# bernstem 2021 lawn journal



## bernstem

Previous journal: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=16804

The season is pretty much open in St. Louis. This weekend was winter cleanup. Leaves blown out of the gardens, roses pruned back and winterizer removed, lawn mowed with the Honda and garden debris mulched into the turf, and gardens mulched. It is starting to look like a lawn again.

I'll keep the low cut going as long as possible, though I haven't broken out the Swardman yet. The real question is whether to renovate the front to a monostand of After Midnight. NTEP umbers look very good in the transition zone and I have a source for seed. Other than that the recurrent Summer Patch will likely be the biggest challenge. I'm interested to see how keeping it cut low impact disease.

Front:




Back with lots of garden debris waiting to break down:



No garden photos yet, but most of the roses seem to have wintered well. I lost two that I know of, and have two that are unhappy but should pull through. The biggest issue this spring will be protecting them from pesky wabbits.


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## jskierko

bernstem said:


> The biggest issue this spring will be protecting them from pesky wabbits.


Anything in particular that you've tried that works well? I've tried the deer and rabbit repellent spray, hair, urine, milorganite, a few others that skip my mind and haven't had overwhelming success. Even my dogs (both in double digit ages) have lost the edge in keeping them away.


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## bernstem

The only thing I have found that works well is a physical barrier. I currently use bird netting as a physical fence reinforced with copious amounts of rabbit repellent.


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## bernstem

Lawn is starting to wake up. Got in a real mow (3/4 inch), though there is still some winter damage yellowing the lawn. Also scarified before mowing. Front and back this year seem to be waking up at close to the same time. In the past, the back lawn was ~1 weeks ahead.

The gardens are starting to wake up. The roses are sending out new shoots, the Daffodils are blooming, Irises and Lilies are growing. Tomorrow will be the first rose fertilization of the season. I put up rabbit netting last week to protect the new rose shoots.











No garden photos yet.


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## bernstem

A quick update. Applied AS at .15 and Primo at 0.2. Roses each got 1 cup (climbing roses got 2 cups) of Mill's Mix. GDD tracker and Forsythia say to apply pre-emergent now. I usually use Prodiamine at the 9 month rate or spring/fall apps at half that, but I have some free granular Dimension sitting in the garage that I'll try this year on the back next weekend. The front is going to go without pre for a possible fall renovation.


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## Slingblade_847

Subscribing to this journal for sure!

@bernstem thank you for all the advice last year. Really helped me along through my reno last year.

I see through other threads you are an AMS guy. How early you get it sprayed, and at what rates?


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## bernstem

@Slingblade_847 Early spring Nitrogen varies depending on what the lawn seems to need. This year, it appears to be waking up from winter better than in the past so my plan is low dose foliar Nitrogen (0.15-0.25 every 2 weeks or so) with AS based on growth rates. I use the AS as my pH is high. I'll probably apply a granular with Potassium later in the spring at the more traditional spring fertilization time, but it is still too early for a big dose of Nitrogen. I generally like to match Nitrogen to growth, so will apply in the spring, slow down in summer, and apply the most in the fall.

I am also starting Primo applications earlier this year as well. The idea behind that is to prevent as much shoot growth and try to push root growth and density.

Lastly, I'll be on a preventive fungicide regimen for Dollar Spot and Summer Patch. I am hoping to keep the rates lower this year than in the past. I expect the quicker AM drying from low mowing and work to reduce pH should reduce disease pressure.


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## Slingblade_847

@bernstem thanks, buddy. Insightful. I do have some more questions on the AS, but I'll tag you in my journal vs. sabotaging yours. Your Lawn lookin good so early in the season!


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## HoosierDaddy

What are you using as a preventative for your Summer Patch? I've being using Companion the last couple of years, but have not been able to source any this season... Between that and rabbits, we seem to have many of the same issues


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## Slingblade_847

One got propi 14.3. from DoMyOwn last year. Just checked the product label and includes summer patch. According to their website it's available,

https://www.domyown.com/propiconazole-143-p-16567.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0caCBhCIARIsAGAfuMyz9WIv6zfSWq0eKhDoMkZcZ1CKYN6HPwr5Y3_QTMEm6A3LTqWVzu4aAnYREALw_wcB

Here is their recommendation for summer patch


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## bernstem

@HoosierDaddy I use Azoxystrobin for Summer Patch. My rotation the past couple years has been Propiconazole and Azoxystrobin in the spring transitioning to Velista and Azoxystrobin in the summer. I have never been able to adequately control disease here in St. Louis with just biologicals and cultural practices.


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## HoosierDaddy

@bernstem I apply a round of azoxystrobin in the Spring when soil temps hit 65 for 4 days. Then apply again at onset of symptoms. I've also been applying Companion around the same time and continuing through Spring. I've not tried Propiconazole. I've noticed improvement over the last few years, but still have pretty bad outbreaks. I'm not sure what to change up so I was hoping you'd found a magic bullet.


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## bernstem

@HoosierDaddy I wish I had a guaranteed solution to Summer Patch, but... I don't.

I think you need a minimum of 2 applications of Azoxystrobin. The first when soil temps hit 65, and again a month later. That is a minimum for Summer Patch. I generally try to keep protection down from 65 degrees until fall. I'll increase dose/frequency of applications if I see disease breaking through. I'm hopeful this year that some of the pH reduction and faster drying with lower cut turf will help, though the low cut might just increase stress instead.


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## bernstem

The lawn is finally awake despite last night's 28 degree low. Tomorrow will be pre-emergent. Today was getting the lawn fully cleaned up for spring. Walkways got edged. The garden was edged and then deepened with a bed re-definer. The front and back got scarified to clear out lawn debris then double cut at 5/8. There is still some winter damage that needs to grow out, but it is getting better. The dark green canine spots are fading as the rest of the lawn greens up. Gardens are awake, but nothing except daffodils and early Forsythia blooming.

Front is looking good. Makes me question moving to a monostand.












Back:


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## Wiley

@bernstem looks pretty cherry for this early in season!


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## bernstem

Wiley said:


> @bernstem looks pretty cherry for this early in season!


Thanks! Spring is always easy to get it looking good. Keeping it looking good into late summer is the challenge.


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## Slingblade_847

At what temperature do you start your AS, and at what rate?


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## bernstem

@Slingblade_847 I struggle with when to start fert. I don't see much dormancy, so have been working on how to manage winter Nitrogen which affects spring Nitrogen. Late last fall, I applied stabilized Nitrogen which seems to have carried the lawn through winter and allowed it to come into spring in a good position. I don't have a detailed plan, but instead try to judge what the lawn needs on a week to week basis. This year, I am roughly planning to foliar feed light doses of Nitrogen based on growth. To that end, I applied 0.15 lb/M a week ago concurrent with Primo growth regulator at a low dose. I'll probably repeat the AS in a week.


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## bernstem

Bonus front lawn pic from today.


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## HoosierDaddy

@bernstem Great pics!

Thanks for the s.p. tips. I will try the double Azoxystrobin this Spring. Proactive Serenade apps have reduced all other fungal issues for me to essentially zero, so I was hoping for something similar for s.p. I am still trying to see if I can source some Companion so that I can use it as well. I did read a study (Rutgers?) once upon a time that azoxy plus Companion was the best treatment, but I can't seem to find it again for details. Thanks!


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## bernstem

Another week, another update. The lawn continues to work on growing out winter damage. The sunny areas are growing well. The shaded areas under the trees are lagging. They still need to fully wake up and start some spreading to fill in. I did apply 0.2 lbs/M of AS this week and 0.3 lbs/M of Methylen Urea to the front. The back is doing better so didn't get any help this week. That should help kick start some spreading and the slow release will triclke in Nitrogen over the next 2-3 months.

