decided it was time to put our landscape lighting in - put the finishing touches out there tonight and made final adjustments. Going to run our second zone around back and sit on this configuration for a few days before burying all the line.



Later this fall I think I'm going to get rid of the spotlight lighting the top peak and run another zone on the roof and install two spotlights on the roof of the porch to light the peak. This would get rid of that shadow from the porch.

I got several quotes well over $4,000 for this work... did it myself for less than $800. Money saved will be going back into the yard in some way :lol:


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Hey everyone! Long time no see.

Long story short, 2020 was hectic! I got sick in the middle of my fall N blitz and wasn't able to cut (or get any help) and the yard got really long. We then got an extremely early and very cold frost that just destroyed the yard. Pair that with a long, damp, and snow covered winter and the yard wasn't look so great the last few weeks.

I started by lightly raking for the last few weeks to try and get some air and the wet matted areas lifted. We had a nice week of no rain and sun, which allowed me to get the dethatcher out without ripping out any roots and that really did wonders on clearing out the decaying old wet layers. There are a few areas which will need filled in this fall.

Fast forward to today... first cut of the season! All things considered, I'm happy with where it's at. Not as green as it was last year this same time - but I think it's the lack of nutrients, so I'm planning to drop some Iron and micronutrients here soon to help it out.



 

Here's to a hopefully good 2021 and new season!


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Thought I’d update with the 6 weeks progress from the really bad summer fungus and heat stress. Overall, I’m super happy with where I got it to. Still good temps here for the next week, so still hoping for some more growth in the areas that were dead.

Thinking I’m going to skip preM in the spring and overseed the areas that never took and just do a round of tenacity early on and spot treat from there. Not sure yet, advice welcome!

Anyway, followed a strict weekly regiment over the last six weeks:

0.33lb N/1k granule
Initial dose of 0.1lb of P/1k
Sprinkled in some K each week help
Weekly spray of Feature @ 2oz per 1k along with humic acid


Here’s a photos from today showing the progress!


----------

