# Ohio Lawn Journal



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Moved into a new house in November. Just got the lawn planted this past Thursday 8/29. Had everything graded, then installed irrigation and rock hounded, then brought in 40 yards of topsoil. Seeded with SS1000 seed from SeedSuperstore. The seed mix contained:
Regenerate, Amity, Raptor III, and 4th Millennium Turf Type Tall Fescue. I'm looking forward to seeing what a 100% TTTF lawn will turn out like.
I plan on hitting it with another round of starter fertilizer and Tenacity on October 1. Attached are a couple pics so far. I plan on keeping up with it.


----------



## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

If you can keep that wet your likely going to end up with a killer lawn! That mix should give you a dense dark green turf. I was contemplating it myself and may go that route if KBG fails so looking forward to a pure mix of it.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

FuzzeWuzze said:


> If you can keep that wet your likely going to end up with a killer lawn! That mix should give you a dense dark green turf. I was contemplating it myself and may go that route if KBG fails so looking forward to a pure mix of it.


I am hoping so. I have my irrigation set to 3 times per day for 10 minutes each cycle. It seems to be keeping it wet, but not puddling or standing water. I'm hoping to see some germination maybe by the weekend or early next week.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 6: Started seeing some grass coming up today. Weather has been perfect, 70 degrees and sunny during the day and cool at night. No bad storms or wash out so far. I'll post pics as it progresses. Getting excited!


----------



## jumpzakjump (Aug 29, 2019)

Nice! Looks good. I just ordered 100lbs of a similar TTTF mix to overseed with this year.


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Day 6: Started seeing some grass coming up today. Weather has been perfect, 70 degrees and sunny during the day and cool at night. No bad storms or wash out so far. I'll post pics as it progresses. Getting excited!


That looks great! How many #'s of seed did you get down per square feet?

Did you roll it or provide a top soil cover ?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Day 6: Started seeing some grass coming up today. Weather has been perfect, 70 degrees and sunny during the day and cool at night. No bad storms or wash out so far. I'll post pics as it progresses. Getting excited!
> ...


I did 9-10 pounds per thousand square feet. I considered using a roller, but didn't end up doing it. I rock hounded to remove rocks & loosen up the top inch or two of soil. Then spread 40 yards of topsoil. Then seeded, put down starter fertilizer, and covered with straw using a straw blower.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 8: More green showing up every day. Weather has been 70 and sunny every day since I planted. I reduced my water about 30% in the front yard because I started to see puddling. Now it is staying nice and damp. So far so good.


----------



## AGMcL13 (Aug 21, 2019)

@Ohio Lawn Looking good! Weather has been great this week in Ohio. I'm in Cincinnati and put my seed down on 9/1. Not seedlings yet.. Hoping to see them pop through in the next few days.


----------



## Bug pumper (Jul 2, 2018)

Beautiful yard, can't wait to see this one all wrapped up.


----------



## rwhite4573 (Aug 24, 2018)

Looks great.

Watching this :thumbsup:


----------



## Grass Clippins (Apr 30, 2018)

@Ohio Lawn That's going to look great. How much tenacity did you apply at seed down? Hopefully you get can a couple cuts done before the October Tenacity application. If the soil temps are down you might not even need to do the second Tenacity application, just wait till fall and you Prodiamine.

"Avoid spraying on newly germinated turfgrass plants. Wait until the newly germinated turf has been mowed two times or four weeks after emergence (whichever is longer) before making a post-emergence application."


----------



## TreyDoc (Aug 16, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


>


That little tree makes me laugh :twisted: Yards looking great. Looking forward to seeing a sexy 100% TTTF lawn.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 9: Just a quick picture of the front lawn, since I didn't add it to the Day 8 update.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Grass Clippins said:


> @Ohio Lawn That's going to look great. How much tenacity did you apply at seed down? Hopefully you get can a couple cuts done before the October Tenacity application. If the soil temps are down you might not even need to do the second Tenacity application, just wait till fall and you Prodiamine.
> 
> "Avoid spraying on newly germinated turfgrass plants. Wait until the newly germinated turf has been mowed two times or four weeks after emergence (whichever is longer) before making a post-emergence application."


Thanks. Unfortunately I did not apply tenacity at seed down. Just regular starter fertilizer. I kept up on the weeds prior to putting down topsoil and seed, and with the cooler temps I am not ultra concerned with weeds. I may be wrong about that, we will have to wait and see.

