# My small canadian townhouse lawn



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Goal: tier 1 - durable, healthy, dense, ray-fescue-kentucky mix. I believe in water conservation, so higher HOC. A mix vs mono culture is much more tolerant to fungus, insects and weeds naturally.

For now I want to avoid a full renovation, as my wife in maternity leave with two kids at home (daycare closed) would kill me if I prevented her from using the yard for a few weeks. Some sections are ok, but I can't have the whole lawn a no-walk area.

I believe a lawn can be drastically improved over many years without doing a full renovation, only with overseeding, hand-pulling, redoing worst sections in parts (solarization or sod removing) and some techniques like aeration, soil tests / amendments / proper irrigation, etc...

My lawn improved dramatically from the first two years I owned the property. By focusing on the worst problems first, and dealing with one problem at once, I was able to get a lawn that is much better.

Since the start of owning the property, I use a local company that applies calcium, maintenance fertilizers, and on-demand Fiesta applications (iron based weed control). They can also do aeration in the fall, but that's were their service stops. I am actually considering ditching the company and applying my own fertilizer, etc... seems cheaper, easier, and I can know what is applied. I can't buy Fiesta in my area, but now that most weeds are controlled, I believe hand-pulling and preemergent will do the job, as long as I maintain a healthy and thick lawn.

June 2018:


First largest problem, I had: lots of weeds, especially the kind that looks like spinach. The lawn service applied for me Fiesta a few times, but I had to do a lot of hand-pulling too. At first I though they would always come back, and had the feeling I was pulling weeds constantly, but it eventually paid off, now its under control as long as I keep hand-pulling those that stand out.

I over-seeded way too much (wasted a lot of seeds, basically used 60 lbs of seeds in two years, on a total lawn of 1600 sqft!) but I think this over-seeding created an overcrowding issue which kinda helped to get the weeds under control.

Mai 2020 - weeds under control, lawn looks decent, but I start seeing parts thinning!


June 24th, 2020 - drought hits:


June 24th, 2020 - super dry! Didn't see any grubs.


August 1st, 2020 - some traffic areas are completely dead!


After reading the forums here, I learned so much! It was improper irrigation, but also that I heavily over-seeded this spring, which caused a problem of overcrowding, and young grass not ready for summer heat. I was also bagging clippings all year, which over time probably reduced the health of the lawn by reducing nutrients available. I was also doing the noob mistake of daily watering, which made the lawn weak and unable to cope when I suddenly stopped when our new baby arrived in end of May. Now I solved it by getting proper sprinklers (over ground), timers, a rain gauge, a spreadsheet, and auditing with tuna cans to get good coverage and quantities. Most of the lawn recovered, and I will irrigate much smarter next summer.

July 9th, 2020 tall fescue?





Now the biggest issue I have is what I think may be tall fescue a bit everywhere. It is coarser and taller than the rest, and really does not look good mixed with the grass I want. There are large patches of only that, but also small bunches scattered.

So I got on the ground and started to hand pull. I think over many hours of hand pulling I got the "population" reduced a lot. I think I have about an hour or two of hand-pulling left to get the rest. Actually with a wet soil I can get a much larger portion of the roots, which I believe will help them not coming back:


Once I get most of the tall fescue out, I expect some of it to grow back, but my hope is that most of the bunches that grow back will be small enough that I can hand-pull them again without causing big holes.

Now my plan is to prepare the lawn this fall to get a strong 2021 season. My plan is:

Now:
- Get as much tall fescue out
- Focus on proper irrigation to keep a good water reserve in the soil

Mid-August:
- Detaching rake to expose the soil.
- HOC as low as mower will go, bag clippings. I want to weaken the existing lawn on purpose to ensure the overseeded lawn gets a good chance to grow. Will help make the grass newer by giving less chances to the older grass, if that makes sense.
- Keep soil wet for aeration to be effective.

Mid-August to mid-September (I don't know exactly when the company will be able to aerate)
- Get the lawn aerated (never done before)
- Hoping I get my soil test results back in time, after aerating is the best time to do amendments,
- Order about 3 cubic-yards of top soil to fix bumpy lawn (there are 2-4" dips in some places, and to fix a negative slope towards the house). I was thinking of renting a roller to compact those areas.
- Overseed ray-tttf-kbg mix, with starter fertilizer in granular form.
- Apply 1/8" of compost everywhere to cover the seeds.
- Keep soil continuously moist for 2 weeks

October
- Start to lower cutting height towards 2" before frost around mid to end of October.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Update:

I finally got all the tall fescue out by hand-pulling! The front-yard did not have any, but the backyard had a lot. With a 1000 sqft backyard, it took a few hours. 100% organic solution 


Some areas are now bald, I hope weeds won't take over before I can do the overseeding.


