# Powhatan's 2018 Lawn Journal



## Powhatan

Located in the transition zone. New home construction completed in Oct 2016 on a several acre wooded lot that includes a small private fresh water lake. It's my understanding that the local woods have never been harvested. We're sharing the woods with several wildlife animals that sometimes wonder onto the lawn.

Edit: Added application quantities, some additional comments, and pictures.

My ground soil is a mix of Remlik and Nevarc soil series. The 0" to 3" level is loamy sand, 4" and lower is loam/clay/silt/sand mix layers.

Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab results collected Apr 2017



Oct - House completed. Home builder put down fast growing annual ryegrass, looked pretty but by the following Jun it had all died off.

2017 - First year establishing new lawn


Hand-pulled weeds during the spring and summer: foxtail, crabgrass, sericea lespedeza, clover, dogfennel, spurge, and nutsedge.

In Feb plug aerated and dormant overseed turf-type tall fescue coated (Scotts Southern Gold Mix) - rainfall irrigated. I knew the contractor's annual ryegrass would die during the summer, so wanted to put something down that would hopefully establish.

In spring amended with dolomitic lime 40#/M and Black Kow compost, in fall amended with Pennington Fast Acting lime 6#/M

In spring and fall growing season put down mostly Milorganite 5-4-0 with some Scotts Turf Builder for Southern Lawns fertilizer 32-0-10 approximate 80/20 mix. My soil is loamy sand which doesn't hold nutrients well, so I felt using mostly slow release fertilizer would be better. Yearly estimate nitrogen applied: 4.21#N + 25% (recycled grass clippings) = 5.26#N/Yr

In Jul lawn went dormant, early Aug grass greened up with rainfall. I estimate about 60% of the Feb dormant overseed survived the summer.

Early fall plug aerated, amended with Black Kow compost, and overseed turf-type tall fescue & hybrid bluegrass (Southern Belle) and perennial ryegrass coated (Scotts) - hose sprinkler and rainfall irrigated. I put down the grass mix for a better chance of establishment.

Late fall after first frost date put down Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard 32-0-10

Sep - Overseeded for the second time of the year. Back yard coming along well considering, but the front seem to lag behind.

2018 - Second year establishing new lawn


Hand-pulled weeds during winter and spring: mouse-ear chickweed, spurge, marestail, bulbous buttercup, hairy bittercress, poa annua, dandelion, virginia pepperweed, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and deer-tongue grass

Early Feb amended with Pennington Fast Acting lime 7#/M

Mid-Feb dormant overseed KY-31 tall fescue coated (DLF Pickseed) - snow melt and rainfall irrigated. I decided to go with KY-31 because I noticed it growing well in the gravel road ditch in front of the house where the acidic soil has never been conditioned, and since it was doing that well there, I felt it surely must do very well in conditioned fertilized soil. Plus, I've read that the KY-31 is very heat & drought tolerant.

Late Feb put down Scotts Turf Builder Starter Food for new grass with Weed Preventer (mesotrione) 21-22-4 & Milorganite 5-4-0 approximate 80/20 mix, then month and half later put down another round of the same 80/20 mix.


Early May put down GrubEx and Bayer Advanced Complete Insect (ticks) Killer

Mid May rained for a week and seasonal heat & humidity levels rising, suspected fungal presence so put down Scotts DiseaseEx at the preventative+ rate 2.3#/M.


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## Powhatan

Lots of warm sun yesterday that dried the grass blade tops; I mulch mowed lowering HOC from 4" to 3.5". The soil at ground level below the grass canopy still feels quite damp from previous week's rainfall, so I'll lower HOC to 3.25" in the next few days to allow more airflow. Hand-pulled some sericea lespedeza, deer-tongue grass, and dogfennel weeds.

The daily humidity average levels are 80%+ now, so hopefully the combination of Scotts DiseaseEX (azoxystrobin) preventative treatment and lower HOC will keep the fungal pressure to minimal.


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## Powhatan

Surveyed the lawn this afternoon, overall it appears to be dark green and healthy, but noticed some minor fungal activity mainly located on the side of the house that receives minimal morning sun. Fungal diseases appear to be mostly Net Blotch, with some Rust, and possibly Brown Patch. I plan to lower HOC to 3.25" to allow more airflow to help dry wetness.

Net Blotch in Turf
Rust in Turf
Brown Patch in Turf


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## Powhatan

Purchased *Garden Safe Fungicide3® Concentrate (Ready-to-Spray)* which contains neem oil extract. I'll try it if the small patch I found of rust appears to be expanding. According to the product information: _"an effective fungicide for the prevention and control of various fungal diseases including powdery mildew, black spot, downy mildew, anthracnose, rust, leaf spot, botrytis, needle rust, scab, flower, twig and tip blight, and alternaria."_


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## Ridgerunner

Great home-site. Lawn appears to be coming along nicely.


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## Powhatan

Ridgerunner said:


> Great home-site. Lawn appears to be coming along nicely.


Thanks


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## Powhatan

I've mentioned in a few previous posts that at times I clear weeds in the gravel road ditch in front of the house. The gravel road is a private non-state maintained road.

Jul 2017 - after I've push mowed and used various hand lawn tools to reduce weeds. I also trimmed up the low hanging tree branches lining the road. I routinely knock down the new growth weeds in the ditch area so they hopefully don't seed to populate more. Tall weeds are sericea lespedeza, a deep root plant (weed) that was brought to the US for road erosion control. They grow tall 3' to 6' and their seeds stay viable in the ground 20+ years. These weeds are real pain in the ... to get rid of. I hand-pulled many of them in my lawn last summer. I've only seen a few appear in the lawn so far this year, hopefully they won't be as bad.


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## Powhatan

I thought the deer earlier in the year had eaten all the hybrid bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, but to my surprise I noticed some still growing near the perimeter of the house.

Raccoon cooling off from humidity and taking a peek from a tree close to the house. I put GrubEx down earlier this month, so hopefully he won't tear up the lawn looking for grubs this year.


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## Powhatan

In the two weeks I put down Scotts *DiseaseEX* (azoxystrobin) the air temperatures have been mid/high 80s, humidity high 90s, with daily isolated thunder showers. The fungal pressure in the lawn doesn't appear to be increasing, it almost seems idle to more of a decreasing look to it, if that makes sense. The lower HOC 3.25" for more air movement and *DiseaseEX* must be doing their job.

I plan to spray organic *Garden Safe Fungicide3 Concentrate (Ready-to-Spray)* the next time I mow as an additional fungal preventative. Then a few weeks later spray organic NATRIA Disease Control for another preventative shot. By late Jun, I think brown patch will be the number 1 disease to watch for & suppress.


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## social port

Tall is right.
Did you say what kind of hybrid bluegrass that is? I didn't see anything mentioned in previous posts. Maybe I overlooked it.


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## Powhatan

social port said:


> Tall is right.
> Did you say what kind of hybrid bluegrass that is? I didn't see anything mentioned in previous posts. Maybe I overlooked it.


SPF 30 and Fahreheit 90.


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## social port

That looks like a nice blend.


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## Powhatan

I plan to get Southern Belle again and mix with KY-31 next time I overseed.


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## Powhatan

I mulch mowed yesterday keeping the HOC 3.25" setting, but in the process broke the 1/3 cut rule. Rained daily just enough this past week to keep the grass wet and yesterday was the first full dry day.