I plan on doing Tenacity and another round of starter fertilizer October 1 or 4th, which would be 4 weeks after I first saw emergence. I am open to suggestions though.


----------



## crazymas0n (Apr 19, 2019)

Beautiful house and yard. Looking forward to updates!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 11: More green showing up. I'm starting to notice some areas that look behind as far as germination goes. Not sure if I should add more seed to those areas now or give it some more time. I'd love to hear guys thoughts on it. 
The weather has still been great with 70s and sun almost every day. 
Here are some updated pics from this morning. So far I am impressed by this grass seed variety.


----------



## Grass Clippins (Apr 30, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Grass Clippins said:
> 
> 
> > @Ohio Lawn That's going to look great. How much tenacity did you apply at seed down? Hopefully you get can a couple cuts done before the October Tenacity application. If the soil temps are down you might not even need to do the second Tenacity application, just wait till fall and you Prodiamine.
> ...


You'll be fine. The October Tenacity will kill any young weeds that germinated post seeding and prevent the winter weeds. Tenacity is amazing stuff. I used it last year for the first time and had no weeds, at all.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Grass Clippins said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Grass Clippins said:
> ...


Thanks! Does the "4 weeks after emergency" start when I first see grass starting to come up? Or when all of the grass is up?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 12: Started to notice this (see picture) in the yard this morning. I am a novice, so I'm not sure if this is grass in leaf stage 3 or if it is a weed (nutsedge?). Any thoughts?

Also, they are calling for temps in the mid to upper 80's for the next three days. Should I be concerned about fungus and if so, is there anything I can do about it at this point?
Thanks!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 13: With the help of @pennstater2005 , I found out that my weed was winter wheat. So hopefully that will take care of itself over time. Here are some pics of this morning. It keeps filling in more and more. Cant wait to cut it in a couple weeks. 
I might send out for another soil test here and get some figures as a baseline now that it is seeded.


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

That is looking great!


----------



## TreyDoc (Aug 16, 2018)

Nice! Jealous of how quick TTTF comes up. :evil:


----------



## Grass Clippins (Apr 30, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Grass Clippins said:
> 
> 
> > Ohio Lawn said:
> ...


That's a good question. You may just want to play it safe and wait until after the second or third mow.


----------



## Grass Clippins (Apr 30, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Day 12: Started to notice this (see picture) in the yard this morning. I am a novice, so I'm not sure if this is grass in leaf stage 3 or if it is a weed (nutsedge?). Any thoughts?
> 
> Also, they are calling for temps in the mid to upper 80's for the next three days. Should I be concerned about fungus and if so, is there anything I can do about it at this point?
> Thanks!


In regards to fungicide & seedlings, 
here is some good info from a few days ago. The answer is yes.


----------



## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Looks great! Almost ready to mow. What's the height of the tallest seedlings? After you mow would be a good time to overseed the thin areas if you still have any.

Yes you should apply fungicide. You're watering a ton so the grass doesn't really dry during the day. Young grass is pretty susceptible and even if you catch it quickly (within a day or two) you'll lose some. Azoxystrobin or Propiconizole would work well.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Grass Clippins said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Grass Clippins said:
> ...


Ok thanks. Weeds haven't been an issue so far, so yeah maybe I'll wait till after the second or third mow. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Thanks. @samjonester the tallest seedlings are about 2 1/4". I have two thin areas in the backyard that I am giving a chance to start coming in better. If they don't, I will definitely overseed those areas.

It rained a ton here yesterday and this morning and with the warmer temps I am concerned about fungus. I don't see anything so far, but I want to do something. I don't have a sprayer or chemicals yet. I can order both this morning if I need it. But the grass is going to be too wet/soft to walk on for a day or two. What would you do if you were me?
Thanks.


----------



## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

The pictures look great! With TTTF you've probably got about as much germination as you will get. It also doesn't spread. If you seed after you mow then you'll have a few extra days to see and your mower wont suck up the seed.

