# mrotatori 2019 Fall KBG Reno



## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

finally getting around to starting my 2019 reno journal. I did a 5K reno last fall. (  2018 fall reno ) I am completing the second half this fall. The second half is close to 5k. I will be using the same KBG cultivars as last year. I did add one additional cultivar into the mix. My KBG cultivars are beyond, midnight, blue note, and bewitched. Bewitched is the new cultivar. I did have bedazzled in the mix last fall, but SSSS did not have it this year. Below is the renovation plan. A major difference from last year, I am starting a month earlier. I think this will help a lot. I am leaving the area close to the trees and to the right as is. I may overseed that area at sometime. Any suggestions, please let me know.

July 4th -- 1st round glypho
July 13th -- 2nd round glypho
July 17th- 26th -- water, scalp, touch up glypho
July 27th-31st -- scalp, dethatch, maybe water, and glypho again
August 13th -- glypho, seed down . The seed down day might not be on the 13th. I may just do glypho and seed down the next day or that weekend. It depends on the weather and if I am up to do it all at once. I get back from vacation on the 12th.

On seed down day, I will do another round of glypho, spread seed at 2lbs/K , peat moss, and starter fert, then water , water , water

Here are some pictures of the reno prior and after the applications of glypho. The lower section of the lawn only has one app of glypho. I will be hitting that up again on the weekend. I ran out of glypho during the first app. I ordered more from Amazon, but when it got delivered the delivery person told me it leaked on the truck. I refused the delivery, and then went to TSC to get more.

reno area is on the right side, this is what it looked like prior to the first app of glypho


first app of glypho


second app of glypho


second app of glypho, the front section I will be applying another round of glypho this weekend


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

scalped my lawn at the lowest setting with the rotary mower. Ran over the lawn with the dethatcher. Bagged the lawn with the rotary mower. The lawn mower does an ok job, but I want to get more dead grass off the ground. I am going to try to use my string trimmer to clear out the dead grass. After using the string trimmer, I will bag up the dead grass again. I know it may take some time, but I want to see soil, and not dead grass for a good seed bed. Last year, I had a lot of dead grass, and I wonder if that blocked some of the new grass coming up in certain areas. I did one small piece with the string trimmer and then bagged it. I got a long way to go, but it seems to help, see pic below. The grass has been dead for a couple weeks in the area I tested in. It's gonna be hot this weekend, so I will be getting my calorie burn in.

test section with string trimmer


area after mow and thatch


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

I have applied 2 applications of RU in the past several weeks. The reno area is pretty dead, I would say. I have dethatched the area three to four times. I did one more pass last night with the dethatcher. I am seeing spots of dead grass that are not showing as much soil. One picture below shows an area that I used the string trimmer. This area looks the best. I could possibly do the string trimmer in really bad areas, but would like to see other thoughts. I have bag mowed at the lowest setting on my rotary too. I will be applying another application of round up this weekend or next week. My seed down day is sometime the week of August 12th. Can anyone recommend what to do with these areas of dead grass?

full view 


string trimmer area 


not as much visible soil pic 1


not as much visible soil pic 2


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## ChadStokes (Jun 21, 2018)

Looking really good! Are you going to top dress the area at all with soil? If so I'd get that down immediately and start spraying that with glypho as well to keep any new weed seeds from taking off! I plan on continuing my reno for my back yard next fall. I have a ton of grading that needs to be done before I start my 2nd half!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@ChadStokes thanks I am not adding any topsoil. I will be adding another round of glypho on the weekend and then the day before or day of seed down. I will be adding peat moss on top of the seeds.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

How much square footage are you renovating?


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Scagfreedom48z+ about 4.5k


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

I'm planning on dethatching only to prep the seed bed instead of aerating. I fear stirring up sleeping weeds in the soil. I read through your plan and it looks similar to what I have in mind. Seems like you have longer than usual dead grass, is that planned as a form of a seed cover?


