# Things you wish you knew when you first started out



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

For me:

-The most important thing that makes a lawn look good is an even soil surface

-Milorganite is overrated (there comes a time when you have enough soil P)

-Fertilization is just as much as art as a science, and specific products will come and go in your region over the years

-Irrigating one inch once per week may not be the best method for every situation or season. It's just a rough estimate

-Compost is overrated in some ways

-Never sacrifice turf quality just because you read not to fertilize at a certain time of year, but also be responsible

-Lower rates of fertilizer more often are almost always better, and not just for fast release N products, but all macros and all release rate N sources (especially N).

-There will not be a selective herbicide that effectively and safely removes Poa Trivialis in home lawns anytime soon*

*This one is a joke, but is so true.


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

AUDIT YOUR IRRIGATION - I should have done this YEARS ago, as all the experts here have always said. 

I actually took the time this year to check every single head for 100% coverage and to swap in new heads. 

Did a lot of research on which style of head would be best for a specific zone and my overall soil type (clay.) 

I can finally say my sprinklers are fully tuned in and my lawn has never (seriously, NEVER) looked as good as it does now. 

So many things that I thought were pest issues were just drought issues.


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## EBelew (3 mo ago)

--A beautiful, healthy lawn is more about the soil than the grass. Get a soil test and learn to read it before you ask questions.

--Get the "Picture This" app. Pay for a year. You'll waste more money than it cost. Learn to identify weeds and match your herbicide.

--Do a search in the forum first! Then ask questions.

--Find a community as close to local as you can. You will have the same type lawn, weather and problems.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

1. Not to wait to spray fungicides.

2. Checking the soil for moisture and adjusting irrigation throughout the growing season. 

3. Grass surrounding trees need more water.

4. Mower blades need sharpening more than once or twice a year.

5. Calibration of equipment is necessary.

6. Check the Cool Season Guide before asking questions.


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## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

Get comfortable with doing the basics for two or three years before doing any advanced tasks. I'm a cool season guy, cutting at 3.5-4 inches over about 40,000 ft so these thoughts may not apply equally for very small lawns or warm season grasses.

The BASICS are:

Mowing. Mow two or three times a week when the grass is growing. the 1/3rd rule is a real thing, and the 1/5th rule is better. Alternatively, get a robot mower! Pre-Emergent. 
Use pre-emergent herbicide and use it early.
Post-Emergent. If you spray weeds, read the label, follow the label, and use repeat applications as the label instructs. Several weeds need more than one treatment. This is your best shot at killing them and will use less chemicals overall than heavy handed spraying or haphazard re-application.
Fertilize. Put down a little bit in summer, a medium amount in spring, and the most in the fall. Dont work too hard to find the PERFECT fertilizer. Just throw it down according to the label. 
Advanced tasks are:

Leveling the lawn. Ok, filling in a few holes is not extreme, but dont try to level the whole lawn with sand or compost like you see on youtube.
Renovation. Killing off the existing grass is a high risk plan, and unless you have done consistent pre-emergent for several years, there are probably billions or trillions of weed seeds ready to germinate.
Reel mowers and cutting short. Short grass should be cut more often, requires smoother lawns and just takes more effort than longer grass.
Aeration. It takes a lot of time and effort that is probably better spent doing the basics.
Killing grassy weeds. this one is painful, but removing grassy weeds like poa triv or bengtrass is extremely difficult. best to just live with them for a couple years until your skills improve and the broadleaf weeds are under control. 
Soil tests. This will be controversial, but I believe that a generic and basic maintenance plan will work for the vast majority of beginners for the first couple years.


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## Tronk92 (6 mo ago)

That the wife would eventually grow resentment at the fact that all I talk about is grass. My kids would start avoiding eye contact with me because they thought it might open up the door for dad saying "hey guys you wanna help dad in the yard!?" 
That my wife would eventually get annoyed with me going to the kids soccer's games because I would point out the grass and what I'd do to improve it if I were the one in charge on managing it. 
Wish I would of known that even my friends would block my number because they were sick of me talking about Plant bourn pathogens, PGR, fungicides, fungistats, herbicide, Pest management integration, soil makeups, GDD, and a whole laundry list of shit they never wanted to talk about 😂
Wish I would have known years ago, that the hobby that I love and absolutely would make my neighbors think I was a certified lunatic because I was standing on a electrical box in the middle of a rain storm at 1am with a spot light because I wanted to make sure my seed wasn't getting washed out of my renovation for the 3rd time. That the hobby that I love would eventually set me on a path to owning my own landscape business and leaving my union job to pursue my passion. 
Lastly, I wish I knew about TLF a long time ago. It confirmed to me that I am not the only clinically insane person out there. There's a bunch of us. 

P.S Any of you guys wanna talk about grass?? 

😂😂


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## DeepC (Aug 12, 2020)

Mow the lawn again or stay inside and wash the dishes


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

"There will not be a selective herbicide that effectively and safely removes Poa Trivialis in home lawns anytime soon*"

@Green have you tried fungus and heat stress? POA is down to a decimal percentage of what it use to be after my lawn got torn up!


