# Longtee81's KBG Renovation (Front) Mazama-Award-Bewitched



## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

I'm 27 days in (since seed down) at the time of this post, but I've been wanting to start this renovation journal for a while. I started mowing low last Fall 2019 with a manual reel mower and purchased a JD 220E over the winter and a second one in the spring, and have been using them throughout the 2020 season. I'll be summarizing the activities to date in this post and including pictures.

My wife and I laid the KBG sod in my yard back in 2006, so we had a pretty dense turf prior to this renovation. I'm renovating it in order to level some spots, eliminate a few fescue and rye patches, and I would like to have varieties more suitable for low mowing. I had considered a Mazama monostand, but chickened out and ultimately seeded as follows by weight (Mazama-50%, Bewitched-30%, Award-20%)

Location: Lansing, MI (Zone 5b)
Renovation Size - 5,000 SF front yard and side yards

Fall 2019 I killed and reseed a small portion of the yard with Midnight KBG. There was a distinct line and the two sides did not blend well. This picture was taken around the time of year billbug damage occurred. it worsened as the summer went on.


*July 13, 2020 **(Glyphosate Round 1)*
Glyphosate 2.5oz/M w/Marker dye and backpack sprayer.
It took much longer than expected to cover the area (and I used around 17 gallons of product). I didn't really see many effects until 5-7 days after. My plans at this time were to fallow for at least 2 weeks prior to seed down with multiple glyphosate applications

*July 17 2020 **(Scalp)*
Dropped mower blade on 220E really low mowed and then and then lowered more and went over a second time. The mower stalled multiple times, but eventually I was able to get it all mowed. It was pretty cool to see it cut that low, even if it was going to be totally brown within a few days.

Mistake -- I should have sucked the clippings up and bagged immediately after, but I missed this important step.



*July 18 2020 **(Glyphosate Round 2)*
Glyphosate second application (+ 5 days from first kill - 13 gallons).
I continued to water regularly and monitor my sprinkler patterns.

*July 18 2020 **(8 Yards of Top Soil)*
I spread 8 yards of a top soil/sand mixture over the top of the scalped yard, shortly after I sprayed glyphosate. I think this was a critical step since I did have some low areas that needed to be leveled, but it created lots of work (stone removal) and worries. Between the spreading of the top soil and seed down, I pulled 1,000's of small stones out and ran my dethatcher over the top to remove the dead grass that I should have removed prior to spreading the top soil.





*August 6, 2020 **(Glyphosate Round 3)*
Glyphosate third and final application (+ 19 days after the second kill - 12 gallons).
Observation: There were a few spots that even after 2 applications were missed, but overall it seemed I was spraying this on already dead grass.

*August 7, 2020 **(Seed Down)*
This was the big day. I started my activities around 10AM as to not disturb the neighbors. They were as follows:
Sun Joe Scarifier - I rand this in a cross pattern, and had stopped watering the prior day so it would dry out a little. I think this was critical to any successes I had as it greatly improved seed to soil contact and the areas where I did not run the machine, are struggling.
1) Coat seeds with seed moist and seeded at 3lb/M and broadcast with rotary spreader
50% Mazama, 30% Bewitched, 20% Award
2) Walked yard and lightly raked the seed behind me
3) Spread Starter fertilizer at ~1lbN/M, 1.5lbK/M
4) Used JD 220e mower to roll the seed
5) Sprayed Tenacity at label rates
6) Spread the Pennington Slope Master at bag rate
7) Watered in seed and wet Slope Master

I finished just before dark, and somehow managed to log my highest step count to date. The Pennington Slope Master does not spread easily. You just have to be patient and go over repeatedly. I also found that filling the spreader up 50% full, allowed the pellets to distribute faster and ultimately saved time. I think it is a great product and really visually shows the areas that are drying out or being washed out by too much water, in addition to keeping the seeds moist.

*August 12, 2020 **(Scotts Disease EX) (+5D after seeding)*
I had not seen any germination at this point and decided I should get this down at the preventative rate since the warm weather and frequent waterings would be ideal conditions for fungus.

