# Revlus' SSS 80TTTF/20KBG blend - side yard reno



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Hey all.. long time reader... really appreciate this forum. Two reasons for this reno journal. 
1) Give back
2) This is a 'test' reno of about 1300ft² of my total of 20k, so want to document it. It's practice for a larger reno next year, and I"ll see if this is the blend I want to use.

I'll be using the Seed Super Store TTTF Blend (80%), and the SSS KBG Blend (20%) combined for me by SSS, for a sunny area.

Last year I overseeded with a 'local blend' specific for my area in Central Jersey, from a local place. All the Rye and Creeping Red Fescue, which was what germinated the best (due to my lack of knowledge of how fast other things can take)... all died off in the heat wave of 2019... and it looks... HORRIBLE.. The green part in the 1st pick below is the TTTF that survived. But.. time to start over I think in this small area and see what we can do.

8-21-2019 - Sprayed glyphosate to kill it all off.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Great! With the knowledge that you've acquired, it looks like you've put yourself in a good place. Do you have a grand plan?

Also, out of curiosity, which cultivars are in your SSS 80/20 mix?

I look forward to seeing your results. Good luck!


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Thanks... I may need some good luck!

Grand plan? Yea, I guess we'll see what the grand plan is after this small renovation.  If it goes well, and holds up to the heat next summer, and I can keep the red thread away that I had this year (I'll treat it better this time)... I'll do this same blend in the 12k I have in the front... but will need a shady blend for 6k in the back.

In terms of just this reno:
I'll wait a bit for the grass to die off, scalp it, and dethatch it. This particular area is fairly smooth, but I have some rocky areas (overflow from rock beds) I have to dig out... so I'm bringing in a little bit of soil, and was then going to roll and top dress with compost or pete. Fert, seed, and rake it in a little bit.

I am irrigated, and plan to water multiple times throughout the day. I'll throw down a starter, and have easy access to Oceangro.

Basically, following a lot of the advice I've found here with reading other folks reno pages. 

All advice is certainly welcomed!

The TTTF is (from the website):
*Regenerate* is a dark green variety with superior performance across all testing locations and maintenance schedules. It is #1 in the Northeast, North Central, High Maintenance, and Leaf Texture.

*4th Millennium* is a 4 star variety in every growing region.

*Raptor III* is #1 in the North Central region and is #1 for spring green-up. It gets 4 stars across the board for Overall Turfgrass Quality

*Amity* is a new standout tall fescue variety in the NTEP trials. It earns 4 stars for Overall Turfgrass Quality in every trial.

The KBG is:

*Midnight* is one of the most beautiful bluegrasses ever bred. Year after year it is at the top of the bluegrass trials for overall appearance. We use certified Midnight Kentucky bluegrass in our mixtures and blends.

*Bewitched:* This dark green variety has excellent turf quality and shade tolerance.

*Blue Note:* It dominates the Northeast and North Central!

Everything is from the Seed Super Store.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

That looks like a nice mix.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

8/25/2019 - Used the SunJoe Scarifier today to dig up all the thatch and dead grass. That little thing worked great. Going to water for a few more days, trying to get some weeds to germinate. I'll just have one more glyhosate round. Screened topsoil coming in to level it off. You don't notice how unlevel it really is until it's all dirt! Wow... I'll likely need more than the 2yards I originally planned for.... will need more like 4, for this very small area. Any leftover will help me fill in a bit of a hill and make it more uniform.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Bit of an update here... ended up doing quite a bit of work.

Killed it:









Bought 5 yards of screened topsoil for leveling out what I could now see was super bumpy and rough









SunJoe Scarified it. This actually was great for taking out some high spots, and digging up the rocks near the walkway and rockbeds the previous owner put in. What a royal PITA that was, cleaning up the mess so I could get some good soil in there.









Leveled it / smoothed it / got some rocks out with it:









Bring on the dirt! Used about 4.25 yards in this one area... to level, and build up a gulley of sorts. I watered it, settled it, ran over it with my tractor (didn't get the roller approved..... yet), and re-leveled.. a few times... 









Then I spread the seed... combo of 80% TTTF and 20% KBG from SeedSuperStore. They calculated the mix I had should be spread at 7lbs/1000.

















Then I put down a layer of Peat Moss for the end result:









Seed down was 9/3/2019. Good timing for my temps here in Central Jersey I think.

I need to put down the starter fert (will do 9/6).
I have the irrigation going for 3 minutes a shot (otherwise I get some runoff) every 3 hours. I work from home so am monitoring it... so far that seems pretty good. I'm using the 5.5 tips on the Hunter i20s, so they have a pretty good output in this area with my high water pressure.