I also had a small area with yellow nutsedge. I hand-pulled it took me only 10 minutes, I hope doing that as soon as I see some will keep it from spreading, we'll see!


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Now I am currently trying to figure out how to deal with what looks like annual raygrass. See topic here:
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=21528

It's definitely not as bad as the looks I had with the tall fescue, but is still something I would like to get rid of, as it makes the lawn look inconsistent.

Around the pink chair is the grass I want (mix of rye, fescue, kbg), but near the bottom of the picture you can see the taller and wider annual raygrass.


For now, I don't think there is much I can do. I still need to find out if it is really annual raygrass or something else like quackgrass, and should plan for a preemergent in the spring.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

I must say, the front lawn (620 sqft) looks fairly good, almost no weeds, I think I am on the right track.


Some issues with water accumulating near the house, I'll try to improve by adding some topsoil. See thread:
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21751&p=310633#p310633

Drought also killed some grass around the tree dripline (where roots compete for water) I don't think it will recover, but with the fall overseeding it will be fixed soon, and next year I will manage irrigation much better. I also need to keep the norvegian maple trimmed for sunlight.


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Welcome to the forum! I admire your work ethic and willingness to hand weed. I think you can get some pretty good results without herbicides. I have two kids and don't want them over exposed, but at the same time lawns are a high input endeavor...

If you budget allows you might consider a SunJoe dethatcher. They save a ton of time and do an amazing job of removing lawn debris.

Look forward to your updates!


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob thanks for the tip! I jus purchased a detaching rake, I already spent a lot on the lawn this season, especially with sprinklers and timer and two soil tests. The SunJoe looks nice!

By the way I looked over your lawn journal, your backyard is coming along very well!


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Today lowered HOC from 3" to 2", my plan is to go low (maybe 1" or 3/4") to make detaching easier, make the aeration more effective, and make spreading topsoil/compost/seed/starter-fertilizer easier. My thinking is that it will stunt the growth a bit, to leave a better opportunity for the new grass seed to thrive. Any experience on that?





More pictures, for my journal: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ubTWwQoV33S3s6Z4A


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Today I did HOC 1" on the backyard, and HOC 1.5" on the front yard. I hope I didn't cut too short and will not be overtaken by weeds until I am ready to overseed :shock: .







I think this will give a good base for the next steps:

- Detaching rake
- Lawn aeration
- Topsoil for leveling on some parts (I will order 3 cubic yards)
- Thin layer, 1/10" of enriched potting mix (as per soil analysis recommendation)
- Seed
- Light rolling over seeds
- Thin layer, 1/10" of marine compost (as per soil analysis recommendation)
- Water and watch grass grow


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Today I started the detaching rake. Ouf! Its a lot of work, I'll have to spread this over a few days.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Looking good! Welcome to TLF. This looks like a nice project. :thumbup:


----------



## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Good luck with the overseeding! I have two kids and manual labor is a great little getaway!

What seed are you planning to use?

Are you going to put down tenacity when you seed? I've done a little reach on its safety and perisitence in the environment and it seems okay to me. Certainly not organic, but doesn't seem to persist or be toxic. I used it with overseed and it was really effective. Here's an article if you're interested in some data: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/herb-growthreg/fatty-alcohol-monuron/mesotrione/tenacity_reg_0908.pdf


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob Thanks for the info about tenacity. I haven't really read about tenacity before, but after reading about it, it's banned where I live (Canada, Quebec), which explains why super weedy lawns are pretty much the norm around here. Seriously, many lawns, you have to look closely to spot some non-weed grass blades! Me and my family spend a lot of time outside in our yard, and square footage is small, so I think hand-pulling will be manageable. I'll post an update about how much hand-pulling I need to do.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Done with detaching rake. Total of 1500 sqft. Was super tiring but I was also quite aggressive at exposing the soil. Higher bumps actually ripped away some lawn too, which will help with levelling. Some rain coming tomorrow.

Now I am waiting for the lawn company to come and aerate. In the meantime, I'll hand-pull anything I see popping, and I'll keep the soil moist for aeration to be effective.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

I need to vent. Getting frustrated at the lawn company. Been calling every week, they keep saying they'll do the aeration next week. Been planning aeration with them since May, and they told me to call them beginning of August. Now they say the work order is in the technician's hands, but they can't even tell me if they'll do it this week or next week!

