# Pascal's Lawn Journal - 2021



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

*Intro*
Hi buds, welcome to my lawn journal. I'm from Montreal Canada and I joined TLF in 2021 in my quest to become a better homeowner. Little did i know, lawns are way more interresting (and complex :bd then i though so this quest will be a blast i'm sure! This is our first house and we bought it almost 3 years ago in the summer of 2018. I need to mention that i'm not a very handy guy but i'm looking to become one. We subcontracted lawncare (ie: fertilizers and herbicides) for 2 years but overall we were really unhappy with the results.. so here we are. The grass we have is most likely a low quality northern mix (PRG/Fescue. Not sure on KBG but i would assume little to none since there is a whole bunch of bare spot thanks to the past 2 years of crabgrass infestation). For reference, my plant hardiness zone seems to be equivalent to the USDA 4a/4b (ish).

Any constructive feedback is really appreaciated. Cheers !

*Yard Layout and detail*

Proprety Layout

Front yard (Full sun)- Zone 1  view 1 |  view 2. 
Front yard (Full sun)- Zone 2 view 1 | view 2

The front yard was already esthablished when we moved in although it was is rought shape. There is some pretty heavy damage across the yard due to poor turf management and past crabgrass infestation : 1 | 2| 3 |  4 | 5. The pine tree is getting replaced by a Gleditsia (the tree bedding will also be redone) and the small planter next to the driveway is getting ripped off and will be replaced by sod (something like this, sorry for the bad photoshop skill).


 Backyard (part-shade)-Zone 3 View 1|  View 2
Backyard (part-shade)-Zone 4 View 1| View 2 
Backyard - Pool zone  View 1. In june, a landscaper will be installing a privacy edge all around the pool (135 linear feet of 6foot fastigiata cedars i'll update the pictures when done !)

The backyard was bare construction grounds when we moved in. After doing some quotations in the spring of 2019, we selected the cheapest bidder (not knowing better) and the restults were ok for the first growing season but on the second growing season (ie 2020) the backyard was pretty much gone. Fungus, whiteflies, grubs.. you name it we had it. The installation of the sod had been done without any prior soil amendment nor tilling but the "contractor" did put down 4 inch or so of topsoil. The other part of the failure was due to me not being knowledgeable and following city regulation for irrigation (ie: from 9pm to 11pm every other day). The backyard being part shade, i could basicly handpick mushrooms for every supper of the week. Poor irrigation combined with terrible drainage basicly decimated my lawn. I will do a zero input approach for the backyard (except for pre-m and insecticide) and focus entirely on the front yard for the next 2 years.

*2021 Goals - Basic Cultural practice study & application*

Mowing 
Get my mowing on a twice-a-weeks schedule. Until the lawn is healthier i'll be bagging the clippings. When mulching becomes viable, I'll either try the gator blades or upgrade into a more powerfull mower because with the current "3-in-1" blade the clipping are way to big.

Properly maintain the mower myself (Learn how to sharpen the blade once every x mowing hour with a flap disc grinder,oil change)


Irrigation 
Better understand the  Evapotranspiration  concept and iron out the basic principles of irrigation (frequency, duration, covrage, soil absorbtion, etc)

Upgrade from a ineficient oscilliting sprinkler into a "semi-efficient" DIY above ground MP rotator setup


Fertilization
Having a 1KSF divide into 2 zone, I want to go full liquid spoon feed (except for P & K as recommanded by our lawn-god. For now since i have a K deficiency i'll go granular SoP with a SGN <180 to accomodate my scott Whizz). Since my PH is at 7.8 i will also do granular applications of elemental sulphur and hope to bring my PH between 6 and 6.5 over the years. Since the pH scale is logarithmic and since my soil is mostly likely between loam and clay, it might be extremly difficult ref 1.

Use a combination of G-Man's log file and Matt's spoon-feed template to monitor and plan my fert&squirt


Cultivation
Perform a Jar test to approximate what type of soil i'm actually dealing with

Learn to properly aerate my lawn (hollow tines side discharged). I was looking at the manual swardman but its nearly impossible to get one here. I've spoke to Landzie's owner and he mentionned they will release their own version in a few week. I want something that will pull 4inch cores with at least 1/2'' diameter. I know its going to be a heavy workout but since i have 1KSF to do i'm up for the challenge. Might also try deep core integration with an auger for the spots that seem to have a real compaction issue.

Learn the god-damn difference between all the "detachers"/"power-rake"/verticutter" and understand what is required for my lawn and how to perform it

Learn how to properly topdress/amend the lawn (compost vs topsoil vs sand)

Do an overseeding project early fall to repair and thinken my lawn. Leaning toward TTTF (FalconIV looks like an awsome choice)


*Gear*

*Mower* : Entry level Crafstman (140cc). *Weed-eater* : Entry level corded Yardworks *Sprayer* : Chapin 24v 4GL sprayer (no mods except teejet tips [XR & AI]. *Spreader* scotts whizz & scotts edgeguard mini. *Manual dethatching rake*. I also have the greenwork *dethatcher* which should probably be called an electric tine rake after doing a lot of reading of actual thatch

*Cultural Practice log*

April 2021 : Nothing was done on the yard except light raking. Lurked around the forum looking at other member's journal to learn the ropes and wrote a beginners guide to seedworld arsenal for Canadian folks as I had diffulculties myself the first time i had to go through the process.