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Scagfreedom48z+ the dead grass is very long. It is unusual. It is not planned to have it as a cover. Last year, my dead grass was not like this. I am not aerating, because I don't want to disturb the soil. Some people will aerate, some will not. You will get different opinions on both. It seems that if you aerate it could awaken weeds. I do want to get the dead grass shorter to see more dirt. I dethatched again tonight. Also after dethatching I used a leaf rake. There was a lot of loose dead grass. I definitely saw more dirt and had huge piles of dead grass. I will take pictures tomorrow. It was getting to dark. I plan to rake more this weekend and do some clean up in certain areas. Good luck with your reno. If you have any questions just ask. There a lot of smart people on this forum..


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Thanks man. Looking forward to see your progress


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Raked the lawn after dethatching last night. There was a lot of dead grass. Removed a large rock and took out a root from a tree cut last year, in the Reno area. The stump was ground up, but the root became exposed after killing off the dead grass. Plan to put some limestone in that area. I am seeing much more soil after the raking. I plan to dethatch and bag mow again this weekend. I plan to apply one more app of glypho on Sunday or mid-week. Seed down day is targeted for August 12th.

Look at all the dead grass pile


Close up shots of areas that I dethacthed again


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

That seed bed is looking great. Good work


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Thanks @Scagfreedom48z+


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

I dethatched the reno area one more time. Bagged mow afterwards. Tomorrow will spot spray glypho, not many weeds. August 12th, weather permitting, will be doing the following
1) last round of glypho
2) seed down
3) lightly push seed into ground 
3) starter fert with weed preventer
4) peat moss
5) water water water

If you have any suggestions, let me know. Here is the Reno after dethatching and bag mowing


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You got this and experience helps. You did you homework and that looks ready for seeds.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

I'm following looking forward to your progess


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

If i was doing a reno this fall i would put seed down today with the weather were having. I also put seed down on August 12 last fall and it turned out well. But the older it is the better it will handle the winter and a little less fighting the falling leaves. Just something to think about because you look like your ready but i don't know your weather for the next ten days if it is a favorable forecast for you. You know how kbg is, its like watching paint dry. good luck


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@JDgreen18 thanks
@iowa jim thank you. I would like to start earlier but going on vacation from Aug 1 - 11th. I don't have irrigation , so it's not an option. If I was not going to be away for so long, I would do it. It's one week earlier than last year. I remember the taxing experience from last year, but it all comes out in the end.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@g-man thank you for the encouragement. I think this year's reno will turn out better than last year. Last year's was not bad, but it's struggled this summer. I have confidence for the fall, I just need to work on getting the lawn through the summer. Starting early definitely gave me more time to prepare and make changes.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Mrotatori seed down?


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@g-man thanks for asking. I put seed down on Monday August 12th as planned. I applied another round of glypho on seed down day. I was gone for 10 days and lots of weeds came up in the reno area. My Reno from last year seemed to take a bigger hit. I feel that it's a combination of disease and drought. It's hard to tell but definitely frustrating. My soil pH was 4.1 in the bad areas. I have my side Reno from last year to transplant plugs from. I am a little dismayed about last year's Reno. The fall looked great but then the summer just tortured it. Here is a pic before seed down and application of glypho.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Saw my first grass babies today. It has been five days. The mix is Bewitched, midnight, blue note, and beyond kbg. The one on the far right is not a baby.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> Saw my first grass babies today. It has been five days. The mix is Bewitched, midnight, blue note, and beyond kbg. The one on the far right is not a baby.


Grass babies!! That's a lot of peat. I hate spending so much money on peat moss.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@pennstater2005 funny you say that. I couldn't remember how much peat I bought last year. This year I bought 25 bags. I was stocking up over the past few months. I ended up only using 6 bags. I returned 18 over two days to Home Depot. I kept 1 bag. That was not fun to return them. I did get close to $200 back.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> @pennstater2005 funny you say that. I couldn't remember how much peat I bought last year. This year I bought 25 bags. I was stocking up over the past few months. I ended up only using 6 bags. I returned 18 over two days to Home Depot. I kept 1 bag. That was not fun to return them. I did get close to $200 back.


It is hard to estimate. I bought five thinking one for each 500 sq ft but ended up needing 4 more. I don't know how some guys spread it so thin.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Congrats on the babies, @Mrotatori!


