# [PNW][PRG] SOLARSUPLEX Lawn Journal - 2021 Starts on page 7



## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Hey TLF - Had an ongoing post  here but figured it was time to transition to an actual journal in the correct subforum.

My Fiance and I bought our first home at the start of COVID and both immediately commented on how much work the yards needed. I come from a family of DIYers and have always been comfortable around tools and labor.

Here is the rough journey so far.

Start -









Sifted everything larger than 5/8th" out down a foot deep and more where the bushes and tree was.









Added a small garden to make up the height difference that was hiding under the bushes. There was previously a bunch of large stones acting as a retaining wall under the bushes. Those are all now in the backyard pending their next purpose in life. 









I'd been toying with the idea of installing irrigation, but after reading through the irrigation tutorial website, i decided it was not in scope for this renovation and started getting to all the work above. Then after i'd ordered my topsoil i started looking at the prices of sprinklers, hoses, fittings, and decided i really should just do the irrigation. I ended up with 2 zones, one that runs along the sidewalk with 4 heads, then another that extends along the brick wall with 3 heads. Coverage is great for the entire front portion and non existant for the side at the moment.

I did not opt to plumb everything into the house or use any valves at the moment, so this is a semi manual below ground irrigation system. I still need to go out and turn them on which is okay with me. I'll change this to a full automated system in the future.

Seed Down on 9/12 with SS9000 blend. This is 3 different PRG varieties:
1. Rake top layer of soil to get fluffy
2. Drop seed at recommended rate with drop spreader (scotts 2000)
3. Rake seed into top layer.
4. Drop starter fert (18-24-6)at recommended rate
5. Roll 
6. Cover in 2 bags of peatmoss (I feel this went on rather thick and i'd probably cut back in the future)
7. Water!









9/17 - Germination


Plans going forward:

9/27 - drop .5lb of this starter fert over the lawn. my calc puts 16%N on 400 sqft a .5 of the bag. 
9/27 - drop additional seed in low germination zones

Explore what herbicides I need for the weed that i'm likely going to encounter in my area and have started to see already. Broadleaf are pretty prevalent but i'm sure the topsoil had a surprise seed or two in it so we'll wait and see.

Mow once I get to 2" which is hopefully AFTER i drop the additional seed so the clippings can act as some kind of continued nutrients and help keep water in.

Thats the front... The back is a different story. I've been doing a lot of work back there to just get it liveable since we have a 14 week puppy that gets into everything i cant tear the thing up and go to town on hit just yet.


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## f_l (Aug 11, 2020)

noticed on the other thread you mentioned about walking on it - i would try not to until first mow. but, not the end of the world if you do. ive gotten some weed in my reno that i just hand pick as much as possible. def weeds from top soil that is inevitable.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

f_l said:


> noticed on the other thread you mentioned about walking on it - i would try not to until first mow. but, not the end of the world if you do. ive gotten some weed in my reno that i just hand pick as much as possible. def weeds from top soil that is inevitable.


Hey @f_l, Thanks for reading through! Noted to not walk on it. I did take a step out the other day to pick up a few rather pieces of bark that had shown up when the peat moss moved a bit. The weeds in the topsoil is pretty irritating because they seem to be germinating better / faster than the grass itself. I found this article (likely posted by gman somewhere) that outlines the timeframes for putting down herbicide after seeding: https://www.agry.purdue.edu/turfnew/tips/2008/04_10delays.html

I dont want to put too much stress on things right away but i also didnt do all this work to end up with a weed filled yard. I'm also just not at the mental point to order tenacity given its expense but i know the one bottle will likely last me a VERY long time given the size of my yards.

Did a spot check with a flashlight tonight on a few areas to check germ and see if i'd developed any super blank patches. I'm actually thinking I seeded a bit on the shy side of the given weight which just means i'll do okay with a bit of a light broadcast in a few weeks. My neighbor told me that he saw a bunch of crows digging around in the lawn today around 10AM which was about 2 hours after i'd run the sprinklers for the first time of the day. At first i thought they'd be eating seed, but now that i've gone out at night i realized how many worms there are in the yard. Thats got to be their target.


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## f_l (Aug 11, 2020)

I put Tenacity down and still getting a ton of weeds (especially crabgrass) in my reno. It is quite frustrating and almost dont even believe that tenacity works. but, it may probably be worse without the tenacity. The area I reno'ed was around 1200 sqft and I've just resigned to manually pick weeds until i can put another app of tenacity down (30 days after germination or after 2 mows, whichever is later)

with your front, if you have the time, it might be worth it just manually pick at it as much as possible. maybe think of it as like a 15 min chore everyday haha.

You did a ton of work though! It's gonna turn out great.


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## f_l (Aug 11, 2020)

one note - dropping seed on 9/27 might be a waste? When is first frost in Washington?


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@f_l

Once i'm able to walk on the yard i'll be out there plucking those little suckers until the sun goes down. I posted  in the cool season weed ID thread  about the weeds i am seeing come through. They've been suggesting a broadleaf herbicide will tackle them which means i'll have to wait until the lawn is at a point where i can do that. I think i need to take advantage of the growing season while its still around for a couple more months and just push N into the grass and pull the weeds by hand to avoid stressing anything with other chems.

First frost is projected for 10/26 which would give that 9/27 'overseed' about a month to establish. Seeing as i had germ in 5-6 days i'm HOPING 3 weeks of growth is enough to not be a waste. I bought 10lb of seed and used nearly a quarter of it on the yard so i'm okay using a bit more even if it does end up being pointless. Seems the upside is greater than the downside with that course of action.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

9/18 front update:



Introduction of the back and overall area:

I have a friend that works for a company that provides in depth aerial photography and blueprinting of homes for roofers and siding companies to give customer quotes without having to go on site. He managed to pull a report of my property so i could get slightly better photos from the sky to show the space im working with. Not nearly drone quality but sure beats the public info available on google maps or google earth.

Here is a view that clearly shows the front area prior to anything i'd done. You can see the way that tree took over the front of the home and made any visibility out that front window basically 0.