Ideally if I was you I'd spray Azoxy, but realistically, I would put out Scott's Disease Ex from Lowe's at preventative rate.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

@samjonester I was thinking about seeding those thin areas on Tuesday. Should I wait until after the first mow? Also, I can order Azoxy right now from DoMyOwn, but it may take a few days to arrive. Should I order it?
Thanks


----------



## Bug pumper (Jul 2, 2018)

@Ohio Lawn 
I mowed my SS1002 fescue 16 days after seed down. A little less then 2 weeks after seeing sprouts, to re seed the bare spots using a push mower. I'm also 285lbs. There was no damage to the lawn, it all stood right back up without missing a beat.


----------



## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Sounds like you've got a plan!Just make Tuesday your first mow, then, like @Bug pumper says.

It's up to you whether you want to get all the stuff to spray azoxy or spread disease ex, but I would put something down as soon as possible if I was you.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 15: The lawn is greening up nicely. I'm starting to notice the thin areas more now that the grass in other areas is getting longer. 
Do you think all the seed is done germinating at this point and when should I overseed?
I also want to put down a fungicide, but it is so wet and soft right now, I don't want to walk on it.
Thanks.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes add more to the thin areas.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> Yes add more to the thin areas.


I think I will have to lightly rake the straw out of the thin areas, then overseed. What do you think?


----------



## fusebox7 (Jul 27, 2017)

Ohio Lawn said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> > Yes add more to the thin areas.
> ...


You could try using a blower too... Depends on how thick it is. The seed will move around with watering - it's possible it settles to the soil but only if there's not a thick mat of straw.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

fusebox7 said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > g-man said:
> ...


That's a good idea. I'll try the blower first. If that doesn't work, I'll lightly rake it. 
Thanks!


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Day 15: The lawn is greening up nicely. I'm starting to notice the thin areas more now that the grass in other areas is getting longer.
> Do you think all the seed is done germinating at this point and when should I overseed?
> I also want to put down a fungicide, but it is so wet and soft right now, I don't want to walk on it.
> Thanks.


Were your thin/bare spots around your irrigation heads by chance? Or were those spots getting excess water?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

There are some thin areas in a 8" circle where each sprinkler head is. But the other thin areas don't seem to have a correlation with sprinkler heads. Are you thinking the thin areas are from disease/overwatering, or from the seeds getting pushed around from the water pressure?


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> There are some thin areas in a 8" circle where each sprinkler head is. But the other thin areas don't seem to have a correlation with sprinkler heads. Are you thinking the thin areas are from disease/overwatering, or from the seeds getting pushed around from the water pressure?


I was just curious because I've overseeded with the same TTTF and is a spot that I have that get hits with 3 different zones that is pretty bare which is most likely from overwatering, was wondering if you were running into the same issue.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > There are some thin areas in a 8" circle where each sprinkler head is. But the other thin areas don't seem to have a correlation with sprinkler heads. Are you thinking the thin areas are from disease/overwatering, or from the seeds getting pushed around from the water pressure?
> ...


My bare spots are mostly linear, so I'm guessing it was a seed spreader issue or just some spots where less seed was put down. I will keep you posted.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 17: The weather is finally cooling down today. The past week has been unseasonably warm with highs in the high 80's with humidity. I wanted to get a fungicide down, but two storms this past week made it way too wet to walk. I am considering doing Heritage G tomorrow just as some extra protection, even though cooler temps are now in the forecast.

If it is dry enough tomorrow, I am going to lightly rake up the straw in the thin spots and overseed them. I'm open to any advice/suggestions on how to make things better.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 18: I lightly raked up the straw in the thin areas and overseeed with the same TTTF seed. I am going to water those couple sections 2-3 times per day depending on the temps. I am keeping my fingers crossed. It looks worse after I did the raking/overseeding, but I'm hoping its one of those "gets worse before it gets better" sort of things.


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

When are you planning on laying down fertilizer/spoon feeding?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> When are you planning on laying down fertilizer/spoon feeding?


I am planning on fertilizing on October 4, which would be 4 weeks from the original emergence. Would you suggest I do something different or apply starter fert to the overseed areas now?


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Scagfreedom48z+ said:
> 
> 
> > When are you planning on laying down fertilizer/spoon feeding?
> ...


Lol I'm all ears as well. This is my first Reno/Overseed as well, so not much experience myself. I have bare spots myself that I need to address and I'm trying to figure out when to start spoon feeding myself

This Thursday will be 2 weeks on my back yard and Sunday will be 2 weeks for my front.