*August 15, 2020 **(Germination) (+7D after seeding)*
I was starting to panic at this time. Everywhere I looked on TLF, I saw 5 and 6 day germination windows, and all I was seeing were ants stealing my seeds. I was convinced, they were the reason for this. Luckily I started to notice seeds sprouting on day 7 in the evening.

*August 16, 2020 **(Added some seeds in washout area) (+9D after seeding) (+2D After Germination/DAG)*
I never experienced issues with storm washouts in this renovation, but I did have issues with the sprinklers (PGR Hunters) washing out the soil from spots. This is when I decided to stop running my irrigation system, and hand water the entire yard. There were spots that just didn't get the head to head coverage and I figured out a way to water the entire yard in about 15 minutes. I started to do this about 4 times/day. Roughly 11AM, 2PM, 4PM, 6PM, which changed based on the weather conditions.

I was able to do this because I had a spigot installed on the main sprinkler line a few years back and the pressure/volume I get off of that is unbelievable. From only a few locations I was able to spray the entire yard with a gentle stream that did not wash out any seed at a rate 2-3x faster than my normal spigot would push, making this a viable option.

*Progress Pics through first mow*












*August 31, 2020 **(First Mow) (+24D after seeding) (+17 DAG)*
I let the grass dry out for a bit and then did my first mow at ⅞ inch, careful to avoid turning sharp. Prior to this I dropped some seed in a few areas that were quite sparse, and hoped to push them in the ground for better contact. Some areas were quite long, while others were not long enough to be cut.

I used the stripe lines set by the mower to spray *Urea* (.20lbs N/M) and *Propiconazole 14.3* at (1oz/M). This was my first time spraying either of those products.

*September 3, 2020 **(Second Mow) (+27D after seeding) (+20 DAG)*
Second mow, grass is continuing to fill in in most places, but much slower in others. We have had a considerable amount of rain (~2 inches) in the last 3 days which has helped greatly.





This is an area that is take some time to fill in (obvious Sun Joe marks everywhere). I've yet to mow this area.


My plan at this point is to mow every 2-3 days, and spray .20N/M Urea 1-week after my prior application and I will start backing off the watering.


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## Chris1 (Apr 22, 2020)

very nice reno


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This looks really good. You did a good prep and the early start helped with the storms. I would be careful with foliar urea on the young grass. Spray it if you like, but water it in.

Did you poly a grub control ?


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

You must have put down a lot of seed. That filled in fast.


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

Amazing germination and coverage!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> This looks really good. You did a good prep and the early start helped with the storms. I would be careful with foliar urea on the young grass. Spray it if you like, but water it in.
> 
> Did you poly a grub control ?


With the Urea, I was very cautious not to over apply the lbs/M and I sprayed in the evening at 6PM when it was cooler and watered in by hand around 10PM to make sure I didn't miss/burn any spots. Would it be preferable to use the Scott's wizz spreader and lightly spread the Urea? I don't mind watering it in currently.

*Grub Control* - I had applied GrubEx earlier in the year on June 26th when I was having issues, (turned out to be Billbugs), so I think I should be good with that app for the rest of the year.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm just risk adverse on a Reno. I'm not sure how good the young leaves handle the nitrogen via foliar. I normally just use my wizz spreader with urea or ams and then trigger the irrigation for a few minutes.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

zeus201 said:


> Amazing germination and coverage!


Thanks!

I did seed at 3lbs/M, so a little on the high side, but I think the reason it looks so dense from certain views is because of the grass being grouped in rows from the Sun Joe Scarified attachment. From certain angles it's obvious there are gaps, but it has been fun to watch them slowly fill in. I seem to have very little germination outside of the trenches.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

g-man said:


> I'm just risk adverse on a Reno. I'm not sure how good the young leaves handle the nitrogen via foliar. I normally just use my wizz spreader with urea or ams and then trigger the irrigation for a few minutes.


That makes sense! Would hate to do something that sets things back as things move so quickly and the time window for KBG is so short.


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## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

Looks great!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Lust4Lawn said:


> Looks great!