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Nothing like grass babies congrats


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

thanks @JDgreen18 and @social port . This year's reno is not as stressful. Last year helped me learn patience. Who am I kidding? It's still stressful, but a year of experience definitely helps. I know not to expect to see a lot of green until 3 weeks. That's where having a journal definitely helps. I put down scott's fertilizer with mesotrione on seed down day. I don't feel that it works. I am seeing a small amount of weeds come up already. Unless it takes some time for it to kick in.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

@Mrotatori, one thing that I have learned the hard way: tenacity is great, but it controls only a percentage of weeds. Some of the worst offenders are not touched by tenacity or by traditional preMs.
I am not sure if this might apply to you or not, but thought I would pass this along.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

couple day 7 pictures. Seed down day was last Monday August 12th at around 3 PM . So it really has not been a full 7 days yet. I am seeing quite a few areas of germination. I am not including an overall pic, because you can't see any baby grass, really. You can see the tenacity or round up, doing it's job. I applied start fert with tenacity and round up prior to seed down. I waited for 3 hours after application of the roundup before seeding


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Oh yeah! There they are! Nice work :thumbup:


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@pennstater2005 thank you. How is your reno coming along? Did you put more seed down or are you waiting ?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> @pennstater2005 thank you. How is your reno coming along? Did you put more seed down or are you waiting ?


Coming good. Put the seed down with straw on top. Hard rain last night and no wash out. Don't like straw but I was tired of fixing washed out dirt and peat.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

the growth for this year's reno is much different than last year. I am not complaining, but it's a big difference. I am beginning to feel that peat moss or the kbg seed bags are contaminated with nutsedge. I did not have nutsedge in the past in this area. Last year's reno had a lot of nutsedge too. I did finally go out and buy the Nutsedge killer. I sprayed it in last years reno, and it works great. The tenacity is doing it's job on some weeds and crabgrass. The nutsedge is an eyesore. Here are some day 10 pictures.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Reno is coming along very well. Here are some day 14 pics. You will see lines from the spreader. It looks like it missed areas. There is grass growing there. It's just not showing on the picture since it's so small.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Damn looking good for only 14 days nice job


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

Did you use a drop spreader to put your seed down? I have one and cannot get it adjusted even to wear it comes out even. From what i can see there is nothing that won't fill in given a little time. nice work


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@JDgreen18 thanks, I am a shocked about the 14 day progress compared to last year's reno
@iowa jim thank you. I used a Scott's DLX broadcast spreader. I did passes in multiple directions. It does seem that it is not dropping evenly though. It will fill in that's for sure.


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Maybe it's possible the spreader was heavy enough that the wheels rolled the seed into the soil more vs the rest of the area so just getting a little better germination in the wheel tracks? But like others have said, I wouldnt be concerned it will fill in nicely.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

ksturfguy said:


> Maybe it's possible the spreader was heavy enough that the wheels rolled the seed into the soil more vs the rest of the area so just getting a little better germination in the wheel tracks? But like others have said, I wouldnt be concerned it will fill in nicely.


This happened to me one year. The wheels improved the seedbed. Germination was faster in the areas where the wheels rolled.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@ksturfguy never thought of that, it makes sense


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Is the area next to the area you had issues in the summer also thinner?


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@g-man The area that had issues in the summer is a little higher up in my lawn. The lawn slopes. I did determine that the area that had issues gets a lot of sun all day and grubs. So I applied Bayer 24 hour grub killer about a week ago. I am testing that area in three sections. I still think it's a combination of grubs, disease, and drought. what a wonderful mix right?

Section 1
see how much of it repairs from the kbg

Section 2
seeded area with my kbg mix, lime mixed in with some organic soil and existing soil, starter fertilizer

Section 3
put 60 plugs from my side reno from last year that has responded really well to the kbg, lime, starter fertilizer, lime and organic fertilizer

I will post progress pictures over the next few months of the areas


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Looking good! Have you used plugs before? I plan on doing that soon for a few areas in the renovation from 2017. Don't know much about plugging.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@pennstater2005 I have done a few plugs here and there. I am no expert, that's for sure. I can post pictures of an area that I had success with. Another area got overgrown with crabgrass so that did not work. I put some more plugs in that area to see if it works in the fall. I never know how many plugs to put in a section. I have learned that you need to water them some for 7 days to get them to settle into the soil. They don't fill in as fast as I thought. @ken-n-nancy said the plugs can take one year to establish and then another year to start filling. I did plant some in the spring, and one area has filled in pretty good.