I'm going to start overseeding my thin areas sometime this week I think


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 20: Today I applied Azoxy @ 2lb/k to ease my concern of fungus, since it's been unseasonably warm/humid this past week. I figured with all the watering and humidity, I should do something. 
I'm hoping the thin areas will fill in when the overseeding germinates. I'm guessing it will take at least 2 full seasons to get this really thick. 
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts. 
Thanks


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Where in Ohio are you? I grew up in the Akron/Canton area.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

MDJoe said:


> Where in Ohio are you? I grew up in the Akron/Canton area.


Near Cleveland


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I had a fair amount of thin areas as I was taking straw off. I've used urea starting around week 3 very light doses .25#/m or less. I've applied weekly after mowing and then watered in. It definitely encouraged growth and fill in.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

pennstater2005 said:


> I had a fair amount of thin areas as I was taking straw off. I've used urea starting around week 3 very light doses .25#/m or less. I've applied weekly after mowing and then watered in. It definitely encouraged growth and fill in.


Will that work with Tall Fescue, or only spreading types such as KBG?


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Yes you could fertilize now. Some TTTF cultivars have some spreading ability but very limited. But, my KBG isn't necessarily spreading yet just filling out along with the PRG.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

pennstater2005 said:


> Yes you could fertilize now. Some TTTF cultivars have some spreading ability but very limited. But, my KBG isn't necessarily spreading yet just filling out along with the PRG.


Two of my TTTF varieties claim some limited spreading. Even though it doesn't spread like KBG, will it fill in more as it grows?


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Ohio Lawn said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes you could fertilize now. Some TTTF cultivars have some spreading ability but very limited. But, my KBG isn't necessarily spreading yet just filling out along with the PRG.
> ...


The areas that look thin typically will fill in and even more so next season. It's baby grass so it won't look like a mature stand.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

@pennstater2005 and @g-man , what are your thoughts on putting down Milo right now on the new lawn? Or should I use a faster release N source?


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Ohio Lawn said:


> @pennstater2005 and @g-man , what are your thoughts on putting down Milo right now on the new lawn? Or should I use a faster release N source?


I would use urea (fast release). I've given mine 3 doses now.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 25: I am starting to see some germination in the areas that I overseed on Day 18. The thin areas look slightly more filled in now, or maybe it is my imagination. I am glad I put down the Azoxy last week since its been so warm and wet. It looks like the hot temps are behind us now. Hopefully.

I will probably start fertilizing toward the end of this week or beginning of next week.

On a side note, any idea why there are lines of darker grass in the backyard? My guess is poor spreading of my seed or starter fertilizer. Thoughts?


----------



## BobRoss (Jul 3, 2019)

The last photo looks like your spreader path with the zig zag. Did you just do one pass of starter fert?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

BobRoss said:


> The last photo looks like your spreader path with the zig zag. Did you just do one pass of starter fert?


Yes.

Will it all become a uniform color once I start applying fert more regularly?


----------



## TreyDoc (Aug 16, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Will it all become a uniform color once I start applying fert more regularly?


Yup. If you do 1/2 in two perpendicular passes, it should help with the uniformity. Since you're starting weekly fertilizer this week, making at least 2 passes will greatly reduce the risk of burning. It looks fantastic now, but once you start spoon feeding, it's going to be oh so purty.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 29: Yesterday I hit the lawn with about .7 lb/1000 of N. Interested to see if there is any color change once the N kicks in. Had to do a small reno of a 200 sq' area where we had sod removed. It is a shadier spot, so we will see how the SS1000 mix does. If it doesn't take well, I might throw down some Rowdy, Valkerie, or GTO.


----------



## Zcape35 (Sep 17, 2019)

Looks like it is all filling in nicely!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 30: I received my first soil test results for the lawn. It was better than I thought and I am surprised at the decent results. Part of me thinks the numbers may be off, but maybe not.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 32: I started to notice some possible gray leaf spot on some grass blades. It does not look like it's spreading though and it's supposed to cool down this week, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't get worse. 
Grass is starting to darken up in some areas. I might back down my watering to every other day.

Thoughts?


----------



## bencrabtree27 (Jan 8, 2019)

I know you said you were going to mow weeks ago.... dying to see this cut lol.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

bencrabtree27 said:


> I know you said you were going to mow weeks ago.... dying to see this cut lol.


