# Mha2345's Tifway 419 Lawn Journal



## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

I'll go ahead and preface this journal with the fact that I am a complete newb when it comes to lawn care. I am going to need a lot of help from you all to get my yard to a better place.

I bought my first house in November '18 which was a new construction with approximately 1400 sqft in the front and 3000 sqft in the back. The builder only sodded the front, sides, and a strip in the back, so I needed to finish the back. I did not do any research or prep work except for removing all the straw which the builder laid. I was left with dirt, a few weeds, and a lot of rocks. I did not take the time to remove the rocks, either, and laid the sod directly on what I had to work with. I regret not finding this site before doing this project. I laid 6 pallets of Tifway 419 on *12/7/18*, which covered everything but a small strip in the back of the yard.









In March, I discovered this site and went out and bought StaGreen starter fertilizer 18-24-6 and applied it to the back yard only around *4/1/19*. I also applied some Pelletized Gypsum to the Front & Back to help the clay soil, 50lb bag.

Also around the same time I had a lot of weeds popping up in the front yard, so I purchased Scott's Weed & Feed Hose end sprayer and applied it to the front yard around the same time.

Around *4/25/19*, I scalped front & back (lowest setting on Toro) and purchased two 6-4-0 36lb Milorganite bags and applied one bag each to the front & back. According to the back it was safe to apply a full bag to 1250 sq ft. I think applying a full bag to the front may have ended up damaging the bermuda a bit, but i'm not sure.

Current state of lawn, back:

Good growth in the back and some areas look very healthy, but I do have a lot of weeds. Other places have some weird colors on the grass, so I'm not sure what it could be if its a disease or possible burned lawn? Some areas also dont seem to have a lot of vertical growth or much growth at all. Plan to purchase some Celsius and blanket spray for weeds, also plan on purchasing some Roundup to kill the strip that was not sodded that is full of weeds, and purchasing some squares from the local feed mill to finish out the back.










Closeup of some of the areas in the back that i'm not sure, whats going on:

























Here's the state of my soil in the back yard, lots of rocks under the sod I laid:









Here is the front: there is a small slope to the road and also the middle of the front seems to not be growing much at all at this point. Also, the weed and feed killed most of the weeds off, there is just a bit of Poa annua left.

















I've been mowing every 3-4 days to help encourage the bermuda to grow and limit weeds. Any ideas on where to go from here?


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

mha2345 said:


> I'll go ahead and preface this journal with the fact that I am a complete newb when it comes to lawn care. I am going to need a lot of help from you all to get my yard to a better place.
> 
> I bought my first house in November '18 which was a new construction with approximately 1400 sqft in the front and 3000 sqft in the back. The builder only sodded the front, sides, and a strip in the back, so I needed to finish the back. I did not do any research or prep work except for removing all the straw which the builder laid. I was left with dirt, a few weeds, and a lot of rocks. I did not take the time to remove the rocks, either, and laid the sod directly on what I had to work with. I regret not finding this site before doing this project. I laid 6 pallets of Tifway 419 on *12/7/18*, which covered everything but a small strip in the back of the yard.
> 
> ...


Set your mower to the lowest possible setting.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

erdons said:


> Set your mower to the lowest possible setting.


I did scalp in late April, about a month ago on lowest setting. It is my understanding that if I don't mow 1 setting above that, my grass will never be uniformly green? Also, there are a lot of areas that need to be leveled out, so mowing on that setting was pretty difficult and I hit dirt in several spots. I've been mowing on one setting from the lowest since then.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Just pulled the trigger on the 'compaction cure' from N-EXT. Hoping this goes a long way for my dirt.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Hasn't rained in weeks, and I think a lot of the pictures above might partly have to do with a lack of water. Going to try watering a couple days a week.

Also, this came in:



















Sprayed this evening at the compaction cure rates using the ortho sprayer. Will update in a week or two with (hopefully) good results. Also picked up a bottle of Celsius at Siteone for $102 + tax. Not a bad price based on what i've seen. Gonna tackle the backyard weeds once it's not so stressed out.


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## Alex_18 (Mar 9, 2019)

You're starting to take the right steps with the water, celsius and n-ext products. Just remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. You most likely will not get your lawn exactly where you want it to be for a few years (if you're like the rest of us, youll never be satisfied &#128514. My advice is to get one thing mastered at a time. Get good growing/healthy grass on your own with water and Milorganite (its really hard to hurt your lawn with Milo). You should be aiming for an inch or 2 of water per week with long, infrequent watering sessions.

