# livt0ride - Backyard Renovation - Green Installation 2021



## livt0ride

Today is a very special day. I will be starting down a journey to renovate the back yard and turn it into something special. Currently there are a variety of cool season grasses that don't perform well when cut short. I am planning on putting in Barenbrug sports turf KBG and Rye as well as Pure Distinction bentgrass for a putting green. Going to share lots of pics throughout the process for your enjoyment.


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## livt0ride

I tested on a dead section of the lawn with the new seed this spring. This is what the test section of the Barenbrug looks like that I will be putting in.


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## Kallgren

Sounds interesting. I'm subscribing to this. How large a green and are you planning any bunkers?


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## livt0ride

The green will be about 550sqft. No bunkers planned so far. Maybe in the future.


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## livt0ride

I just applied the glyphosate! no turning back now!


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## livt0ride

Three days later after spraying. Not sure if I didn't mix it even enough or used the proper rate. It was supposed to be 2 1/2 oz or 5Tbs per gallon of water. That's the rate I did for the lawn renovation. Guess I will just end up needing a second app anyway and add a surfactant? Seems like it's slowly starting to work, but not sure if I did it properly. Some of the healthy sections don't seem to be turning as much.


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## San

The glyphosate per gallon is not as important as the glyphosate per area. If you used the 2.5
Oz in a gallon to spray 1 k sqft it would be a low dosage.

If you used it for 300 sqft, you would put down 8.3 oz per 1 k sqft.

People with more expertise that me (like g-man) have stated that 4 oz per 1 K sqft is enough if you are planning multiple applications.

Nevertheless glyphosate doesn't kill fast, so give it some time.


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## livt0ride

I didn't calculate the square footage perfectly, but I filled it up about 7 times and the area is around 2500 sq ft so should be close enough.


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## livt0ride

It's finally starting to die, but it's still showing a lot of green. It's been 5 days since I sprayed.


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## g-man

Gly takes 5-7 days to start showing the stress. Start mowing lower and bag now before it flops.


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## livt0ride

@G-MACK Nice to know. I just haven't ever used it so I just read the label. Was planning on doing a second app on the green after a few weeks.


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## livt0ride

Cut it down. will spray again next week.


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## San

Next round add some surfactant and potentially some AMS to boost it.


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## livt0ride

Thanks for the tips guys. wasn't much green left. Just spot sprayed the rest today. Will remove the dead material in a week or so. My gravel and rootzone mix is ordered and going to be delivered soon. Time to start excavating the green cavity soon!


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## livt0ride

Rootzone mix showed up today. Let the fun begin.


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## uts

livt0ride said:


> Rootzone mix showed up today. Let the fun begin.


What's the composition of the root zone mix?


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## livt0ride

uts said:


> livt0ride said:
> 
> 
> 
> Rootzone mix showed up today. Let the fun begin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What's the composition of the root zone mix?
Click to expand...

It is a 90/10 usga/peat. It's the same stuff that is going into the new country club in Coalville, UT


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## livt0ride

I received my gravel today. I also have my drainage pipe and fittings. Excavating tomorrow.


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## livt0ride

Rough outline of the shape I am thinking. I'm not in love with it, but gives me some room to chip uphill and from every angle. Also I will have longer putts with the triangular shape. What do you think?


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## Kallgren

WOW! Are you going full USGA recommendation on the construction? That is pretty big task. How many paces across the green in the long dimension and short. I think mine is a bit undersized at ~ 21 x 11 paces excluding the fringe, slightly paisley shaped, i think about 30% larger would have been ideal. Tight contours will be hard to mow with a greens mower.

Bill


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## livt0ride

I was able to dig out the cavity this weekend. Now I have to do the drainage work. I will start doing that in pieces after work.


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## livt0ride

Kallgren said:


> WOW! Are you going full USGA recommendation on the construction? That is pretty big task. How many paces across the green in the long dimension and short. I think mine is a bit undersized at ~ 21 x 11 paces excluding the fringe, slightly paisley shaped, i think about 30% larger would have been ideal. Tight contours will be hard to mow with a greens mower.
> 
> Bill


I am going full USGA. Not sure how many paces, but I know I i will have at least some 30ft putts on it. It's a decent size.


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## livt0ride

I rented a trencher to fix the irrigation pipe. I used it to dig the drainage and I'm glad I had it made it so much easier to do. I put the pipes in today and the line works great. Getting close to putting gravel in.


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## Kallgren

Exciting - That is looking awesome. Is the drainage pipe pre-drilled or do you have to drill an boatload of holes in it and would you be concerned about it shifting such that the holes are no longer at the bottom when backfilling with gravel? I am assuming that is the black flexible hose you have in the photo above. Might you be concerned about it compressing over time compared to a rigid PVC construction?


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## livt0ride

The pipe that will be inside the cavity is perforated all around. Not worried about them not being on the bottom since they are all around the pipe. Not worried about compression since it's corrugated. It is the recommended piping for this construction from the usga guide.


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## livt0ride

Wow test cup with my rootzone mix. Germination in 5 days! I'm using "Pure Distinction"


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## Stuofsci02

Very cool project!


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## livt0ride

I cleaned up the entry point and started getting the drain lines placed. Getting really hot today so taking a break and head to the pool to cool off for a bit. Going to get my grade stakes in later and start putting up the plastic barrier.


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## livt0ride

Oh yeah. I've been working so hard on the back forgot to show the front. I had some fungus issues a week ago and got some fungicide down. It's looking better, but still has some that needs to grow out. It's a fescue and I want to get rid of it eventually, but it still does well since it's drought tolerant and I live in the desert.