Daffodils and Forsythia are fully in bloom. The roses have started to leaf out and got the second fertilizer of the spring. I gave them a cup of Mill's Rose Mix when they started to send shoots. They each got another cup today now that they are leafing out. They also got the first application of fungicide. So far the gardens are doing well, but some things are still sleeping like the Liriope. The Hostas are just starting to show new growth.

I got a 10 blade reel for the Swardman. I don't see a huge difference in cut quality between it and the 6 blade, so I'll keep the 10 blade going for now. I should probably send the old reel for sharpening.

Front pictures. Some fresh edging today. HOC is at 3/4 inch. You can see the area under the tree in picture 6 where it is lagging. The garden to the south of it doesn't help either as once it fills in the shade gets deeper. If it continues to struggle, the garden bed may get bigger.















Back with the doggos:


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## bernstem

Forgot to mention, also dropped Potassium Sulfate at 1 lb of K/M and Sulfur at 5 lbs/M to address deficiencies and continue to work on pH. No plans for a soil test this year. I'm still at least 10 lbs/M short on Sulfur to ge the pH to 6.5. I'll do another 5 lbs/M of Sulfur later this year and continue Citric acid applications. AS will be the primary Nitrogen source. All that is designed to push pH down. I am also hopeful that the lower pH will reduce Summer Patch pressure.

@Slingblade_847 Missed your comment on Propiconazole for SP. I use Propiconazole in rotation with Azoxystrobin and Velista. The Propi helps with SP, but is mostly for Dollar Spot. Between the two, Azoxystrobin (or any of the strobilurins) should be your first choice in treating/preventing SP. Velista substitutes for Propiconazole in the summer as it does not have the temp issues of Propi and does not cause the growth inhibition.


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## SNOWBOB11

Color looks like it took a good leap from last update. Stripes looking on point as well.


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## bernstem

The back lawn is awake except for a small area in the back corner. I can no longer tell which areas got different winterizer ferts. The front is starting to pick up a bit, but the areas adjacent to the trees are still slow to wake up.

I opened up the irrigation yesterday. Made some minor adjustments, but no damage. This was a moderately busy lawn weekend, and the sprayer got its first decent workout. Applied Citric acid at 1 lb/M, and AS at 0.15 lbs N/M and watered it in. 
I topped that with Primo at 0.3 Oz/M mixed with Iron at 2 Oz/M, and AS at 2 Oz/M after irrigation was done.

Lawn continues at 3/4 inch. The gardens are doing well even with the 26 degree freeze this week, but no blooms other than Forsythia and Daffodils.

Pictures are before spraying and taken in the early afternoon with full sun so the stripes pop from the right angles. I'll get some more today for comparison after the Iron.

Front:







Back:


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## bernstem

Photos today from the same time of day.
Front:





Back:



More front:


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## Slingblade_847

@bernstem man it's looking killer. Always intrigued by your applications. Especially the AS, citric, and sulfur. Have you ever used gypsum in your routine? Hoping gypsum will help in my sulfur and magnesium, but will probably still drop sulfur as it appears gypsum won't impact Ph.


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## bernstem

@Slingblade_847 The AS, Citric, and Sulfur are all for pH. I have not used Gypsum, but my Ca:Mg ratios are pretty good and I don't have Sodiu issues. The Sulfur in Gypsum will not impact pH.


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## Slingblade_847

Yep, plan to use the gypsum for exactly that reason, Ca:Mg. I have a 2:32 ratio...not good. From the studies I've found, it may be some tough sledding to actually get the gypsum to work how it is intended to in theory. Studies show great for removing sodium (salt from snow melt trucks), but to have a material impact on Ca:Mg ratio, the soil needs to be aggressively disturbed. I'll throw down max rate after talking to supplier, over the course of growing seasons, and see what my results yield next year.

I too suffer from a higher pH (7.5 currently), which is why I'm always appreciative of your documented apps of citric & AS.

What is your max app of citric without fear of burn with no immediate irrigation?


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## Fraust

Just wanted to stop by and say your lawn is looking great. I'm in St Louis as well, and while I lurked around the board last year before deciding to start posting, following your journal was always helpful and interesting seeing someone in the same area. Looking forward to seeing how this season goes for you too.


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## bernstem

Slingblade_847 said:


> I too suffer from a higher pH (7.5 currently), which is why I'm always appreciative of your documented apps of citric & AS.
> 
> What is your max app of citric without fear of burn with no immediate irrigation?


I have applied at 1 lb/M every 2-4 weeks. I have seen some leaf burn at that rate if it is not adequately irrigated after application. Given the low pH of Citric Acid, I always irrigate immediately for 0.1 inches. If you add a tablespoon to Iron or something like that you will be fine, but at lbs/1000 it will burn without washing it off into the soil.


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## bernstem

Fraust said:


> Just wanted to stop by and say your lawn is looking great. I'm in St Louis as well, and while I lurked around the board last year before deciding to start posting, following your journal was always helpful and interesting seeing someone in the same area. Looking forward to seeing how this season goes for you too.


Always good to see neighbors on here. This season is looking good, but I am now at 95% chance of renovating the front with seed already purchased. That will be interesting...


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## SNOWBOB11

bernstem said:


> Fraust said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just wanted to stop by and say your lawn is looking great. I'm in St Louis as well, and while I lurked around the board last year before deciding to start posting, following your journal was always helpful and interesting seeing someone in the same area. Looking forward to seeing how this season goes for you too.
> 
> 
> 
> Always good to see neighbors on here. This season is looking good, but I am now at 95% chance of renovating the front with seed already purchased. That will be interesting...
Click to expand...

Interesting to hear your planning a renovation for the front lawn. What cultivar were you going with? Unless your not ready to let that info out yet.


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## bernstem

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Interesting to hear your planning a renovation for the front lawn. What cultivar were you going with? Unless your not ready to let that info out yet.


Not a secret. I have had some variability in blade width and green up in the front that annoys me. I have also always preferred the appearance of the back monostand to the front blend. I'll do a quick renovation with no fallowing as the front lawn is pretty clean. The plan will roughly be:
Day -7 - Glyphosate
Day -4 - Glyphosate
Day -0 - Scalp, seed, Peat Moss, Tenacity 
Day 30 - Tenacity
Day 60 - Tenacity
Day 90 - Barricade

Cultivar is no secret:


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## bf7

Sad to see the Moonlight and Prosperity go - I don't see a lot of lawns with them anymore. But good luck with the reno!


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## bernstem

@bf7 The prosperity is a great cultivar. A monostand of it would be nice, but the NTEP data for After Midnight in the transition zone are too impressive to pass up. Granted they only have 2 years of data, but I expect it will continue to be a top performer. Spring greenup is mediocre at best, but my winter is mild enough it isn't a huge concern for me.


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## bf7

Agreed - Prosperity would be my choice for a monostand if I decide to reno again. I was hesitant before due to disease resistance of older cultivars. I'm sure you will love the After Midnight. Looking forward to following your reno.


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## SNOWBOB11

bernstem said:


> SNOWBOB11 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting to hear your planning a renovation for the front lawn. What cultivar were you going with? Unless your not ready to let that info out yet.
> 
> 
> 
> Not a secret. I have had some variability in blade width and green up in the front that annoys me. I have also always preferred the appearance of the back monostand to the front blend. I'll do a quick renovation with no fallowing as the front lawn is pretty clean. The plan will roughly be:
> Day -7 - Glyphosate
> Day -4 - Glyphosate
> Day -0 - Scalp, seed, Peat Moss, Tenacity
> Day 30 - Tenacity
> Day 60 - Tenacity
> Day 90 - Barricade
> 
> Cultivar is no secret:
Click to expand...