*Brown Patch* has appeared. I've only noticed one infected blade after I spot checked the entire lawn. It's located in the front lawn near the gravel road. Coincidently, I noticed two days ago a deer-tongue weed in the gravel road ditch that also had brown patch. The tall trees lining the back woods with the house block the morning sun to this area, therefore taking longer to dry, of course the daily high humidity now doesn't help.


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## Powhatan

_"Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected."_ - What chance, it's happening right over our house now. :roll:


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## vnephologist

Powhatan said:


> I plan to get Southern Belle again and mix with KY-31 next time I overseed.


I'd forget the KY-31. It'll be the source of all your fungal troubles. Not to mention the fact that as it ages it'll get really large and clumpy. :-( I'd just stick with the Southern Belle mix unless you want to grab something else from one of the online vendors.


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## Powhatan

vnephologist said:


> Powhatan said:
> 
> 
> 
> I plan to get Southern Belle again and mix with KY-31 next time I overseed.
> 
> 
> 
> I'd forget the KY-31. It'll be the source of all your fungal troubles. Not to mention the fact that as it ages it'll get really large and clumpy. :-( I'd just stick with the Southern Belle mix unless you want to grab something else from one of the online vendors.
Click to expand...

@vnephologist thanks for the advise :thumbsup: It'll be curious to see how the varieties KY-31, TTTF, and HBG compare going through the heat & drought after the summer dormancy period ends.


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## Powhatan

Used the Stihl pole pruner to delimb low hanging tree branches in the gravel road area. Hand-pulled some dogfennel and sericea lespedeza weeds. Mulch mowed at HOC 3.25" setting, a few areas were a little higher than the 1/3 cut rule. Sprayed unwanted grass clumps growing on the edge of the gravel driveway with *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer*. First time using that product, we'll see how well it works.

Still have random minor net blotch all over the lawn and I found a few more brown patch lesions. Put down *BAYER ADVANCED Fungus Control For Lawns* granules (propiconazole) at the preventative+ rate 2.3#/M. This is the second fungal preventative applied for the year. Previous was put down almost three weeks ago on May 21, *Scotts DiseaseEx* granules (azoxystrobin) also at the preventative+ rate 2.3#/M.


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## Powhatan

A neighbor with the help of his John Deere front loader carved out and smoothed a spot for my new Graceland Utility Shed's arrival.


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## Powhatan

*EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer* - it works! A little over 24 hours later grass is dying.


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## Powhatan

Past 30 days the average high air temperatures have been climbing to upper 80s with humidity 85%+, rainfall precipitation decent 1" average weekly event with daily chance of an isolated thunderstorm.

Rain amounts been sufficient to keep lawn green allowing good foot traffic rebound, but grass blades are starting to exhibit slower growth & summer stress.


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## Powhatan

Mulch mowed at HOC 3.25" setting, a few areas were higher than 1/3 cut rule. Fungal pressure is still very minimal with random net blotch and no new noticeable brown patch lesions. Official summer start is next week and I'd normally would raise HOC, but I believe the turf is comfortable staying at 3.25" for now. Monday is forecasted to be almost 100F - yikes.

Weed pressure is almost non-existent. I've only had to hand-pull a very small amount of dogfennel and sericea lespedeza weeds within the last two to three weeks. PreM doing it's job or calm before the summer weed storm :|

It's been about a month since the last lawn granular insect (ticks) preventative treatment went down, so plan to put down organic granular *EcoLogic Lawn & Yard Insect Killer* (ticks) within the week. Living close proximity to a wooded area, the ticks are a constant problem during spring and summer.


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## Powhatan

Put down 40 lbs of granular *EcoLogic Lawn & Yard Insect Killer* (ticks) @ 3#/M. Sprayed unwanted grass clumps and weeds growing on the edge of the gravel driveway with *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer*. Mowed weeds growing in the gravel ditch area in front of house, both sides of the road.

Saw this growing in the gravel driveway, appears to be smooth crabgrass. I sprayed it with EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer, we'll see how it responds.


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## social port

I've been enjoying this thread. 
I read earlier this week that you were holding a favorable opinion on ecologic. 
Any reason to think that the crabgrass won't respond?


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## Powhatan

social port said:


> I've been enjoying this thread.
> I read earlier this week that you were holding a favorable opinion on ecologic.
> Any reason to think that the crabgrass won't respond?


Thanks for following along. :wave:

No particular reason why the crabgrass won't respond, other than I've never used the EcoLogic product on weeds and just not sure what will happen.


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## Powhatan

Almost 24 hours later it's looking like a confirmed crabgrass kill using *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer* :thumbsup:


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled a small amount of dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds.


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## Powhatan

Poplar trees starting to react to summer stress by dropping leaves. Won't be long before the lawn goes into summer dormancy.


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## Powhatan

The sericea lespedeza weed pressure is on the rise so I'm doing more hand-pulling.

With recent rains and continued higher humidity, noticing more of the green/black moss/algae spots forming. These black spots are located within slightly dip bowl areas (i.e. the ground surface is not smooth) in random spots around the permitter of the house where water moisture collects, due to the new house construction soil compaction. As I've mentioned before, I'll be aerating and adding organic material later in the fall, but till then I plan to spray either *Scotts 3-in-1 Moss Control* or *BAYER ADVANCED 2-in-1 Moss & Algae Killer* on these bowl areas.

Green moss and black algae together. I lifted an area to see; the black algae layer is just thick enough to not let the soil breath or drain.


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## Powhatan

Ever have a spot on the lawn that never seems to grow grass or there's some kind of obstruction showing?

Here's mine ... this has bugged me since moving into the new house. Thinking it was a small section of cut tree, I decided to dig it up ... no sweat - yeah, right 



30 minutes later working in high heat & humidity sweating, shoveling up soil to reveal what ... the home  builder left a cut tree trunk shallow buried. It's 25FT long, that's has far as the tape measure goes ...



Another 30 minutes later of digging and using well placed leverage, I was able to pull up the tree trunk.


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## pennstater2005

I feel ya @Powhatan A couple years ago I saw the tip of a small rock......and then.....


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## g-man

You guys should post these in the screwdriver thread.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=15


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## Powhatan

Fixed a hanging bird feeder that a raccoon broke last night.

Hand-pulled some weeds and mushrooms and fed them to the compost tumbler. First batch with the composter. The heap is warm, but I don't think the carbon/nitrogen ratio is optimal yet to get a good bake consistently going.

I'm researching landscaping ideas and putting a plan together, you can follow along in this thread: Landscaping with native plants


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## Powhatan

Air temperatures rising to 90s all next week, tis summer. Mulch mowed and raised HOC to 3.5".

Lawn still looks overall nice green without supplied irrigation, just rainfall. This time last year, grass was mostly brown. Mixed in with the green, are areas turning brown possibly summer dormancy.


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## jessehurlburt

Lawn is looking nice. I love your lot, @Powhatan


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## Powhatan

jessehurlburt said:


> Lawn is looking nice. I love your lot, @Powhatan


Thanks @jessehurlburt


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## Powhatan

Hose end sprayed *BAYER ADVANCED 2-in-1 Moss & Algae Killer* on select areas. Noticed moss/algae randomly over most of the lawn so I'll put down *Scotts Moss Control Granules* soon to get wider coverage. <-- Fixing the symptoms, not the problem ... need to aerate :wink:

Edit:

Sprayed young crabgrass weeds growing on the gravel driveway with *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer*. Nice rosemary and cinnamon oil smell.


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## Powhatan

Raccoon been looking for dinner digging a small hole, maybe the GrubEx app missed a spot.