Here is an overall top view that shows the back and side very well. The grey 'box' on the top right is a 6" raised sand bed that the previous owners had a playset and fake turf on. The smaller white square on it is the turf that i folded up into a cube before i got rid of it. I plan to put 2 raised flower beds in that upper right corner and then extend the lawn throughout that area. If i were to add a shed in the future, that right side near the AC unit is the most likely location.


The backyard was in a slightly better shape when i took possession but still needs a lot of love. Just to see what happened i worked on just that left side over the last few days.

Dethatched every which way with the sunjoe and dropped some seed from a local garden store I picked up. It's 70% PRG and 20% fescue. Topper with a full 2lb it starter fert just because it's what I had. Haven't watered in because we're expecting light rain for the next 48 hours. Yay for the PNW.

Quick snap after that work:


You can see in the top corner there that there is a drain that has been installed because the neighbor behind me is raised up about 2 ft. The neighbor on the left has a raised patio in that corner (visible in the top down shot above) and i suspect the drain is needed during the heavy rain months to avoid the back turning into a swamp as its a bit of a low point. I pulled all the weeds and rocks off it and cleaned out the housing (full of spiders and grime). I' need to figure out what to do with this space when i do put more effort into the back. I might end up just leveling my area best i can with a steep ramp near that fence area with some river rock or something similar. 


There is currently no irrigation back here other than the rotary head i've got on a stake rigged up to the garden hose. Whether i trench and plumb something in next spring is up in the air. For now i'll just be playing with the area and trying to get it looking somewhat good while mowing it down rather consistently while i work on building the planters on the right side. You'll also see the single privacy tree in a bucket that a neighbor brought over and just gave me since they saw i was doing a ton of work. I plan to pick up 10-15 of them and put them in the 2" gap that is between the brick wall and the back fence.


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## f_l (Aug 11, 2020)

If you don't mind wasting then that works! I have some bare spots in my reno and don't plan on re-seeding - mainly because I am doing KBG and know it won't make it through winter at this late in the game. I'm happy to fix next spring.

the amount of care, detail, and agonizing you put in your 400 front makes me wonder what the 1000 back will be when time comes haha


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

f_l said:


> If you don't mind wasting then that works! I have some bare spots in my reno and don't plan on re-seeding - mainly because I am doing KBG and know it won't make it through winter at this late in the game. I'm happy to fix next spring.
> 
> the amount of care, detail, and agonizing you put in your 400 front makes me wonder what the 1000 back will be when time comes haha


Just edited my prior post with a bit more detail about the back if you're intersted!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

7 days after seed down
2 days after germination



I knew we were going to get rain all day yesterday so In the morning I hand tossed about 10 handfuls of seed into spots that were looking thinner than the rest. Heading out this morning the ground was soaked so no need for irrigation to be run.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

8 Days after seed down
3 days after germination



Blades are looking vibrant compared to the past few days. Hoping they darken up a bit as their about the same color as a tennis ball right now. Looking forward to cutting this but know thats a bit away.

I'm getting very impatient at the moment and want to keep working on the yard. This part is the worst.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Found some spiderweb looking spot in the lawn this afternoon. It's been pretty moist for about 2 days now because of rain. I've done very little if any irrigation.

Is this Fungus I should be worried about?





Secondly. When I oversees with more PRG in the thin spots, how do I take the seed into the top layer? Should I rather just place them on and step on them then cover in peat moss?


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## Navitron (Jun 12, 2020)

Unless it's affecting the grass I wouldn't worry about it. It's just the local PNW fungi saying hi to a their new grass neighbors. The fungi that causes diseases are always present in the soil it's when they overgrow it can become a problem. You see it more often on days with high humidity when the ground stays wet for extended periods of time ie. peat moss during a seeding.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Navitron said:


> Unless it's affecting the grass I wouldn't worry about it. It's just the local PNW fungi saying hi to a their new grass neighbors. The fungi that causes diseases are always present in the soil it's when they overgrow it can become a problem. You see it more often on days with high humidity when the ground stays wet for extended periods of time ie. peat moss during a seeding.


Cheers! Glad it's not something I need to take swift action against.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Noticed a spot where an animal had dug up a section looking for worms and I noticed the bottom 20% of the stalks in that area were red. Is this normal?

A little difficult to see but here is what I'm looking at.


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## Navitron (Jun 12, 2020)

Yes completely normal the baby grass only has so much energy reserves when it first germinates. As the grass grows the red part will fill with chlorophyll and turn green. It only turns the parts that get light, green with chlorophyll to photosynthesize.

Fun fact all green plants grass, leaves etc. always have those red and orange dark pigments that you usually see in the fall in them. In autumn the trees recycle the chlorophyll into sugars that it store over winter, and we see the true color of leaves without the chlorophyll.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Navitron said:


> Yes completely normal the baby grass only has so much energy reserves when it first germinates. As the grass grows the red part will fill with chlorophyll and turn green. It only turns the parts that get light, green with chlorophyll to photosynthesize.
> 
> Fun fact all green plants grass, leaves etc. always have those red and orange dark pigments that you usually see in the fall in them. In autumn the trees recycle the chlorophyll into sugars that it store over winter, and we see the true color of leaves without the chlorophyll.


Well there is my botany lesson for the day! This is bringing me back to my earlier college years chlorophyll was the answer to many exam questions.

Thank you and thank god there was no issue with the turf. Can you tell i'm paranoid about fungus and disease?


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

5 DAG



I spent a bit of time with the American Reel mower I picked up and was able to adjust it to the lowest setting. This puts the bedknife just about 1/2" from the ground. Nowhere near ready for first mow yet but went over the back a few times to test the height and surprisingly the one side is fairly level but could use some work in the future.

Yesterday i also swapped 2 the sprinkler heads to rainbird adjustable rotary heads so I can tune back the distance a bit. Now i'm not watering the sidewalk but still getting solid coverage across the yard.

In terms of sand dressing, i've read and seen that if you level with sand once, you cannot continue with topsoil at a later date because that leads to issues with the layering of the ground material. This means i'll likely level with sifted topsoil. With that in mind, how do i fight weed seed that comes in with the top soil since i cant glypho the yard after its been spread.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Being the most impatient person ever... We've gotten 1.65" of rain over the last 48 hours according to Rainfall Totals and it stopped coming down for 45 minutes this afternoon. I got out there, loaded up the spreader and dropped more sead across the entire yard and made effort to go over the more bare spots slightly more than the other areas. Then dropped more starter fert (which i know will help the existing grass) but i want the upcoming rain to water that in.

