# MacMellow's 2022 Lawn Journal - Southern Connecticut



## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

Here we go again. Trying to bring up my lawn to the status of excellence I've seen from so many others on this forum.

Here's a recap, we have ~10,000 sq ft of mowable yard. Because my lawn has four different personalities, I have mapped my yard into zones.

From the picture below, you can see the 4 zones depicted. Q1 and Q2 are fairly dry during the summer months and need alot more irrigation than Q3, and Q4. Q3 ends up being the nicest part of the lawn and doesn't require as much maintenance. Q4 keep moisture so well that mushrooms will appear later in the season and moss grows pretty rampant in those parts. For grass types, they are split as follows:









Q1/Q2 = lots of sun, mix of PRG, TF
Q3/ Q4 = shaded by large trees year round so it has a mix of KBG and fine fescue

Goals for this years growing/maintaining season are as follows:
dial in weed control schedule and prevent weeds from running rampant in my yard
Continue my journey to health soil (including periodic soil tests, & improving the soil chemistry)
improve the landscaping of my yard by planting new flowers and maintaining the greenery that is already there
Get current grass to spread and fill in for a fuller looking lawn

From last year, I overseeded in the fall, so I am interested to see the fruits of that labor this spring. 
We also cut down a bunch of bushes that were outdated landscaping pieces (evergreen shrubs like wintergreen boxwoods) They hid our house.


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## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

Updates over the last week:

Started trimming the different hedges and tall grasses around the property to get ready for the spring bloom. Also started my prodiamine treatment.
Front yard ~5000 sq ft, did application on 3/25 right before it rained.
Back yard ~5000 sq ft, did application on 3/30 right before it rained.
Used the 3 month coverage at 0.183 oz/5.2g per 1000sq feet. My sprayer holds about 5 gallons, so I was able fill the pack and do the applications with one prep each time.

Thanks @kay7711226 for the prodiamine.


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## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

Today I have some time to pull some already nagging weeds and prevent them from coming back on some paved walk ways and our gravel driveway. 
Starting with 41% glyphosate. I have a gallon sprayer container that I will use today. For more aggressive weeds, the instructions on the bottle (concentrated product) is one Tbs in 24 fl oz of wafer. So for my gallon container, I will add 5.33 Tbs to make a one gallon solution.

I was also given some surfactant by a friend in this group. It non-ionic surfactant for herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers from LawnStar.

For one gallon, the instructions suggest to add 1/2 to 4 teaspoons of LawnStar for every gallon.

Fingers crossed on the effectiveness. Lets see how it goes.


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## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

Weed killing is an ongoing battle..... Going at it again with the same mixture after weeding the whole property.


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## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

NEWEST SOIL TEST


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## mac_mellow (Jul 30, 2020)

Having to play catch up on my logging here.
---5/17/2022---
Received my soil test results. Went directly to home depot and bought lime for the front yard.

---5/25/2022--
Applied lime to the front yard according to adjustment from soil test and application rate from the bag I purchased.
In order to raise the pH of my sandy loam, typically its 75 lbs per 1000 sq ft, unless the pH is less than 4.5. My front left lawn section requires 175lbs.

Searching online showed me I could only add 50lbs per 1000sq ft. of lime at any one time application.
front left = 4486 -> 224lbs total
Front right = 1389 -> 69 lbs total

---6/1/2022 ---
starting mowing every six days due to growth

---6/11/2022 ---
raised mower height from 3' to 3.25'

---6/16/2022---
late to the party, but time to fertilize the front yard.
Using fertilizer I have (Lesco professional turf fertilizer) it is 50lbs per 12,500 sq ft with an application rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. Thats 4lbs of fert for every 1000 sq. ft.

For front left -> 17.9 lbs of fert
For front right -> 5.6 lbs of fertilizer

Here. we. go.


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