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## brettrobbinsgolf

livt0ride said:


> uts said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> livt0ride said:
> 
> 
> 
> Rootzone mix showed up today. Let the fun begin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What's the composition of the root zone mix?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It is a 90/10 usga/peat. It's the same stuff that is going into the new country club in Coalville, UT
Click to expand...

We're did you get the root zone mix from?


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## livt0ride

brettrobbinsgolf said:


> livt0ride said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> uts said:
> 
> 
> 
> What's the composition of the root zone mix?
> 
> 
> 
> It is a 90/10 usga/peat. It's the same stuff that is going into the new country club in Coalville, UT
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> We're did you get the root zone mix from?
Click to expand...

Star Valley Humas. Out of their Randolph Utah pit


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## livt0ride

This bentgrass is growing like crazy. Get's me pumped to see it on the actual green when it's ready. I have the drain work done. Just need to finish filling it in with gravel. I setup one of my grade stakes. Need to make more and get them in.


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## livt0ride

It was crazy windy last night. I got up a few times to check on it. I was having nightmares of my sand blowing away. Most of it is still here this morning. I got a lot of gravel work in and will likely finish tonight. I will be putting up the plastic barrier after that for the sand/peat.


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## livt0ride

I was able to get a lot done over the weekend. I put the barrier up, filled in with sand and did initial compaction and grading. Will just need to start backfilling the high sides and grade with topsoil.


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## San

Looking good!


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## Liquidstone

Things are definitely progressing. Looks like you are doing some great work. Awesome project!


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## livt0ride

I seeded the green on the 26th. Should see seedlings popping up in a day or so. I have some dirt I need to order today for the rest of the yard. No seeding pics to show.


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## livt0ride

I just received my new smooth front roller for the gm1000. Will need this for the first cut to protect the immature grass. Excited!


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## livt0ride

Germination complete!


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## Chris LI

Grass babies! :thumbsup:

That IS a cool roller. I've been following and this is a really cool project!


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## livt0ride

It's starting to be really visible from a distance now  I'm starting to think that I should have just used a regular hand spreader instead of the drop spreader. The USGA recommendation was to mix with a organic fertilizer. I didn't have one so just mixed with a granular fert in a drop spreader. I ended up hand seeding the edges since I didn't feel the coverage was good with the drop spreader on the sides so that should come in a bit later. I can see grass all through the green, but looks heavier on the edges since that's where I started and it must have dropped more seed at the beginning. Overal I am happy with the results though. Getting dirt today for the rest of the yard. I'm going to till the soil in to the existing.


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## livt0ride

Topsoil is here. I have some work to do


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## livt0ride

The green was looking a little thin in the middle and the edges. I spread a little more seed on it. (I shoulda just used my hand spreader to begin with on such a small area) Hopefully it starts filling in. Bentgrass creeps so I should be fine I guess :dunno:


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## livt0ride

Busy weekend. I decided that I needed to till in the soil I got since it wasn't that great. It's hard to get quality topsoil in Utah. I ended up doing more work than needed likely. I got a tiller and ground up the existing turf and topsoil. It created a mess I had to clean up to be able to level properly. I didn't get any pics of it tilled up, but have some after I flattened it out a little with the riding mower.







The green is starting to fill in a bit. Should start to see the other seedlings soon I planted after I realized I didn't get good coverage the first time.



Here is what it looks like after I got all the old grass cleaned out. I just need to do final leveling and seed.


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## livt0ride

Put down some fert at .3 N per 1000. Def need to rake in some more seed... Wish I would have used my hand spreader in the beginning. Going to hopefully get the rest of the lawn seeded tonight. I'm a little late, but hopefully I have enough time. It's still going to be warm here for the next few weeks.


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## livt0ride

I was able to get the ground prepped finally last night. I got my seed down. I am putting in Barenbrug turf blue pro. Started putting out some peat. Need to go get a few more bags today.


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## livt0ride

It's starting to come together. I have a little bit of cleanup work to do, but overall it's looking good. We got a little bit of rain today which is rare being in Utah. Can't wait to start seeing germination for the rest or the yard. The green is starting to fill in. I still have some seed that hasn't germinated yet in the middle.


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## livt0ride

It's been eye opening seeing how much tuning I need to do with the sprinklers since it is bare ground. It has been a huge help to see what is getting proper coverage with this process. I should be able to match up the correct nozzles and spray patterns for proper watering in this new stand. If you haven't seen the Aussie lawns new irrigation setup video go check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bexGrMBc4c


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## livt0ride

I just keep staring out the back window waiting for germination. I think I have issues lol. I will be giving the green it's first cut today. I can't wait.


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## livt0ride

Going outside to get my first mow in! I am following the USGA tips for success. I will be mowing at .25in since I don't have it filled in and my surface isn't that smooth yet. It's my first time cutting a green so I don't want to go low and rip everything out.

TIP 11: Begin mowing as soon as turf is well rooted
Initial mowing heights on new bentgrass putting greens
should be no higher than 0.25 inch. Bermudagrass mowing
heights should also be 0.25 inch or less. The mowing height
for the first cutting depends largely on the smoothness
of the surface. For both bentgrass and bermudagrass,
low and frequent mowing encourages the rapid lateral
spreading that is critical to obtain complete turf coverage.
Since it is almost impossible to keep new putting surfaces
perfectly smooth due to the frequent irrigation necessary
during establishment, some scalping is inevitable. However,
it is better to scalp new turfgrass plants early to allow time
for recovery rather than waiting to lower the height of cut
and risk scalping just prior to opening.


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## livt0ride

I just finished the first mow! So exciting. First time cutting bentgrass for me. I def expected some scalping, but overall I think it is looking great. Looking back a few weeks I can see how much it has filled in and now that I can mow it should start wanting to creep sideways more. Here are the results.