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## pennstater2005

@Powhatan I was just going to ask if you got many wild animals out there before I saw the raccoon picture.


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## Powhatan

pennstater2005 said:


> @Powhatan I was just going to ask if you got many wild animals out there before I saw the raccoon picture.


The wild animals/birds/reptile that I know of: deer, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, fox, squirrel, beaver, turkey, box turtle, black and copper head snake.


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## Green

Looks great. You guys gave gotten a lot of rain this past month, right?


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> Looks great. You guys gave gotten a lot of rain this past month, right?


Thanks @Green

We've received a decent amount of rain almost weekly with the typical chance of summer thundershowers. Been lucky so far, no high pressure heat dome sitting over us for weeks at a time, but the 10 day forecast for early July shows hardly no rain which is typical.


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds.

About a week ago, I noticed moss/algae patches on the rise so I bought Scotts Moss Control granules to apply the next time rain was forecasted so I could spread it down ... well, it's been hot with no rain and the moss started dying back, so moss control application is put on hold.

Most of the lawn grass blades have grown above last Sunday's HOC 3.5" mow, but with the current summer stress, I'll just let the grass be. It's not like it's growing spring fast.

I spot checked the lawn to see how it's doing since it's been in the 90s with no rain this past week. With the surrounding trees, the lawn generally receives part sun/shade throughout the day, the front receives the brunt of the evening full sun.


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## Powhatan

A local Weather Underground reporting station recorded a *101.2F* high temperature yesterday - yikes, and with the humidity it was hot, hot, hot. Weather forecast for later this week now shows rain, good time to give the yard a cut.


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## Powhatan

Mulch mowed this afternoon HOC 3.5", just a few degrees cooler than yesterday.


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## Powhatan

Some more comparison photos 2017/2018.

This is the front yard where it receives the bulk of the direct late afternoon and early evening summer sun. The soil here is a lot sandier than the rest of the lawn, consequently this area is taking longer to build up organic matter and establish grass, but it's slowly getting better.

Kinda neat seeing how a lawn section appears though out the year.

Aug 2017


Nov 2017


Jan 2018


Feb 2018


May 2018


July 2018


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## social port

Powhatan said:


> 2018 - Just because :gum:


I hear that. Is it me or does that grass have a blue tint?


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## Powhatan

social port said:


> Powhatan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 2018 - Just because :gum:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hear that. Is it me or does that grass have a blue tint?
Click to expand...

Must be the way the grass is laying and how the iPhone camera interprets the received color. It looks like emerald green and has that cool vibe to me. Maybe one day, the whole lawn will look like that. Here's the pic properties.



Edit: @social port I think the camera is picking up more of the hybrid bluegrass' color.


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## social port

Powhatan said:


> I think the camera is picking up more of the hybrid bluegrass' color.


That is what I suspected. 
I've been told that I'm partially colorblind, but I knew that I saw something distinctive in the color of that grass. It looks great.


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## Powhatan

Summer stress is more apparent now, past two weeks in the 90s with no rain.


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## pennstater2005

That January 2018 picture should be banished!


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## Powhatan

pennstater2005 said:


> That January 2018 picture should be banished!


be replaced with something more soothing :airquote:

for @pennstater2005 - Outer Banks North Carolina


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## pennstater2005

Powhatan said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> 
> That January 2018 picture should be banished!
> 
> 
> 
> be replaced with something more soothing :airquote:
> 
> - Outer Banks North Carolina
Click to expand...

Ahhhh.......thank you @Powhatan....much better :nod:


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some deer-tongue grass, smooth crabgrass, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds and fed those to the compost tumbler along with some cut up brown paper grocery bags, coffee grounds, and fallen green tree leaves. It's been two months since I started using the composter and the brown earthy finished compost is beginning to appear.

Our area received 0.09" precipitation from the isolated thunder showers that passed over yesterday.


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## Powhatan

Weather forecast for next week has winds shifting to S/SW which means higher day & night temperatures with increased humidity along with higher % chance of daily thunderstorms - i.e. lawn fungal pressure increase. The current fungal infection noticed is very minimal, so like to keep it that way. Bad enough having summer stress.

Probably this weekend after a HOC 3.5" mow, I'll put down another preventative round of Scotts DiseaseEx granules (azoxystrobin) along with EcoLogic Lawn & Yard Insect Killer (ticks) granules. Ticks love higher humidity.

My new storage shed is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I'll be moving the lawn implements from the garage to the shed, the wife will be happy about the extra room space returning to the garage.


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## Powhatan

Summer dormancy is kicking in high gear - mostly TTTF turning brown or curling, the HBG is starting to curl, and the KY-31 is staying happy green.


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## Powhatan

Fashioned a brick/gravel ramp for the new shed. Materials: 16 @ $1.59 each concrete cap blocks from Lowe's, 4 repurposed large fire bricks, and repurposed existing driveway gravel - total $25.44 :beer:

Edit: Forgot to leave clearance for bottom door frame to close. Had to remove top layer of bricks and some gravel. :dumb:


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, smooth crabgrass, and nutsedge weeds. Mulch mowed green non-summer dormant areas at HOC 3.5". Put down 40 lbs of granular *EcoLogic Lawn & Yard Insect Killer* (ticks) @ 4#/M.


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## social port

@Powhatan is this your first year using the ecologic products? I've been pretty impressed with the response I got with their weed and grass killer.


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## Powhatan

@social port, yep it's the first year use. So far I'm liking them, got a nice smell and they work for I need them to do. We're trying our best to not put down any carcinogenic product.


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## Powhatan

About two-thirds of the lawn is not showing signs of obvious summer stress and is still actively growing, albeit slowly. I'd like to put down another preventative round of Scotts DiseaseEx granules (azoxystrobin), but I need to wait till we get some rain precipitation to soften up the dry hard ground so when I apply the granules they don't leach away from the sandy soil surface when watered in. Some rain is forecasted for tomorrow, hopefully after that will be an opportunity to apply the fungicide.


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## Green

Looks like rain for most of the east coast areas at various times over the next few days.


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## Powhatan

Received 0.17" rain precipitation last evening. :yahoo:


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## Powhatan

Put down *Scotts DiseaseEx* granules (azoxystrobin) at the preventative+ rate 2.3#/M. Almost 6 weeks without significant >0.50" rainfall. Rain showers forecasted for all next week, if it comes true.


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## Green

Looks like you might have a few extra TF plugs growing at the edge of the driveway that you could transplant into the lawn if needed this Fall!


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## Powhatan

Receiving much needed rain :dancenana:


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some dogfennel and handfuls of sericea lespedeza from the lawn, hand-pulled some smooth crabgrass from the gravel driveway. Gonna have a grass jungle to cut once the rain stops this week.


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## Powhatan

Had a break in the rain showers, so the deer family decided to take this year's twins out for a stroll around neighborhood.


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## rob13psu

Looking good! :thumbup: I grew up in Williamsburg (York County), so I can relate to the humidity/fungus/disease/funky red clay issues. Those pines really mess with the soil pH! My folks still live down there and my dad has done a great job with his lawn.

It's been a challenge acclimating to the climate here in Buffalo, NY. I still have really thin blood!

Good luck with the lawn adventures!


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## Powhatan

Thanks @rob13psu.

