# Poll - Requesting Input



## KoopHawk (May 28, 2019)

Currently in the process of building a new home and they finished the rough grade of the lot yesterday which got me a little excited. Landscaping and in-ground sprinkler will be completed either late this fall or early next spring. I'm looking for advice on what I should do next spring. Right now these are the options I think I have (I'm open to other options too).

A: Do nothing until late summer. Let the lawn fallow, nuke the undesirables, repair washouts, and plant KBG in the late summer/fall.

B: Plant KBG when things warm up in the spring, water all through summer, and N blitz in the fall.

C: Plant an annual turfgrass in the spring, nuke it in July, and plant KBG in the fall.

Right now I'm leaning towards B because I've got a 5 and 2 year old that will want to play outside and I'm not sure I'll be able to wait all summer.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I don't know what Spring is like in Iowa but I would avoid planting KBG then. I assume the summers are quite hot in Iowa and you'd be hedging your bets that the young grass would survive the summer.

Life presents us with undesirable circumstances at times, and I understand your position - I have a 5 and 2 year old as well. It's a tough call. If you don't mind potentially doing this twice, go ahead and try a Spring seeding. Just be prepared that if it doesn't survive, your planting again in August.

You could also plant PRG for faster germination and live with it for a year. See how it goes??????


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## JasonRMorrow (Sep 11, 2018)

Congrats on the new house. We just went through this last November but up here in Canada. Kids were the same age too.

I found a cheap leftover pallet of sod from a landscape job nearby in Mid November and put that down around my makeshift pallet patio. The grass was already dormant on the pallet and it was below freezing the next day. It was easy to roll up and compost (city collects) in the spring when we did sod.

Gave the kids somewhere to play and kept them and the dog clean through the winter and spring.

You could try to find some leftover sod nearby and just remove it next fall when you are ready to seed.


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

Harts said:


> I don't know what Spring is like in Iowa but I would avoid planting KBG then. I assume the summers are quite hot in Iowa and you'd be hedging your bets that the young grass would survive the summer.
> 
> You could also plant PRG for faster germination and live with it for a year. See how it goes??????


Summers are hot and humid, typical mid-western weather pattern. Agree, spring seeding would be a challenge. Definitely would be a balancing act between keeping young grass alive while keeping fungal pressure at bay during late June through August. But, probably need something down to control erosion and not just have dirt. I'd vote PRG, get a season under your belt and see how it goes.

Something to consider, if possible, is to get the irrigation installed before any seed is laid down. Grading could then be re-leveled after their work which is far more easier to fix than when you have existing turf and then do the install.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

There were many good suggestions listed above, but I will throw my 2 cents in, from last year's experience.

I believe that the fall temperatures in my area are more moderate/conducive to seeding later in the season than in IA. However, I seeded some mini monostand Bewitched 
renos on 10/8/18, and had full cover for this summer. I would suggest that you go for it right now with a kbg/rye mix, with heavier than usual on the rye. The typical ratio is 80 kbg/20 rye. I would go 50/50, since time is short for the kbg to establish before first frost. Also, I dormant seeded thin areas in February with Bewitched, which I think helped.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

For me, option A is a no-brainer. Spend your time getting your lot in order, and then move forward with establishing a lawn in the late summer/fall.
That being said, I could be persuaded to do a trial grow, especially since this is a new property to you. If you did a trial grow prior to your primary grow, you might learn about potential problem areas that you target with a strategy during your primary grow.


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