Filled the roller to 40% capacity and went over the entire yard for about 15 minutes to ensure good seed to soil contact. Just hoping some of those seed germinate as i was not able to really rake them into the soil as much as i would have liked.

I meant to do this in a few days but seeing those bare spots was taking a toll on my mental health and the amount of rainfall we've had and in the forecast means I can get by without having to irrigate.

A local has offered to split a bottle of Tenacity which I intend to end of next month as 30 days after germination is suggested.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Looking like I'll get my first mow in today! Weather is letting up and we'll have a week of mid 55-70's with some sun and less rain. Hoping some of the overseed I dropped has a chance to germinate.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

First mow! Waited until the ground had dried up a bit more. Need to adjust my bed knife to reel on the mower because it wouldn't cut paper. Just bent it. Looking good but definitely need this new seed to germinate to get some more fill in.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Looks really good! I think it will fill in pretty good before Winter. Just need a few more weeks like this one and your grass will be off to the races! Look like your front faces south? If so, that will help with the moss (already found some on a shady area in my back yard!)


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

Just keep mowing it as often as you can, several times a week. Cutting forces the plants to tiller more leaves. This will help it get dense more quickly.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob Thank you very much! Yepp, front faces South! The west side of my house was just a dirt passage that i since covered in weedblocker and gravel. It was 90% moss before. Running the sunjoe through the east side of the house i feel i could have gone forever and still picked up moss. I've yet to do a full glypho on that side and commit to renovating it. The irrigation doesn't go all the way over there so i'd have to trench and plumb that in also... What fertilizer are you using? I've been trying to do my research on cheapest way to get Urea. I grabbed a 15lb bag of CHS which was something like 29 - 0- 2 for $12. Not the most cost effective compared to some of the guys on here. I've seen people pick up 50lb bags for nearly $15.

@FuzzeWuzze Thats the plan. I'm trying to talk to other shorter kept yard members on their mowing habits and how to train my PRG to stay low. I think that means just mow every day at a lower and lower setting while pushing N.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Ordered lapping compound for the reel mower. Big thanks to @jrubb42 on the help getting things dialed in.

Cut at 1.25 with a slightly better cut on the reel. I really need to top dress with soil to get the yard back up to the sidewalk. Everything sunk which was slightly expected after the sifting and irrigation install.

Threw down .2lb / 1000sqft N via a 28% Urea source. Watered in for 10 min zone. I think I'm going to grab another bail of peat moss today and heavily over seed the bare areas with proper covering. I'd just been throwing seed down and I'm fairly sure 90% of it went to the birds. I ordered a few of those shiny pinwheels to hopefully scare them off this time.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

I use Vigoro 29-0-4 that I get from home depot. It's urea, methylene ureas and is 7% slow release. I've also used milo, but my kids and wife hate the smell, so I'm not sure I'll be using it in the future. Last time I calculated the Vigoro is about $3/lb N. I've not been able to source urea in a big bag locally, but honestly I don't think I need a big bag either given that my lawn is only 4K sqft!

A lot of the advice on this forum can be midwest focused and for HUGE lawns!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob Its hard to keep that in mind when reading posts.

My math to get .2lb of N down on my 400 sqft put me at .28lb of product. I actually just broke my food scale so didnt have a good way.. but to visualize thats 1/60th of the 15lb bag i bought. So that thing should really last me a while... I just gave it a good dump in the spreader and started walking til it was gone.,


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## Navitron (Jun 12, 2020)

Wilco has really cheap fertilizers https://www.farmstore.com/?s=&cat=445&instock&pg=1&ship=false
A single 50 lb bag will last you years with your lawn size. I would personally go with a more balanced fertilizer especially when you just seeded, young grass roots can't take up Phosphorus bound in soil as well as mature grass. I would keep using the starter fert or a 1:1:1 (16-16-16 from wilco is a good choice) is what I'm using for the first 2 feedings for my fall overseed.

If you want to go just straight Urea do it next year when your grass is more mature. As well as a soil test that the rest of your nutrients are good.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@Navitron Thanks for the advice there - I'll be grabbing a more generic bag of 16-16-16 and applying that for the next round of N. I"m very much of the mindset that i cant OVERDO it to the point of no return, so i may be wasting a bit of product with the frequency of what i'm putting down but i'm also using nearly a quarter pound of product from 15lb bags so its not really like i'll be running out any time soon.

I met up with @PNW_TurfNoob and split a bottle of Tenacity and picked his brain about my turf. Looking forward to getting some of this down as i'm really starting to see little weeds pop up. I did actually find a bit of moss upon a close look when i got home today. Looks like i'll be researching products for moss control next!



I pulled 2 sprigs of clover today and a 15 minute walk through for anything i saw. My first broadleaf came up and got that sucker out of there as soon as possible.

I'm at a point of making decisions now. I've got two separate projects on my hands and curious what some of your approaches would be.

I have the back side that was previous leveled with about 6" of sand and gravel for a play structure. I've used the sand and gravel elsewhere (retaining wall in front) aside from a pile that i estimate at a yard or less. I'll likely use this for the footings of a future shed that will be in the back. After getting rid of the fake turf and weed blocker + wood surround i w met with a very nicely conditioned soil. The owners before the last had rose bushes in the back and this must have been the previous bed because the soil was super dark and i found some rose roots. . Tilled that area and leveled it. need to get it brought up a bit to match the rest of that side of the yard, however i'm thinking i'll handle that with a backyard renovation next year. For now i'm thinking i'll just throw seed down and cover with a bit of peat and let the rain do its thing. I can irrigate with a single rotor head in the middle enough for germination but then let nature take over after. Is this a waste of my time this late in the year?



The second project is my hell strip. I hit it with glypho when i killed the front and its stayed rather dead. Im wondering if its worth dethatching with the sunjoe and just seeding then cover with peat as well.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

It was nice to meet up with you @SOLARSUPLEX. That last shot from your driveway looks really good! You should have cul-de-sac domination in no time!