Buffalo and tidewater Virginia, wow big difference. You guys get a lot of the lake effect snow. I lived in Peshtigo Wisconsin for four years, it's a one hour drive north of Green Bay. Yep, it was -20F cold winters and snoooow. Great shopping in Green Bay when the Packers were playing home field, all the local residents went to the game which made the stores almost empty. :mrgreen:


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## Powhatan

Sunny all day today 91F with high humidity, felt like summer again. Mulch mowed @ HOC 3.5". The grass (mostly KY-31) grew up to 7" from the recent week long rain showers, so yep I broke the 1/3 cut "guideline".

Had to remove a surprise guest from the back yard before I started cutting the grass. Remember, always check your equipment, as well as, your lawn before mowing. :wink:


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## Green

That recovered fast! The KY-31 is tough. And glad to hear the snake is safe.


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> That recovered fast! The KY-31 is tough. And glad to hear the snake is safe.


The TTTF and HBG recovering well. Never did notice the KY-31 going into dormancy, and it's a very young stand; it germinated Mar 1 this year so it's only ~5 months old. We still have ~2 months of typical hot/humid summer, so I'm hoping most of it survives. I plan to overseed again with it to thicken it up.


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## LawnNerd

Ahh, Black Milk Snake. He's a good one to keep around. He'll eat all the food the Coppers eat, and chase them out of their territory.

Glad to see you're bouncing back from the heat and drought. Mine got pretty rough looking too from the lack of rain, but bounced back and in need of a cut!


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## Powhatan

Next month I plan to:


plug aerate the whole yard

topdress with Black Kow compost in low dip spot areas to help eliminate moisture retention (moss & algae)

put down lawn soil around the base of the oak tree in front yard that has mostly sand surrounding it (not much grass is currently growing there)

start the fall season nitrogen feed - put down Ringer Lawn Restore 10-0-6 (Milorganite - not available) fertilizer, ~70% of that fertilizer is slow release

Edit: updated planned nitrogen feed based on available organic fertilizer.


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some smooth crabgrass, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds and fed those to the compost tumbler along with some coffee grounds, fallen green tree leaves, and unwanted TTTF blades growing in the gravel drive way. Composter contents smells like dark earthy soil.

Edit: spelling


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## Powhatan

Getting ready to put in my native plants bare root order from Izel Plants, delivery will be late next month.

Hand-pulled some smooth crabgrass, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds. Finally had a sunny day from the week long rains. The grass blades dried enough to cut, but the soil was still damp and I didn't want the heavy riding rotary mower creating ruts, so I used the push mower to mulch mow the whole yard @ HOC 3.5". I also mulch mowed the weeds growing in gravel road ditch area in front of the house - took care of those crabgrass seed heads.


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## Powhatan

Fed the compost tumbler with coffee grounds and fallen green tree leaves.

This morning I noticed some small patches of mycelium on the ground surface where moss/algae are present. From what I've researched, since the mycelium were not on top of grass canopy indicative of a possible fungal disease, but on the soil surface, the fungi are probably breaking down the organic grass blades that I mulched cut yesterday.


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## Powhatan

Local Lowe's and Home Depot have Milorganite out of stock. The Safer Brand website currently shows Ringer out of stock. I don't plan on giving money to Jeff Bezos.

The local Tractor Supply has plenty of 50 lb alfalfa pellet bags in stock for $13.99 each. I just may start using the alfalfa pellets, better for the soil microbiology. The only thing that makes me hesitant to use the pellets is I don't want to start feeding the wild animals that wander into the yard. Just have to try and find out what happens.


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## g-man

I use these numbers for alfalfa npk (2.5-1-2). Milo might be better N/$.

I don't have problems with animals, but I live in the city. Ideally apply it before a rain so it swells and then run the mower to help break them.


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## Powhatan

g-man said:


> I use these numbers for alfalfa npk (2.5-1-2). Milo might be better N/$.
> 
> I don't have problems with animals, but I live in the city. Ideally apply it before a rain so it swells and then run the mower to help break them.


I'll probably mix some Scotts fertilizer that has ~50% slow release along with the alfalfa pellets (Milo or Ringer if avail). Just trying to always include that "organic" helping to my sandy soil.


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## Powhatan

Just noticed Ringer is back in stock so I ordered two bags. I'll mix in some alfalfa pellets just to see how that all spreads. It will be the first time trying those two products.


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some dallisgrass, smooth crabgrass, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, and nutsedge weeds. Mulch mowed staying at HOC 3.5".


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## social port

Still has very nice color for the summer, IMO.


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## Green

Planning to spot seed KY31 if needed this Fall?


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## Powhatan

social port said:


> Still has very nice color for the summer, IMO.


Yep, the new lawn is much better this summer than last year. I believe having KY-31 and HBG is definitely keeping the lawn on the green side.


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> Planning to spot seed KY31 if needed this Fall?


No fall seeding this year.

I plan to aerate later this month, apply Lesco fert with preM (dimension) in Sep, apply fert in Oct and Nov, do late winter seeding in Feb next year with KY-31 mixed with a small amount of Southern Belle TTTF and HBG, then when seed germinates it will be warm enough to also apply Scotts fert with preM (mesotrione) when forsythia blooms.

This will be third year doing late winter dormant seeding. It's worked well for where I live in the transition zone. The snow melt and spring rains have supplied sufficient water for grass growth. This past winter the KY-31 seedlings survived three Nor'easters, snow cover, and air temps between 20/30F's at night. That grass is some kinda tough.


----------



## Powhatan

High heat & humidity along with almost daily afternoon thundershower dampness are causing problems :x Apparently, the helminthosporium disease is becoming active again.

In other areas of the lawn ...

The green grass immediately surrounding the brown dead grass areas easily pull up with dead roots attached. I don't know if it's any one factor or combination there of that's causing the dead roots: summer stress heat/drought, disease, soil compaction, root rot, shallow roots. The grass that's easy to pull up it's blades are green but roots are dead. Blades have disease lesions, but nothing widespread on them. I didn't see any signs of insects on soil surface.

The easy pull green shallow root grass was located on the afternoon shady side of house that does tend to stay damp longer, this highly suggests that those were Poa trivialis.


----------



## social port

@Powhatan I was (perhaps unrealistically)hoping that we were done with disease weather. After a really tough June in Tenn., July was better in terms of humidity and disease. As of the last week, it feels like disease weather again.


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## Powhatan

Performed the screwdriver test in the areas where the dead/easy pull grass is, it went down easily. Must be same old tune for another summer in the transition zone, TTTF struggles and dies due to heat, humidity, disease, drought, and low OM sandy soil.

At least the KY-31 is holding it's own even though disease is coming active again. I'll put down BAYER ADVANCED Fungus Control For Lawns granules (propiconazole) at the curative rate this week.


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## Powhatan

Like I need more moisture to help the fungus. :roll: 2.38" rain in ~2 hours


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## Powhatan

Mulch mowed HOC 3.5" lawn and the gravel road ditch area weeds, including those pesky crabgrass seed heads. Put down *BAYER ADVANCED Fungus Control For Lawns* granules (propiconazole) at the curative rate 3.5#/M. That was the fourth fungal application for the year, hopefully the last.


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## Green

Lots of rain. We have 2 inch per hour rates nearby.


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> Lots of rain. We have 2 inch per hour rates nearby.


Very wet summer on the east coast and without any hurricanes.


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## Powhatan

Looks like a weather opportunity this weekend to plug aerate. Showers on Saturday to soften the ground, aerate on Sunday and put down organic fertilizer, rain returns later Sunday evening, and scattered rain forecasted the rest of the week. Also, overnight temps falling to 60F's now, so pre-M application is going down next month.