Looking forward to some baby grass soon!

Anything I missed or should do?


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Beautiful property you have there. Nice work.....don't know if you have Tenacity but most use it at seed down as a pre emergent. Also I held off on fert at seed down. Hit it later, 4 weeks or so.

Nice seed selection too, I bought the ss1100 kbg. Seed down 10 days ago. Good luck


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> Beautiful property you have there. Nice work.....don't know if you have Tenacity but most use it at seed down as a pre emergent. Also I held off on fert at seed down. Hit it later, 4 weeks or so.
> 
> Nice seed selection too, I bought the ss1100 kbg. Seed down 10 days ago. Good luck


I have Tenacity in the small bottle... nothing mixed in with a starter.
Apply a label rate? The constant watering won't matter?

Also, I see a lot of different ideas out there about applying starter. Some say do it right away at seed down, others say wait until germination, and you waited 4 weeks? So since I wasn't sure, I just wanted to make sure I got it down before germination so the little baby grass had something to feed on and get good roots going.


----------



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Yes I think it's 4oz./acre....have you ever applied Tenacity? And yes it needs to be watered in.

As far as fert goes, some people apply at seed down and some wait for germination. I'm, as I said 10 days into a Reno and I plan on waiting til I get full germination. Kbg takes awhile to germinate so for me it's 3-4 weeks give or take.


----------



## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Definitely get the Tenacity down ASAP! It is worth it! I know what you're referring to for the starter debate. IMHO, drop OceanGro now, and starter (with mesotrione) later (30 days after germination) or a balanced fertilizer (5-5-5, 10-10-10, 15-15-15). It's not as important to do this in a reno, because the seed isn't competing with existing turf, but the biosolids seem to help with germination. I recently dug up a Rhode Island DOT/U of RI study that I lost a couple of years ago, and posted the info to find the pdf on TLF. I think that it's an interesting read.

Also, you can spoonfeed urea, once its established.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Well I got the Tenacity down and Oceangro down. Funny how this later in the season Oceangro smells like success so much more than the early spring Oceangro I got.... it was much more like the Milo this time. I have it all watered in... really hoping to see some germination in the next couple of days for the TTTF, and later on the KBG.

I probably got it down just in time too... saw a couple itsy bitsy teeny weeny green polka-dot lookin weeds.... (I pulled em).


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

9/9/2019 Update

Well... it's alive! TTTF has germinated. Whatever was covered the best, germinated the fasted... but many areas that weren't covered so well are only 1/2 day behind it looks like. I took this picture early this morning... already it's actually much greener.


----------



## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Congrats!


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

So... I'll just go ahead and admit it... lol. I screwed up and over applied Tenacity. From what I see, I think it'll recover.. but slowly. Glad I started in a small area, trying out 'how to reno' first before doing the rest of the yard.










Anyhow, with the rest of my top soil, seed, starter fert, etc. I also tackled a hell strip this year. The two lessons learned from the first reno were to top dress the peat moss more fully and evenly... and of course don't over apply tenacity. So we'll see how it goes....

For this hell strip, the soil was low, especially around the mailbox... so I spent a good amount of time cleaning things up, and then laying down about a total of 1 yard of screen top soil. Packed it down, re-leveled, etc.. Threw down the same seed, then starter fert, then Ocean Gro, then peat moss, and packed it all down a bit more, and hit it with water via a hose. I'm noticing my irrigation doesn't do well for about a 8 foot section of this (mailbox gets in the way, dangit) so I'll do both.... irrigate on a schedule and supplement with the hose as I can. Final product is here:


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Revlus said:


> Thanks... I may need some good luck!
> 
> Grand plan? Yea, I guess we'll see what the grand plan is after this small renovation.  If it goes well, and holds up to the heat next summer, and I can keep the red thread away that I had this year (I'll treat it better this time)... I'll do this same blend in the 12k I have in the front... but will need a shady blend for 6k in the back.
> 
> ...


----------



## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

Revlus said:


> Thanks... I may need some good luck!
> 
> Grand plan? Yea, I guess we'll see what the grand plan is after this small renovation.  If it goes well, and holds up to the heat next summer, and I can keep the red thread away that I had this year (I'll treat it better this time)... I'll do this same blend in the 12k I have in the front... but will need a shady blend for 6k in the back.
> 
> ...


Great picks on your seed! I have the same mix but I have bluebank, bewitched and Mazama for Kbg.