I think you probably still have time to seed the hell (aka vanity) strip. You can apply Tenacity at the time of seeding as well to keep broadleaf pressure down. I believe the label also says that it will work as a pre-emergent for Poa Annua as well.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@PNW_TurfNoob Nice to meet you and thank you again!

Mower at 1.25 HOC today after lapping the reel mower. I used 280 grit valve lapping compound and got it cutting really nice. One edge on one blade is oddly long and I need to pick up my files so I couldn't fix that today.

Dropped another tiny feeding of N on the front and watered it in while I cut down my hell strip trees.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Dug out the trees. Scalped, dethatched, seeded, rolled, peated the vanity strip yesterday just to get something green in there.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

I may have done a very smart or very dumb thing with the vanity strip yesterday. I split a bottle of Tenacity with @PNW_TurfNoob When i got it from him i set it in the trunk in the baggy and then moved it to the garage later that day. Sometime during that it had leaked a bit into the baggy and made a nice little mess. Cleaned things up but there was a bit pooled in the bag. I figured what the hell and put the 4 drops or so in my sprayer and filled it up with a gallon and sprayed it over the hellstrip.

If i had to guess it was a weak dose that will have no impact, but i dont have a syringe small enough to measure the amount i need to cover these tiny surface areas.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

The bit of tenacity I sprayed on the hell strip is working but I'm hoping I didn't torch my seedlings as well. They all came up red and pink but all the weeds have been turning white as well.

I picked up a general weed be gone from ortho that was labeled to handle broadleaf and clover which is what I've got on the main front. Needs a somewhat dry day to spray those weeds.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Spot sprayed

2,4-D, dimethylamine salt: 6.423%
Quinclorac: 2.13%
Dicamba, dimethylamine salt: 0.60%

on the smaller weeds at a 2.5oz / 400 sqft rate per the bottles instruction. I used only about half the tank so went around the rest of the property and just sprayed weeds until it was used up.

Im hoping the spot spray wont show many streaks or spots in the grass as apposed to if i'd done a blanket application. My NIS gets delivered tomorrow and after a week i'll blanket spray tenacity at the post emergent rate. I need to make a longer wand for my sprayer - having to bend over to get the wand closer to the ground is pretty annoying.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Looking for a bit of advice here.

@g-man @ABC123 @GrassOnTheHills

I spot sprayed these tiny weeds with the above product and just walking the yard today i'm seeing a TON that i did not spray. I should have done a blanket app and i'm kicking myself for not.

I have Tenacity + NIS on hand and was intending to do an app fairly soon. Would you guys suggest I reapply an app at the same rate of the 2,3-D, Quinc, Dicamba across the entire yard to get anything i missed or just jump straight to Tenacity.

The lawn is too young and its too late in the Season for Prodiamine and knowing this area, if i don't take care of these clovers before they spread they will be a pain in my *** for a long time. Do these look like the kind of weeds that will stick through the cold season and could otherwise be ignored and handled in spring? If i dont go for an app of Tenacity i'll mow and drop more N today instead.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Opted to wait on the chems a little longer to let the grass recover from what I sprayed before. A blanket of either chemical should take care of everything even if it grows for 2 weeks so i'm not in a major rush there.

Did a mow at 1 1/4" and the results were great. But after i saw @GrassOnTheHills cut at 1" i had to try shorter. Ended up at 7/8" and the turf looked unreal. This is the new standard in my eyes.

Dropped some more N and watered in. Finally got that sky pencil behind the wall in the ground also.

First at 1 1/4"



Then at 7/8th"


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Looking for a bit of advice here.
> 
> @g-man @ABC123 @GrassOnTheHills
> 
> ...


I can only speak for me, and I'm not experienced enough to really give advice one way or the other, but I've held off on any herbicides because I don't have anything aggressive enough that I feel like I need to tackle it immediately. That, coupled with the fact that I did a later overseed, I am not planning on applying Tenacity for another other reason than a pre-M which will be watered in immediately as soon as I'm done applying. It sounds like you wouldn't plan on watering it in, which from the advice I was given by @ken-n-nancy may not be a good idea being PRG is a little more sensitive to Tenacity and the grass is already pushing it on the younger side.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Opted to wait on the chems a little longer to let the grass recover from what I sprayed before. A blanket of either chemical should take care of everything even if it grows for 2 weeks so i'm not in a major rush there.
> 
> Did a mow at 1 1/4" and the results were great. But after i saw @GrassOnTheHills cut at 1" i had to try shorter. Ended up at 7/8" and the turf looked unreal. This is the new standard in my eyes.
> 
> ...


Looking good! I finally subscribed to your journal -- I had seen it before but didn't put together the fact that it was yours... Since you never had one in your signature I wasn't aware you had a journal, haha.

Edit: Looks like you do have it in your signature now, so maybe I just missed it 

I see a bit of washboarding (I think) in your pic at 7/8ths. I am seeing the same at 1", and I ordered a conveyor roller to hopefully combat that a bit and get a bit of a cleaner cut. I'll definitely be posting results in my journal, so stay tuned. It won't ship out to me until the 22nd, though.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@GrassOnTheHills I put it in my sig a week or so ago! No worries, ha.

My father works with conveyor systems and i asked if he could get me one of these rollers and he said he could make me something 2x heavier out of steel. I sent him the dimensions of that exact roller based on the thread in the equipment forum and he's working on fabbing it. I noticed the washboarding when I went lower as well so its definitely needed.

Thanks for your word on the herbicides. I ended up not doing anything since i didn't want to stress the lawn anymore than i already had.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Installed my dual roller today and gave it a rip. Did a first pass at 1" then another at 3/4".

Crazy to see snow in other journals and i'm out here mowing with blue skies. Very unlike the PNW but im sure it will be black and grey again in no time.

3/4" seems to be the limit until i level in the spring. I scalped one small bump that I believe was where i spilled a large amount of peatmoss when seeding. Soil stays damp pretty much 24/7 these days with temps in the 40's and 50's and rain coming through every few hours. When i se 100% probability of some heaver rain i'll run out there and throw some more fert down.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Mowed at 3/4"
Dropped .5lb N (i think i need more next season)
Blew out the sprinklers
Cleaned off my mowers and equipment.