Will definitely look forward to seeing this.


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## bernstem

Scarified and mowed today. Azoxystrobin and Propiconazole will go down this week when they arrive. The under tree areas are still lagging a bit, but are starting to catch up. The back is in full spring mode. I should have double cut the front and back, but ran out of time.

Front:









Back:



The crabapple bloomed today. The rest of the garden is doing well, but nothing is blooming yet. It will probably be another 2-3 weeks.


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## HoosierLawnGnome

Looking good!

Good luck on the front!


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## Fraust

Good luck with the reno. I'll be following for sure


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## bernstem




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## BBLOCK

ohh, looks like some competition happening up the street!

lawn is looking awesome


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## bernstem

BBLOCK said:


> ohh, looks like some competition happening up the street!
> 
> lawn is looking awesome


They had their patio redone and it tore up the yard. I'm curious what they are going to do since they have asked me several times what I do to my lawn, what type of grass I have, etc. I'll definitely throw some pics with their lawn in the background though so you all can see too.


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## jskierko

Looks sharp! I would need a few cold ones before getting the courage to gly such a good looking stand. BOL.


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## Stuofsci02

Fantastic!


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## Soiga

Beautiful looking lawn. And thanks for your help!


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## Chris LI

Lawn looks dark, dense with tight cut. How is the Swardman doing? I'm definitely looking forward to following your reno.


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## bernstem

@Chris LI I am liking the Swardman a lot. I did have an adventure with it last week. The main pully screws backed out and the pulley was spinning freely. Reelrollers shipped me replacement parts, but there were some metal shavings between the pulley and shaft so it took some hammering to get the pulley off. In the process, I flooded the cylinder and carb with oil. I am more than a bit surprised that the crank oil can get into the cylinder and carb, but it is apparently a common occurence with some Briggs and Stratton engines. So I pulled the spark plug, cleared the oil from the cylinder, drained the carb to get the oil out of it, and had a smoky mow to burn off the residual oil. The engine is working like new, but it was a bit of a pain to sort it out.


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## bernstem

A quick journal update. See my post above for the Swardman adventure.

I was gone over the weekend, so had a delayed mow today. Spot sprayed Tenacity on some Bentgrass, dropped CarbonX 24-0-5 at 0.24 lbs N/M.

It is going to snow tomorrow with lows of ~28. That is beyond weird for mid-April, but means I'll be out tomorrow afternoon protecting the roses again. I really thought I was done for the year worrying about frosts. They will probably be fine without protection, but the gardens are doing so well right now I don't want to slack off any.

Front. Lots of Maple pollen droppings.





Back:


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## Green

bernstem said:


> It is going to snow tomorrow with lows of ~28. That is beyond weird for mid-April, but means I'll be out tomorrow afternoon protecting the roses again. I really thought I was done for the year worrying about frosts.


It snowed the other day not too far from here, in Rhode Island. People were probably ready to go to the beach!


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## bernstem




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## Fraust

Craziness. Did you get all your garden covered and protected?


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## bernstem

Fraust said:


> Craziness. Did you get all your garden covered and protected?


Forecast ended up being only 30 degrees and the snow melted off by dusk. Most of the roses were too big at this point to easily cover without damaging new growth from the protection so I rolled the dice a bit and didn't cover them with sheets. Some of the smaller roses I placed a shield around them to protect from wind/breezes, but even those didn't get covered on top. So far my brief morning inspection looks like everything will be fine. Generally roses are good for a light freeze down to 28 or so. If it gets colder (somewhere in mid/low 20s), they might lose some new growth so I tend to protect younger fragile roses as recovery from a lot of leaf loss can set them back quite a bit or even kill them if they don't have enough reserves to regrow.


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## bernstem

Update time. The lawn is starting to thicken up in areas. It seems like the front under the maple tree has been especially slow, but is now starting to thicken and fill. Still not getting a lot of clippings. The back is growing well across the stand with the back left corner a bit slower. Today I sprayed Primo at 0.3 Oz rate. Propiconazole went down at 1 Oz rate for Dollar Spot prevention with warmer and wetter weather in the forecast. I am continuing to watch soil temps. Once they hit 65, then Azoxystrobin will go down for Summer Patch prevention. I didn't get any bleaching from the Tenacity, so... maybe it isn't 
Bentgrass? Maybe it was because it was cold and I forgot the Surfactant? A couple small Annua spots didn't bleach either so I'm leaning toward user error. Regardless, I'm not going to stress about it much since everything will get killed this fall, but I'll try Tenacity again in a week and se what happens.

The gardens are starting to get first blooms on the Columbine. The roses area starting to bud, but no blooms yet. I added some Astilbe and Hostas to the back lawn along the south fence to fill it in a bit.


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## ksturfguy

Looking great @bernstem


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## bernstem

Dethatched, mowed. Applied the first summer patch prevention - Azoxystrobin at 0.4 Oz/M. Also Acelepryn and stabilized Urea (Lesco Urea NOS) at 0.5 lbs/M. Started some Glyphosate applications to potential problematic grassy weeds in the front. I'll probably apply again in a week and then patch the areas.

The gardens are getting ready to pop. I am seeing early rose blooms and bearded Iris. Different angles on the photos today.


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## MNLawnGuy1980

Looks great @bernstem...beautiful property


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## johnklein25

Wow - nice lawn and lawn pics. I've bookmarked so I can come back and reference. I live in St. Louis as well (Webster Groves/Glendale area) and it sounds like you are well ahead on fungus prevention. I was not planning to apply any fungicide until early to mid June (preventative rates only) unless late May gets really hot and muggy. I agree that cultural practices may not be enough to cut it here in the Lou.


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## lbb091919

Beautiful property. What are the purple flowers behind the iris?


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## bernstem

lbb091919 said:


> Beautiful property. What are the purple flowers behind the iris?


Columbines.


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## bernstem

I missed the update last weekend due to work. Lots going on, though. Fall renovation prep work is starting. I am killing off anything that looks concerning (lime green) in the lawn. It is probably overkill, but it will give me a feel for what is needed to nuke the current yard completely. It seems to take a full two applications of Glyphosate to kill the existing bluegrass which is good to know for this fall. I had planned on a possible shortened renovation with minimal to no fallowing, but after seeing some KBG survive a does of Glyphosate I'll be doing 3 applications of Glyphosate at one week intervals with fallowing. Looks like there will be a dead front lawn for a while. I had planned to do patches for the dead areas, but instead am going to plan on seeding the dead areas. You can see the Peat Moss top dressing in the seeded areas. Some other spots will be seeded next weekend.

Lawn care continues as if I intend to keep the lawn. This week was Primo at 0.4 Oz/M, Propiconazole at 1 Oz/M tank mixed together. Growth will be very slow and there might be a touch of tip browning from it, but the weather is expected to be wet and cool. Add in watering for the seeded areas and I expect fungal pressure to be high.

The gardens are starting to pick up. So far I have managed to keep the rabbits away from new growth almost completely.

Front:





Back:


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## bernstem

Front Gardens:





Back Gardens:


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## ksturfguy

Looks great. Hard to believe your going to nuke that lawn


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## M32075

ksturfguy said:


> Looks great. Hard to believe your going to nuke that lawn


Baffled why also but I understand after two years on this forum why he is going nuclear and probably won't be his last.


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## bernstem

@ksturfguy @M32075 Ehh, I have had the current lawn for almost 8 years. There is some invasive grass and variability in growth, color, and blade width. Compared to the back in person it is noticeable to me. A renovation also isn't as big a deal for me as for many members as I have done several.


