# Alowan's Lawn Journal - Nordic Lawn



## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

After getting into lawn care and joining this forum I have now decided to redo my lawn (after establishing it last year). 
Thought this would be a good oppertunity to start a lawn journal.

*The Story So Far*
Established previous lawn fall 2020 with a standard seed mix after leveling and preparing. Got good germiniation and a decent looking lawn. Due to some mispratices and "first time" errors the lawn had a rough spring and as far as I can tell I cultivated a very healthy patch of poa that I have now decided to kill and restart with a full reno (and better seed) in fall.



*My location and possible challenges and benefits*
I am located in a Denmark which results in a few challenges in regard to maintaining a yard:
- Most herbicides are banned for private use
- PreM banned for private use
- PGR banned for private use
- Regulations on watering
- Almost no fungicides

With that in mind I have a few things that benefit my approach:
- Small (25sqm) lawn that enables me to do things fairly quickly.
- Size of lawn enables hand pulling and weeding to be a resonable solution

*Equipment*
Allett Liberty 35 + scarifier cartridge
Swardman Hand Areator

*The Plan*

So the plan for this year is to kill the old yard (already begun) and reseed with Barenbrug Resilient Blue Golf resulting in a lawn consisting of the following (a *** monostand was suggested but this is the closest I will get..  ):
_
13% Hardtop (Festuca trachypylla)
13% Barjessica (Festuca rubra rubra)
24% Barlibro (Lolium perenne RPR)
25% Barserati YJ WM (Poa pratensis /***)
25% Barimpala YJ WM (Poa pratensis /***)_

Minimum HOC 12mm/0,5in

(and maybe I will throw in some shade mix for the very small shade area).

Plan is to follow the renovation guide on this forum disregarding the tenacity application (as that wont be allowed) and see where this goes.

*The Goal*
Get a yard that stripes well and feels good - would consider myself a 2.5 in regard to the lawn care guide


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*T minus 6 Weeks - NO WAY BACK*

Yesterday I sprayed/nuked the lawn after I hand pulled all plants that showed seed heads in the weekend (and concluded a full reno was the way to go)



Seeds have been ordered and are stocked + I made a little experiement with 3 diffrent mixes to see how they look when germinating (shade mix | RPR Sport Mix | Resilient Blue Mix (the one I plan on using). 
Had to buy 15kg of seed as the elite varities are not available in smaller batches where I live.. So have to use 700grams and have 15 kg...  

*
A note on irrigation: * Currently I do not have an in ground irrigation system - it would be fairly easy to install and cost around 400 dollars. However as it would mainly be used for the germniation phase due to restrictions and as it is very easy to water the lawn manually if needed I am leaning on not getting one (plus I dont want to distrub the soil more than needed).

However I am a bit concerned on using a osciliating sprinkler when the grass is germinating as that will result in a bare spot where it is placed. Any tips if anyone is reading this would be most welcome.


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## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEN0d6efQJs

something like he did here would be very easy for you and you could get perfect coverage


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

BBLOCK said:


> something like he did here would be very easy for you and you could get perfect coverage


Would that give a better result than my current setup. This gives very even coverage and a very gentle watering for the seedlings?


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## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

Yes, I believe they should be perfect for a gentle soak maybe some people w mp rotators can chime in as I don't have them myself but I believe they would be great all around for you. Making an above ground system for a small lawn is easy to do and very cost effective.

The nice thing is you could do it from the perimeter of the lawn and keep both hoses and sprinklers off the lawn area and run the hoses through the shrubs or whatever.

https://youtu.be/vmHGTyjYx2U

@22 secs and 2:05 there's two examples of the new seed being watered


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Alowan I think what you have works. I use a similar one for small reno areas.


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## CaffeinatedLawnCare (Apr 2, 2021)

I agree with g-man, the sprinkler you have is perfect for that small square/rectangular area. Any hose lines/bare spot from the sprinkler will easily fill in from the KBG/RPR. I didn't move my hoses for almost two months while germinating/establishing the grass seed and after 3 weeks of having them removed you can't tell where the lines were.

You could also potentially move the sprinkler onto one of your concrete pads and still get good coverage if it reaches far enough and if not potentially supplement with hand watering any corners it may miss since it's such a small space like you said.