Got the GM1000 backlapped yesterday in prep for the first cut




Here is the first pass


Def some scalping. The ladybug survived I'm taking that as good omen






Closeup of a thick area next to a scalped area


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## kman6234

Looks great so far! It's going to be amazing having a green in your backyard! Looking forward to seeing it grow in more.


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## livt0ride

Night shot of the fescue front yard. I've got it looking decent. We'll see how the backyard goes next season before I decide if I'm keeping it or not. Need to level some low spots and aerate it in the next few days. The mums are starting to bloom.


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## livt0ride

kman6234 said:


> Looks great so far! It's going to be amazing having a green in your backyard! Looking forward to seeing it grow in more.


Thanks! Yeah it seems so thin to me and time is running out for fall. I put seed in the thin spots after I cut it. I planted the KBG way too late. I think it will germinate Monday. Fingers crossed.


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## livt0ride

Grass babies!!! 9 DAS! Also a weed in the foreground lol


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## livt0ride

Night shot


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## livt0ride

Front after a mow tonight. Going to aerate tomorrow if I can get a machine to rent.


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## livt0ride

Day shot of the front. I don't think it's ever looked better. Def not perfect, but I'm proud of how the fescue looks.


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## livt0ride

Starting to see the green haze. KBG is coming in. Green HOC is currently .250 still.


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## livt0ride

Put down some disease ex and .3N/k (1.5lb) of 13-0-26 fert on the green. I think I was getting too much water on it at night since I was irrigating the rest of the lawn for germination. backing of watering late in the day.


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## livt0ride

I was able to get some more products for my green. I found a local supplier for golf courses to get better deals on products than paying huge prices for shipping. They have different levels of slow/fast release. I will be cycling every two weeks till it is filled in per the recommendations on my seed. I've been following this as closely as I can. I had everything for preplant. I just didn't have the specific type of fert so I just used what I had on hand, but now I can cycle with the different recommended release ratios. I also got some Strobe Pro G Fungicide for future use.

Pure Distinction Bentgrass recommended grow in plan


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## livt0ride

Here is a shot of the reno from the 27th. Seems really thin, but I guess no big deal. I am going to overseed with rye in the spring anyway. I just hope I wasn't too late getting my seed down.


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## brettrobbinsgolf

Who is your local supplier this is my backyard green. Planted in May and was coming in nice but when I top dressed this fall I realized I had some real low spots and had to seed those again Labor Day weekend. Have enjoyed following your post.


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## livt0ride

brettrobbinsgolf said:


> Who is your local supplier this is my backyard green. Planted in May and was coming in nice but when I top dressed this fall I realized I had some real low spots and had to seed those again Labor Day weekend. Have enjoyed following your post.


Sent you a PM. They mainly deal with golf courses and don't want to deal with a lot of home owners. I don't want to post them on this thread and have them stop helping me. :smile:

I wish I lived next to a course. That view is awesome. Green looks like it's almost ready to start dropping the HOC and get some nice rolling putts on it.


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## livt0ride

Dropped the HOC to .238 It's really scary dropping it down since I don't have full coverage yet. I just have to go really slow and drop cardboard for each turn off the green. The KBG may suffer, but I will just fix it next season.


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## livt0ride

Put down 1.5 lb of 15-0-15 the other night. It has 50/50 quick/slow release .3N to get back on track. It seemed hungry so I bumped up a week.


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## livt0ride

Paid a kid $40 to aerate the front... Cheaper than renting, but he only pulled 1/2in to 1in plugs... I was hoping for 2in at least. I watered the night before, but didn't help. He had a 26in wide Ryan so it didn't have the weight to go deep. I want to get the Billy goat and do it myself, but nobody has one for rent. Guess I'll have to buy one and have the kids start an aeration business.


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## livt0ride

Rolled the first putt on the green last night! It's def not ready, but still fun to roll a few. Starting to fill in. I top-dressed after a cut. I have been doing light top dressing weekly since last week and will continue till it fills in. Supposed to get a the first freeze this weekend. Hopefully that doesn't stop growth for the next few weeks and I can get it to fill in before winter.

I'm worried about the rest of the lawn. It's starting to fill in, but has many bare spots. I guess I will just have to seed again in the spring.

Also put down .7 N/k on the front yard as well as 50lb of humic.


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## livt0ride

Put down .3 N/k on the reno. Seems to be thickening up a little, but I don't have time to throw seed down in bare spots since it will be too cold to germinate. Should I put down dormant seed or just wait for the spring?


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## livt0ride

Current state of the reno... We finally got .6 in of rain last night. I knew I was late in the game on seeding. While it is starting to fill in I def needed to seed bare spots and it was too late. I won't be able to get germination before it's too cold. Its starting to fill in a bit, but may have issues since the first frost will be next mon in the 20s. The green is looking great though! It was taking the majority of my time getting it ready and is the reason the rest of the yard was late. It's really close to being filled in. It had dew on it this morning after the rain.


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## livt0ride

I just got back from a hunting trip. Cut the green at .238in. Looks like we are getting a hard freeze tonight. I was hoping to drop the HOC again, but not sure how it's going to handle the hard freeze. We will bounce back into the 60s for the next few weeks.


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## livt0ride

I was able to get out and do some work on the green last night. I dropped the HOC to .196in. I fertilized with 14-7-14 .3N/K. I lightly top-dressed with half a hopper of sand.


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## rhart

The green has continued to fill in nicely! Great work


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## livt0ride

Thanks @rhart I wish I could say the same for the rest of the yard


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## rhart

livt0ride said:


> Thanks @rhart I wish I could say the same for the rest of the yard


It'll get there


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## JerseyGreens

That putting green is coming along great. Great job getting it to USGA specs - round of applause to you!