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## JerseyGreens

Your lawn and garden are absolutely stunning. I love the landscaping.


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## lbb091919

What's the cultivar of choice this go around? I'm probably going to attempt my first KBG reno this fall. It will be nice to be able to follow along with your updates.


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## johnklein25

@Chris LI I am liking the Swardman a lot. I did have an adventure with it last week. The main pully screws backed out and the pulley was spinning freely.

I'm a big fan of loctite blue for screws that tend to back out. Give it a try. The blue is a non-permanent style of thread locker designed to prevent loosening and works great for a lot of situations. Red is permanent - I never use it.


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## bernstem

@lbb091919 I"ll be going with After Midnight. 
@johnklein25 They have blue loctite on them. :thumbup: I also check them every couple weeks before mowing. Your comment reminds me that I need to do that next mow.


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## Zip-a-Dee-Zee

bernstem said:


> A renovation also isn't as big a deal for me as for many members as I have done several.


Love the confident swagger. Maybe I'll get there someday too. In the meantime, I'm enjoying following along this season.


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## bernstem

Zip-a-Dee-Zee said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> 
> A renovation also isn't as big a deal for me as for many members as I have done several.
> 
> 
> 
> Love the confident swagger. Maybe I'll get there someday too. In the meantime, I'm enjoying following along this season.
Click to expand...

I should be careful what I say. I'm now fully expecting everything to go down in flames... :bd:


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## Chuuurles

wow, your property is so beautiful Bernstem. I am going to subscribe and hopefully learn something here.


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## bernstem

Chuuurles said:


> wow, your property is so beautiful Bermstem. I am going to subscribe and hopefully learn something here.


Thanks. I truly appreciate the compliment. It has taken 8 years to get to this point, and this time of year is the best looking.


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## bernstem

Not much to update. I am seeing germination in the glyphosate areas I seeded a week ago. Seeded the second set of glypho spota. So far not much disease pressure, but I expect something to pop up here in the next couple days. Other than that, I am maintaining at 0.75 inches and the reel mower makes germinating the new grass easy. Growth is sitting at about an inch a week so no more Nitrogen for now. Last application was 3 weeks ago at 0.5 lbs/M using stabilized Urea. It will be hot this week, so it is probably time to start thinking about stress prevention and micro supplementation. I'm holding off on Citric acid for now as I think it will be rather harsh on the new sprouts. TLDR, not much going on this week other than mowing.

Gardens are looking very good. Roses are starting to take off, though the rabbits got to one group and it isn't going to perform for a bit while the shrubs recover. The roses got some Mills Easy Feed Fertilizer at 1 Tbsp/rose. They will be due for the next disease preventive application next week.

Front: 




Back:


Germination: 


Gardens: 




Roses:


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## davegravy

How are you watering your seed repair areas? Are you frequently spot watering by hand or with a sprinkler on a timer? Or running all your zones as if you did a full reno? If the latter - have you no concerns with fungus in your mature grass?


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## bernstem

davegravy said:


> How are you watering your seed repair areas? Are you frequently spot watering by hand or with a sprinkler on a timer? Or running all your zones as if you did a full reno? If the latter - have you no concerns with fungus in your mature grass?


I am applying fungicides at preventive rates, but I would do that even without the extra watering. So far, there has been very little disease pressure.


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## davegravy

Interesting. Also, why seeding instead of plugging?


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## bernstem

davegravy said:


> Interesting. Also, why seeding instead of plugging?


Many reasons. Something different to try. I want to see how the new grass does in summer. They are large areas and will take a lot of plugs. It lets me test out the new seed (not that I expected problems with it) that I'm renovating with this fall. If the spots did have Triv in them, I have no risk of spreading it to the donor site.


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## davegravy

bernstem said:


> davegravy said:
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting. Also, why seeding instead of plugging?
> 
> 
> 
> Many reasons. Something different to try. I want to see how the new grass does in summer. They are large areas and will take a lot of plugs. It lets me test out the new seed (not that I expected problems with it) that I'm renovating with this fall. If the spots did have Triv in them, I have no risk of spreading it to the donor site.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've just been filling my donor holes with topsoil mixed with AMS. Curious to see who gets a quicker repair 😛


----------



## bernstem

Iphone picture. I need to get out the SLR...


----------



## bernstem

No pictures today. Applied Primo (0.4), Propiconazole (2), Azoxystrobin (0.4), and Urea (0.2). The seeded areas are all germinating well. The spots seeded 2 weeks ago are in pout mode. The ones seeded a week ago are still sprouting. I have backed off on watering the areas that are pouting to daily. The sprouting areas are still getting 3x/day. That is why the heavier rate of Propiconazole. I sprayed the new seedlings along with the rest of the lawn. Hopefully pictures here in the next couple days.


----------



## Green

bernstem said:


> I'll be going with After Midnight.


Interesting choice. From the AOSCA:

"*After Midnight Kentucky bluegrass is an apomictic, single plant selection that traces its parentage to Chicago 2 Kentucky bluegrass. Chicago 2 has Limousine and Midnight Kentucky bluegrass in its parentage. After Midnight is unique from Midnight based on its plant height at maturity, with After Midnight being shorter than Midnight. In 1999 a breeder block of 2000 spaced plants of Chicago 2 was established in Idaho. During the fall and spring months an attractive offtype was noticed in the breeder block, with vegetative characteristics dissimilar to Chicago 2, and identified as 00-3370. In 2008, 19 space plants of 00-3370 were established in Washington state and plant 09-3010 was identified as unique from 00-3370 based on its foliage prior to seedhead expression. In 2014 a breeder block of 09-3010 was established in Washington and first breeder seed was harvested in 2015. After Midnight's primary adaptation is turf. It was developed and tested in Idaho and Washington. It was evaluated for turf performance in Idaho, Maryland, Ohio, and Oregon.*"


----------



## bernstem

Green said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be going with After Midnight.
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting choice. From the AOSCA:
> 
> "*After Midnight Kentucky bluegrass is an apomictic, single plant selection that traces its parentage to Chicago 2 Kentucky bluegrass. Chicago 2 has Limousine and Midnight Kentucky bluegrass in its parentage. After Midnight is unique from Midnight based on its plant height at maturity, with After Midnight being shorter than Midnight. In 1999 a breeder block of 2000 spaced plants of Chicago 2 was established in Idaho. During the fall and spring months an attractive offtype was noticed in the breeder block, with vegetative characteristics dissimilar to Chicago 2, and identified as 00-3370. In 2008, 19 space plants of 00-3370 were established in Washington state and plant 09-3010 was identified as unique from 00-3370 based on its foliage prior to seedhead expression. In 2014 a breeder block of 09-3010 was established in Washington and first breeder seed was harvested in 2015. After Midnight's primary adaptation is turf. It was developed and tested in Idaho and Washington. It was evaluated for turf performance in Idaho, Maryland, Ohio, and Oregon.*"
Click to expand...

That is interesting. I based my choice on the current ongoing NTEP trials. It definitely seems to like lower mowing height in the NTEP which fits with the growth habits.


----------



## bernstem

Current pictures:
Front:









Back:


----------



## bernstem

Not much happening. Mowed yesterday. Watching the new grass pout.

Front:







Striped Seedlings:



Back (double wide stripes):



Back Garden:


----------



## bernstem

Been a while since the last update. Lots of things kept me away from posting an update, but I have been continuing the lawn care. We are solidly into summer now, so care has transitioned to survival mode. So far, it has been going well. Summer Patch pressure seems low and Dollar Spot is staying at bay. I have continued Propiconazole preventive applications for Dollar Spot and am due for another Summer Patch preventive application. With summer in full swing, I'll be switching to Velista from Azoxy/Propi.