Think it's gonna be bad lol?


----------



## bencrabtree27 (Jan 8, 2019)

Heck no, it's gonna look great. Excited to see it in 6 weeks! When are you planning on mowing?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

The lawn needs a mow at 1.5 to 2.0in.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> The lawn needs a mow at 1.5 to 2.0in.


Are you saying to cut it down to 2"?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes or to 1.5 if your lawn is leveled enough.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

bencrabtree27 said:


> Heck no, it's gonna look great. Excited to see it in 6 weeks! When are you planning on mowing?


I'm going to do the first mow tomorrow if it's dry enough.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> Yes or to 1.5 if your lawn is leveled enough.


Ok will do. Should I gradually raise the mowing height over time to 3"?


----------



## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Ok will do. Should I gradually raise the mowing height over time to 3"?


Some info on your seed contents that I could find from their respective creators:

Regenerate - The spec sheet says "has the capacity to excel in lower mowing height applications." I would interpret this to mean 1.5"-2.5" range

Amity - Recommended 2" cut height

Raptor III - Cutting height should range between 2" and 3". Down to 1" can be satisfactorily maintained.

4th millenium - No specific callout but from looking at its performances in tests/studies, I would guestimate this is another 2" optimal TTTF.

So based on all this, I would say you probably want to avoid going above 2" to 2.5". Grasses designed for this low, in my experience, just don't have the structure to support tall heights. They fall over easier at heights at or above 3" which can lead to killing itself and/or exacerbates fungus issues.

I'm no expert, just giving my opinion. Hopefully g-man chimes back in.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

badtlc said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Ok will do. Should I gradually raise the mowing height over time to 3"?
> ...


Thanks so much for doing that much research on the grass varieties. I will cut at 2". I was planning on keeping it tall around 3.5"-4", but I'll do whatever is best for this grass. @g-man do you concur?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Purdue University recommends mowing between 1.5-2in on new grass.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> Purdue University recommends mowing between 1.5-2in on new grass.


2" cut it is. Thank you!!!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 35: I desperately need to cut this. We got 6/10 inch of rain last night. I'm hoping it dries up enough to give it its first cut tomorrow.


----------



## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

already sharpen that blade or do you have a reel mower?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

badtlc said:


> already sharpen that blade or do you have a reel mower?


Brand new mower. Never been used.


----------



## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Ohio Lawn said:


> badtlc said:
> 
> 
> > already sharpen that blade or do you have a reel mower?
> ...


So how on Earth were you able to hold off so long? Impressive.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Gentlemen I need some advice. The grass is getting really long in spots and I was planning on cutting today but it just rained a bit. Not bad but enough to get the grass wet.

Is it better to just mow it or wait three more days? (my schedule is not good after today for a few days)


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

If the ground isn't mushy, I would go ahead and mow. If you can wait a couple of hours to let the leaf blades dry, even better. Mowing today lessens the chances of waiting and violating the 1/3 rule.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> If the ground isn't mushy, I would go ahead and mow. If you can wait a couple of hours to let the leaf blades dry, even better. Mowing today lessens the chances of waiting and violating the 1/3 rule.


Ok I'll try. There are a few small spots less than 5' in diameter where the grass is really high (6-8"). Should I do anything different in those spots?


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Chris LI said:
> 
> 
> > If the ground isn't mushy, I would go ahead and mow. If you can wait a couple of hours to let the leaf blades dry, even better. Mowing today lessens the chances of waiting and violating the 1/3 rule.
> ...


I would raise the deck to the maximum HOC to cut those areas, and cut them again in a few days, when your schedule allows. When you can recut them, try to lower the deck a notch, if it hasn't grown too fast.


----------



## alt-brian (Sep 14, 2018)

Agreed. So long as the ground is not mushy, go ahead and cut the grass. That way you can do it again next week.


----------



## alt-brian (Sep 14, 2018)

Side note
I am guessing your home was new construction, so the ground was roughly graded before rock hounding and top soil was added.
I feel the need to prepare you for what probably comes next for your lawn.