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## livt0ride

Winter is coming!!!

Crazy!! Seems like yesterday it was blistering hot in the 90's and I was killing myself trying to get the cavity of the green setup. While I am def not excited about the current state. I am really excited to continue the work next spring and get it into shape. Lessons definitely learned on timing for sure with the main lawn. I always think I can get things done faster than they play out.

I am pretty happy with the fill in on the green even though it doesn't look pretty yet. I have a couple scars from a mistake of not raising the reel when I was rolling it without cutting to smooth it out. Since the reel was not spinning it caught the edge of the breadknife and dug in. It's been filling in and I am just happy I have coverage for the most part on it. I've seen worse from golf courses trying to get new putting greens to grow in.


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## Chuuurles

thats a cool shot with the snow and green grass  .

Makes sense you wouldnt have any worms, I should have thought more before asking that question!


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## livt0ride

@Chuuurles I'm sure I will have some worm castings at some point. I did find a few dead ones that creeped onto the surface from the yard since we've had rain for the past few weeks.


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## livt0ride

Still cutting at .196in. Fertilized with 13-0-26 .3N/K.


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## livt0ride

Cut the green and front yard tonight. Enjoying the last few days of nice weather this season. I will be sad when winter sets in and we have to change out clocks. I wish we could stay in daylight time.


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## livt0ride

It's trying to fill in.. I just have so many bare spots lol :lol: I've cut it twice with the 1600 at .75in. I'm really liking the color and texture.


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## Stuofsci02

Looks great.. I love the green project.. Would love to do one of my own, but I already get so much grief for time I spend mowing.... I can't imagine all the extra work needed for the green..


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## livt0ride

@Stuofsci02 I would think you could manage it. Installation/grow in def took some time, but I really enjoyed it. It's been one of the most fun projects I've done. This is only 500sq ft so it doesn't take much time to cut. I don't think you would have to cut it everyday, but I plan on trying to cut it 6 days a week next season. We will see how much I actually mow. I'm just so excited for next season to see if I can get it fully filled in and rolling pure so I can actually use it to practice.


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## Kallgren

@Stuofsci02 Once it is growing, it is a lot of fun and can be a challenge to maintain at times. Time for mowing is quick for a single green. Maybe fifteen minutes for mine (about 1-1.2K sq-ft).

@livt0ride has an EPIC install with full USGA design and drainage, but if you have loads of sun and good draining soils, you might not have to go the full route and still have a nice project.

For my green, I consider it more for practicing my chipping and pitching and bunker play, make it bigger for this. For putting it doesn't come close to my local professionally "well" maintained courses, but I have played on some pretty "poorly" maintained courses around here in which it would hold it's own.


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## Stuofsci02

livt0ride said:
 

> @Stuofsci02 I would think you could manage it. Installation/grow in def took some time, but I really enjoyed it. It's been one of the most fun projects I've done. This is only 500sq ft so it doesn't take much time to cut. I don't think you would have to cut it everyday, but I plan on trying to cut it 6 days a week next season. We will see how much I actually mow. I'm just so excited for next season to see if I can get it fully filled in and rolling pure so I can actually use it to practice.


Sounds like a project for when I retire…. Looking forward to following yours..


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## livt0ride

I had one of the best cuts on the green today. Had to wait for it to dry out from the rain we got the other day. We've been getting some great sun and it's still pushing growth. Still at .195in HOC. Makes me super excited to get it mint next season.

The rest of the yard is still coming in. Not an overall success, but what I'm seeing so far I am liking. cutting at .75in.


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## livt0ride

It's cool to look back and see how it filled in even if it's not complete coverage

Oct 8


Oct 19


Nov 15


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## livt0ride

Replaced the smooth roller with the grooved roller on the gm1000. It picked up quite a bit of clippings. I haven't cut it in a while since growth has been slowing down, but I got several handfuls from the cut. still cutting at .196in HOC


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## livt0ride

First solid snow of the year. The green is finally getting it's white blanket.


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## Rule11

This is great! More people to share the good and bad with. Definitely a chore, but nothing beats rolling 12 footers on a sunny summer evening after a long day. I am currently working on the 2022 application program. I can't wait to see the maturity of this in 2022! Nice work.


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## livt0ride

Looks like I have a couple patches of snow mold. We had a few storms that have recently melted off the yard and I found a couple of these.


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## livt0ride

I applied some Strobe Pro G today since I have some decent weather to prevent any more disease showing up in the spring. 4lb/1000


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## livt0ride

The green is starting to green up. I went ahead and had the first cut of the season. I might of had some desiccation, but overall I'm pleased with how it's looking coming out of winter.

Before the first cut


After the first cut


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## livt0ride

I sent my soil test off yesterday to University of Utah. First time getting a test. Can't believe how green the KBG is already. I just nipped the top off since I wanted to flatten the soil out anyway a bit to get ready to over seed the bare spots. Excited to get this thing in shape for the season!


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## livt0ride

Pretty amazing spring greenup for the KBG. It didn't loose much color in the winter. Soil temps will be going up this weekend. I am going to pre germinate the seed and get it out in the next week or two. Supposed to cool off next week. The front yard fescue is still dormant.


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## livt0ride

Started pre-germinating my seed. Soaking for 24hrs then rinsing each day for 6 days. Seed goes down next week. Soil temps are looking good.


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## livt0ride

Things are starting to green up nicely on the green. I cut and put down .1N/k to get it going since I've seen some greenup and watered it in. I think I am going to seed on the regular soil for the collar. I want to keep as much area of the green as possible.


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## jskierko

That has greened up a ton over the last week! I may have missed it, but do you have a different irrigation strategy for the green relative to the rest of your yard or is it a one-size-fits-all approach?