Once you get the grass popping, then use the celsius. typically not a great idea to use herbicides on new/damaged/stressed lawns unless absolutely necessary

Just keep doing your research, you've came to the tight place though. Good luck with everything. Looking forward to seeing your progress


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Thanks! Sorry if my posts implied i'm looking for any short term fixes.. i'm definitely in it for the long haul. I don't plan on using the Celsius any time soon, maybe not even this year, just went ahead and purchased it for the future. My plan for this year is to hit front and back with the RGS/Air8 once a month until September. May not use any more fert either this year unless we start getting some more frequent rain and I don't have an irrigation system. I will say I really enjoy working out in the yard so im having fun with the process :thumbup:


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## Alex_18 (Mar 9, 2019)

@mha2345 I highly recommend buying Allyn Hayne's (aka The Lawn Care Nut) "Warm Season Guide". Even if you dont plan to follow the lawn plans, there is a ton of good information in there that helped me a lot

Now, im not saying that is the only thing to pull info from, but it is definitely a great starting point. It covers grass types, soil temps, soil testing, fertilizers, pre ems, post ems, fungicides, insecticides, and bio stimulants. Plus the blue prints of what to use, how much, and when in his lawn plans. Like i said, I suggest anyone getting serious about their lawn check it out


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

I actually purchased the N-Ext products from him. I have not purchased the guide however.

So today I did something I've honestly been scared to do, as I had a feeling my worst fears would be true- today I did the screwdriver test on the front yard in the area that is struggling, and can barely get it more than an inch-2inches without hitting rocks that are in the topsoil the builder used, or whatever they used, not even sure if its topsoil. No clue what approach to take, technically I think I have a 1 year warranty on everything but I don't know if that includes the yard, or if this issue is even something that would be considered a warranty issue. I've been watering this week and while there is some green grass, it doesn't seem to be doing anything.. its not growing, but not dying either(if that makes sense). The worst part is not a large area, maybe 300-400 sqft. The area i'm talking about is in the last picture of my first post.

Based on what research ive done, I basically have 2 options.. strip everything and refill with new topsoil/sod or slowly add sand or something else and over time i'll have a much better topsoil to work with? I'm horrified as to how much the first option would cost.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Yesterday did a light topdressing of a compost mix in some of my problem areas and also applied some 10-10-10 I had at the rate of 10lbs/1k in the front and back in anticipation of the next 7-8 days of rain forecasted.

Also, discovered something pretty awful in the process of working on some natural edging/re-mulching around my tree in the front yard. Also decided to throw down some annuals in the process..



Before:



After:



While removing the old mulch and some dirt to refill, I discovered why my front yard is just so absolutely horrible. Literally removed probably 200 rocks, some HUGE ones, a couple beer cans, some random pieces of wood, just from that small area where the tree was planted... I can only imagine whats under the rest of the yard. My front "lawn" is literally sod laid on top of rocks and debris mixed in with a little bit of dirt. I'm not even sure how to correct this issue other than bringing in a huge load of good topsoil or sand and adding about 2-3 inches of it. I'm feeling pretty depressed at the moment at how pathetic a job the builder did.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

So I'm just west of county line road, not far from you, and I felt compelled to tell you you're not alone... my new construction home was finished in January 2016 and I've had a lot of the same issues. My best advice is to keep doing what you're doing, and just grit your teeth and bare it for this season. It will improve over time. I still find junk in my soil now and then. Over the course of a few years, you should be able to essentially make your own topsoil, by using good products and practices. When you find trouble spots that won't go away, you may have to jam the screwdriver to see if there's something you can dig up, but all in all, it's just going to be a marathon like mentioned before.

All that being said, I totally agree with the depression and frustration with the builder. I used Stoneridge homes, and I am not shy about giving my full opinion of them to anybody that asks. My house is doing great, anything outside the house, was a freaking joke and has taken a long long time and a lot of work to get it where it's at now.... and a lot of work left to get it where I want.

More than happy to help in any way I can since we are close...


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Thanks for the encouragement, definitely helps.. I'm not far at all just right off Old Railroad Bed. Guess i expected a little more from the builder, first house, beginners mistake .. not sure if the true problem areas have really shown themselves yet but I'm gonna keep at it and keep removing the debris as it surfaces


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

mha2345 said:


> Guess i expected a little more from the builder, first house, beginners mistake


That's exactly how I feel. My first house too. Lot of things I would do differently now... but oh well.. at least the house is built well from what I can tell after 3 years ha.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

Join the club @mha2345 . I bought a Mark Harris Home in downtown Huntsville and I'm still working through the problems off all the rock and concrete trash left underneath the sod. Some areas I have to syringe water constantly to keep it alive. I've been digging it up bit by bit. They left my sod on pallets in front of the house for a week before laying it, and then ran out and used some random bermuda from walmart or something and so I have whole strips of a common type that I just can't get rid of. It will take time but you will get there. They gave me the same 1 year warranty on the sod, but when I requested they resod at my 1 year inspection they refused it.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Brackin4au said:


> mha2345 said:
> 
> 
> > Guess i expected a little more from the builder, first house, beginners mistake
> ...