Thanks! Your Bluebank appears to be coming in really well in your renovation.
I wish I had added that to my mix, but I somehow overlooked it when I was ordering my seed.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

9/3/20 - 9/14/20 Update

Since my last update the following has occured:

*September 3, 2020 **(Second Mow) (+27D after seeding) (+19DAG)*


*September 5, 2020 **(Third Mow) (+29D after seeding) (+21DAG)*

*September 5, 2020 **(Pro Plugger in bare spots) (+29D after seeding) (+21DAG)*

*September 6, 2020 **(Lowered HOC to 7/8) *
I made a digital HOC gauge, which seemed to work quite well to dial in the HOC. I was cutting at about 1", but dropped it slightly to 7/8". 


*September 7, 2020 **(Urea Spray .2lb/M - Second) (+31D after seeding) (+23DAG)*

*September 9, 2020 **(Fourth Mow) (+33D after seeding) (+25DAG)*
The thin spots are starting to fill in and the grass blades seem to be "thicker".



The areas that have been very slow are where I added in soil to fill a hold left from tree removal and stump grinding. You can see the former tree ring in this picture.




*September 12, 2020 **(Fifth Mow) (+36D after seeding) (+28DAG)*

*September 13, 2020 **(Pictures of Plugs) (+37D after seeding) (+29DAG)*
They are starting to fill in. I added seed around my tree at original seed down with the plans of eventually mulching that spot. This has worked out to be a good source for plugs to repair thin/bare spots. I seeded the thin spots and mixed it with some Scott's lawn soil.





*September 14, 2020 **(Fifth Mow) (+38D after seeding) (+30DAG)*











I'm about due for my next Tenacity app (I sprayed at seed down) and am not sure if I should use a NIS, or not. I'm also getting ready to spray more Urea (.20/M) and will water in so it does not burn.

Question 1 - Tenacity: Should I use NIS to kill active weeds or just spray and water in as a pre emergent? 
Question 2 - Urea: How far should these sprayed applications be spread out? Is weekly too frequent?


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Your weed pressure doesn't look very high at all. Unless I'm not seeing in the picture? I would spray tenacity without NIS in this case.

You should be spoon feeding weekly with nitrogen. I prefer spreading the prills instead of spraying on new grass but either can work.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Your weed pressure doesn't look very high at all. Unless I'm not seeing in the picture? I would spray tenacity without NIS in this case.
> 
> You should be spoon feeding weekly with nitrogen. I prefer spreading the prills instead of spraying on new grass but either can work.


Thanks for the advice! I decided to hold off on spraying a blanket tenacity since the weed pressure seems low and decided to just spot spray some of the weeds with a small mix of tenacity and NIS to avoid damaging some of the younger grass throughout the yard.

I've been weekly spoon feeding .20lb/M and then watering in within about an hour. I'm scared of spreading the prills because I have no experience doing so and am concerned I will apply it too heavily by mistake. Since I'm watering it in quickly, If I were to continue spraying, would it be best to increase the amount of Nitrogen (maybe to .25lb/M, etc..)

Also, I've been thinking of adding some micronutrients that I have, which includes some iron. Would that pose any risks at this stage of the renovation?

Thanks!


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

There's not much issue spreading nitrogen at such low rates. Unless you have a spill the risk is minimal.

I think .25 lb is fine sprayed as long as it's watered in which you say your doing.

You can add iron if you like. I'd spray at a lower rate.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> There's not much issue spreading nitrogen at such low rates. Unless you have a spill the risk is minimal.
> 
> I think .25 lb is fine sprayed as long as it's watered in which you say your doing.
> 
> You can add iron if you like. I'd spray at a lower rate.