Starting to plan for spring. That red bush is probably gonna get replaced with a gingko tree and i'll fill in the front garden and add the toppers.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

Not gonna lie just came here for the Audi. Would love to see more pics.

P.S. lawn looks pretty good too.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

OnyxsLawn said:


> Not gonna lie just came here for the Audi. Would love to see more pics.
> 
> P.S. lawn looks pretty good too.


Lol! Thank you. The current S4 stock looking other than clear corner reflectors and 102mm exhaust. EPL Stage 2 for some go and i'm happy with it.

My last was a B7 A4 that i drove to all the shows around here. Was a great car that.

A bit down the rabbit hole in terms of history but heres a photo dump.

































[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTMzxQZ0Dvk[/media]


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Noticed a slight amount of yellowing in areas yesterday. I'm not able to identify if the spots match up with where I sprayed herbicide prior or if this is PRG way of telling me it wants more nitrogen. I did a very small water in of my last application and i'm wondering if that is the cause. The ground temps are likely lower than 50F now which i'm reading is the cut off for N application via granular Urea.

If I can get my hands on 100% Urea am I good to continue foliar applications while temps continue to drop or am I done for the year?

This photo exaggerates the color a lot, but shows the splotchyness pretty well.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Noticed a slight amount of yellowing in areas yesterday. I'm not able to identify if the spots match up with where I sprayed herbicide prior or if this is PRG way of telling me it wants more nitrogen. I did a very small water in of my last application and i'm wondering if that is the cause. The ground temps are likely lower than 50F now which im reading is the cut off for N application via granular Urea.
> 
> If I can get my hands on 100% Urea am I good to continue foliar applications while temps continue to drop or am I done for the year?


I'm continuing N apps until growth stops. Also, check out my journal for my analysis and fixing of yellowing. @coreystooks noticed the same and asked about it in my journal. He might be seeing results by now from his N app a couple days ago...


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@GrassOnTheHills Blazing fast response! Thank you. Your journal is the reason I thought it may be N deficiency and im glad @coreystooks took action and had good results. I'm curious what rate of Iron you threw in when you sprayed? I've also yet to purchase any PGR but it seems necessary for next season. I've yet to do any spraying and now i'm looking at where I can purchase 46-0-0 Urea locally or online without buying a 50lb bag that i'll never get through with this teeny yard. Looks like a $50 bag can be had for nearly $38 which isn't terrible. Should last me a LONG time.

My only other thought is we have not had a lot of rain (crazy) in the last 4 days and i have not run irrigation other than the quick water in of my last granular app. I doubt this since the ground is still moist just because its cold and water is not leaving the ground.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> @GrassOnTheHills Blazing fast response! Thank you. Your journal is the reason I thought it may be N deficiency and im glad @coreystooks took action and had good results. I'm curious what rate of Iron you threw in when you sprayed? I've also yet to purchase any PGR but it seems necessary for next season. I've yet to do any spraying and now i'm looking at where I can purchase 46-0-0 Urea locally or online without buying a 50lb bag that i'll never get through with this teeny yard. Looks like a $50 bag can be had for nearly $38 which isn't terrible. Should last me a LONG time.
> 
> My only other thought is we have not had a lot of rain (crazy) in the last 4 days and i have not run irrigation other than the quick water in of my last granular app. I doubt this since the ground is still moist just because its cold and water is not leaving the ground.


Yeah, I'd be surprised if it were an irrigation issue. I noticed yellowing both times when missing my N window by 1-2 days, so it was a pretty fast response from the grass. After throwing N down I noticed improvements 1-2 days after if foliar and 3-4 days after if granular.

Regarding iron, I've been doing FAS applications at the rate specified here for cool season lawns (2.0oz FS and 1.7oz AS per k). I've seen really great results from that.

For prices on urea, I bought my 50lb bag for $29.99. I'm sure prices fluctuate a good bit between where we live.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@GrassOnTheHills Thats a great price. An $8 premium isnt bad considering im in more of a metro area. I plan to head out and pick it up and then dissolve and spray today.

For spraying Urea, are you mixing a surfactant or watering in after?


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> @GrassOnTheHills Thats a great price. An $8 premium isnt bad considering im in more of a metro area. I plan to head out and pick it up and then dissolve and spray today.
> 
> For spraying Urea, are you mixing a surfactant or watering in after?


I don't use surfactant (though that's really because I don't have any yet, I suppose you could!), and I generally spray in the afternoon and water in the morning after.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Local Site One said they don't sell nearly enough 46-0-0 to stock it. I could order it but no guarantee when it would show up. I picked up a 50# of 16-16-16 just to have which should cover my nitrogen needs for a good while.

Just noticed this issue today. I believe it's birds picking apart the turf for worms?



@g-man im bringing in top soil for a garden and will have extra - do you think my turf is too young or in the entirely wrong time of year to level some areas with screened top soil?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Those are earthworms making mounds. I don't know your weather. Does your lawn go dormant? I prefer sand for minor leveling.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@g-man it's my first year having a lawn. I'll need to read into the PNW in terms of dormancy. @PNW_George can you comment here?

I've seen reference to sand and thought of doing it for a finer level later down the line. This top soil round would be purely for some pretty low spots as a result of the ground settling where I trenched for the irrigation.

Thanks for the tip on earth works. They are EVERYWHERE.


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## PNW_George (May 28, 2018)

It doesn't go dormant and turn brown like some parts of the country in the winter, it stays green but stops growing as soil temperature drops. We rarely need to mow in December, never in January, hardly ever in February and it becomes active again in March. Add our swing from 16 hours of daylight in summer to 8 hours in winter with cooler weather and you get to take a few months off other than leaves, branches, pinecones, etc.

I would recommend at least 70 percent *angular* sand for topdressing or fill, I use 100 percent.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@PNW_George Thanks for the information here. Your property is amazing and you've definitely put the time in to understand the ins and out of our climate.

I'm having a hard time finding any information on 70% angular sand. Is there another term i can use when looking at suppliers here? I'm in Lynnwood if it makes much of a difference.