Same here so far not too many glaring issues with the house, so I am happy about that. Some of my neighbors have had some issues though. Most of the lawns here are in pretty bad shape, I just want to eventually get mine to a place where I can start reel mowing. Did you guys actually dig stuff out with a shovel or wait until the ground spat the rocks and other debris up over time? Would top dressing/leveling with sand help or just make that problem worse?


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

My advice is if you can dig up the biggest stuff now before the lawn gets really established you will be glad next year and years to come. Once you are satisfied bury it in sand and let it grow out. You'll be in a better place come the fall and spring next year .


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

I haven't dug much of anything out, although I have a couple spots that I probably should. They slowly improve, so I'm hoping that continues because one of the spots is right in the area of some irrigation pipes and I don't wanna fool with possibly cracking that...


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Brackin4au said:


> I haven't dug much of anything out, although I have a couple spots that I probably should. They slowly improve, so I'm hoping that continues because one of the spots is right in the area of some irrigation pipes and I don't wanna fool with possibly cracking that...


This is what makes me slightly worried, don't really know what's truly under there and where everything is exactly. Probably will just start adding sand and pray 😁. Glad you've seen some improvement. I've got everything including drag mat I need I'm about to pull the trigger on sand and add a little extra to the front, to ensure I get a good solid layer in the problem areas. I'm confident the Bermuda will be just fine with some water and heavy nitrogen


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

@mha2345 yeah I wouldn't worry about the Bermuda surviving... it'd be fine even if you poured asphalt instead of sand haha


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

@Brackin4au that's true he will find all the junk next season if we get a dry spell and it's yellow and the rest is green. Just sucks busting up grown in sod and then filling it back out from low spots


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

@HungrySoutherner Yes it does. Main reason I haven't dug those spots that I'm pretty sure have junk under them. Trying to convince myself it's just another localized dry spot... which is probably due to the junk in the first place haha


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## manthatsnice (Mar 30, 2019)

I live on County Line with similar issues as the others when we built new in 2013. One thing I wish someone had told me was that my little maples would have exposed roots EVERYWHERE after about 5 yrs. Huge pain in the *** when you're cutting reel low. Roots sitting on top of the ground in the future are way worse than any debris you may find under the ground now. I was *this* close to removing them this spring until my wife finally put her foot down.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

I was actually pretty close to getting rid of that tree in my front yard but decided against it. If it starts causing trouble down the line it's getting the axe. Anyone have any idea what kind it is?

I think over time if there's junk won't it eventually just surface? That's why rocks show up in the yard randomly right?


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

My builder left all this under my yard.... I wished I had dug more out the first year


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

That picture just reminded me about the app with all the pictures from the jobsite. Didn't even think about these, but man, all I can say is I wish I cared more about lawns about 8 months ago


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

Yep I know the feeling


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

First dry day since last Tuesday, got a mow in at 1.5" with the rotary. Front yard is bouncing back after all the rain and the 10-10-10 application last week. Hopefully it continues to improve. Still have some weeds in both front and back to eventually deal with. Just trying to get the Bermuda healthy first.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

6/20

Picked up a bottle of Panterra thanks @Austinite for doing the video on this. Applied per the instructions 1oz/1000 in the Ortho hose end sprayer. Also haven't done a pre-emergent so found a bag of generic Dithiopyr at Lowe's for 50% off since the bag was torn in a couple spots. Put down 4lbs/1000 and storms watered it in last night.



Grass is starting to take a turn for the better (I think), hope it continues to trend in the right direction 😁

After all my hard work today treated myself to a Gelati at Rita's, stuff is what dreams are made of





The sour patch kids tastes just like the candy 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

mha2345 said:


> 6/20
> 
> Picked up a bottle of Panterra thanks @Austinite for doing the video on this. Applied per the instructions 1oz/1000 in the Ortho hose end sprayer. Also haven't done a pre-emergent so found a bag of generic Dithiopyr at Lowe's for 50% off since the bag was torn in a couple spots. Put down 4lbs/1000 and storms watered it in last night.
> 
> ...


Awesome! :thumbup:


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Update on some of the stuff that's been going on the last week or so. Posted some of the pics in other threads , but here goes:

6/24

2 yards of sand delivered and leveled front lawn











6/25 applied 46-0-0 at .5lbs/N per 1000..

6/26 Next day, thanks to the North Alabama guys was able to get 2 bags of Carbon X at a great price, so finished the full pound of N by putting down .5lbs/N of Carbon X. Also applied monthly dose of RGS/Air8 and watered everything in.





6/27 had a pretty bad storm that washed some of the sand out on the sidewalk and a good bit into the mulch bed around my tree, will have to spot level these areas after they grow in more.