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## Powhatan

Plug aerated, then put down alfalfa pellets with Ringer fertilizer 10-0-6 mixed together. Next month plan to put down Lesco fertilizer with pre-M (dimension). ~150 lbs brick weight added to 40" Brinly-Hardy plug aerator.

100 lbs horse small alfalfa pellets and 25 lbs Ringer fertilizer mixed, applied @ 10#/M. I may try the smaller rabbit alfalfa pellets next time to see the difference in spreader application.


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## g-man

Those came out of the spreader? Mine get stuck. I end up hand tossing it.


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## Powhatan

g-man said:


> Those came out of the spreader? Mine get stuck. I end up hand tossing it.


@g-man The spreader hopper gate was set to almost half open, went out just fine. I was more concerned that the smaller size Ringer would empty faster, but no worry I noticed Ringer granulars all over lawn when I was done.


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## Powhatan

Lowered HOC to 3.25", mulch mowed lawn and the weeds growing in the gravel road ditch area.

Put down 20 bags of 40# *Earthgro Topsoil* in various low spots. The bag topsoil was nice earthy black; no noticable rocks, sticks, or foreign items. I was impressed.


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## Powhatan

There are summer stress brown dead areas that are mostly located around the permitter of the house.


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## Green

@Powhatan, I feel like I might be seeing a ryegrass blade or two in the last photo. Is that possible?


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## Powhatan

@Green I searched but couldn't find it to confirm. Gotta be some tough RG to survive summer if there. I put some down last fall. Maybe it's HRG?


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## probasestealer

@Powhatan enjoyed browsing your journal. I was interested in seeing the K31, actually looks better than I imagined.

I've had similar experience with HBG and TTTF. It seems that the HBG is predominant after 1 year and a lot of the TTTF (Hogan Blend) died this past summer. Now in years past I've never had major TTTF die off, but it was never blended with HBG. I almost wonder if this isn't a synergistic mix (does the HBG grow at the expensive of the TTTF, etc)?


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## Powhatan

probasestealer said:


> @Powhatan enjoyed browsing your journal. I was interested in seeing the K31, actually looks better than I imagined.
> 
> I've had similar experience with HBG and TTTF. It seems that the HBG is predominant after 1 year and a lot of the TTTF (Hogan Blend) died this past summer. Now in years past I've never had major TTTF die off, but it was never blended with HBG. I almost wonder if this isn't a synergistic mix (does the HBG grow at the expensive of the TTTF, etc)?


@probasestealer thanks for visiting and following along.

Not to my untrained eye have I observed a synergistic effect between HBG and TTTF. That being said, it does appear overall in my non-irrigated lawn that the TTTF has suffered more compared to the KY-31 and HBG, especially in areas that receive more direct summer sun. I can only guess at reasons for this and there's probably more than one contributing factor. Occam's razor - Could be just as simple as KY-31 and HBG are better at heat/drought tolerance than TTTF.


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## Powhatan

Continuing with summer heat, humidity, and above average rainfall amounts ... fungus and weed pressure are on the rise. Net blotch appearing active again and nut sedge in greater numbers. Being so close to calendar start of autumn, I really don't want to put down more fungicide, maybe a lower HOC to allow more airflow will help.

Noticed small mycelium looking webs on the soil surface in the back yard. Not sure if fungal related or microbial break down of fertilizer organic material.

Raked up the matted down brown dead grass areas. Mulch mowed, lowered HOC from 3.25" to 3" for more airflow.

Started to rain just about the time I finished mowing ... great, more moisture again to feed the fungus. :sad:


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## Powhatan

Sprayed *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer* on several dutch clover bunches. I've used that product before, this is first time spaying on clover, so not sure what to expect. I usually hand-pull the clover.


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## Powhatan

~6 hours later - the *EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer* appears to be killing the dutch clover.

The surrounding brown grass is the TTTF which was already dead due to summer stress. There are some green clover leafs still in the outer boarder of the kill zone, I may have missed those when I sprayed. I'll get them tomorrow with a follow-up spray.


Edit: Sprayed same areas the following day. ~5 hours later more of the clover is dying, but some outer edges still hanging on, I'll have to hand-pull the stubborn ones.


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## Powhatan

I plan to overseed the TTTF dead patches located around the house with KY-31, sometime between mid to late this month. At the same time, I'll put down some slow release Ringer fertilizer mixed with alfalfa pellets (alfalfa contains triacontanol - a naturally occurring plant growth promoter), then cover the area with EZ straw to retain moisture. I don't have irrigation so I'll be hand watering. Two weeks after seed germination I'll put down Lesco fertilizer 19-0-7 with weed preM (dimension) which is allowed per the label.

Looks like hurricane Florence may be hitting the east coast late next week and then travel north up the coast.


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## Green

The seeding sounds like a good idea! Good luck with it and the weather.


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## Powhatan

Thanks @Green. With the ground being saturated with the ongoing rains this week, when Florence's strong wind hits from the E/SE there will be numerous trees coming down, that's what Isabel did.


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## Powhatan

End of summer very dry.


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## Powhatan

Sun decided to come out, so did some yard work. Hand-pulled some dallisgrass, smooth crabgrass, dogfennel, sericea lespedeza, nutsedge weeds, and dutch clover. Mulch mowed staying at HOC 3".

From a distance the yard doesn't appear to be too bad considering coming through summer. Upon closer inspection, got plenty of brown dead thinned patches, and hints of fungal infection on random TF blades. The ground is moist due to the almost daily thunder showers and high humidity. Can't wait to put down some more grass seed to help perk up the lawn.

Updated hurricane Florence track is heading W/SW once it hits the NC coast, so that's good for where I live. Probable still get fair amount of wind, rain, and flooding in our area.


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## Powhatan

Turned out to be such a pretty blue sky day so I added some scenic pictures.

Side yard.


Back woods trail leading to fresh water lake.


Edit: Here's the lake.


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## Powhatan

Since the hurricane is forecasted to travel W/SW, our area now forecasted for lower wind speeds and < .50" daily rainfall amounts for next ~6 days, then lower temperatures following the rain days. So ... I went ahead and put down grass seeds and slow release fertilizer: KY-31 50# coated applied @ 4#/M, *Ringer* fertilizer 25# mixed with alfalfa pellets 50# applied @ 8#/M. Pushed seeds down to the soft moist ground with riding mower tires when I put down the fertilizer.

It's a gamble the amount of daily rain forecasted, but if turns out to be allot higher, I'll be a member of 2018 seed washout club.

Hand-pulled several poa trivialis patches with many stolons. As easy to pull up like a loose hair toupee.


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## Powhatan

Been getting small rain showers off and on all day yesterday and continuing today from hurricane Florence outer rainbands.


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## Green

One day germination. Unbelievable!


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## Powhatan

Daily rain showers since seed down have been watering the grass. Upcoming few days little to no rain forecasted, so will have to hand water.


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## Powhatan

One week after seed down. Seedlings are getting to be about half tall as the mature grass. I'll have to keep hand watering for at least another day or two until daily rain showers return starting this Saturday evening.


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## Powhatan

Seed down +9 days

Lawn filling in nicely with the new grass. Mature grass almost needs a cut so it doesn't shade out the young ones, but new grass overall looks like it's coming in quick so a mow might not be needed in the near term. I suspect the slow release fertilizer is doing a good job. Edit: Decided to mow the tall grass since several days of rain expected. I sharpened push mower blade, set wheels to highest setting, and gently went over the tall grass spots.