I am definitely seeing slowing growth with the increased temps. That fits with growth prediction models, but it is also likely some Nitrogen deficiency. A small 0.25 lb dose is in the works some time this week. Likely at the same time as the Velista.

Today, I had enough break in the rain to get in a scarify and mow. HOC remains at 3/4 inch and the grass seems to be really liking it. The north side seeded areas have moved out of the pout stage. The south side is still pouting. The areas with partial shade are slower to mature in the seeded areas. Where the full sun seeded areas are fully out of pout (100% have true leaves), the shaded areas are showing ~25% true leaf growth.

Front:







Back:



North seedlings can be seen in the bottom and left of the picture. There is a patch of Solar Eclipse in the top right, and the top margin is the front blend. As far as I know, this might be the first pictures of After Midnight in a lawn here:



And the gardens. Daylilies are in bloom, but I still had to slip in one rose picture:


----------



## bernstem

Now for a mostly off topic post. I was away last week in the pacific northwest for some hiking, kyaking, and biking. Given the low HOC, I wanted to limit the growth. The crazy high temps alone last week helped a lot. Growth potential for KBG at 100 degree air temp is 25-50% of ideal. I also redosed Primo at 0.4 Oz/M and applied Propiconazole at 2 Oz/M three days before leaving. There was some risk of either over regulation or Propiconazole toxicity with the high temps, but I reasoned that it was a low risk. So far, that has been the case. There is virtually no tip burn except in the driest parts of the lawn which makes me think the key is to keep the lawn well hydrated in heat rather than to allow some stress. Growth over the past week was ~0.5 inches. That is about half what it was three weeks ago. With cooler temps, I'll be adding a bit of Nitrogen to try and kick that up to 1 inch.

Olympic National Park:


----------



## Babameca

Breath-taking pictures!!!


----------



## bernstem

Babameca said:


> Breath-taking pictures!!!


That was the Mount Storm King trail. The hike was fun, but it was 5 miles round trip and ~2000 feet up. The last part required ropes to get to the peak. Pics made it worth the effort.


----------



## Slingblade_847

Mr. Bernstem! Lawn looking great, along with the garden! Love the different daylilies. When do you plan to nuke that gorgeous lawn?


----------



## bernstem

Slingblade_847 said:


> Mr. Bernstem! Lawn looking great, along with the garden! Love the different daylilies. When do you plan to nuke that gorgeous lawn?


I'll probably start glyphosate in 1-2 weeks.

The last week has been interesting. We had a big storm last week that took the top off a tree next to the lawn. It ended up knocking down a utility pole in the back lawn and we were out of power for 3 days. Just got internet back today. The back yard is now pretty beat up, and I still don't have a full damage assessment as I have not been able to clear the tree remains yet. A few pics to give some perspective. The truck below was just the first of several...


----------



## bernstem

I'll update with pictures from just before power went out last week. As you might guess, I have been a bit busy with non-lawn stuff and sorting out back yard recovery so taking pictures of the lawn has not been a priority. The power company had to completely replace the utility pole at the back of the lawn after the picture above.

On the upside, I did have a master gardener and professional lanscape designer compliment me on the gardens. That made my day.


----------



## SNOWBOB11

At least it will let more light into the backyard :?


----------



## Slingblade_847

Wow! That is unbelievable! Best of luck and glad your getting back to normalcy (internet).

Unrelated to lawns, and more to your gardens, but do you ever have issues/disease with your daylillies? I have this one, in addition to the yellow ones, and it always seems to stuggle, and always lags behind the yellow common ones. Just wondering if you have tips for flowers as you do for lawns? You can see some wilting and discoloration, and it really reminds me of rust you would see on grass. I really love this flower. The bloom on it has to be 6-8" across. It is very impressive when I'm bloom.


----------



## bernstem

@Slingblade_847 I get the same thing on some of my Daylillies, though usually after blooming. I don't do anything to treat it. I'm not sure it is disease in my case. You might look at soil moisture levels. Too wet or too dry can cause problems with them. Some varieties also don't like any shade. You might also want to post in the landscape forum.

Bloom times also can be quite different depending on variety. I have some daylillies that bloom a full 2 weeks or so after the first. It is consistent year to year, so it is probably a genetic thing.


----------



## bernstem

I have been working most of the past week to repair damage from the utility repair. The truck damage is improving with pitchfork decompaction (is that a term? If not, I'm copywriting it). I would say it is 80-90% better, but will likely need some sand leveling. I'll keep at it with the pitchfork for the rest of this year and consider leveling next year at some point.

The front is looking good at this point. It seems that the After Midnight will be slower growing than what I currently have and possibly a bit darker. Both of those seem like winners to me. I don't have definite date for glyphosate yet, but likely the first application will be in 2 weeks. That will let me get blanket applications in and still have time to seed before mid/late August. I have most everything on hand except for Peat Moss and the local Lowes has almost 200 bales in stock so I think I'm good to wait on buying it.

The lawn is due for PGR and fungicide, but it will be delayed a bit due to the unexpected back yard work. I did manage to get a second sulfur application down at 2.5 lbs/M. I went a bit lighter to lessen any impact on the upcoming renovation.

Front:







Back lawn on Friday:







Back lawn today:





Anyone need some firewood. It is Oak, but I think I have enough for at least a few years :bandit: .


----------



## Liquidstone

Man I'm sorry to hear about that tree coming down. What a pain. Looks like you're getting closer to back to normal. I'm considering throwing down some elemental sulfur as well but am planning to seed between 8/10-8/14. Think I should just hold off until next summer?


----------



## bernstem

Liquidstone said:


> Man I'm sorry to hear about that tree coming down. What a pain. Looks like you're getting closer to back to normal. I'm considering throwing down some elemental sulfur as well but am planning to seed between 8/10-8/14. Think I should just hold off until next summer?


I dropped at half rate today with plans to seed at the same time. I guess if you want to be really safe, you could wait. It also depends what your pH is and why.


----------



## Liquidstone

I definitely want to bring it down and it's going to take an eternity. It's at 7.6 at the moment.


----------



## bernstem

Liquidstone said:


> I definitely want to bring it down and it's going to take an eternity. It's at 7.6 at the moment.


If you want to aggressively try to address pH, then Citric Acid at 1-2 lbs/M every 2-4 weeks (make sure to water in immediately after application as it will burn), Sulfur at 5 lbs/M twice per year, and Ammonium Sulfate as nitrogen source are going to be the top three things to help bring it down. If you have calcareous soul, though, there isn't going to be much you can do to change the pH long term.

Citric acid is very fast acting, Sulfur is very slow.


----------



## Liquidstone

Thanks Bernstem. Appreciate it. It also doesn't help that my water is extremely hard and high in pH. Sorry for the hijacking.


----------



## bernstem

OK, a bit late on the update. Last weekend was fence mending so the lawn took a back seat. I still have a new post to set and two sections to repair, but that will need to wait. I also have a lot of tree remains to finish breaking down. I might just pay someone to come and mulch them. I think I have three full cords of firewood from the tree remains so don't need any more wood.

As for the lawn, the back got 0.5 lbs of Nitrogen in a 60/40 mix of AS and Urea. That should help with lowering pH with the AS. The Urea has Nitrogen stabilizers which will let more get to the turf. I also applied a dose of 2-4-D/Quinclorac/Dicamba/Sulfentrazone (Spectracide weed stop) to hopefully address some broad leaf weeds.

The front got the first dose of Glyphosate. I used 3% solution at ~2 gallons/M to get even coverage. I'll re-apply in one week, and plan to get seed down in 2 weeks. I have a few more bales of Peat Moss to gather and will need some Tenacity, but everything else is ready.