6/28 4 days post level lawn looks like this:



Overall pretty good growth happening and lots of stolons eveywhere


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

7/16 update

Been about a month since leveling the front yard, some weed issues that need to be addressed but other than that it's looking fantastic compared to a few months ago!! Maintaining with the rotary at around 1.75" at the moment.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

7/27

Spent the middle of the week leveling back yard. Scalp took a few hours it seemed like as I had let the lawn get way too long after a lot of rain. Finally got it down low enough to start this. 5 yards on about 3200sqft. Went heavy on the sand but after it's all worked in looks like I didn't go heavy enough. That was a lot of work! Threw down a heavy app of Carbon X after finishing and watering frequently to help the sand settle in.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

3/27/2020



Finally dry enough to scalp today. We have had an insane amount of rain here in the Tennessee Valley in the first part of this year. Was able to take it down to the lowest notch on the Recycler, and surprisingly didn't have any issues, so the leveling last year definitely helped. Learned a lot my first year, ready for another good season! Weed pressure is really high due to all the rain, so need to deal with that soon. Going to spray pre-emergent tomorrow, and working on re-doing flower beds as well.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Put down pre-m over the weekend and also finished up the new bed. Did a light top dress of black kow topsoil per the recommendation of @TheTurfTamer (a little late, but better than never) before spraying pre-m, also included was a little Air-8 and RGS. Starting to see a pretty decent amount of green. Going to tackle backyard soon.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Put a new blade on the recycler and gave it a quick cut. Pulled out a ton more dead grass so decided to re-scalp with a fresh blade and was amazed at how much dead material came out. Cleaned up edges, starting to see a lot of green up.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Finally decided to go reel low and picked up a 220SL. It's in alright condition but will need some work in the future.



Runs well enough for a mow, so took the front lawn down to .75. Still dealing with some winter weeds which should be gone soon.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Lowered HOC to 5/8" today to scalp, and will maintain at 3/4" for now until I can get it more level.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Cold day today after a day of 5 inches of rain. Can't
Mow, so with the ground moist figured it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of this tree I've never liked. Still unsure if I'll lay a couple pieces of sod or let it fill in naturally.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Sprig it from areas where it is growing over the sidewalk, driveway, or into beds. If you mow it low like the rest of your yard it will fill in very quickly.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> Sprig it from areas where it is growing over the sidewalk, driveway, or into beds. If you mow it low like the rest of your yard it will fill in very quickly.


Thanks for the tip @Redtwin, will definitely do that!

Backlapped and greased the JD today, and cut at .75". Also had the water company come out to address this pipe that's been sticking up and was not installed/leveled correctly like the rest of the neighborhood:







Finally, obstacle free :thumbup:

Still haven't put down any fert yet as we had a frost the last couple days so anxiously awaiting better temps.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Have a lot of extra free time during the pandemic, so worked on the other flower bed and put a new live edge in using the .. Corona edger. Going to add a planter in front of the column and matching flowers to the other bed soon.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Alright let's see, been a bit since my last update, but the lawn is really coming along. Reel mowing is an absolute game changer, and I am officially a believer. Here is my progress over the last few weeks.

To start, added a bed around the mailbox, before:


After:


Here is a progression over a few weeks of the lawn, lowest scalp was just under .5" around 7/16".















One day while it was raining took the time to clean out side covers on the JD and got all this crap out:


A few weeks back the wife approved to go ahead and get an irrigation system. I found a contractor, but the extremely wet weather has delayed the install. Should be going in next week. Utilities marked:


Rachio 3, ready to go:


Also did some spot leveling. Will do a major leveling project after irrigation goes in:










Here we are as of the last week at .5"




Having a ton of fun in the lawn this year!


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Long time no update. Had a good year, will upload some pics later. I'm having a good Fall, enjoying trying something new. Here's the latest from my Champion GQ PRG overseed:


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## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

mha2345 said:


> Long time no update. Had a good year, will upload some pics later. I'm having a good Fall, enjoying trying something new. Here's the latest from my Champion GQ PRG overseed:


Glad to see good results. Enjoy the green color this winter.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Long time no update.

Really enjoyed the PRG overseed until this spring, when it was time to get rid of it. Sprayed MSM turf and it took some of it out, but a lot of it ended up sticking around. Also dealt with spring dead spot but that could been caused by the rye. I didn't take a lot of pictures this year, but I have been busy bringing the front yard back. The good news is that the trenches from irrigation are pretty much completely filled in at this point, and now on my 2nd year of reel mowing it's looking quite good. I also updated the flower beds and ended up extending one of them all the way around the house and like it a lot better this way. A dark foliage crape myrtle was also added. Anyways, here are some photos in somewhat chronological order- I will try to keep this updated a little better this year. Enjoy-


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Snuck in a mow this afternoon. Currently at .55"


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