Deer have been in the back yard, I think they are eating the still decomposing larger horse alfalfa pellets. I bought rabbit chow (alfalfa pellets) which are smaller than the horse size pellets for next application. I also bought Sta-Green crabgrass preventer (dimension) for winter preM. I'll put the preM down probably in ~two weeks. Oh, and I also bought Scotts DiseaseEX fungicide to help prevent melting out. I had a problem with young TTTF and melting out last fall.

Daily rain showers are forecasted this week starting late this evening, along with cooler temps. The high/low on Sunday forecasted 68F/64F, here comes autumn.


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## Powhatan

Grass seedlings.


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## Powhatan

Good thing I mowed the high tops on Saturday, with all the rain, grass is turning into a jungle.


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## Powhatan

We've had several days of showers, overcast skies, and not much sun. The ground is very damp, almost spongy. I'm being optimistic thinking that only 50% of new grass has been lying down level to ground level during the wetness period, the other 50% standing generally upright. Believing optimistically (half full vs half empty), I'm hoping most of the new grass survived the prolonged wetness and will perk up and keep growing normally once the ground starts drying out. I still have plenty of fall season seeding time if needed.

Next several days the forecast is for plenty of sun. If ground is dry enough this weekend, I plan to mow grass and put down Scotts DiseaseEx Lawn Fungicide (azoxystrobin) at preventative rate to stop any potential melting out disease, the lawn had that disease last fall. Also, plan to put down rabbit chow (alfalfa pellets). The weekend after next will be >2 weeks since widespread seed germination. The fall preM (dimension) label allows product application after 2 weeks seed germination.


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## samjonester

If you don't mind spraying, propiconizole is effective against melting out.

You can get a whole bottle for $45 vs buying 5M bags of Scotts for $20 each.


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## Powhatan

Thanks for the suggestion @samjonester. I prefer the granular apps. I'm not comfortable mixing liquids; premeasured spray bottle or hose end bottle mix are okay.


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## Powhatan

Change of plans ... two weeks of almost daily rain showers is way too much moisture for trying to grow new grass. 

There's a lot more new grass laying down than I previously thought. They have yellow base stems and some appear to have fungal lesions. Just touching them breaks it at the base.

Lots of work to do once grass dries out a bit more: Mow grass @ HOC 2.75", put down DiseaseEX fungicide 2x5M, put down TTTF/PRG 80/20% mix @ 2#/M to repair overseed water kill, and Starter Fertilizer with preM (mesotrione) 1x5M.

New growth laying down.

Edit: Overseed 2nd attempt.

Did the work I mentioned above this afternoon plus I also put down Moss Control Granules 1x5M. Cut lawn short to HOC 2.75" to shock it before putting down seed.


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## Powhatan

Bought some new grass overseed watering accessories. Each timer handles two zones (4 total) which I'll put two impact sprinklers on each zone (8 total) and run each zone separately one at time so the house water well pump/expansion tank maintains good steady pressure while supplying the water. I only need moist soil, so zone run time won't be that long.


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## Green

Do those timers offer custom start times? Because I bought a new-old-stock of the previous version on ebay many months ago because of that feature. Haven't used it yet actually, other than testing it, but it will probably see use soon considering I have about 2,000 square feet of area to germinate.

Also, what's the reasoning behind the TTTF/TTPR mix instead of using something like KY-31/TTPR? I understand the PR is for quick establishment, but I thought you were unhappy with the performance of TTTF. I guess KY-31/TTPR mix might not exist, but it's easy to mix your own.

Despite the fungus, it's looking good. I think it'll recover well after you apply the fungicide and the 2nd overseed starts coming in.


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## Powhatan

@Green

I haven't set the timers up yet, but here's it's information Orbit Digital hose water timer #24713. I understand it has three customizable watering schedules.

Since some of the 50 lbs of KY-31 I put down Sep 13 likely survived rainwater drowning, I didn't want to open up another 50 lb bag and risk overapply. So, decided to put down smaller amounts of coated Scotts Southern Gold TTTF & Scotts PRG to fill in the thin areas. If most of it survives though next summer - great. I plan to put down some more KY-31 next year Feb for late winter dormant seeding. I did that this year, it germinated Mar 1, and as far as I can tell, practically all of it survived through summer.

If I can get the soil to drain better, I believe that will greatly reduce fungal occurrence. I think I'll start putting down Andersons Humic DG next year.


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## Powhatan

TTTF/PRG germination +5 days from Sep 29 seed down. There's also a fair amount of young KY-31 from Sep 13 seed down still growing. I'm glad I didn't go heavy on the 2nd overseed. Edit: I probably waited too long to put down the extra hose & sprinklers I purchased recently now that tender seedlings are coming up. I'll keep hand watering for now till new grass comes in more.

Unfortunately, have numerous minor moss/algae spots all over the shadier parts of the yard - the seasonal lower angle sun combined with the surrounding tree leaves limiting amount of direct sun light don't help, and I'm sure the soil still needs more lime from what I've already put down to bring up the pH.


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## Powhatan

Put down 120 lbs fast acting lime @ 10#/M.

Noticed a nice stand of Poa trivialis growing in the shady damp side of yard. That's nature's way of telling me I need to put down some fine fescue there. I think I'll go with either Zodiac, Radar, or Windward cultivar Chewings Fescue for the lawn's shady areas mixed with KY-31 when I overseed next year.

Lots of oak nuts coming down.


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## Powhatan

Mulched mowed grass and leaves, HOC 3.5". Put down Scotts starter fertilizer with preM (mesotrione) 1x5M bag (booster shot to the Sep 29 app) and Scotts fert for Southern lawns 32-0-10 1x5M bag mixed together.

Had three trees, 2 live 1 dead, fall on each other like dominos during Tropical Storm Michael.


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## Powhatan

Put down Scotts Moss Control Granules 2x5M bags.


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## Powhatan

Put down 50 lbs rabbit chow (alfalfa pellets). These are about 1/4 size compared to the horse alfalfa pellets. The smaller size pellet has a better spreader dispersal pattern than the larger pellet.


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## Green

How bad was the situation with the trees?

I haven't hooked up my timers, either. Too cold now. Maybe in May I'll need them.


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> How bad was the situation with the trees?
> 
> I haven't hooked up my timers, either. Too cold now. Maybe in May I'll need them.


I counted four large trees (3 live, 1 dead) that fell. Luckily, in the woods, not near the house.


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## Powhatan

Grass is recovering nicely from the summer stress, not near as full as I would like, but a lot better than last year this time. I just mowed four days ago to HOC 3.5". Grass needs another cut, but ground is still kinda damp, not a lot seasonal sun during the day to dry things up quickly.


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## Powhatan

Mulch mowed HOC 3.5" with the foot propelled gas push mower.


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## Powhatan

Fall colors starting to set in.


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## Green

Powhatan said:


> Most of the grass is a healthy green, very few areas with net blotch fungal disease.


How do you ID Net Blotch? Is it basically the brown-yellow-white lesions? Do you think it's hard to tell apart from leaf spot?


----------



## Powhatan

Green said:


> How do you ID Net Blotch? Is it basically the brown-yellow-white lesions? Do you think it's hard to tell apart from leaf spot?


@Green

Trying to ID Net Blotch and Leaf Spot do look very similar when searching online for example pictures. Honestly, at times I confuse the two. They are both Helminthosporium family diseases, so probably why they look similar. What I've found to be the tale-tell distinction: Net Blotch lesions usually have a yellow halo border, while Leaf Spot lesions usually have a dark brown border.