Do you typically keep fertilizing your turf through November? I cleaned all my equipment and blew out the lines thinking i was done as of last week.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Amazon sells urea in 5 lbs bags if your looking for a small amount until you locate something more cost effective next year. Try Garden Centers around town also might have it.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@Baretta There is a few garden centers locally that i have yet to try. I know my main one has converted to all organic products which hurts when it comes to chemicals and specialty fertilizers


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## PNW_George (May 28, 2018)

If you want to put down a late winter fertilizer, anywhere from mid-November to the first week in December is OK.

Why I mention angular sand is because with all our rivers, a lot of suppliers will use finely screened river rock that will be round and tends to layer, bunch up and not blend well with existing soil. Look for companies that your nearby golf courses might use. If not USGA approved material just make sure and confirm they are delivering angular sand in their mix.

And to clarify dormancy, while it essentially goes dormant in the winter, not like the brown dormant grass you see in summer from lawns without irrigation that come back to life with rain.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

Not sure how effective urea would be at this point anyways. I wasn't out getting my weekly apps in early October unfortunately like I had hoped. This was my first year doing the N blitz so still learning my way. I'll be putting down a winterize tomorrow. Looks like some pretty good temps this week still.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

PNW_George said:


> If you want to put down a late winter fertilizer, anywhere from mid-November to the first week in December is OK.
> 
> Why I mention angular sand is because with all our rivers, a lot of suppliers will use finely screened river rock that will be round and tends to layer, bunch up and not blend well with existing soil. Look for companies that your nearby golf courses might use. If not USGA approved material just make sure and confirm they are delivering angular sand in their mix.
> 
> And to clarify dormancy, while it essentially goes dormant in the winter, not like the brown dormant grass you see in summer from lawns without irrigation that come back to life with rain.


Thank you for the input here. I've also found that I should specify that i do not want any recycled concrete or cement in the stuff i order. I'll have to call around. I had a bad experience with the company I had previously got top soil from so i'll be looking elsewhere with these things in mind.

As for the grass going dormant and ending the season... brought the mower back out and gave everything a nice once over. I'll drop a healthy feeding of N whenever rain is in the forecast because im a bit lazy and dont want to run the irrigation now that i blew it out.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Put down a .5ish LB of N on the yard today. I expect to see some burn because I spilled a pretty good amount in one area.

The yellowing areas I noticed are still present, however less yellow and more of an off shade green. I guarantee this was the herbicide I had sprayed.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Posted in the weed thread but i believe i've gotten some Poa A in the yard. I can tell by the thicker and more 'powdered' looking blades compared to the thin stalks of PRG.

Time to start researching the kill of that.

Is it too late in the year to try and do a blanket app of tenacity?

On that note, i'm trying to decide if i'll be putting down prodiamine in the spring or not. I do intend to sand level and overseed so this would likely get in the way of that.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Spent this weekend finishing the wall up front. Ended up taking it down a layer and putting the topper on. After many attempts at cutting the top, i managed to get he angle right and everything came together nicely. I drew out the space in solidworks and made too many assumptions with...everything. My corner is NOT exactly 90 degrees... my saw is NOT dialed in, and my counting skills were... one short.

After multiple trips to local nurseries to look at plants i ended up with 5 green spire Euonymus in the back, with a Corokia Cotoneaster on the left. Filled the front row with Black Mondo Grass. Happy with the way it looks for now and the hedge will start to grow together.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

I've done 3 mows so far this season. Keeping them at around 3/4". I've also applied some unspecified amount of N as i just put it in the spreader and walked around til it was gone.

I fought with hairy bittercress until I picked them all out. I still have a large amount of Poa A that i'm pulling by hand. I'll be bringing in some sand and overseeding within the month in hopes of some additional spring germination before summer.

Tenacity will go down and then i'll use a prodiamine starting after this season. I'll also be renovating the hell strip that was a failure last year.

This year i'd like to get into plant growth regulator and spraying iron to eliminate the need to mow 3-4x a week.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)




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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Applied a blanket app of tenacity at the 2oz/acre. this came out to 7mL of tenacity in about 3/4 gallon with a splash of surfactant in the sprayer. Used it all up with just a tiny bit left over to which i just sprayed out over the lawn... I'm really unsure how this is going to go. its my first time using tenacity. my hope is it will bleach all the poa and I can end an evening pulling it all out.

I filled up a 5gallon bucket today with poa and it doesn't even look like i made a dent.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Current view of the poa infestation.

Plan going forward is to spray tenacity at the 2oz acre again on the 24th and continue to hand pull.


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

Really sucks to see all that Poa man. If it wasn't for that, your reno would've been a huge success. It came in great. Keep doing what you're doing with the Poa and you'll eventually get rid of it all. Looks like a not-fun battle.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@jrubb42 Thank you. I was extremely happy with it until the past few weeks when the poa really started blooming and took over the aesthetic of the turf. I'd not be afraid to do a reno, just make sure you have the proper chems on hand to do it correctly rather than be happy when you have 'grass' right after a renovation.


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## Baretta (Apr 8, 2019)

I know what you are going through. Getting nailed with Poa as well. I'm about to do an overseed. Have my TTTF cut on my lowest rotary setting so its easy to spot right now. Pulled out a bunch with a handle tool but still a ton remains. Good luck with your battle. Otherwise looking good.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Spent 2 hours after work today filling up 15 gallons worth of poa. Still a bit more to go tomorrow but I think I've gotten all the big stuff.

Tenacity should light up more for me throughout the week to pull.

Thanks for the wishes @Baretta


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Spent another hour picking out poa today. Got 10 gallons worth. Mowed at the lowest setting my rotary will go which is somewhere in the ballpark of 1.5" so way above the HOC I typically run with the manual reel. Went and picked some more poa that was uncovered by the lower HOC since the grass had grown out.

Found a lot of clover and these weird little fuzzy clover looking things. I'm going to mix up a 3way and spot spray then give the lawn some nitrogen. Now that im exposing all this bare dirt i really need to get my overseed and leveling underway to avoid letting anything else grow in that dirt.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

Dang, so sorry you're dealing with so much poa. I have some as well on the side of my house from my neighbor's lawn that is basically 100% weeds. I'm regretting not playing it fast and loose with the pre-M last fall. I was probably far enough from germination that it wouldn't have been an issue... But you live and you learn. Hopefully a couple seasons of good pre-M apps will put you in a much better spot!