Thanks, I will adjust to .25 and just water in well and will also try the granular in a different area to see how that does. The iron product i plan on sprayimg is included with other micros and has a low % of Iron. I will use that at a lower rate.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

9/22/20 - 10/11/20 Update

Since my last update the following activities have occurred:
I have been entering my activities into this countdown app, which allows for pictures. It has been really nice to track days since and days between various activities.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=smsr.com.cw&hl=en&gl=US





Some updated pictures

*September 25, 2020 **(+49D after seeding) (+41DAG)*



*September 29, 2020 **(+53D after seeding) (+45DAG)*





*October 5, 2020 **(+59D after seeding) (+51DAG)*



*October 11, 2020 **(+65D after seeding) (+57DAG)*





The leaves are dropping fast, as are temperatures. I think the mowing will be slowing down very soon as will my nitrogen apps. I've been sticking with foliar Urea applications (.20-.25/M) every 5 to 7 days was watering in within 4 hours. Sprinklers are being blown out tomorrow, so that will make the watering component more challenging.

I don't feel my spreader and/or spreading skills are very good at such a low dose to broadcast. Will need to figure out final steps as we get closer to winter and may need to back off of the fertilizer at this point.

Today I spent about an hour pulling out Poa Annua growth in various areas of the yard, but nothing too crazy. Some of it had seed heads while others didn't. *Is there still value in spraying Prodiamine this late into the season? *I did not do a second Tenacity application as the weeds have not been a big problem.

The next 10 day forecast indicates highs in the upper 50's and lows in the mid to upper 30's.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Things are winding down and we had our first bit of snow flurries here. Weather looks good into next week (back into the 60's, so may be able to mow at least one more time)

Here are some Halloween 10/31/2020 Pictures and I video 85DASD, 77DAG.






(Seeded at 3lbs/1000SF)










The plugs have filled in well. The ants were taking all of my seed near the street.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

We had lot's of snow and well over 60 days of continuous cover during the Winter.
It all melted around the 1st of March. This was the first year I had experienced snow mold. about a month later, I can report that it is not noticeable and the KBG has filled in.



As of April 6th, I've mowed the back yard 2x and the front KBG area only 1 time.
The back yard has much better soil, and I overseeded with Champion GQ PRG last fall. The back yard is growing fast and greening up real nicely.

Font Yard - Kentucky Bluegrass Only (Seeded Fall 2020)







Back Yard - Kentucky Bluegrass overseeded with Champion GQ (Overseeded Fall 2020)


Around September of 2020 (last Fall), I used the the Sun Joe Scarifier to go in all directions (random, to avoid a grid pattern issue with PRG), and then dropped Champion GQ seed at recommended overseeding rate in my back yard only. Prior to this, the back yard was original 15-year old sod, and had only been overseeded with KBG (Midnight and Mazama). So far, I am really liking the look of the PRG, as it adds a fine texture to the KBG. The early green up is also very noticeable and I feel the stripes are more visible due to the shiny nature of the PRG. Time will tell if this ends up being a good move or not.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Looks awesome! Been eagerly awaiting an update from you. Hoping to use the same BAM KBG blend when I take the plunge and reno my backyard, definitely considering splicing in some rye cause that looks nice.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

jskierko said:


> Looks awesome! Been eagerly awaiting an update from you. Hoping to use the same BAM KBG blend when I take the plunge and reno my backyard, definitely considering splicing in some rye cause that looks nice.


Thanks!! I just read through your reno lawn journal and 2021 updates. Your Bewitched is looking real nice, and I will be following along with your updates. Your goals for 2021 almost exactly mirror mine. I received my soil test back also and had 7.1 in the back and 8.4 in the front (clay), so I'm going to be working to lower them both.

Are you looking to level with straight sand, or a soil/sand mix? 
I have some minor bumpy issues I need to deal with, and I'm not sure about committing to sand yet.

I've been really happy with the BAM mixture. I was really close to going with Midnight instead of Award, but I'm not sure I would have been able to tell the difference. My back yard has some issues with Poa Annua and I think Poa Triv too. I rented a powered sod cutter last year and removed some of the lime green areas and replaced them with sod from another part of my yard. This year I purchased a Manual Sod Cutter as, I'm thinking this may be a battle over many years to get out ahead.

https://www.gardenersedge.com/sod-cutter-kick-type-with-12-inch-blade/p/SOD1?gclid=CjwKCAjwjbCDBhAwEiwAiudBy2YfdgkjQlZst1S9cdn6Q9pDb-vThcpoVFi7X5yIOUKBJLkH3AYLPBoCL7kQAvD_BwE

I look forward to your journal updates!