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## livt0ride

@jskierko I haven't made a decision yet on irrigation. I have def thought about it. For now I am going to be hand watering the green separate from the lawn irrigation. It's only 500 sq ft. We'll see how long that lasts before I do something permanent. :lol:


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## livt0ride

I received the results of my first soil test for the backyard kbg. I thought that I might have high phosphorus since I was seeing lime green after an application last year, but was surprised to see the high potassium as well. I guess I will be only adding nitrogen for a while. glad I finally got a test.


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## livt0ride

Fun times in April. Woke up to snow this morning.


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## livt0ride

Sprayed Primo Maxx PGR today on the KBG. Going to Overseed when I get back from a trip this weekend. My last overseed was a failure because temps dipped and got really cold. It's been filling in compared to the fall pics. The green still looks hungry. Going to fertilize when I get back since I did last week.


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## livt0ride

The green has a few areas that are high and humped. I used my landzie aerator to take some plugs out. I put water on it and tried to stand on my greensmaster and roll it, but it slipped. I just jumped on it to flatten it a bit. I also top dressed low areas to bring them up. Will do some more brushing in when it dries tomorrow.


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## livt0ride

I know this is supposed to be a lawn journal, but I just had to share the beauty of the best driving range I've ever been on. I went down to Coyote Springs, NV recently and this is easily in my top 5 places played. It is a Jack Nicklaus design.


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## livt0ride

Green has healed up nicely from the top-dress on the low spots. I will be doing a heavy one next week or so on the whole thing to level it out a bit and encourage bare spots to fill in. I got the R&R lawn level and am excited to use it. I used it a bit on the small spots and it seems like it will be fun to use.


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## livt0ride

We got some rain last night. I am going to try to overseed round two in a day or so now that the weather is finally warming up. This may fail again since this spring has been so strange, but I'm going to try to get full coverage this spring in the back yard.


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## livt0ride

Went with a heavy topdress to smooth out the low spots


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## livt0ride

I have been using house water since our irrigation doesn't turn on till May. Last night was the first irrigation cycle from the sprinklers. Things are getting there. Going to overseed tonight. The green has done a great job of recovering from the heavy top dress.


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## livt0ride

I have decided to name the backyard Deseret Peak Golf Club. This is the highest peak in the mountain range near our house. 


What do you guys think of this logo for the flag for the green? I took an outline from Deseret peak and used a western font since I live in Utah.


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## Chuuurles

So cool! congrats on the golf green!


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## livt0ride

Overseed is down. I started getting sprouts this morning with the pre-germinating seed. Need to get some peat moss on my lunch.


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## livt0ride

Photos after putting on peat.


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## kman6234

Looking really good! Love the firepit area too!


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## livt0ride

The yard is looking great. Had some peat blow off with the wind. Will fill in today. The green recovery has been excelent! It's going to really pay off. I see some of the pregerminated seed coming up in spots. I had a little trouble spreading it mixed with sand so I put regular seed out as well.


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## Stuofsci02

It's all coming along nicely.... Well done!


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## Benwag

Green is looking great


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## livt0ride

Recovery is going great. Color is soooo good right now. Pics don't do it justice. Just a few spots to fill in on the high side now. Can't wait till I get germination on the rest of the yard.


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## livt0ride

I installed a new toy. If you are thinking about getting a quality hose reel then you need to get the Eley. It is great! I sprayed the front with .2 n/k Ammonium Sulfate last night.


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## livt0ride

Put some doubles in with the 1600. I am starting to see a lot more germination in the bare areas. grass is growing sideways now pushing out. I need to get some acelepryn down as well as start spoon feeding. What do you guys do with your baby grass as far as fertilizing goes?


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## livt0ride

Put down .1 N/K of 13-0-26 on the green.


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## livt0ride

Put down 4lb/K strobe pro g on the green.


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## livt0ride

I'm watching the PGA championship and I knew I recognized the greens. Same grass cultivar of Bentgrass I have. Pretty cool!


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## livt0ride

I had emergency gallbladder surgery yesterday. Glad I had the sprinklers set to auto water for the seedlings. I hope I can mow soon to keep up with the green. I'm not supposed to like anything over 15 lbs for a few weeks.


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## livt0ride

I got some help from my babe to get the mowers out so I could cut. Thanks love!


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## Wile

livt0ride said:


> I had emergency gallbladder surgery yesterday. Glad I had the sprinklers set to auto water for the seedlings. I hope I can mow soon to keep up with the green. I'm not supposed to like anything over 15 lbs for a few weeks.


Hope all is well! Love reading your journal. Doing a green has been a consideration of mine, but looks like a lot of work. So, I'm happy to live vicariously through others on it.


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## livt0ride

Wile said:


> livt0ride said:
> 
> 
> 
> I had emergency gallbladder surgery yesterday. Glad I had the sprinklers set to auto water for the seedlings. I hope I can mow soon to keep up with the green. I'm not supposed to like anything over 15 lbs for a few weeks.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope all is well! Love reading your journal. Doing a green has been a consideration of mine, but looks like a lot of work. So, I'm happy to live vicariously through others on it.
Click to expand...

I'm doing well. I should be back to normal after a couple weeks. Thanks for the well wishes. With the amount of work you do in your regular lawn it isn't that much more to take care of a small green. The biggest commitment is the installation if you are doing something other than natural soil.


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## Chuuurles

Looking really good! I love this journal


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## livt0ride

Just some grass babies doing their thing and filling in my bare spots. These are on my new pixel 6 I just purchased. I love the phone.


