# 2020 tttf/kbg reno



## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Western North Carolina

Never been anything but weeds and dirt over here, in June we had 19(!!!!!!) trees removed most were along the fence line, I tossed down some cheap tall fescue seed prior to that, it came in pretty good but the tree guys did a number on it and then all the sun and heat roasted it so i reckoned I'd just start over and do it right.

We've had major major drainage issues on this side with water coming from 2 drain pipes on the house (just laying in the yard) and water running down the hill from the street. I buried those 2 pipes and got them going to the side (seems to be working better so far but we haven't had any serious hard rain since then, go figure)

Plan:
Dig and cut up roots from all the trees I could find (did that a month or so ago, what a hassle)
Spray down anything that's come up, done.
Keep spraying (done)
Blanket spray tenacity prior to topsoil (done)
Move in top soil to fill in ruts and smooth it out (and some light grading on the low spots(9/19)
Seed down, rgs and next starter fert down, cover with the Pennington mats (they are expensive as hell but I had good luck with them on the other side also on a hill) (hopefully 9/19 if not 9/20)
Water water water

Equipment 
Gci cool blue
N-ext overseed/seed pack
Rain bird sprinklers above ground with spikes
1000(ish sq feet)

Here's what it started with


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Moved in what I think is the dirt I'll need pretty quickly didn't think the skid steer loader would help that much. Roughed up my yard pretty good but I'm just running over the weeds anyway (that's next years project)

One concern spot was getting in there had to run over where the gutter pipes were buried, mashed that in pretty good but it was at least 2-3 feet deep there where I had to dig against the grade, I'll have to put a water hose in the pipe and make sure it still works, god I don't want to dig that thing up again.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

And we are off
Went a lot quicker than I thought it would


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

And we've got germination, started seeing some signs yesterday. Found a good bit of little grass poking up through the mats this morning (flashlight trick) had to do a lot of finagling with the sprinklers, times they run and had to add one to get into the far corner. Outside of that pretty drama free


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

So you put seed down, covered with mats and then covered mats with peat moss?


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

badtlc said:


> So you put seed down, covered with mats and then covered mats with peat moss?


No.
Topsoil->seed->mats

Pictures didn't post in order


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Trucking along

Seems to be pretty good coverage


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Closing in on that magic 2"

Blew the leaves off thx to this forum, the ground is still pretty soft from rain yesterday and watering but getting there. 10 days after seeding

Ps go Braves


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Long ways shot


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Still rolling along, it's mow-able but still not sure if I should or just wait it out a few more days.
Tomorrow is 14 DAS I do have a manual reel so there won't be all that weight or turning. Pretty sure I found some of the kbg seedlings too which is pretty cool


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

First mow done.
2" manual reel, didn't lay over too bad and most importantly didn't sink in anywhere (!!!!)

15 DAS
9 DAG

might need to push it a little with some fertilizer this week, tossed some down on the test patch this morning so we'll see how it reacts and go from there. .25lb N per k

Ps
Go bills


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## Squidgy (Sep 14, 2020)

Looking good!

A question for you re: the Pennington mats. Do you have any issue with the grass lifting the mats up as it grows? I've used the mats several times, and I'm a big fan of them, but I usually wind up with quite a few spots where the mat "bubbles up," as the grass pushes up from underneath. I still get good germination and growth in the bubbles, but it looks weird, and mowing gets more complicated.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

I used them on a Bermuda Reno in June and didn't have that issue but that's happened in maybe half a dozen spots this time.

I just used some scissors to cut them open and rip the fabric away. (At first I thought they were mole tunnels and was about to go thermonuclear)


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## Squidgy (Sep 14, 2020)

Thanks, good to know I'm not the only one to experience that. It's actually a little fun to open it up like a present and see lush grass underneath.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Glad I took pics this time, I was like man this grass ain't done nothing since last week.


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## BH Green (Apr 9, 2020)

That mat seems to have held the seed in place. Great coverage!


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

BH Green said:


> That mat seems to have held the seed in place. Great coverage!


Man, living on the side of a hill has taught me how to move water (there's a fairly elaborate drainage system on that hill) the water would come down from the street and run straight down that hill, go under the pool house and go around and under the liner lifting it up and eventually wrinkling it. There's about 5 drain boxes all hooked together in and around that hill to prevent that, worked amazingly well so far. (We did it 2 winters ago, aside from cutting the power line to the pump it went fine........)
I think I've done enough to get the water from the street caught and moved down the side of hill outside the fence. But couldn't chance it. Do it once do it right I reckon.

Got out there last evening and gave it the 2nd mow at 2" probably give it one more then just let it go up to over 3.5" before cutting it again. Scary walking on it last night since I forgot to cut the sprinklers off yesterday (actually had to go into work ugh)


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Starting to thicken up


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Survived the delta remnants. Got 4.5" of rain in 2 days but all the drainage improvements I'd made to get the water to run down the hill outside the fence worked perfectly. A few low spots on the top of the hill but I expected that and can fix later in the spring.

Here's from today 
Post 3rd mow, rgs and greene start app (a few days early)


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Moles.

It's killing time


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Getting thicc and darker. Had to put out a mole trap, had to go into work the last 2 days or I would've dug and shot that thing. Put a poison worm in there last week when i first saw the tunnel, trap is where the worm was and it was gone so maybe I got it, the end of the tunnel was super hard to mash down so maybe it's dead there. Got my eye on that area today for sure. Pellet gun loaded and ready shovel close by.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Did a spoon feed yesterday on my test (not same cultivar) in another area of some 46-0-0 urea (can't wait to use this method on the Bermuda next year) just to get a feel for the tank mixing process and all that (went ok) that stuff looks happy today.

I've been following the n-ext seed pack plan. The section this thread is about looked awesome about 2 days after the application now it's not looking as happy. (This was last week) been considering using the .25lb N tank mixing the above urea weekly to push it. Probably going to do that after seeing how the other side reacted.

Anyone to anyone reading this, I've got these light green patches and some really deep dark green patches, I was out there looking at it this evening and is that the bluegrass? (Never grown or even seen bluegrass before)


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Went ahead and sprayed the .25lb N on the gci turf and a preventative app of propiconazole. (1oz)

Didn't think I'd need the fungicide app yet, but good lord this weather. Awesome and dry one week back to jungle mode the next.

Spraying urea is a lot more fun that I thought it'd be


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

DEAD.
Not much more satisfying than a dig and shoot on these awful things


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Weekly spoon feed down.

Another mole showed up, if it shows up again today it's dead.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Got the striper today and put it on the mower and gave it a spin, been so freaking long since I've rotary mowed almost forgot how to do it (this was also a leaf vacuum mission)

Shocked how firm the ground was after 3" of rain in 30 minutes yesterday, but that there grass was the functional point of that hill, soak. It. Up.

Didn't do much to it this week other than put down another .25lb/N on Tuesday


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Just waiting on it to keep growing.
Tossed down the last next 42 day fertilizer and rgs on Tuesday. Laid some stripes today (better than last week) heavily considering this grass for the front Reno (though I like the zoysia there's just too much shade up there to get it in the whole front)

1 mole left in there, thought I had it today but it somehow got away....... (the bare spot by the drain box) tossed some extra seed down in there and a few other spots.


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## Stonefeet (Jul 30, 2020)

Probably be the end of it this week. I'll blitz it with n (my own modified winterizer, I already did the k this week so it'll be pure urea at a higher rate than the spoon feed)
Didn't think after yet another 5" of rain and a battle that I lost with a mole it'd be too wet to cut, nope. This stuff sucks up water so fast


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