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## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

I did some test plugs in the spring of an area that my dogs destroyed with there pee. They filled in pretty well. I wished I had filled in the entire spot with plugs.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> @pennstater2005 I have done a few plugs here and there. I am no expert, that's for sure. I can post pictures of an area that I had success with. Another area got overgrown with crabgrass so that did not work. I put some more plugs in that area to see if it works in the fall. I never know how many plugs to put in a section. I have learned that you need to water them some for 7 days to get them to settle into the soil. They don't fill in as fast as I thought. @ken-n-nancy said the plugs can take one year to establish and then another year to start filling. I did plant some in the spring, and one area has filled in pretty good.


Good to know! I always worry about the donor areas too. I usually just stick the old plug area in there upside down.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Looking at your pictures I think I put my plugs too tight as well.


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## Laramee (Apr 21, 2019)

pennstater2005 said:


> Looking at your pictures I think I put my plugs too tight as well.


I am no means an expert. I tried to keep them all around 6"- 8" apart. With the proplugger it was very easy.

Like you, I also flip the turfless plug upside down when I put it back.

@Mrotatori (Sorry for hijacking your thread)


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Laramee said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > Looking at your pictures I think I put my plugs too tight as well.
> ...


I'm no expert either. Thanks for the tip! I definitely put them too close :lol:


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Laramee no worries @pennstater2005 I like to see pictures like this. I think I do the opposite of you guys, and don't put enough plugs. I expected them to fill more, so that's why I did not put as many. Here are my ones from a couple days ago that I am testing out. I can post pics tomorrow after the rain of the area that is coming out pretty well. That area was much smaller, only 4 to 5 plugs. The pic below is the area I plugged on Monday. To the left is the reseeded area. I applied Scott's fert with weed control to both. The top right is the area that I am looking to see how well kbg repairs.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I'll definitely be interested in the progress on that.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Laramee @pennstater2005 
Here are the pics of some plugged areas that I have been doing. I am still trying to get the hang of it.

plugged around June, I don't think I plugged enough. I don't have a before picture but it was all dirt. I added 4-5 plugs in this area.


fall update picture, very slow progress


I plugged this area in the spring, but did not add enough plugs. It overgrew with crabgrass. So a few weeks back, I pulled the crabgrass and added some more plugs. I hope this one works out better.


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Good luck with the plugs! That distance looks a bit far. if you're able you might want to double the amount in the area by the basketball hoop.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@samjonester thanks for the suggestion. I can definitely put more. I have a side area of kbg to pull from that has come in really well from last year. I was thinking of making another section for a plug farm.
I never know how many plugs to put in the area. Do you have a good recommendation for how many plugs to do for a specific area?


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> fall update picture, very slow progress


The above is about what I would expect for a June plugging. It looks like all of the plugs survived the summer and are perking up with the approach of autumn. With aggressive nitrogen in that area, the plugs should expand significantly this fall and you should have new plants coming up in the spaces between plugs from rhizomes that spread into those areas. By the end of next spring (1 year after initial plugging) it will still look a little thin when viewed from directly above, but you'll be hard pressed to see the spot from 20 feet away.

The areas in which I plugged in my lawn this June look pretty similar. I should probably take some photos and upload them in my lawn journal for future reference. Thanks for having shared yours!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@ken-n-nancy what would be an aggressive nitrogen for this on a weekly basis? Should I focus on this area by itself and how would I apply the nitrogen to such a small place?


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> @ken-n-nancy what would be an aggressive nitrogen for this on a weekly basis? Should I focus on this area by itself and how would I apply the nitrogen to such a small place?