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

FWIW i hit my KBG with 5-6oz rate twice (about 2 weeks apart once they start to bleach) and it seems to zap most POA. PRG should be fine at the 5oz rate according to the label, might be worth a try in future seasons(if you've already applied and might go over your yearly max)

One section in middle of March 


What it looks like now


What you cant see in the second picture, as the turf fills in more this will all decay away and be gone probably in a few weeks once we start to warm up here more consistently.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@FuzzeWuzze The Tenacity has actually worked magic on the Poa and made it very easy to pull. I've been extremely proactive to walk the yard after work each day and just pull up what I can. I'm looking really good now and ready to level and over seed once I kill off the clover that exists. Spot spraying soon... I've been putting it off. I'll lay down a second rate of Tenacity with the overseed + Sand level.

@GrassOnTheHills Thanks for the kind words! I'm really regretting not doing Pre-M but I knew i'd be overseeding so thats what i keep sticking to as my story lol.

In other news, i was out picking a few piece of Poa the other day and a neighbor couple walked by and said "Ah so this is why you have the best lawn in the neighborhood." In that moment, it helped me appreciate what i have accomplished and although we see a tiny bit of weed as an end of the world scenario, to the 'regulars' we've already achieved perfection.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Update - Tenacity did its job, the lawn is bleaching and i've been pulling tons of poa triv and annua.

Next question - I found TONS of dead worms/grubs/slugs in the lawn after spraying tenacity which is fine, however now i found them alive. Are these grubs that I should be laying down something like grubex to remove/prevent or are they fine?


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Update - Tenacity did its job, the lawn is bleaching and i've been pulling tons of poa triv and annua.
> 
> Next question - I found TONS of dead worms/grubs/slugs in the lawn after spraying tenacity which is fine, however now i found them alive. Are these grubs that I should be laying down something like grubex to remove/prevent or are they fine?


That's just a slug! Grubs look like little larvae.  I wouldn't do anything.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

GrassOnTheHills said:


> SOLARSUPLEX said:
> 
> 
> > Update - Tenacity did its job, the lawn is bleaching and i've been pulling tons of poa triv and annua.
> ...


I figured as much from my searching but can never be too sure when it comes to all of this. These little dudes are everywhere.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Mowed, Overseeded and applied some Fert today. 26-0-7 and almost finished the bag. I'll probably just toss the rest on the back in a few days.

I'll have a delivery of topsoil coming soon to prep the back. I know im terrible with timing again but im not super worried since our summers arent thee most insane and we still have rain in the forecast.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

My fert application is making me laugh. Talk about stripes. I might just to sprinkle some more on the spots I clearly missed.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

How is your lawn handling the summer heat? I told my wife I'm probably done with the low mow business. Just can't keep up. And all the micro climates in our lawn make it impossible to keep one spot well irrigated without the other getting disease. I'll probably overseed with PRG until the bag I have is gone, and then use TTTF from now on and mow around 3" or so.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

GrassOnTheHills said:


> How is your lawn handling the summer heat? I told my wife I'm probably done with the low mow business. Just can't keep up. And all the micro climates in our lawn make it impossible to keep one spot well irrigated without the other getting disease. I'll probably overseed with PRG until the bag I have is gone, and then use TTTF from now on and mow around 3" or so.


So far with the irrigation i've been doing okay. It's not nearly as green as it was after sprouting last year. I've also just not been caring as much as I had been before. I think now that I can get out and do things because of relaxed covid restrictions my lawn priority has gone way down. Still interested in keeping it nice, but like you, might just let it grow a little taller and mow on weekends. I'm interested to see how the reel does at a higher HOC. I'll continue with PRG but when i do the back i'll be using a blend that has some KBG as well.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> GrassOnTheHills said:
> 
> 
> > How is your lawn handling the summer heat? I told my wife I'm probably done with the low mow business. Just can't keep up. And all the micro climates in our lawn make it impossible to keep one spot well irrigated without the other getting disease. I'll probably overseed with PRG until the bag I have is gone, and then use TTTF from now on and mow around 3" or so.
> ...


Yeah, seems like we're in similar places. I tried mowing with the manual reel at 2" and hated it, but my lawn is a different beast with the hill so YMMV. I love having the self propelled rotary if I'm gonna be mowing higher. I just ordered some new spray tips for my sprayer so I'm excited to get some product down in a week or two and maybe get some color back. I've put almost nothing down this season.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

We really are. I'm happy I ended up doing the reno because the yard is 10x better than it was before, but i'm quickly moving from a low cut perfect lawn a green and no weeds type of lawn. I'm semi afraid of mowing taller because i've nursed the lawn to such a low height that im afraid of 'untraining' it.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Got a decent set of stripes from the rotary on the lowest setting. The reel mower isn't in great shape and I just haven't had the time to mess with it.

I think it needs a back lap and a heavier roller. It washboards like crazy and will cut a lot less on one side, but when adjusting the bed knife for that side it just makes the center grind like a mofo. No idea if I bent it at some point. I'm looking on offerup for used gas reels.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Glad to see some updates! I had lines like that last year as well. So much of lawn care is just executing what you learn!

Happy 4th!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> Glad to see some updates! I had lines like that last year as well. So much of lawn care is just executing what you learn!
> 
> Happy 4th!


Happy 4th! The lack of fireworks were a nice change of pace for the dogs this year. Hope you and the family stayed safe and had fun! We were by you for the day, my fiances family has property off 156th.

I'm still learning! Slowly building out a plan so i can just go into run state and not need to think about what i'm doing. Next step is to get my irrigation on some kind of automated system. I love sitting and having my morning coffee with the sprinklers on, but i'd rather be able to enjoy it without having to turn it on myself.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Looks like I'm experiencing some major dollar spot in the turf right now. I've been watering but i'm wondering if this area is either not getting water or just ended up with an issue. I'd appreciate any input on if this is infact dollar spot.

The first pic was a few days ago after a mow with no sign of the spot. THe next photo is a random patch that looks stressed and then the main issue that basically popped up over night. Could this be fert burn as this is the spot i typically start walking with the fert spreader as well.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Does not look like DS. Did you check for rocks 6-12inches deep?