I don't see any reason to spend 400$ on an in-ground sprinkler system that (once seed germination is done) will only be used 1-2x per week at most. Might as well bust out the oscillating sprinkler for that especially for a small area where you don't have to move the sprinklers around a bunch to water.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

thanks for the excellent replies. Awesome to get some feedback and tips here.



CaffeinatedLawnCare said:


> You could also potentially move the sprinkler onto one of your concrete pads and still get good coverage if it reaches far enough and if not potentially supplement with hand watering any corners it may miss since it's such a small space like you said.


That is a great tip - i think I tried it but discarded it due to problems With Wind and the longer needed spray. Will try it again and see (easier to test and dial in when the grass is sting anyway)

Speaking of dying grass. We had our first major rainfall today that should continue for a few more days. So watering for following is easy at the moment 

A bunch of the grass has turned brown but some are so green it almost looks like it enjoyed the glyphosate  Will see how it does in the next few days. It is hard to wait for august…


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

The weather forecast seems interesting - seems like a very mild summer here.(had my Old grass worked out this would have been a very long growing season for it). Started fallowing and aimed for early august - if this forecast holds it should give me a fair amount of time before winter.

*Juli*



*August*


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Today is 5 days after applying first round of glyphosate.

A lot of the grass seems like it is dying and turbine brown but some of it seems like it is having a blast - very green and no sign of dying.

I am thinking some of it might have been dormant (but still green) when I sprayed.

Should I consider a second application already or just be patient and wait untill T minus 3 weeks? (Aka wait A few weeks)?

The "lawn" as of today:


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Spray again.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> Spray again.


Thank.

In other news my germination tests started germination at 2,5 days. I am testing 3 different Mixes and it is clear the premium blend I want to use germinated faster. But the others are close behind. So the RPR in all the seed works. Counting the KBG now 



And this is 3,5 days after "seeding"

Clearly more germinated seeds in the mix I Will use. (Top 1/3)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*T minus 5 weeks*

Lawn Was almost total brown. Mowed debris and scalped it. Looked very bare.

As I knew I had a few spots With a little bit of compaction I wanted to do a quick core areation. To have time to fallow soil and stuff from below I decided to do it now as the Ground Was rather clear. Some cores Was rather clay filled while others Was really nice soil.
Added a bit of topsoil and Will correct low/High spots soon.

It is fairly flat but I think the grading might be a bit off - Will have to check that and correct during the week or at T minus 4 weeks.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Fixed the grading (had to lift some steps) and leveled again.. the lawn should lead water to the sides as Well as skole away from the patio to the beds (that have good drainage). The slope into the garden Was off so that Was what I fixed (water pooled close to the patio). Hopefully I Got it right - It Was good before so this is small things.


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## TheSwede (Jul 10, 2018)

Looking good, Alowan! The mix you've selected seems super tough while still tolerating low HOCs -will follow your progress!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

TheSwede said:


> Looking good, Alowan! The mix you've selected seems super tough while still tolerating low HOCs -will follow your progress!


And it should look good too  apparently it has been used in a bunch of the stadiums at the euros (albeit in the "sport" blend)

We had some major downpours yesterday. And it looks like I have very little pooling. (This is after the major downpours)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

More Rain = more puddels.. thanks to a lot of rainfall this past day I Can really see where There might be a little problem. Will have to figure out how to fix it - but Will try to add topsoil and level it some more as it might be due to adding material that now is setteling.



Also it seems like germination in my test have slowed down. The "sport and play" with more rye has taken the lead - makes sense as it has a lot higher percentage of rye. The shadow mix seems to have really slow or bad germination.

(Furthest away is planned mix, "sport and play in the middle and shade mix closest to the camera)


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I would not be concerned with that little puddle there.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> I would not be concerned with that little puddle there.


Thanks. And thanks for replying means a lot even though I might be obsessing with some little and basic details. So happy I found this forum and your Guides 

Hope I can give back as much as I receive here


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Starting to be a bit nervous. Nothing has sprouted or germinated on the area since I sprayed it. The product (it is a glyphosate and pelargonic acid as I cannot buy non premixed products as a non professional) should enable seeding just after application.

To test and to give me peace of mind I put down some seed Tuesday. I have however yet to see any germination… and my tests gave me germination in 3 days…

Might also have had an effect that it have been raining non stop for 3 days With at least 2-3 inch a day


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

And then my worry Was unwarranted. Germination test has germinated - just took a bit longer than my previous test. Trust in the process I guess &#129335;‍♂ Cant wait to seed for real!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Dahlias are in full Bloom atm (a little late this year bit spring has been crazy).