I really need to know when they'll come, as I need a free weekend to do this, as I am renting equipment and all! I have visitors coming over the week after which will really slow me down.... Grrrrr.... If I delay too much, I'll lose my window to apply seeds a second time this year... A rainy weekend could delay things further.

I am considering adding topsoil this weekend as I also booked this Friday off work. Would it be bad if they aerate after I added 3 cubic yards of topsoil?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Cancel it and don't aerate. Or get one of these at home Depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-ComfortGEL-YardBREATHER-Aerator-with-Auto-Eject-3-5-in-Soil-Plugs-LG-3604/309162880 it is such a small area that you will be done in an hour.


----------



## doverosx (Aug 7, 2019)

Don't pull nutsedge, it'll spread or at the least return next year.


----------



## Sinclair (Jul 25, 2017)

Is that creeping bent in the back yard? The brown, stemmy, easily pulled up junk sure looks that way.

You might need Tenacity after all.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

doverosx said:


> Don't pull nutsedge, it'll spread or at the least return next year.


Thanks, there is not a lot, I hope it will slowly choke with a dense grass. Someone suggested adding nitrogen, as it will help the grass overgrow the nutsedge... Tenacity is banned where I live.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

g-man said:


> Cancel it and don't aerate. Or get one of these at home Depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-ComfortGEL-YardBREATHER-Aerator-with-Auto-Eject-3-5-in-Soil-Plugs-LG-3604/309162880 it is such a small area that you will be done in an hour.


Thanks for the tip this is really cool! I should definitely have done that hand aeration, you are right it should have been quick, and I would already have my seeds sowed by now!!!! Live and learn. Unfortunately I can't cancel now it's already paid and part of a contract plan. I am definitely not renewing my contract with them, as I think I can now put my own fertilizers.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Sinclair said:


> Is that creeping bent in the back yard? The brown, stemmy, easily pulled up junk sure looks that way.
> 
> You might need Tenacity after all.


@Sinclair You have tenacity in Ontario? I am pretty sure it is not creeping bent, see closer pictures here: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=21528

As of now, the lawn has bare spots just waiting to be taken over by something  , hoping to fix that very soon!


----------



## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

robido said:


> Sinclair said:
> 
> 
> > Is that creeping bent in the back yard? The brown, stemmy, easily pulled up junk sure looks that way.
> ...


tenacity is a game changer. order from seed world. don't tell anyone you used it. done.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Gotcha Sinclair, I'll look into that!

Based on the advice I received, I decided to go ahead and not wait for aeration to do my regrading.

3 yards of compost enriched soil:


Rented a roller and a landscaping rake for a week. I had time to rework on the grading of the front yard yesterday:


Today is a very rainy day (1.5"), perfect opportunity to see how the water flows. Not yet what I want, but much better, the water does not puddle near the house, although I still need a bit more slope. The water accumulates along the paved area, which I don't want, as freezing in winter will cause paver issues, so some more work:








Tomorrow I'll work on another problematic area at the corner on the back of the house:


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Today was productive. I finished the regrading of the front lawn. I did not use lasers or anything fancy, just eye, bubble level, and a pan with liquid. The pan is great as it shows exactly which direction the water will flow, so I can move it a feet in that direction, and basically simulate the path the water will take:


There was a tree root too high, as one spot needed lowering the soil to make a drainage path. Alternative would have been to raise the paver step or let water drain over them, which is dangerous in winter, and can damage the pavers. I didn't need to remove the root, I just pushed it lower underground:


Right after I was done, a very short rain came along. Success! The drainage works, no more swamp near the foundation:


In drought, the tree takes so much water it competes with the grass, so having the water flow there is awesome, as the soil in that area will have water deeper:


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Major update! Didn't have time to post since I was super busy with other things. Finished regrading, seeded, but now I have issues with rain washing away seeds constantly, and forecast is cold and rain. Running out of time this season to repair bare spots, so I don't expect a perfect lawn yet, oh well! My main mistake was not covering the seeds under enough soil, I only put a very light layer.

*August 31th:* regrading of the backyard, the area below the deck steps raised by 4 inches, to have the first step the same height as the following steps. Whole surface is much more consistent, no more large bumps and dips.




*August 31th:* Based on soil analysis. Applied recommended amendments: backyard, 8 bags of 30L of marine compost (1.0-0.7-0.6) + 4 bags of planting mix (0.5-0.1-0.2). Frontyard, 5 bags of marine compost and 3 bags of planting mix.


