# What kind of grass do I have?



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Can types be told from these pictures or do we need blade closeups? There's a 8 foot wide section that was trenched and never reseeded, is this quackgrass?

Thanks for any insight!


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

copper44 said:


> Can types be told from these pictures or do we need blade closeups? There's a 8 foot wide section that was trenched and never reseeded, is this quackgrass?
> 
> Thanks for any insight!


Looks like possibly a variety of grasses. Would need to see closeups of the leaf blade to start. Based on the pics and your location, if I had to guess I would say a mix of kentucky bluegrass and poa trivialis.


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

@tgreen 
Hopefully this helps. Basically I want to know if I can work on getting this type of grass height lower and eventually go too reel mowing


----------



## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

most likely will need to renovate to get a look your satisfied with my lawn looks great but the inconsistences with color and shape are forcing a reno eventually.

Im not sure how older grassvarieties fare at low heights.

You could always try reel mowing vand still be able to hit the late august reno window.


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

copper44 said:


> @tgreen
> Hopefully this helps. Basically I want to know if I can work on getting this type of grass height lower and eventually go too reel mowing


What you are holding in your hand is tall fescue. Can you get similar close up of the lighter green grass?


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

tgreen said:


> copper44 said:
> 
> 
> > @tgreen
> ...


sorry, for the other part of your question, no you can't mow tall fescue short. I would never go under 3 and even that is too low.


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Ya I mow at 4" currently. So you think it is Tall fescue and not bluegrass mix then?


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Sorry I didn't see your other post


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Thick n Dense said:


> most likely will need to renovate to get a look your satisfied with my lawn looks great but the inconsistences with color and shape are forcing a reno eventually.
> 
> Im not sure how older grassvarieties fare at low heights.
> 
> You could always try reel mowing vand still be able to hit the late august reno window.


Maybe I should Reno the whole thing. :lol:


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

In reality I would do only behind the house and only so far. Calculated it out around 15,000 sq feet. Is this do-able for a fall reno and hopefully add a in ground irrigation system for that section.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@tgreen and @Thick n Dense I've been mowing my northern contractor mix between 3/4 and 1in for 1.5years. The TTTF is still alive and doing good at that height. I would not recommend anyone to try, but it is doable.


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> @tgreen and @Thick n Dense I've been mowing my northern contractor mix between 3/4 and 1in for 1.5years. The TTTF is still alive and doing good at that height. I would not recommend anyone to try, but it is doable.


Very interesting. I've never seen tall fescue at that height unless I just scalped the lawn for an overseed. What does it look like? I thought the crown itself would be at least an inch? I guess you've basically bonsai'd it?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@tgreen It looks like this (second image).

I was surprised that it did so well in the heat too. I was thinking it was going to die, but it was fine. I do use a reel mower. Another member also reel mowed his no mix but I don't recall the name.


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

g-man said:


> @tgreen It looks like this (second image).
> 
> I was surprised that it did so well in the heat too. I was thinking it was going to die, but it was fine. I do use a reel mower. Another member also reel mowed his no mix but I don't recall the name.


Wow! I would have never thought possible. Very cool. I should be careful about saying you "can't" do something. Still, you must have a very level lawn and trained it to go this low? You said you wouldn't necessarily recommend it as this looks like a varsity move and not for a novice.


----------



## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I will second what @g-man has said. I just picked up a GM1600 and began reel mowing my no-mix Memorial Day weekend and the TTTF is handling it just fine.

I filled in some lower areas I wasn't happy with last fall and seeded a mix heavy in TTTF and it had been mowed at 2" with a rotary until a few weeks ago. So one could say it has been trained. These newly seeded areas are the best looking parts of my lawn now that I'm reel mowing.

Here's a pic from a few minutes ago @ 1", please excuse the nasty cut quality on some of the lower blades, I just cut it down to .75" last weekend and forgot to check the reel to bedknife before hand. Was hoping to get through the season without having to get the reel sharpened, but I can see that won't be happening.


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Anyone have thoughts on redoing 15,000k feet? Any threads out there of this size?


----------



## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

copper44 said:


> Anyone have thoughts on redoing 15,000k feet? Any threads out there of this size?


Do u have irrigation? Dont proceed without it.

If you do, Id split it up, front this fall back next fall.

That being said its doable, but will be hard.


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

Thick n Dense said:


> copper44 said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone have thoughts on redoing 15,000k feet? Any threads out there of this size?
> ...


That is sound advice. I did 15K in Fall 2017 but only after doing 5K in Fall 2016. It's not all that complicated but can be a tremendous amount of work. Make sure you know what you're getting in to. I'd start by taking soil samples now and then plan to start roundup in early august. There are a ton of youtube videos on how to do a renovation. I think ryan knorr does a good job on this topic in his videos.


----------



## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

I did a reno last fall on 12,000 s/f and without irrigation. It is doable but it is a lot of work and i did not water properly doing it twice a day watering heavy. I got away with it and it turned out good but you will get tired of dragging hoses around. You can check my reno out on this forum with pics and i will bump it to the top for you.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

tgreen said:


> You said you wouldn't necessarily recommend it as this looks like a varsity move and not for a novice.


I knew the risk I was taking. In the winter I was mowing at ~1.8in with the rotary. I started in spring at 1.25in reel. I was ready to seed and start over if too much of the TTTF died without the kbg/prg taking over. I was actually hoping for the TTTF to die. The TTTF adjusted to the 1in hoc. In a tttf only lawn I would not do this.

So more like a crazy move. :thumbsup:


----------



## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

That's funny. I was thinking this exact same thing as I have a mix TF and KBG and wondered if I started taking it down if the TF would die. Decided against it because I'm a little further south than you and very afraid to convert to pure KBG. Everyone around here says don't do it. However, the KBG in my yard has held up better the last 2 years than the TF. Anyway, good to know that taking it short doesn't eliminate TF. Thanks


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@tgreen there are members in Georgia and NC with kbg lawns. One advantage of kbg is that it can go dormant in the summer. Yes it will turn brown, but it bounces back up with an August rain and it spreads/repair itself.


----------



## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Thick n Dense said:


> copper44 said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone have thoughts on redoing 15,000k feet? Any threads out there of this size?
> ...


I should have quoted my post from earlier in the thread. Where I stated I would add irrigation. Also there isn't anything to split, 15K is just a small portion of the back.



Thick n Dense said:


> copper44 said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone have thoughts on redoing 15,000k feet? Any threads out there of this size?
> ...


Earlier post I said I would have irrigation installed. I really don't think it would be worth it without it. I wish I knew a ballpark price on a system to be installed though.


----------