My new home was finished in early 2018 and the lawn was established late spring 2018.
By the end of fall 2018 it was obvious that the top soil was not spread to a uniform depth.
There must have been peaks and valleys in the rough grading prior to the topsoil being added and graded.
(I am about 30 minutes east of Cleveland and have heavy clay soil)
There were spots in my lawn that were lush and thick, indicating healthy soil, right next to spots that were it was so thin I could see the dirt, indicating poor soil conditions.
I have spent much of this year trying to correct these issues.
Core aerating and adding lots of OM has been my plan.
Additionally, the ground has not settled evenly, which is to be expected.
Next spring I will be adding topsoil to the low spots as well as continue to add more OM.
Realistically, it could be 3 years before I am happy with the results.

Just thought you might appreciate a view into your potential future.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Day 40: Finally got to cut it for the first time! (HOC 4") I busted out the new Toro TimeMaster and gave it a go. I definitely need to work on getting straighter lines. But all in all I am very happy with everything to this point. 
I will probably hit it with another round of N towards the end of the month. And I will probably lower the HOC to 3" in a couple days.

I have backed down the irrigation to 15 minutes every 3 days. Should I change the irrigation to something different now?
Thanks.

The first two pics were taken right before mowing today.


----------



## weed_wizard (Apr 18, 2019)

Awesome


----------



## bencrabtree27 (Jan 8, 2019)

That lawn is going to be amazing. Love the footprints!


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Lawn looks great! Any fungus battles along the way?


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Beautiful.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

bencrabtree27 said:


> That lawn is going to be amazing. Love the footprints!


I sort of wish I knew a way to not have the footprints. lol


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

MDJoe said:


> Beautiful.


Thanks. So far so good. Its a work in progress.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Lawn looks great! Any fungus battles along the way?


Thanks. I don't know if I experienced any real fungus. I applied some Heritage G a little while back when the temps and humidity got unseasonably high. Then about a week or two later I noticed a little bit of spotting on some grass leaves (see pic from before). I thought it may have been gray leaf spot. But it went away when the temps cooled down. I didn't apply anything else fungicide wise.

I do worry about brown patch and GLS though. I am considering doing a regular preventative fungicide routine next year, but I'm also considering just letting it go and see what happens. I know preventative is better than curative, but with the high cost of fungicides and the limited options to rotate, I might want to see if it is really needed before I just start a fungicide program.

As always, I am always open to opinions on it.
Thanks.

Here is the pic of the spotting I had that went away.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Ohio Lawn said:


> bencrabtree27 said:
> 
> 
> > That lawn is going to be amazing. Love the footprints!
> ...


How are you guys doing in the rain department? My family in the Akron-Canton area says it's been pretty dry there, although not as dry as it has been here in Maryland.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

It has been ok here. If anything, I would say it has rained a little too much. But I am fortunate enough to have irrigation and for right now I would prefer little rain, so I could have more control. 
Starting next year I plan on running the irrigation as little as possible to maintain 1" - 1.5" of water per week.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

I got my third cut in the other day and cut at 2.5" this time. Things are still looking pretty good. Going to hit it with some more N next week. I did notice an odd weed today and thought it might be Poa Triv or something. Any thoughts?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Get a small shovel or a hori hori knife and dig it out.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> Get a small shovel or a hori hori knife and dig it out.


What do you think it is?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

No clue, but take it out. It doesn't belong there and you have a young grass that can't take too many chemicals.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

I applied another 3/4lb of N last week. Today I did what will most likely be the final cut of the season. The HOC was 2.5". Overall, I am pretty happy how this turned out for its first year. I am working on my plan for next year. I do have a little swale in the front yard and one in the back yard that I may look into leveling out next fall. We will see how the drainage is in the spring.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Well, the lawn had a rough winter. It either died or it went dormant and lost all it's color. For the last cut of the year in November, I cut it at 2" and then it turned cold the next day, so I'm hoping it just didn't recover and went dormant. I'm not sure how all that works. If it's not dead, I have some work to do to get the color back. Looking forward to seeing what happens.


----------



## Socks (Jul 26, 2019)

Your yard looks great - it will be just fine. Not 100% sure where you are in Ohio but we are just starting to show signs of life here north of Cincinnati.


----------



## LawnLyfe (Mar 16, 2020)

cheers to a fellow ohio lawn care addict. Your property is beautiful. Subscribed for more.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Had my second soil test done in March. Here are the results. Looks like I need more P&K. Might do a balanced fert after my pre-m.