May 2021 :
Spent pretty much every night studying university extension publications recommended on the forum, g-man's guide & posts, members lawn journal, the grass factor videos, etc. At this point I started feeling a bit more confident on how to tackle the 2021 growing season.

Did 2 split applications of pre-m. Once when the ground reach consistant 55F and once when we cross the ground temp at 70F.

Did my soil test with Waypoint. Front yard results TL/DR: low on K, high PH (7.8) rest seems decent. After reading Ridgerunner's manifesto on lab testing i realised that my results might not be accurate because i choose the S3M and since my PH is pretty high, the SW3 would have been the better option (Olsen P vs Mehlich 3 extraction methods)

Mowed twice a week, H.O.C @ 2.5''

Irrigated with the oscillating sprinkler once a week to get about 0.5inch of water down. Ran an audit and i had to manually irrigate a few spots mainly due to that god damn pine tree. Once i setup the MP rotator budget setup and figure out the E.T i should be in a much better position.


June 2021 : Ordered water soluable FS+AS+3x20 and granular SoP+Elemental sulphur. I should be getting them on June 11th. Can't wait to start spoon feeding the lawn.
Week 2 update here


----------



## Chuuurles (Nov 23, 2020)

Pascal-lawn said:


> *Intro*
> Hi buds, welcome to my lawn journal. I'm from Montreal Canada and I joined TLF in 2021 in my quest to become a better homeowner. Little did i know, lawns are way more interresting (and complex :bd then i though so this quest will be a blast i'm sure! This is our first house and we bought it almost 3 years ago in the summer of 2018. I need to mention that i'm not a very handy guy but i'm looking to become one. We subcontracted lawncare (ie: fertilizers and herbicides) for 2 years but overall we were really unhappy with the results.. so here we are. The grass we have is most likely a low quality northern mix (PRG/Fescue. Not sure on KBG but i would assume little to none since there is a whole bunch of bare spot thanks to the past 2 years of crabgrass infestation). For reference, my plant hardiness zone seems to be equivalent to the USDA 4a/4b (ish).
> 
> Any constructive feedback is really appreaciated. Cheers !
> ...





Don't worry Pascal, I am english speaking and make way more errors than you! Love the way you have layed everything out here, I will be following along for sure.


----------



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

@Chuuurles thx bud ! Ill keep posting pictures once a week hoping we can see the progression with spoon feeding. I wasnt sure the OP style would please others since there isnt any "upfront" picture and ppl might get annoyed with clicking links but im glad you are liking the style. Maybe ill add a before / after "mini reno" upfront pictures to at least provide a "at a glance" view of the lawn.


----------



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

As mentionned I not a very handy guy. We moved in from a condo so i have little to no tools (even 3 years in lol). 
There was a 45% off deal at canadian tire for this work table so i figured it was worth it since i'm currently working on the garage floor : 


Next i need to figure out what grinder (angle) to buy. Not sure if its worth it to invest into a battery powered one vs corded. Any brand / model / type you guys would recommend ?


----------



## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Pascal-lawn said:


> Added a TL/DR card to give a quick overview for folks like me who have very limited attention span (still working on the design)
> 
> As mentionned I not a very handy guy. We moved in from a condo so i have little to no tools (even 3 years in lol).
> There was a 45% off deal at canadian tire for this work table so i figured it was worth it since i'm currently working on the garage floor :
> ...


Angle grinder? I have a cheapo Chinese corded one and have done everything from quick and dirty crown molding back coping to tile cutting to...everything, really.

It's not something I would drop money on. Buy stuff as you actually need them, not when you find them on sale!

Bench grinder? Mine is a wee little Ryobi. It's been totally fine.


----------



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

@Lawndress thank you for your input ! Im sorry I should of mentioned *angle* grinder i will amend the post. The reason why i was leaning toward an angle versus bench is a) it seems more versatile then a bench grinder (ie: house work) and b) i could eventually upgrade my setup by purchasing an all american sharpening arm and still use the angle grinder. Does my reasoning make sense ?


----------



## Lawndress (Jul 9, 2020)

Pascal-lawn said:


> @Lawndress thank you for your input ! Im sorry I should of mentioned *angle* grinder i will amend the post. The reason why i was leaning toward an angle versus bench is a) it seems more versatile then a bench grinder (ie: house work) and b) i could eventually upgrade my setup by purchasing an all american sharpening arm and still use the angle grinder. Does my reasoning make sense ?


Eh. That sharpening arm is $35, and a perfectly serviceable bench grinder is $59, while a cheapo angle grinder is under $30. (And I'd rather have a bench vise than a sharpening arm, anyway.) If you don't do your own remodeling, you won't really need an angle grinder for much around the house... If it's for blade sharpening, I'd go bench. I see the appeal of the arm because it works like a jig, but I just don't find it hard to keep a consistent angle without a jig. Regardless, go cheapo plug-in for the angle grinder. Save your money for a sliding miter saw or something like that.