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Longtee81 said:


> Are you looking to level with straight sand, or a soil/sand mix?
> I have some minor bumpy issues I need to deal with, and I'm not sure about committing to sand yet.
> 
> I've been really happy with the BAM mixture. I was really close to going with Midnight instead of Award, but I'm not sure I would have been able to tell the difference. My back yard has some issues with Poa Annua and I think Poa Triv too. I rented a powered sod cutter last year and removed some of the lime green areas and replaced them with sod from another part of my yard. This year I purchased a Manual Sod Cutter as, I'm thinking this may be a battle over many years to get out ahead.


I will definitely be using soil for any leveling this year. I have some areas where I will have to raise things by a matter of inches (either by topdressing gradually or cutting, filling, and replacing sod). Once I get to the "almost there" stage I may switch to sand for fine tuning, but from a nutritional standpoint I can't afford to have a several inch layer of sand and expect the lawn to thrive.

My back yard is riddled with Triv. We're talking like 20%. I have let it go over time and I try not to go crazy with the chemicals since I have a kid and 3 dogs that run the show in the back. The sod cutting seems like it'd be a much easier means of mechanical removal. Thanks for the lead on that!


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Long time since an update.

The grass has been doing real well up until this point.
Unfortunately I'm seeing signs of the return/emergence of the bluegrass billbugs I dealt with last year.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19813&p=405085#p405085

I've been happy with color and overall look of this renovation, and I much prefer it to what's in the back yard (original sod + ryegrass) Here are a few pics of it in good shape from today, before they Billbugs get to work destroying it this next month.

I'm sure it will in again this Fall, but keeping my fingers crossed they are not as bad as last year.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

There's definitely a slight difference between you and your neighbors lawn there ;-). Looks great.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

It has seemed to survive the billbug attack this summer. Thanks to about 5 inches of rain we got the last week.l! Damage was stopped in its tracks (I hope).

Some updated pics.

Thanks @g-man for the Cyzmic CS suggestion. I got it down and watered in and didn't have a repeat of 2020!







Now I need to figure out why my mower is leaving waves. I'm guessing it the yard needs some sand leveling but also wonder if my JD220E needs to be checked over by a pro to make sure I have it squared up and in balance.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

It needs sand + go slower + change directions


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

Haven't posted a lot of updates, but lawn held up pretty well through the year. I'm dealing with Poa Triv in a few locations, but nothing major yet. I'm really happy with these varieties, and will be considering them again for a future back yard renovation.

I was holding off on having Fiber Internet installed to my home for fear of causing damage to my yard.
This month I figured I might as well go ahead and I could deal with leveling in the Spring. It did minimal damage and should be fine come spring.

This video captured on my security camera was kind of funny as their installation technician momentarily thought I had artificial turf, when assessing how they would trench the cable to my home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiUz5ozSaDI


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## WCtotheB (Apr 20, 2021)

Longtee81 said:


> Haven't posted a lot of updates, but lawn held up pretty well through the year. I'm dealing with Poa Triv in a few locations, but nothing major yet. I'm really happy with these varieties, and will be considering them again for a future back yard renovation.
> 
> I was holding off on having Fiber Internet installed to my home for fear of causing damage to my yard.
> This month I figured I might as well go ahead and I could deal with leveling in the Spring. It did minimal damage and should be fine come spring.
> ...


The ultimate compliment!

Love your whole yard. I did a late mazama reno in N Idaho and can't wait to get it going in spring since it didn't fill in before it got cold.


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## Longtee81 (Oct 5, 2019)

WCtotheB said:


> Longtee81 said:
> 
> 
> > Haven't posted a lot of updates, but lawn held up pretty well through the year. I'm dealing with Poa Triv in a few locations, but nothing major yet. I'm really happy with these varieties, and will be considering them again for a future back yard renovation.
> ...


Thanks for your kind words!

I had a huge portion of my side yard that struggled to grow in before winter and I was amazed at how quickly it took off in the Spring. By June you would never know!

Great pick with Mazama!


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