Pictures later this week if I have time to take them.


----------



## bernstem

Neighbor 2 doors down is also doing a reno. Their neighbor across the street with the silver car renovated the lawn with sod this spring. Must be contagious.


----------



## SNOWBOB11

Gly stripes are on point.


----------



## lbb091919

Seed going down this weekend?


----------



## bernstem

@lbb091919 Just went down:



Getting first watering now, and will apply Tenacity, Azoxystrobin, and Propiconazole later today. Some hot days coming up this week, so I'll need to stay on top of watering to prevent any drying.

@SNOWBOB11 The dethatcher makes for some nice stripes for sure - even in dead grass.


----------



## bernstem

It has been a while since I posted. Honestly, I have barely had time for lawn work between family and work. The lawn took a few applications of Gly to get a full kill. For some reason, the first application only took out about 50% of the lawn. A second application of Gly 10 days later and again at 17 days finally put it down. The lawn is currently 21 days post kill. I wanted to get seed down at 2 weeks, but didn't get there waiting for a full kill. Maybe it was dead and just not showing it, but I didn't want to risk it. Anyway, the reno timeline for anyone who is interested so far has been:

-21 days - Glyphosate 3% at 2 gallons/M
-11 days - Glyphosate 3% at 2 gallons/M
-3 days - Glyphosate plus Diquat 2% at 4 gallons/M
0 day - scalped down to 1/2 inch (bagged), Dethatched/Scarified (bagged debris), seed down at 3 lbs/M, Peat moss (compressed) at 5.25 ft^3/M. I didn't bother to roll the lawn. I'll apply Tenactiy at 8 Oz/Acre, Propiconazole at 2 Oz/M, and Azoxystrobin at 0.4 Oz/M later today.

edit: Azoxy, Propi, and Tenacity are all down.


----------



## bernstem

Back yard is slowly recovering. I have let it come out of regulation due to limited lawn time and heavy stress from utility work. I'm hoping to get Primo back on in the next week. I repaired the fence, and there is a lot of lawn debris and small tree branches that I'm going to let slowly compost in the back corner. At this point, the plan for the back is to start spoon feeding in a week and possibly do some sand leveling this fall. If it doesn't recover fast enough, though, that may wait for next spring.

The dogs continue to leave damage, but they are cute so I deal. The ruts are starting to fade out, but it will benefit from some leveling. The large yellow rectangles are from some follow-up work the utility company did to the power lines. I'm really hoping they are done because it is getting annoying. I think,the next time they ask to use the lawn I'll remind them that they have an easement for access and don't need to use my lawn. As an added benefit them will have to finally clear some the large trees from the easement in the neighbors lawn that are blocking access. You can see them in the bottom picture. I actually keep the easement clear of large trees in my property. My guess is the neighbors never thought about that small bit of civic responsibility. Oh, it was also their tree that fell on the power lines and my fence.



Fence repair is here. You can see some of the original boards that were in storage and haven't faded. In the back corner are the new boards that are unstained.


----------



## bernstem

Just watering now...


----------



## bernstem

First germination. Just in one area, though. The rest of the sprouts are hiding or slower.


----------



## lbb091919

Congrats on the green babies. Did you get any of the storms that have been popping up today?


----------



## Liquidstone

Your prep work looks like you have done this before! Looks great and i'm sure it'll come in awesome.


----------



## bernstem

lbb091919 said:


> Congrats on the green babies. Did you get any of the storms that have been popping up today?


Got some heavy rain this afternoon that moved around some of the peat on the slope. I'll keep an eye on it the next week and see if it needs some extra seed, but I expect it will be fine.


----------



## M32075

Great prep expecting something fabulous in the end


----------



## bernstem

M32075 said:


> Great prep expecting something fabulous in the end


So much pressure. :bd:

I will say that it is stressful seeing good germination in some areas and none in most of the lawn. Intellectually I know that germination will be slower in some areas and not to worry for several days (a week?) at least, but I still stress that the hot full sun areas somehow fried and aren't going to germinate. It doesn't matter that I have done 3 successful renovations without serious issues and have had similar hot weather in one. I still have a nagging fear that this time it won't work.


----------



## M32075

bernstem said:


> M32075 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Great prep expecting something fabulous in the end
> 
> 
> 
> So much pressure. :bd:
> 
> I will say that it is stressful seeing good germination in some areas and none in most of the lawn. Intellectually I know that germination will be slower in some areas and not to worry for several days (a week?) at least, but I still stress that the hot full sun areas somehow fried and aren't going to germinate. It doesn't matter that I have done 3 successful renovations without serious issues and have had similar hot weather in one. I still have a nagging fear that this time it won't work.
Click to expand...

Every renovation no matter how many you have pulled off successfully there always the fear of failure. It's not possible my opinion your way ahead of schedule to repair any setbacks, loaded with tools and knowledge to access quickly and get to the finish line. I know mother nature can be cruel at times but so far so good.


----------



## bernstem

M32075 said:


> bernstem said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> M32075 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Great prep expecting something fabulous in the end
> 
> 
> 
> So much pressure. :bd:
> 
> I will say that it is stressful seeing good germination in some areas and none in most of the lawn. Intellectually I know that germination will be slower in some areas and not to worry for several days (a week?) at least, but I still stress that the hot full sun areas somehow fried and aren't going to germinate. It doesn't matter that I have done 3 successful renovations without serious issues and have had similar hot weather in one. I still have a nagging fear that this time it won't work.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Every renovation no matter how many you have pulled off successfully there always the fear of failure. It's not possible my opinion your way ahead of schedule to repair any setbacks, loaded with tools and knowledge to access quickly and get to the finish line. I know mother nature can be cruel at times but so far so good.
Click to expand...

You are 100% correct. On the plus side I have enough seed to redo the reno from scratch at least 3 more times! :thumbup:


----------



## Chris LI

Grass babies! :beer: I'm looking forward to the grow-in process. How long is the heat expected to remain in your area? I saw the heat advisory on Weather Channel, but not the duration.


----------



## lbb091919

bernstem said:


> lbb091919 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Congrats on the green babies. Did you get any of the storms that have been popping up today?
> 
> 
> 
> Got some heavy rain this afternoon that moved around some of the peat on the slope. I'll keep an eye on it the next week and see if it needs some extra seed, but I expect it will be fine.
Click to expand...

When the peat gets moved around like that do you try to gather it up and put it back, leave it, or put more on?


----------



## bernstem

@lbb091919 At this point, I leave it.

@Chris LI Heat should break today. It is definitely slowing germination in the full sun areas, but so far I think everything is good. I'm seeing germination in 70-80% of the lawn. The south facing hill and a few other areas in full sun are slower. Shaded areas are probably fully germinated, but not grown through the peat top dress yet. If there are still thin areas next weekend, I'll likelly add some seed to them.


----------



## bernstem

It has now been over 1 week since seeding, and I have to say this is the slowest renovation I have done. Initial germination was seen at 5 days, but then the rest of the lawn took its time to show seedlings. The south facing hill still only has a few scatter sprouts. I don't know if it is the After Midnight that is slow or the unexpectedly hot coniditions. I'm inclined to say both as I have renovated in 90 degree heat before and had nearly full germination at 10 days with visible green on 50+% of the lawn. Right now, I would say 15% of the lawn has visible green from a moderate distance. It will be interesting to see other's experience with After Midnight. It may end up like Emblem with very slow germination.





No pictures of the back, but yesterday sprayed Primo at 0.4, Velista at 0.4, and Nitrogen (Urea + DCD) at 0.15 lbs/M.