Rest og garden is filing in nicely. Cant wait to seed and get the lawn redone - might be the last step in the full garden reno. (Redid all)


And a before my complete garden reno picture:


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Waiting for next steps in renovation…

However the grass test is coming along nicely. Not kompresses With germination in the shade mix. The two others perform as expected. More in the sports mix atm as the KBG is behind in the resilient blue mix.

Shade mix:


Sport mix (mainly prg):



Resilient blue:



I actually think some of the unevenness in the resilient blue is due to me not mixing the bag before seeding it. Will have to make sure it is mixed when I put it in the lawn.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*T Minus 3 Weeks*

Second round of round up (really 3rd as I gave a second application). Applied it a few days early as Seeddown might be moved forward - it looks like early august Will be great with around 73 F and no large downpours. Aimed for mig august bit 1/2 a month earlier would be a nice head start.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Today the "test grass" started dying. And doing so very fast. Was upright and good looking Yesterday and today the test just started looking bleak and thin and fell over.

Think it might have been fungi (Red Thread) - but not sure as I have never seen it go this fast. Hope this wont happen With my reno…

If anyone have an idea why this happend feel free to write it here - hopefully I Can prevent that happening.


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

If the pot is in direct sun then the roots probably got too hot. A small pot like that will get really hot even if air temps are not.



Alowan said:


> it looks like early august Will be great with around 73 F and no large downpours.


Start of August seed down would be fine for your climate,


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

kdn said:


> If the pot is in direct sun then the roots probably got too hot. A small pot like that will get really hot even if air temps are not.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I did not consider heat.. been standing in Window and did not water it for a day might have gotten hot There. Interesting…


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Not long untill seeddown. Cant wait.

One of the slabs had settled a lot in one side so I corrected it and added pasutrized top soil (no weed).

Seems to have resultet in a larger puddle around it than before. Not sure if this Will be a problem?



Rest of the space has no visible water after the light watering.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

2 days until seeddown! Roundup applied.

Having a bit of a problem With birds. They spread earth etc from the beds and borders onto the lawn.

Anyone have suggestions on how to avoid this?


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

Well at least you won't need to worry about covering the seed, just let the birds do it for you! On a more serious note I know exactly how you feel. Every morning the blackbirds come by for breakfast and do the exact same thing. I had been using some black netting which worked really well, it's not the prettiest solution though which is why I ended up removing it.

It was some netting like this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ohuhu-Reusable-Seedlings-Vegetables-Protection/dp/B07SPF52N9


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*Seeddown*

Finally got to put down seed. The weather forecast is as good as it will be (might be some heavy rain on Saturday but delayinh even further leaves the same risk but less days). Ground and weather temperatures are perfect at the moment. So now it is just keeping it watered and hope for the best 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

After raking:


Peat moss:


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Seeddown + 4

Still no sign of germination With temps of 68/55 F. Tonights forecast calls for 1-2 inch of rain in less than 2 hours. &#129310;&#127995; That it wont be too bad.. the forecast has been going back and forth between heavy pour and no rain..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Seeddown +6,5

Finally what looks like germination. Looks even across the part that get consitent Sun. The more shaded part does not show germination yet.
(Interestingly it gets Way more Sun in spring)

The forecast heavy rainfall did fortunatly not happen.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Still waiting for the KBG to germinate. No germination in the more shaded part. And just as I wrote that I avoided the heavy downpour it trainer around 1 inch in 30 minutes.

Hopefully it Will be okay. The rain Was large droplets and you Can see that it hit the peat moss rather hard.. also some pools.. Will be interesting how it turns out..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Should i reapply peat moss?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Going to count germination from yesterday. Widespread seedlings and signs of more coming up (which I suppose are KBG).

Shaded area is a bit behind but shows signs of germination.

Currently constant rain so I hope it wont washout or get flooded.


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## kevreh (Apr 3, 2018)

Looking good! How far away is your typical first frost? Like what you've done with your backyard.


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## CaffeinatedLawnCare (Apr 2, 2021)

Good germination all around so far, I'd watch those pooling areas and make sure if they look thin to throw down some seed earlier rather than later. I waited too long and have some spots that are bare/thin yet because they haven't had as much time to grown.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

kevreh said:


> Looking good! How far away is your typical first frost? Like what you've done with your backyard.