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

kay7711226 said:


> @Green have you tried fungus and heat stress? POA is down to a decimal percentage of what it use to be after my lawn got torn up!


Lol. Check out the last paragraph here:








Green's Lawn Journal


Started digging drainage trench (the second one this time) in flood prone area. Very hard work and slow going due to rocks, buried large debris that are 50-100 lbs, etc. And apparently I have "black layer", too. Wonderful... Neighbor next door mowed/cleaned up leaves with lawn tractor and...




www.thelawnforum.com


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## LawnOCDfanatic (5 mo ago)

Tronk92 said:


> That the wife would eventually grow resentment at the fact that all I talk about is grass. My kids would start avoiding eye contact with me because they thought it might open up the door for dad saying "hey guys you wanna help dad in the yard!?"
> That my wife would eventually get annoyed with me going to the kids soccer's games because I would point out the grass and what I'd do to improve it if I were the one in charge on managing it.
> Wish I would of known that even my friends would block my number because they were sick of me talking about Plant bourn pathogens, PGR, fungicides, fungistats, herbicide, Pest management integration, soil makeups, GDD, and a whole laundry list of shit they never wanted to talk about 😂
> Wish I would have known years ago, that the hobby that I love and absolutely would make my neighbors think I was a certified lunatic because I was standing on a electrical box in the middle of a rain storm at 1am with a spot light because I wanted to make sure my seed wasn't getting washed out of my renovation for the 3rd time. That the hobby that I love would eventually set me on a path to owning my own landscape business and leaving my union job to pursue my passion.
> ...


OMG I’m not the only one!!! 😆

I went apple picking and commented “for grass that everyone walks on, it looks really good. Clearly they did an iron application”. Cue wife eye roll lol

The number one thing I am jealous about @wardconnor is not his lawn (as nice as it ids), it is how he got his wife to embrace this crazy passion called lawn care


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## Tronk92 (6 mo ago)

LawnOCDfanatic said:


> OMG I’m not the only one!!! 😆
> 
> I went apple picking and commented “for grass that everyone walks on, it looks really good. Clearly they did an iron application”. Cue wife eye roll lol
> 
> The number one thing I am jealous about @wardconnor is not his lawn (as nice as it ids), it is how he got his wife to embrace this crazy passion called lawn care


😂😂😂 Definitely sounds familiar. And yeah whatta lucky SOB. I say the word grass too much, and I risk involuntary celibacy for the next month.


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## BigRedGun (Oct 1, 2021)

-It’s just grass. It will grow back. Or it won’t. Whatever.
-Get a push sprayer instead of a back pack. 
-Wear boots when spraying with dye. 
-Elite grass is elite for a reason. Builder sod is trash. If you build a new house, just use grass seed and get a refund on the sod.
-Help your neighbors. The craziness is contagious!! Once they see your yard, they want theirs to match. Show them what to do and create another monster. It’s not weird if everybody does it right?


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I wish I never found this forum I'm way too deep in the rabbit hole.


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## SanDiegoLawn (Dec 29, 2020)

confused_boner said:


> Did a lot of research on which style of head would be best for a specific zone and my overall soil type (clay.)


what brand(s) and model(s) of sprinkler heads do you recommend, having done that research?


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

Great thread!!


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Relying on biofungicides and waiting on a curative chemical program……I get burned every year With dollar spot. It ends up taking the entire fall for it to fill in.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> Relying on biofungicides and waiting on a curative chemical program……I get burned every year With dollar spot. It ends up taking the entire fall for it to fill in.


I agree, and will use a "curative" fungicide type and dose if necessary. Thankfully that ends up only being once or so a year. Until a few years ago, I was stubborn with this, too. Still don't like the idea of using them often, though...too much expense, resistance issues, potential hazards to the applicator and bystanders, and can throw things off in the soil if used for extended periods.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I wish I had known about Poa triv. The first spring after my renovation in 2013 I noticed ONE sprig of some kinda weird grass. After aerating for a few years it’s everywhere. Had I known I believe I could have controlled it better, maybe.


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## OBXWNC (7 mo ago)

kay7711226 said:


> "There will not be a selective herbicide that effectively and safely removes Poa Trivialis in home lawns anytime soon*"
> 
> @Green have you tried fungus and heat stress? POA is down to a decimal percentage of what it use to be after my lawn got torn up!


 I'd like to hear the details of your success. Are you talking about Triv?


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

M32075 said:


> I wish I never found this forum I'm way too deep in the rabbit hole.


Aren't we all aren't we all my friend!


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

OBXWNC said:


> I'd like to hear the details of your success. Are you talking about Triv?


Next spring will tell of the success, however during the fall rebound I only found a palm full in a 700sft area.


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## CJLDAD (9 mo ago)

- The more you mow, the better it grows..

- The Lesco spreader everyone raves about sucks in its own ways..

- Molasses


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

Never use any of Scott's seeds or big box store seeds at all


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## Vman12 (4 mo ago)

situman said:


> Never use any of Scott's seeds or big box store seeds at all


The Water Saver (Barenbrug) is good stuff though.


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

Vman12 said:


> The Water Saver (Barenbrug) is good stuff though.


They have weed seeds.


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