----------



## gm560

I am not sure if you saw that I used After Midnight for a Late Spring/Early Summer reno earlier this year. I had very rapid and consistent germination. However conditions were a bit different, as air temps in June were probably a bit cooler, and soil temps almost certainly were. I also decided to try my hand at pre germinating the seed for 5 days. I doubt this will be the case, but if you decide you need additional seeding in some spots, perhaps this is something to consider.


----------



## bernstem

gm560 said:


> I am not sure if you saw that I used After Midnight for a Late Spring/Early Summer reno earlier this year. I had very rapid and consistent germination. However conditions were a bit different, as air temps in June were probably a bit cooler, and soil temps almost certainly were. I also decided to try my hand at pre germinating the seed for 5 days. I doubt this will be the case, but if you decide you need additional seeding in some spots, perhaps this is something to consider.


That is good to know. I'm going to chalk the delayed germination up to the heat wave for the past week. It hasn't dropped below 93 since I seeded until today and today was massive thunderstorms.


----------



## bernstem

Germination continues, but is slow. Some of the slow areas look like they had some extra Peat Moss spread over them by the heavy rains. Those have been a pain in the ***. We don't seem to be getting a nice slow rainfall anymore. Both the rain events I have had were 1-2 inches of rain in less than an hour. That much water moves the Peat Moss and seeds. :evil:

I added some seed at ~1-2 lbs/M in the areas with low germination 5 days ago. That is probably overkill, but I would rather have grass a bit too dense than too thin. I am seeing Germination in most of the lawn, but it is really hard to see in pictures at this point. The north side of the front walk looks very good. I did take out the leaf blower to clear debris from the lawn and stand up the matted seedlings on the south hill and next to the sidewalk that saw a lot of runoff from the rains. Right now, I just need patience. Watering is backed off a bit with the lower temps. I am currently watering at 10, 1, and 4 with supplemental watering as needed.


----------



## Lawnerman

Dude… your garden is stunning.
Can you list out all the plants you have in your garden???? Thanks!!!


----------



## bernstem

Lawnerman said:


> Dude… your garden is stunning.
> Can you list out all the plants you have in your garden???? Thanks!!!


A lot? I'll see what I remember off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll miss some. I'm quite heavy into roses. I think I have almost 40 (45?) different shrubs in about 15 varieties. They are the centerpiece.

In the front garden by the sidewalk I have Bearded Irises (3 varieties), Peonies, 3 different roses, Rose of Sharon, Daylillies (6 varieties - I think?), Monkshood (doesn't do well and needs to be moved), Butterly Bush, and Columbine.

Along the house I have 5 different rose varieties, Hydrangeas, Dogwoods, Forsythia, Daylillies, Bearded Iris, Liriopie, Coral Bells, Perennial Geranium, Scabiosa. Along the house and driveway I have more roses, Hostas (2 varieties), Different Peonies, Bearded Iris.

Heading to the back is the vegetable garden.

The back garden has Hostas, more roses, Bearded Iris, Hydrangea, Ferns, Russian iris, lily of the valley, and Astilbe.

There is a purple/blue garden you can see along the back patio in some pictures with two types of roses, Asian Lillies, A purple member of the mint family, more bearded iris and sage.

Last time I tried ti figure it out, I think I have almost 2500 square feet of flower garden and another 500 or so for vegetables.

I should take more pictures of the gardens for the journal. More goes on with caring for it than the lawn, but people here are more interested in the lawn side.


----------



## Lawnerman

I heard roses are a lot of work with bugs??
Is it very involved?


----------



## bernstem

Lawnerman said:


> I heard roses are a lot of work with bugs??
> Is it very involved?


More work than most perennials, but they reward if treated well. They get fungal/bug sprays every 2-3 weeks and fertilizer every 4-6 weeks. If you stay on top of the spraying they aren't much more work than anything else. It takes ~30-45 minutes to spray them all.


----------



## Stuofsci02

That looks like it is coming in.. when is last mow for you? Mine is around first week of Nov. I assume you get a couple more weeks of growing season?


----------



## bernstem

Stuofsci02 said:


> That looks like it is coming in.. when is last mow for you? Mine is around first week of Nov. I assume you get a couple more weeks of growing season?


At least November for the last mow. It is slowly starting to fill in, but there are still some concerning areas. Nothing to do at this point but wait. I did spray Nitrogen at 0.2 lbs/1000 today. Maybe that will jump start things a bit.


----------



## Chris LI

It's good to see more of a green hue. Have your temperatures moderated at all this week?

Also, do you store any seed in the freezer? I was taught by an old landscaper in a seminar that it will split the husk and speed up germination time. It may be an old wive's tale, but I've done it for years, and think it helps. It might be a consideration if you need to reseed thin areas.

Also, thanks for posting the garden info. Which vegetables do you grow? I really enjoy seeing lawns and gardens that complement each other. Any photos framing them together are much appreciated.


----------



## bernstem

Chris LI said:


> It's good to see more of a green hue. Have your temperatures moderated at all this week?
> 
> Also, do you store any seed in the freezer? I was taught by an old landscaper in a seminar that it will split the husk and speed up germination time. It may be an old wive's tale, but I've done it for years, and think it helps. It might be a consideration if you need to reseed thin areas.
> 
> Also, thanks for posting the garden info. Which vegetables do you grow? I really enjoy seeing lawns and gardens that complement each other. Any photos framing them together are much appreciated.


Temps have dropped. Daytime highs are around 80-85, but the night time lows are getting into the low 60s. I am starting to see more germination in the washed out areas. Looking at them, I don't actually thing they are washed out so much as Peat Moss has collected in them and is now ~3/4 to 1 inch thick. The new seedlings in those areas look like they got pushed over and smothered. I added more seed to them ~1 week ago so should start to see that germinating soon as well, though the germination rate will be lower as it was just broadcast without any top dressing. The pictures, as you know, understate the amount of germination and I'm feeling better about where I am right now.

As for preserving seed, I just keep it in my basement workroom which is cool and dry. I have used seed after 2-3 years stored like that with decent germination. I did try to use some ~6 year old seed and that was a bust, so it won't last forever under those conditions. I have a non-defrosting freezer that I keep at -20C. Maybe I'll try storing some in there. It should last a lot longer than at room temp.

My wife manages the vegetables. She grows a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. In the spring and fall she grows lettuce, kale, and other leafy greens. There is also a large strawberry patch in there and a Blackberry.


----------



## bernstem

Update today. I am now 22 days post initial seed down. I added seed to washed out areas at 11 days post initial seeding. Everything is going well and the renovation seems to be out of the neonatal intensive care stage. There is one head that wasn't spinning that I replaced so there is some thin coverage there that I seeded again today. Other than that, it looks good. The thin areas in the middle of the lawn were victims of the washout and are lagging a bit. Will probably start mowing in 1-2 weeks.

Nitrogen again yesterday at 0.2 lbs/M (9.75 kg/ha for the metrically inclined).


----------



## rhart

Looks really good!


----------



## bernstem

One month post seed down. *FIRST MOW!*. The lawn is filling in and starting to look like a lawn. There are still some thin areas, but I'm not worried at this point. The garden borders will need to be adjusted as there are some areas that the reno just doesn't want to come in, but that is good as I know where to put them in the spring and they needed to be adjusted anyway. The stripes are all over, but I was more focused on not tearing up the new grass than laying perfect lines.

I'll continue Nitrogen at 0.2 lbs/1k every week. Tenacity will go down today at 0.4 Oz/Acre. Watering is getting backed off to 1-2 times per day.









The thin area on the right side of the walk in the overall lawn pictures:


----------



## bernstem

@Lawnerman Some garden pics for you from last week:

This is by the front lawn. The crabapples is on the corner of the hill in the lawn photos next to the driveway and the house. There is a small flagstone patio with stone steps leading from the driveway under the tree. The patio is edged in roses with a sitting wall on the border. 