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## Stuofsci02

Amazing work


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## livt0ride

Well the leak in the pipe at the reservoir was finally fixed so my irrigation is back on just in time before I leave on vacation. Now I can finally put down some apps tonight. I am going to put down Acelepryn for grub control and some AS for the front and back. Going to hold off on feeding the green until I get back.


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## livt0ride

It rained when I was gone over the weekend. The grass grew a ton since I was gone. Had to wait till today to cut it. Put down some triples and double cut the green in two directions.


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## livt0ride

Just did a cut on the front. Its looking ok. Just has a bad spot up front. Needs some fungicide to go down before the next water cycle.



The girls decided to tan on the green. I was thinking to myself no harm in that. They ended up using spray tanning oil on it and ended up soaking a few sections... Oh well its only grass... I just rubbed up as much as I could and washed it out. I haven't seen it do any damage so far.


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## Ben4Birdies

livt0ride said:


> The girls decided to tan on the green.
> They ended up using spray tanning oil on it and ended up soaking a few sections...


Hmmm… that's the first I've heard of something like this, lol! I'm imagining a meme that shows ladies tanning while guys are practicing their putting 🤣

I would think spray tan is probably less harmful than a gas or oil leak from a mower.


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## livt0ride

Dropped the HOC to .177in (4.5mm) It's rolling better. Going to try to get it lower after everything is filled in.


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## livt0ride

Put down leftover DiseaseEx on the front. Put down HeritageSC @ .8oz/K on the green last night.


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## MNLawnGuy1980

@livt0ride, love that picture from the 7th. I got a chuckle out of the tanning story, sounds like something that would happen around here.


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## livt0ride

So interesting. I just had a watering cycle thur after my azoxy app, but it just had a flush of upright growth on the green. So strange. We are getting into the 90s this weekend as well. Wonder if there was fungus stunting growth?


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## livt0ride

It's raining today after we went over 100 yesterday. I'm assuming this is fungus, but not sure what type. Pretty disappointing since I just put out an app for fungus. Must be something that needs a different fungicide.


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## livt0ride

Here is a program that I found from Syngenta. According to this I need to have 13 apps a season. This is with a 14 day rotation of fungicides. Rates on labels show you can do more with a 28 day app. I think I was just behind in getting ready for disease prevention on the green.

https://www.greencastonline.com/pro...t---14-day-(e.-or,-e.-wa,-ut,-wy,-id,-mt,-nv)


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## Ben4Birdies

I've talked to one golf superintendent here in SD who told me that in the heat of summer he is applying fungicide to the bentgrass greens every week. &#128561;&#129327;

Hearing that was enough to convince me to stay away from doing a proper backyard putting green for the time being. No idea what his specific program was.

Maybe you could befriend a local golf course maintenance guy and learn a few things from someone who is familiar with those type of challenges for your area?


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## livt0ride

Ben4Birdies said:


> I've talked to one golf superintendent here in SD who told me that in the heat of summer he is applying fungicide to the bentgrass greens every week. 😱🤯
> 
> Hearing that was enough to convince me to stay away from doing a proper backyard putting green for the time being. No idea what his specific program was.
> 
> Maybe you could befriend a local golf course maintenance guy and learn a few things from someone who is familiar with those type of challenges for your area?


Yeah, that would be the best idea. I haven't been that proactive in doing that. I didn't want to bug a local greenskeeper as they might be put off getting asked questions all the time. I'm new to fungicides anyway since I am in a dry climate I haven't had to apply much in that area with a regular lawn. I am growing and learning and that's the fun of it for me. I could care less if I fail. I just have a great time doing it. I love golf and having a short game practice area is amazing.


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## livt0ride

Not sure, but I think it is Anthracnose. Applied a group 1 and 3 fungicide. Eagle 20EW and 3336 F


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## livt0ride

What an exciting day! I finally got my cup cutter. Still waiting on the flagstick. I was able to put in a practice cup today. It is so awesome to finally have a cup in. I was so glad that I had roots the whole length of the plug. It makes me feel so much better about the green lasting and staying healthy! I made the mistake of pulling the place I wanted to put the cup before pulling a bad spot to replace, but it ended up working out.


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## Ben4Birdies

livt0ride said:


>


Exciting day indeed!! That looks amazing. It's so fun to follow along and enjoy the photos, thanks for sharing 😃


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## livt0ride

Drought stress fun this weekend... It's like someone putting a hair dryer on the lawn...


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## livt0ride

The green has been healing from the fungus after my last app. I also received a special delivery today!


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## livt0ride

Put down iron on the whole yard. Hoping to get some dark green color for the fourth. Cut everything last night. Green is looking a lot better after fungus being controlled. Here is a night shot of it.


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## livt0ride

Put down 2lb/k of strobe pro g on the yard. Put down .125oz/k of primo maxxx and 1oz/k of propi on the green.


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## livt0ride

Happy Independence Day everyone!!!


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## rhart

Green looks fantastic…especially like the flag!


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## Chris LI

rhart said:


> Green looks fantastic…especially like the flag!


^+1 :thumbup:


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## livt0ride

Put down .2n/k ams on the green


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## livt0ride

Found quite a bit of bentgrass in the KBG. Hit it with some grass killer using a glove so I didn't kill any of the KBG.




The lawn is looking pretty good for 100 deg temps. I've been uping the water. Also put down some talstar p since I was seeing what I thought were chinch bugs. I think triples with the 1600 is my favorite look.


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## Stuofsci02

Looking so great.. congrats. I wish I had that view…


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## livt0ride

Last nights sunset was pretty cool.


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## livt0ride

Put down some 13-0-26 at .13n/k on the green


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## livt0ride

Unbelievable summer color. bluegrass is looking strong. Laid down some triples. Can't wait till the fall when this thing fully fills in.