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

g-man said:


> Does not look like DS. Did you check for rocks 6-12inches deep?


Can validate nothing but clean soil 18" down. This was part of where I excavated for sprinkler and sifted when I did the Reno.

I ran the sprinklers a bit longer today and then gave this area a lot of water during the sun so it would dry off in the event it was short on water.

When I get back from vacation I'm going to rework this head to be in the corner and swap it out for a rotary


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Finding some fairly large black spots in the front. Very unsure what this might be.


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## GrassOnTheHills (Jul 3, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Finding some fairly large black spots in the front. Very unsure what this might be.


I've had a good bit of black spots that almost look ashy in the yard. Think it might be the same? No idea what it was, nor did I research it, because I'm in the "go with the flow" mode until Fall.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

No clue what the black spots are still but they do not appear to be growing so i'm just watering and mowing. I might grab some disease ex to drop down just in case.

A fun story from last night that made me quite happy. I was fixing something in my garage and was cleaning a part with some bleach, i needed a bit of water so grabbed an empty water bottle and my sprinklers were running so I held it next to one for a moment to get some water. At that exact point in time a women walked by and told me her husband always comments on my lawn and asked if I watch 'ryan koor' because she hears his voice every time she sees the yard. I said i've seen a few of his videos and thanks for the kind words. She walked away saying "my husband always says, 'this guy knows what he's doing'". Guess that means things are going well!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Gly went down in the entire back yard today. The Reno is about to begin!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Dethatched, scalped, dethatched again, then more gly on the back this last weekend. Looking pretty dead. Decided I'm not doing irrigation back here so makes for easy Reno.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

If you change your mind, you could go with a DIY setup with pop ups along the fence line. If you like the "clean look ", I find hand watering very therapeutic.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Reno is underway right now. Been chatting with some of the goons on discord throughout the process but figured i'd still document here

Plan is to use about 80% the listed drop rate of PRG and then roughly 40% the advertised rate of a local KBG blend. Yeah this might be too much seed, but after the front was so thin, i'd rather have too much than not enough. Did a patch job on the fence hole in the above photo. Brought in 3 yards of top soil. Dragged a log around for a few hours and got things close to final level. I've got a couple more places i want to put some edging before seed down. Gly going down on the top soil today and dialing in my sprinkler setup to fallow some more. Seed down on Monday morning with Tenacity, and peat to cover.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)




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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Next steps back there are to throw some extremely cheap stain on the fence before the rain starts, get some hostas, shrubs, and other hardy plants up in that back row and buy a smaller shed for some of the garden tools in the backyard.

Then its interior time... I've got high ceilings and want to paint and replace all the trim this winter. + finish the inside of the garage. Lots of work headed my way.

And in the last pic of the dirt, you can finally see i relocated that pop up sprinkler that was about 8" from the corner and i've now broken the riser 3 times mowing. Put it on some funny pipe and moved it over so its flexible and i wont demolish it shoveling snow or mowing again.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Seed went down yesterday. Sprayed tenacity with it in hopes of preventing some weed germination. Got blue marking dye and used it for the first time. What a mess. I spilled it on my patio and got it all over my hands and everything I was using. Lesson learned to mix at a table and not outside with the hose blasting.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

SOLARSUPLEX said:


> Got blue marking dye and used it for the first time. What a mess. I spilled it on my patio and got it all over my hands and everything I was using. Lesson learned to mix at a table and not outside with the hose blasting.


That stuff seems to stick forever where you don't want it to. I still come across blue spots in my mulch from my glyphosate app during my 2020 reno. I did wear gloves while using it so I wouldn't be smurfed up.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

jskierko said:


> SOLARSUPLEX said:
> 
> 
> > Got blue marking dye and used it for the first time. What a mess. I spilled it on my patio and got it all over my hands and everything I was using. Lesson learned to mix at a table and not outside with the hose blasting.
> ...


No kidding. My hands are blue and will be for a while. Tried automotive degreasing soap and everything with no luck..


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Basically 48 hours after seed down and we've got germination!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Germination coming in a bit more. Not much happening in the small area I spilled my spray tank with tenacity… no surprise. Might have to add more soil and redo that little section. Soon.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

Reno is going to look great! Strong work on the prep!

What seed cultivar and brand did you do with? Where did you get your seed?


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> Reno is going to look great! Strong work on the prep!
> 
> What seed cultivar and brand did you do with? Where did you get your seed?


Thank you! I firmly believe the prep is the part that makes the biggest difference. I'm still not at the point of amending soil based on a soil test but looking to get there next season.

I used roughly 70% seed super store SS9000 which is what I have in my front. And then 50% the advertised rate of a molbaks sun and share PNW mix. It has a little bit of everything in it and I really just had it on hand so I used it.

I ultimately put down more seed than I should have however my front grew in thin and I wanted to avoid that so I made sure to use more seed overall back here. 
SS9000 Perennial Ryegrass Blend
SS9000 is our Certified three-way blend of improved perennial ryegrass varieties.

Grand Slam GLD perennial ryegrass is #1 in the Northeast region.

Stellar 3GL rates "4 Stars" for Stem Rust disease, which is a common in perennial ryegrass.

Slugger 3GL is a newly introduced variety first tested in the 2017 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) Perennial Ryegrass trial. It earns our top "4 Star" rating for Turfgrass Quality in all three regions (Northeast, Transition, and North Central) when compared with the latest and best new perennial ryegrass varieties.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

That's going to be a sweet mix of turf grasses! I have one more area to plant in my front yard and I'm also going with PRG (Champion GQ from Hancock Seed). Other than the seed heads it's hard to beat PRG!


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

PNW_TurfNoob said:


> That's going to be a sweet mix of turf grasses! I have one more area to plant in my front yard and I'm also going with PRG (Champion GQ from Hancock Seed). Other than the seed heads it's hard to beat PRG!


That should work out great! I think my PRG loved the summer. I was not nearly as meticulous as I could have been and believe I got a few burnt spots, I kept it from going dormant, and it's really starting to push growth now that it's cooled down a bit more.

Post pics in your log when you get it thrown down!


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