This garden is at the corner of the front lawn next to the sidewalk. The small bench is stacked stone. 


Here is the garden at the edge of the back lawn. 


These three pictures are of the blue/purple garden. It is below the back yard patio. The steps lead up from the driveway to the patio which you can see on the left.


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## lbb091919

Reno is looking great! With temps finally dropping off around here, I was wondering how you'd be backing off the watering


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## rhart

That lawn is looking fantastic....great work!!


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## bernstem

A bit of bleaching from Tenacity a week ago. Otherwise lawn is doing well. It will be due for another mow this weekend.


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## bernstem

Back yard is recovering from summer and traffic from the utility work. Spent some time plugging the dog spots and dead areas. I raised the HOC to 7/8 inch and it will need PGR and Nitrogen tomorrow.





Plug donor farm:


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## bernstem

Did a few applications by sprayer yesterday. Applied Urea at 0.25 lbs of N/1k to front and back. Primo to front at 0.2 Oz rate and to back at 0.4 Oz rate. Watered in this AM. The front is moving to regular watering intervals based on Evapotranspiration with supplementation as needed. I'll decrease the root zone depth with the new grass with short roots.


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## bernstem

Diamond stripes in the back lawn.


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## bernstem

Front:


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## JerseyGreens

bernstem said:


> Diamond stripes in the back lawn.


Looks lovely!

Whoever decided to call this grass, "blue", definitely nailed it!


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## gm560

That after midnight is coming in great.


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## situman

What is After Midnight? Is it supposed to be a much improved midnight? Darker and better disease resistance? Its supposed to be a 9 in terms of color in the Northeast region.


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## bernstem

situman said:


> What is After Midnight? Is it supposed to be a much improved midnight? Darker and better disease resistance? Its supposed to be a 9 in terms of color in the Northeast region.


It is a newer cultivar derived from Chicago2, which is a descendent of Midnight. Midnight is actually quite old as KBG cultivars go. After Midnight is supposed to a lower growing Chicago 2. It has a very dark green color with a medium to fine blade width.


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## situman

Are you finding it to be darker than what you have? I guess too early to tell since its young right?


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## Babameca

This thing will thicken up so much... Not sure if will be darker than the OG, but that fight for 'as dark as possible' starts wearing out IMO. BTW dog's a beauty xxx.
Your Reno is spot on!


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## bernstem

situman said:


> Are you finding it to be darker than what you have? I guess too early to tell since its young right?


Too early to say. Most likely I won't be able to see a difference in color, but that wasn't why I renovated. The reno was to get more uniformity from a monostand vs the old lawn.


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## bernstem

Front is starting to fill in and color is getting better. Still some thin spots in the shade. Back is recovering from summer. I'll be applying Urea (0.25/k), Primo (0.4 to the back, and 0.2 to the front), and fungicide. Dollar Spot pressure is at 50% and it has been 3 weeks since the last Propiconazole application. I have to look at how much is left, but I think the Propi is gone, so will likely be applying Velista or Cleary's.

Front: 




One of the thick areas of the front:


Back:


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## Babameca

Sweet stripes!!! Your domination is about to only begin.


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## Chris LI

Really nice and thick! I like how your striping pattern contoured the walkway.


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## lbb091919

Very nice density shot and the waves are such a cool pattern. Found some DS yesterday so Propi went down today over here too.


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## bernstem

Had to break out the chainsaw to save the reno today. Wasn't actually much damage, and on the upside this should let more sun into the struggling shaded areas. Hopefully the city will finally take out the front Maple as it has been struggling since I moved in 10 years ago.


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## BBLOCK

you should probably clear cut around your house with your luck lol


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## bernstem

BBLOCK said:


> you should probably clear cut around your house with your luck lol


I know, right. :bd:


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## bernstem

Not much to report. Mowed. The front growth rate is about 1/2 the back. How much is related to it being a fresh reno vs a particularly slow growing cultivar is an open question.

Front







Back:


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## bernstem

Quick update since I have been away most weekends. The rabbits are having a feast in the front lawn. Very annoying. The back is pretty beat up from dogs playing so needs a bit of recovery. There is also some lightening of the shaded front lawn. All in all, the front and back are looking a bit beat up so I dropped some 8-1-8 and 40-0-5 Polymer coated urea. Total fast release N was 0.4 lbs/1000. Polymer coated Urea N was 0.8 lbs/1000. I won't have time to spoon feed for a few weeks so today's drop should feed for the rest of fall, but still give me room to add small doses of foliar if I have time. Tentative plan at this point is to stop PGR. Temps are cool enough Fungicides will also stop unless something appears. Winterizer will likely be Methylene Urea like last year. I did raise HOC to just over 1 inch.

Front: 
Watering in the Fert:


You can see the rabbit damage on the left:


Close up:


Some thin areas in the shade. This area was overseeded 10 days ago and has some new germination that is hard to see in the picture:


The good looking area: 


Back:
Looking beat up:


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## SNOWBOB11

Did you always have a JD 220E? Sorry maybe I'm not thinking here but I thought you just had a swardman?


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## rhart

Great job on the reno!


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## bernstem

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Did you always have a JD 220E? Sorry maybe I'm not thinking here but I thought you just had a swardman?


The 220e is new. I left it there for the pic as a teaser…. I still have the swordman as well.


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## SNOWBOB11

bernstem said:


> SNOWBOB11 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did you always have a JD 220E? Sorry maybe I'm not thinking here but I thought you just had a swardman?
> 
> 
> 
> The 220e is new. I left it there for the pic as a teaser…. I still have the swordman as well.
Click to expand...

Sweet. Your going to love it.


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## lbb091919

Ha! I did a double take on the 220E pic! Nice pick up!


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## bernstem

Nothing much to update today. I have been away for the past two weekends for work, so the lawn has taken a bit of a backseat. It has been just over a week since the last mow. I'll probably give it a trim tomorrow. A pic of the front. The Iris is a reblooming variety that is currently rewarding its new location in full sun. The rose is fun with the red color in the bud, but yellow/pink when open. It is always satisfying when there are still flowers this late in the fall.


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## situman

Looking nice. Hows the color?


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## bernstem

@situman Color is better than it looks in the picture. The mix of sun and shade throws off the exposure and white balance which I can't fix it on a phone camera. It isn't as dark as the back established lawn, but it is brand new. Color probably won't deepen too much more this year. It is still darker than the neighbor lawns, and I expect it to get even darker next year.


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## situman

I plan to do an After Midnight mono in my backyard in the Spring. I'm excited.


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## bernstem

Mowed at 1.125 in the front with the Swardman and 1.25 in the back with the Honda to suck up lawn debris. Both the front and back are still growing, but they are definitely slowing.

Front:






Some Monkshood and roses: 


Back:


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## situman

bernstem said:


> Mowed at 1.125 in the front with the Swardman and 1.25 in the back with the Honda to suck up lawn debris. Both the front and back are still growing, but they are definitely slowing.
> 
> Front:


The money shot!


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## bernstem

I mowed with the Honda at ~1.25 inches. The lawn still has not gone to sleep. It is definitely continuing to grow later this year. I'll probably drop some Nitroform in the next week. That will be my last fertilizer drop of the year unless something changes.

Front:







Recovering rabbit damage:


This is the thinnest area of the reno:


Back:





Plug donor area - you can see it in the first back lawn photo on the bottom left:


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## rdebnam2

Hey There, You are a stud @bernstem . awesome renovation. Where is that after Midnight available? Im in the transition and would love to get my hands on some for a fall renovation.


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