I did some Zoysia plugs this summer and it was only a 10x10 area. What I did was buy some liquid fert from HD and just spay a small amount of that on the plugs once a week. Much easier with a liquid vs granular when you dealing which such a small area. If you don't want what the big box stores sell then buy one of the N-EXT liquid ferts that will also contain a bunch of micronutrients.


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> @ken-n-nancy what would be an aggressive nitrogen for this on a weekly basis? Should I focus on this area by itself and how would I apply the nitrogen to such a small place?


I always have cheap 10-10-10 in an old miracle grow shaker. I fertilize my flowers every week or so and they are monstrous. When I was plugging construction damage I just used that to fertilize twice a week and eyeballed it. It worked very well, but maybe bermdua is more forgiving.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> ken-n-nancy what would be an aggressive nitrogen for this on a weekly basis? Should I focus on this area by itself and how would I apply the nitrogen to such a small place?


The above suggestions from @ksturfguy and @samjonester for either weekly liquid apps or from a miracle grow shaker are good solutions. Personally, I've used Bay State Fertilizer (Boston's version of Milorganite) using a deep trowel to measure some out and then broadcast it by hand, since the area in question is typically only about 3' x 4' or so when I've done this. Apply weekly and be wary of overdoing it. One can weigh out the first app, but after having done that to see what the volume of product is needed, it's easier to just use a scoop, coffee mug, or container of the right size (whatever that ends up being for your circumstance.) BSF / Milorganite is a convenient option, as it's less likely to cause burning if overapplied (within reason).

The idea is just to do the extra fertilization in the small area in which you're trying to encourage spreading, and not the entire lawn.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Just want to post a few day 20 pics. It's a day early, probably will post more tomorrow. It is coming in really well. The closest part to my driveway is taking it's time. I am ok with it since I know kbg takes awhile to germinate. I would say I mowed 2/3 of the Reno today at a little over 2". The other 1/3 is not ready to be mowed yet.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

here are some comparison pics day 7,14, and 21. I did put some more seed down on day 7 near the driveway. I think it got washed away. I have some weeds popping up, mostly nutsedge. I have a lot more nutsedge in one section that last year's reno. Considering cutting back on watering from 3 to 2 times a day for most of the lawn. The area in the front, I will stick to 3 times a day. Lot of rain today, probably close to .5 inches.

day 7


day 14


day 21 pics


day 21 close up pic


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

It is filling in nicely. Have you given it a little taste of N yet?


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Nice progress.....I'm day 6 on my Reno with the same blend as you, plus Mazama. Noticed some green babies today. Encouraging seeing your pics.....


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@pennstater2005 no N yet. Maybe next week. Last year I started applying N after day 28. This year I seem to be a week or two ahead of last year's.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@NJ-lawn thank you. Just be patient, kbg takes its dear old time


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Looking good! The coverage in the main area is great! Can't tell scale in the pic, but the thinner area looks like it won't have any trouble filling in. How's the coverage compare to last time?


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Looks excellent for day 21!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@samjonester I think I have pretty good coverage. There are definitely not as many thin areas compared to last year's reno. The area's from last year filled in really well by the end of fall.

The lower reno has a little more shade than the top reno from last year. In addition, I added bewitched into the mix. I think I prepared the area much better this year than last. I believe last year I only spent a couple weeks to kill it. This year I started a month early. The front part ( near the driveway ) and the area towards the back( near the home depot bucket) of this year's reno is coming in slower compared to the middle. I was thinking about adding some more seed in those areas. Any thoughts on adding more seed or should I just let it spread?

2018 day 21 ( this is not a full scale picture of the reno from last year. Closer to the driveway and up on top near the house, it was pretty thin. It filled in nicely by end of October. ) 


2019 day 21


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@ken-n-nancy thank you, i am pleased with it so far. I feel much better with it than last year at day 21. I have learned patience too with the kbg.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

day 25 picture, looking good, the front area near the driveway is starting to show more growth. Overall I am pleased. I put some seed down in the small gap between this year's reno and last year. I know it would have filled in, but wanted to be safe. I pulled 50 or so perennial ryegrass and a handful of tiny crabgrass. Next year, I will be applying prodiamine. The hand picking of the crabgrass in last year's reno was to much. I have already mowed the area twice at 2". I still have not mowed near the driveway yet.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