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## livt0ride

Love these summer nights. Just finished spraying the green with Daconil/Azoxy/Propi and Primo Maxx at low rates.


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## livt0ride

Tried to do a diagonal cut and it wasn't very straight. The density is pretty crazy right now. Looks like it needed a double cut. 


The green is really starting to mature. I did a light topdressing after I cut it. 


I took a pic of the rootzone while changing a cup.


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## livt0ride

Not sure what this is. Hopefully its not a pest that needs to be dealt with. Anyone know what it could be?


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## San

Hard to see from this angle, but it looks like a stinkbug to me.


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## Wile

+1 to stink bugs. They are actually a pretty bad problem for crops and fruit trees from my understanding. Otherwise generally harmless.


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## livt0ride

I think you guys are right. I wasn't sure at first. I think this is a juvenile. It didn't look that close to the pics I saw online.


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## livt0ride

I was seeing some color loss in the green and I was thinking it may need an increase in N. I shortened the time between feedings and increased the dose a little bit with the AMS a few days ago. Seems to like it. Since it is an all sand profile I'm still learning how much it needs.


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## livt0ride

I put down some PGR on the green tonight. I wanted to on the rest of the yard as growth is starting to pick up and I am having to mow quite a bit. The label for primo maxx says to wait 6 hours before or after mowing. I mowed the KBG tonight so I will have to spray that tomorrow.


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## livt0ride

Applied Primo Maxx on the KBG at the fairway rate 0.25/1k.


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## livt0ride

Applied AMS at .2N/K on the green.


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## Wile

The green looks great. How's it playing right now? I never get tired of looking at the views you have.


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## livt0ride

Wile said:


> The green looks great. How's it playing right now? I never get tired of looking at the views you have.


Thanks @Wile The green rolls great. I'm very happy with the variety (Pure Distinction) I chose. The green is not super fast, but that's to be expected without having a roller. I also haven't played with cutting it low yet. Wanted to get it filled in and understand inputs needed before trying to get it to tournament speeds. Currently I have it at 4.5mm .177in. I want to get it lower this fall. If I had to guess it rolls at a 6 or 7 based on places I've played where I know the speed. Want to get a Stimpmeter, but they cost too much for what they are.


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## Wile

Do you think you can make a diy one? Not to familiar with the requirements. They do look expensive. Tournament speeds sound fun. Can you use your mower to roll it or does it need to be heavier?


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## livt0ride

Wile said:


> Do you think you can make a diy one? Not to familiar with the requirements. They do look expensive. Tournament speeds sound fun. Can you use your mower to roll it or does it need to be heavier?


I could make a stimpmeter, but I don't care that much about knowing the speed. The mower isn't heavy enough. Rollers are like 1000lb plus you sit on them so there is more weight.


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## livt0ride

Put down Daconil/Eagle/HeritageSC on the green


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## livt0ride

I am starting to see some solid stripes. It's only taken a year lol. Still some spots to fill in, but I'm really happy with the current results. I have an amazing backyard practice facility! The green still has a few deadspots, but I know it will totally fill in this fall and start getting mature. Nothing better than taking a break from work and rolling a few.


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## 606-Lawn

Looks really good


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## Ben4Birdies

Skimmed through your journal again. You've had incredible progress the past 12 months! I'm amazed how nice and smooth your green is looking. Do putts have any break at all on your green?


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## livt0ride

Ben4Birdies said:


> Skimmed through your journal again. You've had incredible progress the past 12 months! I'm amazed how nice and smooth your green is looking. Do putts have any break at all on your green?


Yeah it's hard to see the slope on the pics, but I put in a high section on it. I actually need to do some leveling still and smooth it out a bit. It breaks quite a bit on some putts.


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## livt0ride

Well I couldn't take it anymore. There was a lot more bent in the kbg than I thought. Guess in retro I would've waited to gly the yard after the green was established. I got some Tenacity and sprayed tonight. Will show progress pics as I get them. I stayed away from the green area. I may cover it if I want to spray near it in the future.


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## Stuofsci02

Looking very nice…. The tenacity should deal with the bent, but it might look ugly for a while..


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## livt0ride

:crying: :blush: :sad: I realized this morning that I forgot to put surfactant in with my Tenacity.... I can't believe I'm that dumb. I had been reviewing the proper way to apply and kill the bent for a few days and just slipped my mind when it was time to apply. I guess I need to just wait two weeks till the next app? I blanket sprayed. Hopefully it just lights up the bent enough to put the surfactant in the next app on just the bent that shows up?


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## livt0ride

Dropped the 1600 down to .52 from .6in for the backyard in prep for aeration and topdressing. It's starting to stripe nicely. I just can't get em straight with all those posts in my way. lol.



I was able to borrow what I believe is a Bluebird unit. I didn't have any other option since I don't have a truck and Diamond rental won't let me load a Ryan in an SUV. It ended up working out and I was able to pull decent plugs.





Next I raked them into rows with my landscaping rake. I didn't get finished as it got dark on me.


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## livt0ride

I was able to get the cores off.



Did a cleanup mow since the drum style aerator pulled up some of the turf. It's looking ready for a sand/compost topdress.


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## bf7

livt0ride said:


>


This epitomizes "backyard oasis". Just awesome!

Besides mowing frequency, how much more maintenance does the green take vs the KBG?

I was comparing the different Tee-2-Green varieties on their scorecard. Did you pick Pure Distinction for the disease tolerance?

I noticed it wasn't labeled for tee or fairway use like the others. Thought that was interesting.


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## livt0ride

> This epitomizes "backyard oasis". Just awesome!


Thanks @bf7



> Besides mowing frequency, how much more maintenance does the green take vs the KBG?