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## Powhatan

Some more fall colors.


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## Powhatan

Planted several native plant bare roots in pockets around the perimeter of back yard, put flags down to mark them. First time planting perennials, I hope I placed them correctly root down.

I mowed this past Thursday @ HOC 3.5". I plan to put down granular dimension preM and one last fertilizer app sometime within the next two weeks and lower HOC to 3.25".


----------



## Powhatan

Rain is forecasted almost every other day for next several days, so decided to do some yard work.

Blew leaves from driveway into lawn. Lowed HOC to 3.25", mulch mowed lawn and leaves. Soil temp ~52F @ 2" depth. Put down: Sta-Green granular weed preventer (dimension) fall preM 10 lbs @ 1.2#/M - weed protection good for 2-3 months, Scotts WinterGuard fert 32-0-10 1x5M bag @ ~.32#N/M, and 50 lbs rabbit chow (alfalfa pellets).


----------



## Powhatan

Air temp @ 8:00 AM this morning 32F and soil temp 43F @ 2" depth. Grass growth from last Sunday's HOC 3.25" cut: the clumps in shadier areas have no significant measurement growth while the sunnier areas are up to ~3.75" height.

Later this afternoon once air temp warms up a bit, I'll mulch mow lawn and leaves with the push mower. The surrounding deciduous trees still have about 1/3 leaves left to shed.


----------



## Green

Getting enough rain? It seems like it's been 2 inches a week the past couple of weeks here.

Leaves have been coming down like crazy here for almost 2 weeks now. The supply is now almost exhausted, though.


----------



## Powhatan

Green said:


> Getting enough rain? It seems like it's been 2 inches a week the past couple of weeks here.
> 
> Leaves have been coming down like crazy here for almost 2 weeks now. The supply is now almost exhausted, though.


We've had fair amount of gentle rain almost weekly, ~.50" inch showers, with a few >1" isolated downpours.

Ever since hurricane Florence and tropical storm Michael, my turf's soil has stayed damp to the touch and a few areas slightly spongy. I haven't used the heavy riding lawn mower since before Florence so as to not rut up the ground. I've been using a gas push mower and walk behind spreader.


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## Suburban Jungle Life

Your property is looking great! I like the use of K31. I think most people discount it due to the color and blade width compared to TTTF but I feel it is a much tougher grass. In my experience, it takes lower inputs, grows faster, and is more drought and disease tolerant than TTTF. It seems to get disease often but also shrugs it off and keeps growing.


----------



## Powhatan

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Your property is looking great! I like the use of K31. I think most people discount it due to the color and blade width compared to TTTF but I feel it is a much tougher grass. In my experience, it takes lower inputs, grows faster, and is more drought and disease tolerant than TTTF. It seems to get disease often but also shrugs it off and keeps growing.


Thanks. I've been told it takes 2 to 3 years for a new lawn establishment. For my rural lawn I consider the KY-31 more practical than decorative grass. So far, it just works for me. 

Next year this will be my overseed mix (the FF is new addition): KY-31 (70%), TTTF (20%), Chewings FF (5%), and PRG (5%). There's some HBG established in various spots so I'll let that propagate on it's own. I plan to use more of organic fert and humic acid to raise the soil quality condition.


----------



## Green

Powhatan said:


> Next year this will be my overseed mix (the FF is new addition): KY-31 (70%), TTTF (20%), Chewings FF (5%), and PRG (5%). There's some HBG established in various spots so I'll let that propagate on it's own. I plan to use more of organic fert and humic acid to raise the soil quality condition.


Sounds like a good mix to add in. Are you doing this as a Fall 2019 overseed, dormant seed, or possibly both?

The fine fescue will add a bit of density in some areas, like under trees and in shade.

I've noticed turf type PR survives both my Winters and Summers to at least some degree when mixed with other grass types. I've also noticed this in other places, like business lawns. I think the more resiliant species in a mix offer protection for it versus a fully PR lawn. Add in the minor spreading ability of the modern cultivars, and enough of it survives year on end that there's still some in the mix in some places after like 7 years. With less severe Winters and slightly more severe Summers where you are, I think a low percentage in your mix is not a bad idea and some may survive a few years if it gets past the first Summer.

I'm also a believer in mixes as far as durability/survivability over time, so I applaud your idea to overseed with the FF, TTPR, and TTTF once in a while to help build a more durable lawn over time, although KY-31 is your main species.


----------



## Powhatan

Green said:


> Sounds like a good mix to add in. Are you doing this as a Fall 2019 overseed, dormant seed, or possibly both?


I'm planning for both a late winter dormant and fall overseed. Even though there won't be a spring sowed 100% summer survival, most of it will pull through (I noticed this for the past two years), then I can adjust the mixture lbs amount for the fall overseed. In the early spring there's less tree leaves bocking direct sunlight, mild temps, and spring rains so I don't need to irrigate.



Green said:


> I'm also a believer in mixes as far as durability/survivability over time, so I applaud your idea to overseed with the FF, TTPR, and TTTF once in a while to help build a more durable lawn over time, although KY-31 is your main species.


Yep, don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. The sun/shade/moisture conditions change over the whole yard during the year, so it's kinda hard to pinpoint one good overall grass type. I figure I'd provide the turf good inputs and it can decide what works/grows/adapts well in each area.


----------



## Powhatan

Soil temp 46F @ 2" depth. Planted a few more native plant bare roots.


----------



## Green

Your weather is perfect right now. I'm still waiting for the snow to melt so I can get to the leaves...


----------



## Powhatan

Green said:


> Your weather is perfect right now. I'm still waiting for the snow to melt so I can get to the leaves...


The cold is teasing us here ... dips down to low 30F's at night, then back up to high 50F's during the day.


----------



## Powhatan

Wild turkeys, rabbits and deer are coming into the yard ... thanksgiving guests  Herbivores, probably deer, are eating some grass blades down to about an inch of the crown, seems they know the toxic endophyte is located in the lower part of the grass blade/stem when grass is not in reproductive cycle (spring).

Edit:

First batch using the new compost tumbler. After 5 months of cooking with two half loads of carbon:nitrogen material, the finished compost baked down to a small amount. The white spots are egg shells that didn't break down.



Edit2:

Emptied the compost tumbler and spread the finished compost on the native plant bare root bed areas.

Let the composter dry out for a while, then fed it again to keep it happy over the winter. Put in shredded office paper, paper bags, thanksgiving dinner prep food waste, wild mushrooms, pine tree saplings (can't stand pine trees), and some winter weeds that were growing in the surrounding woods.


----------



## Green

Powhatan said:


> Wild turkeys, rabbits and deer are coming into the yard ... thanksgiving guests  Herbivores, probably deer, are eating some grass blades down to about an inch of the crown, seems they know the toxic endophyte is located in the lower part of the grass blade/stem when grass is not in reproductive cycle (spring).


Wow, that's something. They must be able to taste the difference, and know it's bad.


----------



## Powhatan

Soil temp 44F @ 2" depth.


----------



## Powhatan

Air temp 37F, soil temp 38F @ 2" depth.

Every evening and morning this past week a small grouping of deer have been chowing down grass in the back yard. They don't spook easily; I can slowly walk up to the young ones within 15FT before they run off. A six point buck watches from a short distance.

Don't have to worry about an end of season mow, deer are eating down to about an inch.


----------



## Powhatan

Received ~6" dry pack snow today and still falling.