----------



## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

How does it look now? I was in the Columbus area today and I noticed all the grass is really green there right now. Even the non-maintained/side-of-the-road grass looking good.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Vtx531 said:


> How does it look now? I was in the Columbus area today and I noticed all the grass is really green there right now. Even the non-maintained/side-of-the-road grass looking good.


It looks ok. Starting to green up some. It looked pretty rough a couple weeks ago. The warm weather is nice.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

4/3/2020: Applied pre-m (Prodiamine 65 WDG at .37oz/m). I walked way to fast in my backyard and covered 6m with 3 gallons of solution. It should have taken me 6 gallons. I figured I walked almost twice as fast as I should have. I went back over that same 6m in the perpendicular direction with another 3 gallons (.37oz pre-m/gal). Hope that works out ok. We will see what happens. It was my first time actually applying product with my 105ex battery sprayer.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Today I applied 19-19-19 at 5#/m, giving me about 1 pound N/m. I did the balanced fert because my P and K are low. Also applied RGS to my front yard at 3oz/m. I hope to put RGS on the backyard tomorrow. Also hoping for some rain to water in my Prodiamine that I sprayed a couple days ago. 
First pics of the season.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Got my first cut of the year in today. Plan on spot spraying weeds when there's a break with no rain. I have a ton of winter wheat in the lawn (from the straw) and I'm hoping it dies after repeat cutting and when it heats up.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:nod: Your Timemaster stripes nicely! Is that just the mower or do you have a striping kit on it?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> :nod: Your Timemaster stripes nicely! Is that just the mower or do you have a striping kit on it?


Those pics are just the mower. My wife just bought me a striping kit for it, but I haven't used it yet.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Chris LI said:
> 
> 
> > :nod: Your Timemaster stripes nicely! Is that just the mower or do you have a striping kit on it?
> ...


I was hoping you would say that. Those stripes will really pop once you have the kit installed!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Chris LI said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Chris LI said:
> ...


 Put the striping kit on my TimeMaster today. I'll post pics after I use it the first time. Super easy to install.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbsup:


----------



## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm can't wait to see these stripes!


----------



## Carlson (Apr 16, 2020)

Oh man - I have that kit on my timemaster and it just makes beatiful lines in my fescue in the back. These pics you'll have up soon are gonna be epic.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Butter said:


> I'm can't wait to see these stripes!


Me too. I'll post some pics soon. Thanks.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Carlson said:


> Oh man - I have that kit on my timemaster and it just makes beatiful lines in my fescue in the back. These pics you'll have up soon are gonna be epic.


Glad you like yours. I'll post pics soon.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Well its been a bit since I updated this. Heading into summer, I am going to do a little N in June, about 0.5#N/m of Milorganite, or X-Grn. Then monitor it for fungus. I have my fungicides on hand just in case. I applied Grub-ex today as a preventative. I am dealing with a section of Poa T and Poa A in my side yard, that I might glypho and renovate in fall. I also plan to do a fall overseed. So far this year I have:
-Applied Prodiamine 65 WDG at the 5 month rate.
-Applied 19-19-19 at about 3/4#N/m. 
-Applied Carbon-X at 3/4#N/m. (I think that was a bit too much for spring, but live and learn. 
-Applied RGS x2 apps
-Applied Air-8
-Applied 0-0-2 Microgreen (6oz./m)
-Applied Grub-Ex

Here it is today:


----------



## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Beautiful property!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Beautiful property!


Thank you. You as well.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Yesterday I applied RGS at 6oz/m and Air-8 at 9oz/m. I'm planning on doing this on a monthly basis for the rest of the season. I have some major compaction issues. I can bury a screwdriver 2".

My plan is to do nothing else besides RGS, Air-8, and a little Micro Green for June, July, and first half of August. Then in late August I'll start my aerate and overseed work.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Just a quick update. The lawn is doing ok. Had some drought stress issues and I had to spend some time dialing in my irrigation. But it bounced back relatively quickly. I'm not really happy with the current color and I'm going to try some FAS if there's a little cool down in the forecast. Other than that, just watching for any signs of disease and irrigating as needed. Prepping for the fall work.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Today I started to experience some minor leaf discoloration. Here is the post about it. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19913


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Just put down FAS for the first time. My tap water ph was 7.5 and after I mixed in 1/2 tbsp of citric acid in 4 gallons of tap water the ph came down to 3.5. After I mixed in the CA, I added the FAS (2oz FS w/ 1.7oz AS per 1,000 square feet). It turned green. I applied it to about half of my back yard as a test. We will see how it affects my lawn.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Fas to a water stressed lawn? Why?