Have been changing a lot these last years - had some really early ones - but the average is end of october. So hopefully around 11 weeks away..



CaffeinatedLawnCare said:


> Good germination all around so far, I'd watch those pooling areas and make sure if they look thin to throw down some seed earlier rather than later. I waited too long and have some spots that are bare/thin yet because they haven't had as much time to grown.


Seems like I have had fair germination - With a few spots around the shade and pooled areas that are behind (but Will give the ones that are clear a bit of seed)

Can see the KBG germination clearly now:



Makes me wonder when I should actually count germination from? (Current images are Seeddown +10 and first germination +4)


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## CaffeinatedLawnCare (Apr 2, 2021)

I would count from the KBG germination date, better to be on the safe side imo.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

CaffeinatedLawnCare said:


> I would count from the KBG germination date, better to be on the safe side imo.


I changed my DAG to that.

Been raining a lot the last couple of days. Today has been crazy. Currently the lawn seems flooded - looks like a swamp..
Hope it survives - fortunatly it had germinated and dosent wash away.





That is after 3 inches in around 4 hours (in addition to constant light rain for days)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Fortunatly it seems to dry up for now. Over 10% og all this years rain has fallen in the last week.

There are some clear spots where the peat moss has washed away and I Can see "bumps" where it has setteled. I hope this won't result in a very bumpy mow…

The worst spots are very visible grey colour and it looks like the KBG has sprouted but have been laid down by the water. Hopefully it will recover…
Might have to reseed the most washed away areas.. no renovation without obstacles!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Forecast says around 66 F day and 50 F Night (19C/10C) With clouds for the forseeable future. Hopefully that Will give some stability.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Going forward. The PRG is around 4-5 inches (at least). The KBG are still only around and inch.. so Holding off the mow - but Will have to do it soon.. higher I Can cut are 2 inches so the 1/3rd rule Will be broken unless I go around and Cut everything With a scissor 🙈🙈


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Could not hold back anymore. Did a little test With the hand reel and looked good. The KBG are still below 2 inch..

Cut at 2 inch With a manual reel (and a light bedknife setting so it had very little traction)

Could mow it all lighter without stepping very much on the lawn (maybe around 20 steps).
Hope it dosent screw up the KBG but Was a bit concerned that the prg would get too high..

Here are a few images after the "mow"







Also Got myself a little greenhouse so used building that to scratch the itch to do more work on the lawn..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*DAG+14*

Spread AMS. Seriously hard to spread such a small amount 0,2lb N/sqft. That is 110g/0.24lbs of my AMS product.. might be because I am used to spraying…

The KBG still seems in pout stage. But it is becoming harder to see what is what..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

*DAG+19*
The KBG seems to be starting up again. Not 100% sure. However it is funny how it looks compared to a year ago (clear that this years reno are stronger and better - think it is the cultivars)

Same seeddown etc etc. so only seed type and weather seems to be the variables.

*This year:*



*Last year: *


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

DAG+22

I moved my sprinkler and changed the watering to be less frequent but a little longer. Also seeded the few bare spots.

I Can see the colors starting to darken and There are some color differences which I account to this change. Weather has changed to more sun - and perfect temperatures for the grass!


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## BBLOCK (Jun 8, 2020)

Looking good!


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

Great progress so far. The color will even out as it matures.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Thanks. Think I have been lucky with the timing.

The colour difference is even more visible atm but as said I hope it evens out 



There might be some fungus starting - it is not very much but still something that is there. Only treatment option I have for fungus is 16,7 g/l Difenoconazol. And I am not sure how that fares on new grass.. so holding off a bit..


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Are you feeding this?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> Are you feeding this?


Think so. Second spoon feeding tomorrow. 
Giving it 0.2lb/N as far as I can calculate. 
90g/92kvm which means that I should put down around 24,2g N.

With a 21% AMS that should be 115g product.

Hopefully my calculation are correct. That was what I put down 2 weeks ago.

Do you think it needs more?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

0.2lb/Ksqft = 1gram/sqm

1/0.21 = 4.76grams ams/sqm


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> 0.2lb/Ksqft = 1gram/sqm
> 
> 1/0.21 = 4.76grams ams/sqm


Spot on; 24sqm*4,76grams AMS/Sam = 114,2 grams AMS

Biwekly application starting DAG+14.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Gave it the second spoon feeding this morning. It already looks better. (Image don't show it but it seems better)

Don't know if it actually was starving? Been watering twice a day for 5 min lately - don't know if that can wash it out (it is more than I have done in normal maintaince)


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Too much water can flush the nitrogen. Strive to just keep it moist.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> Too much water can flush the nitrogen. Strive to just keep it moist.