That is looking really good.. nice job


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

not sure where to post this, but I am going to add it here. I had a reno journal from last year, but it's a PIA to post to both. This summer I had one section that got hit by disease/grubs/drought. Here is a progress pictures of the area. I am testing it in three sections. ( 1 - seed , 2 - plugs , 3 - how well does kbg repair ) The seeded area is coming in well. It has been a couple weeks for it. The plugs look to be settling in. I am seeing quite a bit of repair. I am not sure if the entire area will be repaired by the end of fall. I have been applying some organic fert to the damaged areas. ( small amount ) Here is a comparison pic.

Aug 18


Sep 6 ( the granules you see are from Bayer Grub Killer , it's my second application , you may see some ogranic fert too )


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

showing a little swag in my last year's KBG reno


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## Buddy (Apr 23, 2018)

pennstater2005 said:


> It is filling in nicely. Have you given it a little taste of N yet?


 What would your suggestion be in regards to adding N, timing wise? Would you use urea or some other ratio? Just looking for suggestions.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Buddy said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > It is filling in nicely. Have you given it a little taste of N yet?
> ...


I gave my reno urea, think spoon feeding amount or less, about 3 weeks after seed down.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Buddy Last year people suggested spoon feeding when it gets out of the pout and spout stage. It should be a small amount 0.2 lb N/K weekly. I was thinking about doing it starting on day 28. This is what @STL suggested the below to me last year, and I think it's a good reference.

There's a point after germination where the vertical growth will stop or slow down a lot. The grass is developing roots during this time. I personally would let it do it's thing and wait until the growth resumes for the majority of it. It sounds like you may be there or close to it. I'd spoon feed it 0.2 or 0.25#/m N from urea weekly or every other week when it's ready.


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## Buddy (Apr 23, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> @Buddy Last year people suggested spoon feeding when it gets out of the pout and spout stage. It should be a small amount 0.2 lb N/K weekly. I was thinking about doing it starting on day 28. This is what @STL suggested the below to me last year, and I think it's a good reference.
> 
> There's a point after germination where the vertical growth will stop or slow down a lot. The grass is developing roots during this time. I personally would let it do it's thing and wait until the growth resumes for the majority of it. It sounds like you may be there or close to it. I'd spoon feed it 0.2 or 0.25#/m N from urea weekly or every other week when it's ready.


I'm day 14 right now from seed down. I think i'm in that sprout and pout stage, so maybe another week to two before I hit it with some Urea probably. First year using Urea in my backyard with its first app last weekend, so I'm obviously cautious using it on my small reno area. Thanks for the insight, and your reno is coming along nicely!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Buddy said:


> Mrotatori said:
> 
> 
> > @Buddy Last year people suggested spoon feeding when it gets out of the pout and spout stage. It should be a small amount 0.2 lb N/K weekly. I was thinking about doing it starting on day 28. This is what @STL suggested the below to me last year, and I think it's a good reference.
> ...


thanks, yes, be careful with the Urea. Last year was my first year too using it. You don't want to apply it to early and don't put to much down because the new grass can't handle it.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I also water urea in immediately on baby grasses. More mature grass I time for rain.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Wanted to share a pic. This shows last year's Reno and this year's. I look forward to when they both are the same color. For the past two weeks I have spoon fed last year's Reno with 0.2 # N/M. I plan to start applying the same to this year's starting on Monday.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Few pics ,day 29. I applied .23 #N/K on Monday. Some areas are getting thick. The area near the driveway is filling in slowly. I started to see some yellowing tips in small areas today. It brought back memories of last year around day 28. I thought I had fert burn or fungus last year. I will be watching more closely. I have cut back watering to twice a day. I may want to go to once a day.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Wow awesome coverage, that looks really good


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@JDgreen18 thanks. We have another month or so of good weather for it to fill in.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> @JDgreen18 thanks. We have another month or so of good weather for it to fill in.