*Sept. 1st:* seeding time! For the frontyard, I used the remainder of what I had from my lawn company's mix (made by Gloco): 48 % ray - 30 % fine fescue - 22 % blugrasse. For the backyard I used Herbionik sunshine mix, which is also made by Gloco, and has the same ratios. Both applied at bag rate for a new lawn. Lightly rolled afterwards.




*Sept. 2:* Heavy rain! Many seeds unfortunately got washed away, some areas are left completely bare.... :bd: 





*Sept. 3rd:* found grubs while regrading, decided to do a nematodes application as the timing was right (good time in the year for this, soil very wet, and will stay wet for the next 10 days at least). It's not an infestation yet, but I know its a problem in my area.


*Sept. 4th:* washed out areas. Reseeding those.



*Sept. 7th:* some seedlings are appearing! Some areas will be great soon, while others I can really see the damage from the heavy rain.



*Sept. 9th:* more heavy rain! The same areas that got washed out and I reseeded got washed out again 




*Sept. 10th:* it rains every 2-3 days. I really need to have rain-free at least 10 days in a row to let time for the seeds to anchor in the soil! Decided to experiment with pre-germination in the house. This way, as soon as rain stops and there is no rain for a few days, the roots should be ready to grab on the soil before the next rain.

*Sept. 12th:* Applied starter fertilizer at recommended bag rate on front and back.

*Sept. 14th:* Pre-germination ready to apply, I can see white roots appearing on some of the seeds. No rain forecast for the next 9 days! This should be a perfect window for those pre-germinated seeds.



*Sept. 14th:* A lot of bare areas left, as I didn't have a lot of pre-germinated seeds. Decided to do another application of seeds at over seeding rate, as I felt too many were washed out a bit everywhere. By now the first batch of seeds should have germinated, and I can see many areas where that is not the case. The store was out of stock, so I used their low maintenance mix, which has a higher ratio of fescue (20 % ray, 63 % fescue, 17 % bluegrass). As long as I apply uniformly it should not be a problem. Just for the swampy area that gets no direct sunlight, I decided to add some of this intense shadow mix, which contain 15% rough bluegrass.



*Sept. 15th:* forecast alerts of frost advisory. I think my seeding window is over, and whatever bare areas rain caused, will be there till I can repair in spring (or do dormant seeding???). While the forecast is not saying it will rain, I see a rain cloud coming over in a few hours on the radar... :dunno:


So now if rain is really on its way, I will try to cover the problem areas with an erosion blanket till after the rain.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Yesterday I put down an erosion blanket. I only had one roll, much less than I imagined, so that is only where I put it.


But ultimately, I think it was unnecessary, as no significant rain came, so the seeds are still intact :thumbup:

Removed the erosion blanket this morning, as there is no rain forecast for 7 days! Forecast looks great for the seeds, and there is no frost advisory anymore.



Coming along!



Looking forward to doing a first mow with my push reel mower! I was thinking of mowing to 2.5" when the tallest ones reach 3.5". This will give a chance for the bluegrass to catch up.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Frost. I think it's a good idea to bring my sprinklers and valve timers indoors till next season to avoid damaging them. I'll continue with hand watering until winter. Do I need to worry about seeds that have not germinated yet?

*Day 18* for first seed
*Day 4* for second seed (bare areas washed out by storm)

I can't really tell if the bluegrass already germinated or not from the first seed, but the second seed should have the ray grass coming out soon. Rain forecasted in 6 days, so I think I will be ok with the areas that get washed out, as long as the roots take in the soil before that.


----------



## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

robido said:


> Frost. I think it's a good idea to bring my sprinklers and valve timers indoors till next season to avoid damaging them. I'll continue with hand watering until winter. Do I need to worry about seeds that have not germinated yet?
> 
> *Day 18* for first seed
> *Day 4* for second seed (bare areas washed out by storm)
> ...


i still have all my sprinklers and stuff out. I don't think it's dropping below zero. but better safe then sorry likely. tonight is borderline in Ottawa. might just put bags over the sprinklers for the night. don't think there will be solid freezing yet I hope.


----------



## Sinclair (Jul 25, 2017)

Your equipment will be fine. It takes water a very long time to freeze at 0 or slightly below.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Run the sprinklers at 5am and the warmer water should help too.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

Ok yuk yuk yuk! I got a slugs issue...

So I could not understand why grass was growing soooooo slowwww in the corners, near the flowerbeds, and more....