Thanks. Will try to adjust. Currently it gets around 10-15mm/day. But With Fall and increased shade I think it needs to be dialed down to just keep it moist as you say.

Thanks for the previous comment About feeding. Would have taken me a lot longer to consider that as the problem. But makes complete sense as the areas that has more growth are the areas that were watered less (around the sprinkler itself / slightly lower points etc.)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

DAG +32

The second feeding did wonders. The yellowibg disappeared. Dialed the water back a bit.

Really impressed how much it has grown/thicked up already.

Will take it down a bit and start using the Allett soon (currently using a manual reel)


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Keep feeding it more.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

g-man said:


> Keep feeding it more.


A larger amount (like a normal blitz) or more often (Weekly etc)?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

More often.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Having added nitrogen a few times it just keeps improving and improving. It is actually more dense than it Was in spring. And dare I say seems in a Way better state than before the reno. 🤞🏻It keeps this Way!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Temperature is going down. It looks like around 12-16 degrees Celcius / 50-60 F for the foreseeable future. The first frost looks to be about one month away - hopefully not sooner.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

I could not hold off any longer.

I took the Allett, backlapped it, and then put down some stripes.. even this Young this mix stripes are so much better than my old one.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Feeding… mowing…. Feeding… mowing… and it is growing!!

Will slow down soon.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Has thinned a bit. Signs of leaf spot.

Checked forecast - no rain. Applied fungicide.. literally 5 min after it starts raining… &#128584;&#128584;

Hope it has some effect..

Also a few seed stalks.. removed them as they atre likely poa annua..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Starting to lull. Have stopped the feeding.

Been fighting a lot With earthworm casts. Have started to yellow a bit after the temp have droppes to around 10 degrees Celcius.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Seems like it is the end of the season. Barely any sun anymore. Mowed today with very little clippings. The lawn are having a hard time with a month of constant wet conditions. Will go into hibernation soon and hopefully come back strong next year.

There are a bit (10-15) poa plants that I have removed - will be interesting to see how bad that will be next year.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

First snow a few days ago. Frost and snow came early.

Did last garden cleaning today. Blew a few leaves off the lawn. It is loooking really thin - Will be exciting to see how it is next year.. still a lot of poa


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Warmed up at bit.. still green. Looks sooo different than the neighbors lawn


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Winter has been rough plus our grill blew off the porch and onto the lawn where it made a bog hole 

Lots of dead spots and it looks thin.. spring cant come quick enough!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

A fairly warm march. Looks a bit thin but cant wait for it to warm up. Currently looking at some cold and wet weeks…

Interestingly it has been quite green all winter..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Everything is greening up. Season seems to finally be starting. Did first mow last week and second mow this week.



The grass closest to the patio seems to be more yellow and grow less than the rest. Dont know if that is lack of water, too much heat, too much water… so currently I have no idea how to remedy it.


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## Anders (May 13, 2020)

I think that the lawn looks hungry.

Did you feed it any nitrogen?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

I have feed it quite a bit. But apparently not enough.. spoon fed it a bit. Increased the amount and that Seem to have helped a bit.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

More N seems to be the Way to go.. looks better each day.. more poa showing up tho. Hand pulling a bunch every day.. (and think it is poa as it males seed heads)


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## Anders (May 13, 2020)

Looks alot better

How much are you giving?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Around 125g AMS ~25 grams of N /25 sqm (0.25lb of N/ksqft of a fast source as far as I Can calculate) weekly


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Been struggeling With quite a bit of what I think is Poa. Hand pulling about 10 plants a day… (but think anything that make seed heads atm is poa)

Left side of lawn is less green but overall it looks much better after feeding it more.

Have been seeing some yellowing here and there. Don't know if that is from lack of N, too little/too much water or something else..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Took it a bit lower today (35mm) stil awaiting my reel for my Allett back from the shop.. so a bit challenged by hand push mower limits..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Ok… I Got a bit carried away today.. I lowered my HOC and then decided to do a spontaneus leveling project… should be early enough that it Can recover before it gets hot.. spring has been wierd this year..