I think you have a good 2 months. My reno last year was going strong through the end of Oct. I ended the season with a pic on Nov. 25 and it looked pretty good.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

just a few updates from the damaged section of the reno from last year and the progress of this year's reno. ( day 32 or so )

Aug 18th damaged area from the summer


Sept 6th 


Sept 13 plugs, seeded areas, and repair. I did add some more plugs to the bottom left, I did not see as much repair as I would like. The bottom right is all KBG repair. The top portion is the seeded area.


fall reno 2019


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

just a few pics from the reno ( day 36/37 ) Tough to get a decent picture with the trees and the way the sun is hitting. It's filling in near the driveway, but it's taking it's dear old time.

day 36 


day 37


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Looking good. Just keep feeding it with N.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@g-man thanks. I had to cut back on the N for a few weeks. I only applied one application of urea of .25#N/K a few weeks ago. A couple days after, I started seeing yellow and grass that was laying down in multiple spots. I think it might be from overwatering. I saw the same issue last year, but I was never able to conclude the exact issue. I cut back on the watering, and I am seeing some improvement. I applied Disease-X, it seems to be getting a little better. I probably will start a low dose of N next weekend. It is very ironic that I got the same type of yellow spots as last year's reno. My soil test, I did a soil test in 3 areas of my lawn. This reno area had the lowest ph of 4.1 while other areas were from 4.1 to 4.6. Also, all areas had low K. I have been putting down some lime in both sections. I will start up the lime next spring. I plan to put some K down next week in both areas. I guess low K can cause more disease from my research. My iron level was ok , so I don't think it is iron chlorosis. Overall I think the reno looks better at this time than last year's


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

reno is coming along well. I had some fungus, not sure what a few weeks ago. I applied DiseaseX a few weeks back. The disease seems to be better now. Some small areas died off in the corner, but I am not too worried about it. The same thing happened to my last year's reno. I did not apply nitrogen for a few weeks because of the disease. Last week I applied some organic fertilizer and a small dose of fast release N. These are day 48 pictures. My last year's reno and this year are blending in slightly better. 




near the driveway is filling in, this has been the slowest part of the reno. I have confidence it will fill in. The area closest to the driveway, I am not sure about. I might have to plug it in the spring. The front is where I saw the fungus too.


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## TreyDoc (Aug 16, 2018)

That is looking pretty fantastic! With N, it's gonna explode!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

thanks @TreyDoc it's getting there


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Couple pics after a mow of this and last year's Reno


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Better pictures of my Reno. The left side is last year's Reno. The right side is this year's.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

From those pictures, it looks like the color from both reno's already match pretty well.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@social port yes it's matching pretty well. Thanks to your advice earlier in the year. I went with the same KBG as the top with a little bewitched. There is one thin strip between the two reno's that is a little younger and lighter green. I added more seed there a few weeks ago. I was aiming to get the the color to be consistent. I am pleased with it so far. I have an area to the right of the trees that I will be doing next fall. I am not sure what I will be putting there. Its closer to the road. I may do KBG/PRG. I have the winter to think about it. The front part of the lawn is 15k.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Went down to 2" today. I scalped a few areas but it looks good.


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Looks good.... nice job


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Thanks @JDgreen18


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

just wanted to share some pics of my kbg repair,reseed, and plug experience. I got hit by grubs this fall, and it was pretty bad as you can see from the August 18th picture below. I am battling with some POA annua, but I have been pulling that by hand. The middle and lower left section is the plugs Some of the lower left was repair but I added some plugs too. I put around 60 plugs or so. The lower right hand section was KBG repair by itself. The top portion in the picture, very small piece was the reseeded area. It's cool to look at these photos and see the progress.

August 18


Sept 6


Oct 15


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## Mark B (May 30, 2019)

Very encouraging to read your thread. Nice work, its looking great!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

thanks @TheWhiteWizard . The kbg reno has put me through the test for the past 2 years. Also, I am on a well, so in the summer I don't water as much as others that have irrigation. So far I am pleased with the results. I feel by next fall, both the top and bottom reno will be in good shape.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

just some day 64 pictures. This year's reno is towards the bottom half of the picture.

