# New construction. New "lawn".



## Bookworm (May 5, 2019)

Hey everyone- been watching a lot of YouTube videos (primarily LCN) and reading various sources such as here, Reddit, etc.

We are closing on our new house next week. It is just built. The builder used a pretty generic "builder's grade" seed, or so the realtor said. Since we are getting into middle of May, probably late May when we move in, wanted to see what my options are. I am new to lawncare (historically renter or apt dweller), so wanted to run my plan by some knowledgeable folks who could fill in some gaps for me. I plan on starting a yard journal the day we close.

Just some notes... Nashville, TN so I believe this is zone 7a. Current grass is some kind of fescue mix (I think), but I am new so pretty bad at ID I am sure. 










1. We are on .61 acre lot, minus the house we are right about 23,000sq ft lawn. No hill, no trees except for the back line bordering a field. It's basically a house and a bunch of flat open yard. My wife is convinced I will need a lawn tractor, and not gonna lie- the idea of having a wagon, dethatcher, aerator, etc is nice when I need them. My wife is super green thumb when it comes to gardens and outdoor, so being able to not have to lug bags of whatever she wants around the yard is a nice thought. However- would a lawn tractor be over kill for a yard that is just a bit larger than 1/2 acre? Granted I am not in the best shape, but certainly it could help. I was looking at the Toro TimeMaster as an option to help save time, but at $1000, it feels like you are quickly approaching lawn tractor costs. Any thoughts?

Here is a crude MS Paint drawing. I would use Google Earth or something, but since this is new construction it isn't on any map yet.










2. Backyard is coming in much better than the front. They just mowed the back down, so I can go grab more pictures of that later, but this was just before they mowed just to give an idea:










This is the front:

















My idea is to let whatever can grow this summer, grow. One of the neighbors next to us has just had half of their front yard filled with sod. I don't think I want to put sod in, so here is my thought:



Get a soil sample completed.
Maintain through the summer. Water/mow what is there. Quick edit: I assume I can rake out all of those rocks, debris, etc from the yard asap.
Dethatch in the fall.
Aerate in the fall.
Overseed with TTTF (being in transition zone, I think this is a pretty popular choice). Fertilize. Etc. 
Hope like hell I get something nice?  I am hoping a nice TTTF overseed will fill in what gaps there are, and replace what is currently there.


Being new, I think doing a complete rip & replace of the lawn is a bit above my experience and comfort level. But maybe after 1.5 - 2 seasons, I may be more comfortable with it.

3. What do you do with a runoff ditch out front? Do you just mow up to the edge? Do you get down there and whack all the grass down with a lawn trimmer? This is what I am referring to, it runs across the front of the house to a retention pond at the end of the street:










Thanks for any advice!


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## SullyCT79 (May 14, 2018)

Hey man stick with it. When we moved into our new construction house back in 2012 our yard looked a lot like your 1st pic. The contractor seeded it twice and bot times came in like crap. The following spring we ripped it all up and reseeded it all. I included a pic of what it looks like today.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Welcome to TLF!
Your new house is beautiful. 
A flat, non-shaded lot sounds like heaven.



Bookworm said:


> Current grass is some kind of fescue mix (I think), but I am new so pretty bad at ID I am sure


Ky31 fescue and annual rye are popular choices for new construction; but I'm seeing a lot of weeds in the pics. That is also very common, btw. Last year, my neighbor's new construction lawn was seeded by contractors with Ky31 in May, and by July, it was 80 percent weeds.


Bookworm said:


> My wife is convinced I will need a lawn tractor, and not gonna lie- the idea of having a wagon, dethatcher, aerator, etc is nice when I need them.


I have to agree with your wife on the tractor/zero turn. You will be mowing frequently (every 3-4 days during growth periods in the spring and fall), and a tractor will save a lot of time. A wagon/wheelbarrow will help with seeding efforts. The aerator and dethatcher can be rented, unless you are just really into having your own equipment.



Bookworm said:


> My idea is to let whatever can grow this summer, grow. One of the neighbors next to us has just had half of their front yard filled with sod. I don't think I want to put sod in, so here is my thought:
> Get a soil sample completed.
> Maintain through the summer. Water/mow what is there. Quick edit: I assume I can rake out all of those rocks, debris, etc from the yard asap.
> Dethatch in the fall.
> ...


That is a solid plan, IMO. You can work on improving your soil during the summer and also look for debris that may be under the soil surface.
TTTF is a fine choice. Since you are not doing a complete renovation right now, know that your color will not be uniform. That may bother you, but I think you are making a good choice in delaying your reno. It is a matter of tolerating imperfection while you await the pursuit of it later.
I also suggest that you use the summer to practice applying post-emergents. Learn how to mix and safely apply a three-way concentrate like weed-b-gone with quinclorac. 
In the transition zone, some of your biggest obstacles will be invasive bermudagrass and dallisgrass, diseases such as brown patch, and getting enough water to your fescue during the hot days of summer. Read up on fungicides and plan to apply once you get your fescue up and running.


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## dacoyne (May 27, 2018)

Do you have irrigation? That will help dictate what routes you can go when seeding. If not you will need to come up with a above ground sprinkler plan to keep the seed wet.


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## SantiCazorla (Sep 2, 2018)

For 23K sqft of lawn a ride on mower is a must. I mow my front 10,500 sqft lawn with 26" reel and back 15,000 sqft with 21" rotary and the quickest ive ever managed to mow was 2hrs.


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## Bookworm (May 5, 2019)

SullyCT79 said:


> Hey man stick with it. When we moved into our new construction house back in 2012 our yard looked a lot like your 1st pic. The contractor seeded it twice and bot times came in like crap. The following spring we ripped it all up and reseeded it all. I included a pic of what it looks like today.


That looks great. Thanks for the inspiration!



social port said:


> Welcome to TLF!
> Your new house is beautiful.
> A flat, non-shaded lot sounds like heaven.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I'll take your advice and work on getting the soil in good shape this summer.



dacoyne said:


> Do you have irrigation? That will help dictate what routes you can go when seeding. If not you will need to come up with a above ground sprinkler plan to keep the seed wet.


Unfortunately, no irrigation. With my wife siphoning funds away for some interior design and needing some furnishings, the 3-5k for an irrigation system isn't in the cards this year. If/when I ever decide to renovate the yard, I will make sure it is in the budget at that time. It will eventually make its way on the list. In the mean time- you are right. I will need to come up with a sprinkler solution.



SantiCazorla said:
 

> For 23K sqft of lawn a ride on mower is a must. I mow my front 10,500 sqft lawn with 26" reel and back 15,000 sqft with 21" rotary and the quickest ive ever managed to mow was 2hrs.


Ouch. That is longer than I was estimating. I was hoping to keep it around an hour of mowing, but it looks like that may not be realistic with a walk-behind.


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