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

g-man said:


> Fas to a water stressed lawn? Why?


i think it was water stressed, but he got his irrigation working and it bounced back as per his post.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

g-man said:


> Fas to a water stressed lawn? Why?


I worked on my irrigation and I believe I corrected the issue. Also, we got pounded with rain over the past two days; a little over an inch.

As to the why, I was trying to get some color back in the lawn because it had some yellowing, which I thought might be due to lower iron availability.

I'm new to this and have only been researching turf for about a year. I'm sure I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. Maybe that FAS application was one of them. If so, I'll learn from it.


----------



## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

I like the tlf sticker on the bucket, nice touch!

Just catching up on your journal, I didn't notice in previous posts if you applied a fungicide or not? Just browsing the pictures I would say another application, maybe this time propicanozole, wouldn't hurt your lawn one bit.

Otherwise it looks great! When temps are this hot, everyone's lawns take a beating. Most of us don't post too many pictures of our lawn in the heat of summer!


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Jconnelly6b said:


> I like the tlf sticker on the bucket, nice touch!
> 
> Just catching up on your journal, I didn't notice in previous posts if you applied a fungicide or not? Just browsing the pictures I would say another application, maybe this time propicanozole, wouldn't hurt your lawn one bit.
> 
> Otherwise it looks great! When temps are this hot, everyone's lawns take a beating. Most of us don't post too many pictures of our lawn in the heat of summer!


Yeah I applied Azoxy & Prop at the low rates on June 7. I don't know when I should reapply.


----------



## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

You can do as frequently as 10-14 days apart, especially if you are using the low rate. I would apply another app at curative rate before your next rain and lawn should improve dramatically, although this heat wave has been tough.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Jconnelly6b said:


> You can do as frequently as 10-14 days apart, especially if you are using the low rate. I would apply another app at curative rate before your next rain and lawn should improve dramatically, although this heat wave has been tough.


How would it improve? Do you think there's disease?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

So my backyard is not looking too good right now. I'm not sure if that FAS application was a bad idea or if it is unrelated. But my backyard looks odd right now. I have sections of nice green areas and then sections of more yellow areas. What could be causing this? Here is some recent information regarding my lawn:
-We received about 1.75" of rain over the past two days.
-I applied FAS (maybe a bad idea) to my backyard only on June 24th.
-I applied azoxy & prop on my front yard on June 7th as a preventative because my lawn is only a year old. (I did not put it on my backyard)
-My PH is 7.4.
My front yard looks good. What could be the cause of these backyard issues?













Just as a comparison, this was my backyard on June 7th:


----------



## DiabeticKripple (Apr 14, 2019)

im no expert, but im seeing blackened blades from too much iron.

could also be a melting out situation going on.

maybe try dropping HOC one notch and bag mowing.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

DiabeticKripple said:


> im no expert, but im seeing blackened blades from too much iron.
> 
> could also be a melting out situation going on.
> 
> maybe try dropping HOC one notch and bag mowing.


I agree with the blackened blades from iron. I applied FAS a few days ago to the left half of the back yard.

I'm hoping it's just that and not melting out.


----------



## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

That's definitely fungus man, and the iron didn't help. Get some fungicide down ASAP


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Took a quick pic of part of the front lawn tonight. I'm going to apply some N on Sunday. It's doing ok.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

I noticed some small areas like this today: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20784


----------



## Jtgorman75 (Jul 31, 2019)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Took a quick pic of part of the front lawn tonight. I'm going to apply some N on Sunday. It's doing ok.


Looking good. Is that vinyl siding? Any idea the color/brand?


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Jtgorman75 said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Took a quick pic of part of the front lawn tonight. I'm going to apply some N on Sunday. It's doing ok.
> ...


Actually yeah; Allside brand. Color is Charcoal Smoke.


----------



## Jtgorman75 (Jul 31, 2019)

Thx &#128077;&#127995;.


----------



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Applied 0.5 lbs of N using 8-3-5 Healthy Grow. Interested to see how long it takes to notice color change if any.


----------