So lowered HOC as low as I Was comfortable with and put some sand on it. Benefit of it being around 300 Sqft is that you Can do stuff rather quickly. I had too little sand (I always miscalculate) but I plan to core areate and level it With sand in fall again - so consider this a soft leveling


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

It seems to be bouncing back.. actually think it is growing too fast (might have been a little to generous With the N) need to Cut almost every second day atm.

Also seeing a bit og poa and Interestingly quite a bit og White grass leaves in the grass.



Cant wait to get my Allett catridge back from the shop - if their now 6th attempt to sharpen it actually produces a blade that Can Cut paper (Lessond learned - dont hand in a cylinder that is new and rather sharp just to be safe… bagklap instead..)


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## timwors (Apr 13, 2019)

Looking excellent, nice work! Can't wait to see how it progresses this season.

I am curious about your cylinder sharpening. I bought a new Allett 10 blade cartridge last year and it needed quite a lot of adjustment out of the box to get it cutting paper across the blade, which was a bit disappointing. I can only guess they get knocked out of alignment while in transit?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

timwors said:


> Looking excellent, nice work! Can't wait to see how it progresses this season.
> 
> I am curious about your cylinder sharpening. I bought a new Allett 10 blade cartridge last year and it needed quite a lot of adjustment out of the box to get it cutting paper across the blade, which was a bit disappointing. I can only guess they get knocked out of alignment while in transit?


I also had problems when I Got mine but Got it to a pretty good alignment.

After they sharpened it seems level just cuts very unclean (they also mad a large "ridge" when sharpening the bottom blade).
However the man st the shop initialt thought it Was adjustment issues after taking it apart - However as it is now getting shapened for the 6th time I dont think it Was that.

Currently seeing the grass rebound - but really missing my Allett for a better Cut… 
Seeing some thinning in the right part of the lawn - might be fungus.. might be something else (it should have plenty N and water…)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

After evaluating it I think it is leaf spot due to too much N and maybe too much water plus the stress of going low when leveling…

Have not figured fully how I want to/should proceed. But might give it a fungicide if I can source any…


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

I don't think that looks too bad. Some older leaves will dieback and the top growth looks ok. You could try Agrigem or Pitchcare in the UK.

You only need small amounts, I could send you some if you need.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

It seems to have recovered/is rocovering from fungus and leveling. Thanks to those who suggested duaxo - now I have two groups of fungicides I Can use.

Currently down to 25mm HOC / 1 inch

Still waiting for my cardrige from Allett to come back.. last time it came back it would not Cut paper - and they said it could not become better….. as It Was less than a year Old and Cut paper perfectly (but still could do With a sharpen) when I handed it in I refused to take it and they agreed to take another look at it. They guy in the store agreed that its cut Was nonexistent. If they cant fix it he suggested they Will get me a new one… (hope that holds true if they cant fix it).

So long story short - I am still on a manual push mower without the ability to bag… 
But everything looks decent. And I deadheaded the last of my tulips today - so we are unoficially into summer now.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Been raining for a day. Much needed water I think..

Looks better but think I Will have to lower it and then raise it again to get it better - the stalks are bothering me..

The reel is still at service and they just told me that it Will be at least another week… 🙈





And as an example of the pure weed and poa pressure I have.. this is a very good repræsentation of what is around me. (Poa and dandelions en masse)


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

And just as I thought it looked better.. when looking at it in evening light.. 
Have sprayed azoxy shops that Will help. Dont think it needs water or N as it is growing a lot still.. just looks off.. so not sure what is going on..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

I sprayed 25 gram N (0.25lb of N/ksqft)

Had not fed it for a few weeks as I was afraid I had overdone it.. Will see how it goes - felt that the amount of clippins each 2nd day was going down..

On another note the tulips are done. But now the rest of my plants are starting to flower


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

After a very long dry month it has now rained a lot the last few days and Will rain a lot in the coming days.

3 inch in the last two and 2-4 inch in the week to come..

Well the lawn will not need water &#128584;&#129315;


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Took it down to 3/4 inch.. Will move it back up to 1 again but then I have been lower.. actually like the Way 3/4 inch looked… hmmm..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Been raining non stop for the past few days - hope it gets dryer soon..

And the shop have finally come to the conclusion that the reel is destroyed. The are going to get a new one for me - however as import from UK is hard at the moment they don't know how long it will take - hopefully I can use my Allett soon!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Some bare earth spots have begun showing - think it Was after blowing debri off the lawn - and that might have involveres the spots bt removing clippings or making the grass stand.
Hopefully they Will fill in… or maybe blowing destroyed some of the grass.