I read online and got the inspiration to check the lawn at night with a flashlight. Turns out I have little slugs eating away all the young seedlings!

Look at it! Its like a super short mow! I could see the snail doing it live! In the picture, a blade of grass was travelling in its mouth, apparently transparent! So their throat is on top of their head weird!



Takes more than one to do the damage I am seeing, I got so far 3 bowls full like those:



Once the grass matures I believe they are not a threat anymore. Anybody has experience with that?


----------



## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

These are slugs, snails have shells, but essentially the same thing. You can hand pluck like you are or use some chems to kill them. I don't believe they like mature grass as much as the seedlings so you should be fine once mature. I've seen a handful the last couple nights with the cooler temps and dew on the ground, soaked some in metaldehyde last night and they didn't live more than 10 minutes. They are hermaphrodites so they self reproduce and one slug can turn into 100 within a month to month and a half.


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

synergy0852 said:


> These are slugs, snails have shells


Haha thanks for the correction! Will fix the post.



synergy0852 said:


> You can hand pluck like you are or use some chems to kill them. I don't believe they like mature grass as much as the seedlings so you should be fine once mature.


Ok great, I'll just keep hand collecting them, and tossing them in the compost bin. I won't use chemicals in that case, as as soon as the grass matures I don't need to worry about it.



synergy0852 said:


> They are hermaphrodites so they self reproduce and one slug can turn into 100 within a month to month and a half.


Interesting! I'll see tomorrow how much comes back after I picked what I could see.


----------



## dwaugh (Aug 25, 2020)

robido said:


> Ok yuk yuk yuk! I got a slugs issue...
> 
> Takes more than one to do the damage I am seeing, I got so far 3 bowls full like those:


Do you have a recipe for the slugs? Maybe an appetizer?


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

@dwaugh hahaha I was thinking of wrapping them in foil and cook a good BBQ with some bechamel sauce. Yum


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

The grass grows, but slowly. I am confident a good area of the lawn will ready for winter, not as perfect as I hoped, but that's part of the lawn care game.

*First seeding, day 22* (sept. 1st)
*Second seeding, day 8* (sept. 14th)

Other than finding out grass was being eaten by slugs, I believe my main issue now is lack of heat. Soil in the morning is under 10°C / 50°F, and it does not heat up a lot on the front yard, as it is shadow most of the day. The backyard receives more sunlight, and grows better. Next year, I need to overseed earlier in the season. I wanted to do that but I was waiting on the aeration company, which only came on Sept. 1st, despite me pressuring them to come earlier since May... The positive is that weather has really been on my side last week and this week in terms of rain, no heavy downpours. I can see some early seedlings in the areas that got completely washed out.


----------



## PANICiii (May 14, 2020)

Hey, nice project there! Makes me think of mine a bit also this fall. I'm located in Blainville, north shore of Mtl.

Wanted to ask you why you think Tenacity is banned in Qc?


----------



## robido (Jun 25, 2020)

PANICiii said:


> Hey, nice project there! Makes me think of mine a bit also this fall. I'm located in Blainville, north shore of Mtl.
> 
> Wanted to ask you why you think Tenacity is banned in Qc?


Thanks! I actually did not explore the Tenacity route, it's really not clear if its banned or not, it seems easy to buy online. But is it because you can buy it online that it's ok? More research needs to be done for me to understand that.

This company say it's banned in Quebec
Some people disagree
Others say the ban is not working to prevent its use
Pesticides can be bought online. Loophole or lack of gov motivation to fix this (has been 3 years)?
Killex is harmful
Killex is not harmful
Canadian tire does not sell in ON, PQ, PEI, NB, NFLD, NS
Some publication on bans in Canada, hosted in a Wordpress website

My main question is "What ban??? Where is that official government webpage? That is part of the problem. It needs to be better communicated, otherwise how can it be banned if info on that is hard to find? Politics focus on other things, so not a lot of funding goes into enforcing the ban, or making up an idea about if it's good/bad. It's mostly ignored so small online stores get away with it.

Should you use it? You decide! My lawn is an example or a reno done 100% without roundup or tenacity. It's possible. Focus on getting a thick lawn by overseeding (more than recommenced rate). Having a bit of an overcrowding for grass is a better problem than weed. Overcrowded grass will fix itself, as some of it will die, but it will choke out the weeds naturally in the process.

Been a while since my last update, but my lawn is almost weed-free and looks great now! Some tiny weeds I had to hand-pull, but it's very far from being a chore, it's only 2-3 small ones here and there, which can all be hand-pulled.


----------