( fall reno at top of the picture ) 


( fall reno at top of the picture ) 


(fall reno from a different angle on the left side)


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

I did not post many pictures of my side reno from last year. This was probably 1000 SQ feet. It took a long time to establish but this is what it looks like now after 1 year and two months. I did not reseed at all, just let kbg do it's job. I have been using this as my plug farm for the front yard. :thumbup:

September 15th, 2018 ( seeded on August 21st, 2018 ) 


October 2019


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Some reno pics


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Wanted to share a before and after picture of my front yard. I have done two reno's of 5k each. I have one more section to do on the right side of the trees.

May 24 2018


October 19 2019


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Man what a difference. Color is really nice!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Thanks @pennstater2005 it's come a long way


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

day 69 pictures , very pleased with the fall reno. I am considering doing one more app of .25 N/K on Wednesday. I may be able to fit in one more the following week, based on temps.


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## fusebox7 (Jul 27, 2017)

Uh yeah. Very well done! You SHOULD be pleased.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Thanks @fusebox7


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Looks great already so imagine what that's going to look like next fall!!!


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@pennstater2005 thank you, next fall should be amazing. I can wait for next fall, got to get through the brutal New England winter first.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Just few pics of the lawn after a mow.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

You probably can fit in one more 0.25 lb N app next week...but do realize that in a normal year, you'd have stopped a few days to a week ago already, in all likelihood.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Green thanks for the advice. I have been contemplating applying another dose of urea. The temps look to be good all week in CT. My last app was last Wed at .25 lb N. If the weather is permitting I will put down .25 on wed night. It looks like rain for Thur.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Lawns starting to slow down. Some areas had rust in the fall renovation. The right side of the pic was the fall Reno and you can see some discoloration from rust. I am going to trim some more branches off the three big trees to get more sunlight. Here are pics from Sunday


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Did you ever do the fertilizer? Or did you skip it?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The color on the reno looks just as dark as the reno from last year. Nice! :mrgreen:


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The color on the reno looks just as dark as the reno from last year. Nice! :mrgreen:


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Green said:


> Did you ever do the fertilizer? Or did you skip it?


I skipped it. With all of the rain last week, and with the temp drop I did not put any fert down.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

Chris LI said:


> The color on the reno looks just as dark as the reno from last year. Nice! :mrgreen:


Thanks Chris


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Mrotatori said:


> Green said:
> 
> 
> > Did you ever do the fertilizer? Or did you skip it?
> ...


I know it might be too tedious, but you can still do a couple of low-rate ammonium sulfate sprays using 0.1 lb/M N or less, and 1-2 gallons of water per M...if you want to. I'm hoping to do one tomorrow before the cold comes in. We'll see if I have time.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

It's been awhile since I posted an update from last fall's reno. Over the last two years I did two 5k sections. Here are some recent pics


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Came in beautifully. Now, maintenance!


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Wow very nice


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

thanks @JDgreen18 @Green


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Mrotatori,

What does it look like after this hot, dry summer?


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@deadlawn Sorry I did not get a notification about your post. Here are some pics after the hot dry summer. The last few weeks have been rough , but it's holding on. I have definitely lost some color, but hitting with .25 N/K weekly. Also, this is without irrigation. During the summer months, I might have watered one to to times a week, but not very often. I water each section for 30 minutes each. I don't have an in-ground irrigation, so I have to drag the house around.

August 7th, 2020


September 12th, 2020


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Mrotatori said:


> @deadlawn Sorry I did not get a notification about your post. Here are some pics after the hot dry summer. The last few weeks have been rough , but it's holding on. I have definitely lost some color, but hitting with .25 N/K weekly. Also, this is without irrigation. During the summer months, I might have watered one to to times a week, but not very often. I water each section for 30 minutes each. I don't have an in-ground irrigation, so I have to drag the house around.


Very nice! I am a bit confused. You said you don't irrigate, yet you said you watered 1-2 times per week.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Deadlawn to clear up the confusion. I don't irrigate every week during the summer. I probably irrigated every few weeks.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Mrotatori said:


> @Deadlawn to clear up the confusion. I don't irrigate every week during the summer. I probably irrigated every few weeks.


Got it! Whatever you're doing, it's working!


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