Might also be worm casts after all this rain.

I have also been hand pulling seedheads and poa annua where I have seen it.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Scarified and mowed.

The scarify showed that There Was very much dead grass and clippings. Think it Was good to remove that.

For a grass catcher for my manual reel. Should help.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Growth rate is about 0,5 inch a day. Holding back on the N and cutting every day atm.

Having a grass catcher again makes it so much easier to monitor the clippings.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Fixed borders and added mulch to all my beds today.

Looking much better - However still seems like it wont thicken up.

Also a lot of worm casts that results in small bare spots as my clay soil becomes kunde smooshes the grass where they come up..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Summer is overrated… june snow/hail….


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Currently heatwave here. Grass is doing okay and getting ready for leveling etc when it cools down a bit - ie next week.


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## RCUK (Jul 16, 2018)

Looking good, temps were crazy in Europe this week. How you liking the Gardena sprinkler? Any issues?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

RCUK said:


> Looking good, temps were crazy in Europe this week. How you liking the Gardena sprinkler? Any issues?


Have been quite good. Worked pretty Well. Probe to Wind drift and slow to water but that is an osciliting sprinkler. But it is rather consistent and easy to use.

Got my new reel today. Took it for a spin at 19mm before I start my leveling project..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Ok did my sandcap today. Crazy project.

Aerated and spread sand. Cant wait to see how it looks - it looked so good at 10mm before doing it - but it Was a bit uneven.

Before



Aeration:


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## Anders (May 13, 2020)

Hey

Looks great.

I did see your post about sand in the cool season forum. 
Did you get some new sand?
And where did you get it from?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Yea. I realised that the sand I had gotten was wrong. Did a clay test that showed it contained caly - so I guess it was a wrong delivery.

As the company could not get a new one before next week I went with another company that had what they call Golf+ Topdressing sand (havehandel). It is 0-1m screened clean white sand. It came completely dry and was awesome to spread and handle.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

After leveling. Might add a bit more..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

And after second and final round.. also overseeded.. Was between that and pre em.. dont know if that Was the right Call..


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

That's looking good. Nice density on the aeration holes, how long did it take to do it all?


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

kdn said:


> That's looking good. Nice density on the aeration holes, how long did it take to do it all?


About 4-5 hours one day - manual aeration taking most of it. And then a few hours on day two. But was completly fatigued after day one. 

Still unsure if overseeding was the right call.. think prodiamine could have helped on a lot of problems I have.. it just looked so thin after leveling..


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

Alowan said:


> About 4-5 hours one day - manual aeration taking most of it. And then a few hours on day two. But was completly fatigued after day one.
> 
> Still unsure if overseeding was the right call.. think prodiamine could have helped on a lot of problems I have.. it just looked so thin after leveling..


Yeah that's a lot of work. I think overseeding will be fine. Nice and thick turf will stop most weeds and there is no reason why can't do prodiamine at the start of autumn to get winter coverage.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

I am torn.. it seems to be growing and filing fast.

Still dont know if I should throw down prodiamine and mitigate the overseed…


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Had to mow… it Was getting extremly High.. interesting how the overseed Will go. No germination tet.


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

you manually aerated? &#128563; I would have believed you if said you rented a machine the hole pattern looks very precise. Great work!


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Manual… looks more precise than it is.. but I am a perfectionist..


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Since leveling it has completly filled in. Currently combating a heat wave.



Stripes soon.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Getting better. Took the Allett on it and edges it.

Really fighting worm casts atm.


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## kdn (Aug 26, 2020)

Worms are giving me issues as well, going to apply some purity soon to reduce the numbers. See if you can get some Purity Soil Conditioner or Vitax Enhance C.


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

kdn said:


> Worms are giving me issues as well, going to apply some purity soon to reduce the numbers. See if you can get some Purity Soil Conditioner or Vitax Enhance C.


Thanks for the tip unfortunately, it is not available where I live


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Tried some striping 25mmm HOC


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I like the diagonals and the different camera angle! Color and density look great! :thumbup:


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## Alowan (May 25, 2021)

Chris LI said:


> I like the diagonals and the different camera angle! Color and density look great! :thumbup:


Thanks!

Did not get around to mowing today as I planted 500 new tulips and muliges my beds.

Everything looks tidy


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