I have found that I need to apply fungicide every 2 weeks during times of disease pressure for the green. I only apply a few granular apps on the rest of my yard for the season as I don't get a lot of pressure in the dry air of the desert.



> I was comparing the different Tee-2-Green varieties on their scorecard. Did you pick Pure Distinction for the disease tolerance?


Mainly I picked Pure Distinction based on color. I really liked the contrast that you get with it compared to a dark green of a KBG. It also is supposed to have similar color of Poa so if it ever did get in there you wouldn't see it as much. I also saw testimonials from superintendents on the tee to green site that solidified my decision on how they roll and look.

Since choosing it I have seen it used on PGA tour sites and I think this variety is starting to become pretty popular.


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## livt0ride

Back from a trip and the yard was looking tall. Everything looking so dark.





Cut KBG and green. I saw some of the bent in the KBG getting white tips, but not what they should've done if I had added a surfactant. Will apply another app next week. can't wait to get my materials and start leveling. PGR should be expiring this week. Didn't get to trim since the sun was going down.


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## mucknine

This looks awesome. I don't have any room like this in my backyard so I'm stuck with the simulator in the garage. Poor me.


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## livt0ride

I'm seeing the bent in the KBG turn white. Should I blanket spray again with a surfactant or just hit the stuff that lit up from the first app? I don't think all of it is turning color since it didn't have the surfactant in the first app of Tenacity.


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## livt0ride

N inputs down yesterday night

Put down .4N/K AMS granular in the front/back
Put down .2N/K 14-7-14 on the green


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## Ben4Birdies

livt0ride said:


> I'm seeing the bent in the KBG turn white. Should I blanket spray again with a surfactant or just hit the stuff that lit up from the first app? I don't think all of it is turning color since it didn't have the surfactant in the first app of Tenacity.


I would probably blanket spray with surfactant to find if there's any that isn't getting lit up. I would still follow label instructions about timing between apps so you don't ding the kbg.


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## bf7

I wonder why it shows up in random spots like that. I would have expected it to creep outward progressively starting at the green. Or do you think it is from stray seeds?

What was your tenacity rate on the first go?


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## livt0ride

I'm pretty sure it's just from blowing off the green at time of planting. There wasn't much holding it there since it is all sand and I lightly topdressed with peat moss. We get a lot of wind here too. I was thinking of blanket spray again. I can see some that didn't turn color. I used the label rate. I believe I did 1 teaspoon with 2 gal to cover 2000 sq ft


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## bf7

Yeah you should be fine doing another blanket. I think you did roughly 4 oz/acre where up to 8 oz/acre is OK to put on KBG at one time.

I always forget the NIS.


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## livt0ride

I put down some tarps on the green just to be safer with the 2nd Tenacity app. It was pretty calm, but I didn't want to take a chance. I made sure I had my surfactant this time. Did a blanket app since not all the bent was showing up.


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## livt0ride

Just cut the green and moved the cups. It's rolling so well right now. I think it is responding to the weather and the last feed I gave it.


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## Wile

I've read three different studies between Purdue. Ohio State and UNL and they all mentioned effective control with the ~5oz/A rate and a NIS about 14 or even 21 days apart with three apps. If doing 4oz/A you need four applications. At 5.5oz/A two apps.


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## livt0ride

Wile said:


> I've read three different studies between Purdue. Ohio State and UNL and they all mentioned effective control with the ~5oz/A rate and a NIS about 14 or even 21 days apart with three apps. If doing 4oz/A you need four applications. At 5.5oz/A two apps.


Good to know. Thanks for the info. I guess I can increase the rate on my third app after it all shows itself from this round. I am going to just target what shows up next round.


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## livt0ride

Wow the green has gotten so fast in the past few days. I haven't don't anything with HOC. I can't pinpoint what it has been other than it seems really healthy now that temps have dropped and it has recovered with food and no more fungus pressure.


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## rhart

The green looks absolutely fantastic!


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## livt0ride

Loving this time of year. It's my absolute favorite. Things are looking good if it wasn't for the bentgrass in the kbg. It's lit up and the second app is working.


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## livt0ride

Progress pic for the Tenacity killing the bent in the KBG. If it wasn't for the bent it would look so pure!


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## livt0ride

I've been gone on vacation for a bit. Here is a bentgrass update. It's starting to turn. Looks like I may need one more app to completely knock it out of the KBG.


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## livt0ride

Did a light topdress on the green. Put down greens grade granular 13-0-26 .2N/K. Watered it in


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## livt0ride

One of the last mows of the season. I may get a few more in, but the temps are going to drop into the 50s this weekend.


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## livt0ride

First snow of the year in the mountains. Finally received some rain. Expecting snow on the lawn tomorrow. I don't think I got enough Tenacity on the bent to fully kill it. Still seeing lime green patches of it.


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## Ben4Birdies

I’m surprised the bent patches are so spread out. I would have thought they would mostly be around the area of your green.


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## livt0ride

Ben4Birdies said:


> I’m surprised the bent patches are so spread out. I would have thought they would mostly be around the area of your green.


I'm thinking it was one of two things or both

1. It's windy here

2. It may have stuck to my shoes when I seeded again to fill in bare spots in the green during grow in period.


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## livt0ride

First snow of the season


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## livt0ride

Starting to winterize things. I pulled the cups and filled with sand. Will put out my app for snow mold prevention soon.


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## livt0ride

Put down Daconil @ 5oz/k, Propi @ 2oz/k, and Eagle @ 1.2oz/k on the green for snow mold prevention. I will put down another app if there is not snowcover in December.


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## livt0ride

The main water line to the house was leaking. Had to have a plummer repair the line. It's a good thing I held off renovations on the front. Looks like I'm going to have to do one now. I wasn't planning on it.


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