----------



## Brad Thompson91006

I have a terrible deer nuisance problem. They destroyed my rhaphiolepis shrubs and even pawed at my lawn.
I bought a gallon of coyote urine. I cut the ends off beer cans, stuck a stake thru the beer can and stuffed the cans with rags.
Finally soaked the scent stations with coyote urine. Not one deer in the previous 3 weeks, however they are all over the neighborhood. Tip = wear gloves, nasty stuff.


----------



## g-man

^ I had to Google how the urine is collected. You need a roadrunner.


----------



## Powhatan

Thanks @Brad Thompson91006 for the info.


----------



## Powhatan

Curious to see if ground froze yet with ~6" snow/ice still on the ground from Sunday.

Air temp 19F, soil temp 37F @ 2" depth.


----------



## Green

That's the exact point we were at a few weeks ago after the 10 inches of snow. Now, the ground is closer to freezing, but still measured near 40 a week ago.


----------



## Powhatan

Air temp 53F and soil temp 48F. The snow came and went. No forecasted white stuff for Christmas. Oh well, still got green grass, American Holly trees, and Christmas ferns.


----------



## Powhatan

Blew off most of the last fallen leaves from the lawn and back woods walking trail. I would of mulch mowed but various leaf layers were too damp.


----------



## Powhatan

PRG or poa trivialis is liking the recent warm weather?


----------



## Green

Powhatan said:


> The PRG is liking the recent warm weather, perked up to ~6" height. No growth for the TF/TTTF.


Look at the "crinkles" (stamped/embossed-looking impressions on the blades) on some of that grass. I've only seen that on Bluegrass (which is what I think I'm seeing it on in the photo). Someone once suggested it as a way to ID Poa annua, but I've seen it on KBG as well, once or twice. You don't have any KBG, right?? So, it must be the HBG...? I can't tell if any of the PR has it in the photo.

Are you planning to do one more true mow this year? (Or possibly two if you need to in order to get the height lower)


----------



## Powhatan

Green said:


> Powhatan said:
> 
> 
> 
> The PRG is liking the recent warm weather, perked up to ~6" height. No growth for the TF/TTTF.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Look at the "crinkles" (stamped/embossed-looking impressions on the blades) on some of that grass. I've only seen that on Bluegrass (which is what I think I'm seeing it on in the photo). Someone once suggested it as a way to ID Poa annua, but I've seen it on KBG as well, once or twice. You don't have any KBG, right?? So, it must be the HBG...? I can't tell if any of the PR has it in the photo.
> 
> Are you planning to do one more true mow this year? (Or possibly two if you need to in order to get the height lower)
Click to expand...

No more mowing anymore until the planned late winter dormant overseed (Feb 2019) new grass comes in early (Apr) next year. I don't want to cut (expose) the grass blade tips during the colder non-active growth season.

I know I have HBG, at least I saw them earlier this year. I just tried looking for some, but didn't find any, could be the angle of the morning sun is not reflecting the "blueish" blade color I remember seeing.

That clump I took a picture of to me looks like PRG compared to it's characteristics. The crinkle is curious, could it be weather stunt growth related?









Just noticed this winter weed. I haven't identified it, but pulled it up by it's roots anyway. About a month ago I put down preM "dimension", must of missed this spot.

Edit: Appears to be either a Bull or Canada Thistle, looks very much like some type of thistle. Another possibility could be Curly Dock, a noxious weed included with the recent KY-31 overseed I did.


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## Green

I swear I'm still seeing some KBG or HBG (including in your newest photo), and the photos may not have picked up the prominent veins in any PR in them.


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> I swear I'm still seeing some KBG or HBG (including in your newest photo), and the photos may not have picked up the prominent veins in any PR in them.


@Green If you see HBG mixed with the PRG that's fine with me. My eyes aren't the greatest. :thumbup:

I went looking specifically for HBG today while playing fetch with the dog. I believe I did find a few, but a lot I initially thought looked like BG actually had a mid-vein with smaller veins, so to me that means PRG.

This photo looks like HBG boat tip blades mixed in with the Tall fescue. 


To date I have not found a characteristic description with photos displaying a HBG for proper identification. I did find information about the Texas Bluegrass which HBG is hybrid of. Photos appear to show blade veins.

http://soilcropandmore.info/crops/Grasses/Texas_bluegrass/Texas-Bluegrass-Poa-arachnifera.htm


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## Green

Powhatan said:


> http://soilcropandmore.info/crops/Grasses/Texas_bluegrass/Texas-Bluegrass-Poa-arachnifera.htm


Those pics do show grass that looks similar to what I saw in your other photos. Actually, that TBG doesn't look too much different from KBG...it looks like KBG with a double mid-vein. The lateral veins don't look as pronounced as in PR in those shots...more subtle. Technically KBG has them too...you just can't see them with the naked eye.

Well, I guess I'm going to have fun in a few months trying to ID the HBG in my own lawn. I haven't tried a new grass species in a few years, so it'll be interesting to see how HBG looks in person compared to KBG.


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## Powhatan

It's very encouraging to still find HBG in the lawn mix after going through the recent summer months since I don't irrigate. Most of the HBG seed went down in fall 2017 when I overseeded with Southern Belle TTTF, and when I put down some leftovers mixed in with KY-31 for the late winter overseed in Feb 2018.


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## Powhatan

Air temp 27F and soil temp 35F.


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## Powhatan

Ground moist from recent rain, good day to hand-pull some orchardgrass clumps. I noticed there's several in the area around the well pump pipe head so I'll hit those clumps next year with EcoLogic Weed & Grass Killer.


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## Powhatan

Hand-pulled some white dutch clover, carolina geranium weeds, and pine tree seedlings; fed them to the composter.

Edit: Performed winter checks, power cycled, small engine equipment.


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## Powhatan




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## Green

@Powhatan Great job so far this Winter!!

When did you plant the Holly? It was from seed, right?

Happy New Year!


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## Powhatan

Green said:


> @Powhatan Great job so far this Winter!!
> 
> When did you plant the Holly? It was from seed, right?
> 
> Happy New Year!


@Green sorry I missed your post. Thanks for compliment. I'm pleased the lawn is coming along very nicely this past year. Starting this new year I'm trying to use more organics, promote healthy soil, and use low input methods.

I didn't plant that particular small holly shown in the picture. When I saw it, it reminded me even the smallest of life on Terra contributes to the biosphere that us humans are a part of. I have transplanted a few small hollies and placed them in the front yard near the gravel road ditch. I also hand tossed several holly seeds into the nearby woods. It seems hollies grow very slowly, it's like watching water boil in a pot.

Happy New Year to you also.


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## Captquin

@Powhatan 
Looking good. How do you like your compost tumbler? Do you just spread the compost on the grass when it's ready?


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## Powhatan

Captquin said:


> @Powhatan
> Looking good. How do you like your compost tumbler? Do you just spread the compost on the grass when it's ready?


@Captquin looking over old memories.  The lawn has changed since 2018, hopefully for the better. The poa triv exploded in 2018 and 2019, after glyphosating it last year and this year seems there is a lot less - hopefully.

I like the compost tumbler. It's not large enough to supply compost for the whole yard so I've been putting down the finished compost in my shrub beds. Very surprising how much material volume is cooked down for the final product. I fill the composter up in spring and periodically add nitrogen/carbon material, rotate the drum every so often, and by late summer it's all cooked down. I'm basically doing a slow cook, but can do a hot cook to get compost finished faster and have more loads for the year.


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## Captquin

Thank you sir. Keep up the good work


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