I did use the angle grinder last time I did the blades on the big lawn tractor, but that's only because I'm too weak to get the bolts off, which were rusted on, even with PB Blaster. This is not recommended, btw, but I was totally cutting corners. I'm going to have the sucker serviced correctly this winter, but I don't do small gas engines, and I'm only cutting the back and a neighbor's lawn I'm doing for free with the big tractor, because I kinda hate it.

You can also do it with just a file and save all the money.  I sharpen shoves with a file. Decide whether you're a power tools guy or a more contemplative guy.


----------



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

*June Week 2 update*

Still shopping for seeds (for the fall project). Its either gonna be RTF turf saver or Siesta at this point.

Finaly got my fertilizers / products for the 2021 growing season (better later then never) :

Ammonium Sulphate (26$/25kg)


Iron Sulfate 20% (27$/23kg). Not sure why it was all clumped up. I went to town on it with a demolition driver and now its all nice and powdery :


3x20 (64$/15kg)



SoP (48$/25kg)


Sulphur 90% (28$/25kg)


Bought some 45GL storage containers for 10$ a piece at home depot so now every product has its own box


*13/06* : Mowed the grass. After, I applied 2.5# of sulphur with the scott whizz. That thing is complete garbage ; it stopped working right as i started the application. I had bust it open and play with the connections inside. Finally managed to fix it. There is some material getting stuck under the spinning wheel so its not ideal. I'm going to look into the Ryobi version of the handheld spreader.

*14/06* : We got 0.5 inch of rain. Pretty good timing with the elemental sulphur application.

*15/06 *: Applied 0.12# of N (0.1 from AS and 0.02 from the 3x20). Still playing with the mixing ratio of the 3x20. The label says to apply 250g of material (1/10# N) in 20L of water per 1KF but the dilution ratio seems to be way higher as per label (410g/Liter). I used the teejet AIXR nozzle this time but i might try with the XR nozzle next week. Cant wait for that pine tree and plantation box to gtfo.


----------



## Chuuurles (Nov 23, 2020)

How is the lawn looking ? I think it's time for an update


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I missed your initial post. Great, and informative! Welcome to TLF! I look forward to following your progress.

I saw you were discussing blade sharpening. I hand file my blades most of the time to maintain the proper angle. I use a "Handy File" from Nicholoson, bought at HD. It has a built-in handle and coarse (double-cut) and fine (single-cut) sides. I wore the first one out and on my second one. When a blade is really torn up and/or the angle gets too out of whack, I break out the El Cheapo angle grinder. I rotate blades, so I usually have one ready to go, and try to have a newer spare with good angle to compare. One important aspect of sharpening, is maintaining proper balance. I invested in a good balancer-	
Oregon 42-047 Precision Blade Balancer. It will reduce vibration and extend the life of the engine's crankshaft.

The first link is for the file, and the second is for the balancer. HD has the file cheaper, and you should be able to find the balancer cheaper, too. The balancer went up a lot since I purchased it 2.5 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R1QCN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_3QV0QHTKQ8YW85TRX13Z

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018U47KU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_TN7DNFNFS4H03E894AFW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

One thing I should do, is to look for a file guide or blade guide. I've used file guides for sharpening chain saw chains. Maybe a small protractor or contractor's specialty square might do. I think it's roughly a 30* angle. 
There's bound to be something out there, or I'll just have to cut the proper angle notch in a piece of wood, as a check.


----------



## Pascal-lawn (Mar 15, 2021)

Hi guys sorry about the delay. Turns out if you dont subscribe to your own post you dont get notifications unless someone tags you.

@Chuuurles its been a while bud ! since early July i basicly decided to let my front yard slowly die off in preparation for my fall overseed project. My wife wasnt too keen on me glyphing the whole yard after all the negative publicity on tv about round-up. My overseed project is now done and I will in about a week or two make post with all the pictures and process / progress. I decided to go with Barenbrug RTF TTTF. Hope it turns out well. Also man, if my memory serves me well i think you were soon to be a new dad ? (I hope everything is going well for you and your wife on that front!)

@Chris LI Thanks for the kind word and the super detailed info you provided ! I havent bought anything yet for sharpening my blade. For now i'm basicly using the services of a pro sharpening store but next season i will definitly buy a balancer (was thinking about this one before your post) and still hesitating between hand file vs grinder (i'll probably buy both and see what i enjoy most). As for the guide to sharpen the blade, this thing looked legit.

I'll keep you guys posted very soon !

Cheers


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

That is a nice balancer! I picked up a cool, inexpensive angle gauge from Amazon:
Tipu Bevel Gauge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075WYF6RZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Also, while poking around YT tonight, I found the Yellow Hornet, which is a jig to hold an angle grinder, as the same idea as the DIY jig you linked:

Yellow Hornet Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener/Made in The USA NOT China/The Original https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC4MBHY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_7A84KZE0024XG3N1TD1D

It's now on my wish list.


----------