Here's a spot that seeded the 80/20 mix.

9/5/19



10 days later(this am)
9/15/19

The bare spot is my fault. I had 3 irrigation heads that overlapped that same spot so it overwatered the seed. I actually was able to block 2/3 heads from spraying that area. I'm starting to get seed to take. I'm going to wait a couple more days and probably overseed that area again with tttf/kbg, if the seed doesn't take.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Scagfreedom48z+ said:


> Great picks on your seed! I have the same mix but I have bluebank, bewitched and Mazama for Kbg.
> 
> Here's a spot that seeded the 80/20 mix.
> 
> ...


Hey that's looking good.... I can't wait to see yours mature some more.... Thanks for posting! I'll have to use some of those more shade tolerant KBG seeds for other areas of my yard.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

9/18/2019 Update

So my over application of Tenacity on the 1st reno area slowed things down for sure... what a butthead thing to do. But it's recovering and starting to thicken up in areas it was pretty weak before. I think there is still some good growing season left here in central jersey. Hitting 87 on Sat/Sun I see. I also have the KBG germinated fairly well it seems, so I'm hoping that will help it all fill in nicely. I don't see the KBG turning white, so maybe the worst is over now. I'm feeling relieved at this point. I think you'll notice a lot more green in this photo than any earlier ones.










My other reno area...my hell strip by the road has germinated in exactly 4 days! So putting down that good layer of peat really helped I think. In my pic below... I only saw with my eyes that one blade popping up.... but then when I looked at the picture I saw quite a bit more!! So I'm confident we are on our way with the 2nd reno area.
Note: It started first where there was an abundance of OceanGro.... Which might not mean much after four days... but the starter fert also likely pooled a bit in that area with one of my waterings before I got it dialed in better.... and this is the area that germinated first. Not sure if there is a correlation there, but thought I'd mention it. I'll look around more tomorrow for more evidence.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Here is a pic of the germinated KBG from 9/16/2019


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

9/24/2019 Update on both reno areas.

The TTTF on the 1st area is going strong... with the KBG starting to bulk up as well. Excited to see how this is getting thicker.... though areas behind the tree didn't get as much water with my irrigation, so it's thinner back there. I can walk on it now, so I'm supplementing with some hand watering... deeply, once a day. The water rolls down the hill, so the bottom is quite wet, so not putting much there at all recently, even in this heat. Perhaps one more week I can mow if the weather cools down.










The hellstrip has also germinated very nicely.. and more evenly because I did a much better job with the peat moss layer.
The KBG has also germinated, as I see the tiny babies in there. My tenacity application has also been much better this time around.... only a couple weeds went white, and the grass doesn't seem affected at all.

The warm weather is here... so i'm making sure to keep the daily deep waterings going on both... as needed.


----------



## Avalawn T (Sep 11, 2018)

Might just be me but I would cut that. 2 inches. Looks great though.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Avalawn T said:


> Might just be me but I would cut that. 2 inches. Looks great though.


Yes, thanks for the confirmation that I should.... and I agree... I'm letting the ground dry out a bit first. I don't have a lightweight mower.


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Well I gave it a mow at 2.5 inches. Didn't want to go down to 2.... even though I leveled, I had to use a 54" garden tractor to cut it... didn't want to scalp anything.

Here is the before... and after.

Seed down was 9/3/2019. Bottom pic from today 9/25/2019


----------



## NateM (Sep 12, 2019)

Looks great!


----------



## Revlus (Apr 4, 2019)

Well, not good news...

I see remnants of it on the 1st reno, and active fungus on the hellstrip reno.

It looks like Pythium Blight. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/ex...W_lG_PiagitesKff0JLyXF_lP20GsCCiPtfj3xcLy40Jk

So.... I put down some DiseaseEx (because I had it), because it PREVENTS it.... doesn't cure it...
While I wait for my generic of Subdue Maxx (mefenoxam)... saved $20. Which is supposed to do wonders on Pythium Blight.

I've been watering DEEPLY once a day.... but lately.. there was always dew on the grass and then this warmer weather... and then, I felt like 'something' was off the last couple days.... spots were growing slower... hanging down, etc.... then BAM!! It looked like this overnight.

I did put OceanGro down (like milo), and everyone says "oh its' just mycellium don't worry about it" but um... it's DYING... my grass is DYING... lol. So yea... we'll see what the DiseaseEx (preventative) and mefenoxam(Curative) does.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Cut the water off for a day. Let it dry up until the mefenoxam shows up.


----------

