# First Post & Seed Recommendations



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Hi everyone, I've been lurking here for months and if I thought I knew anything about lawn care in the past, it's all been reset at this point.

My wife and I moved into a new home in September 2017. It was new construction and had sod that was 9 months old when we arrived. The sod was well taken care of and we essentially inherited the nicest lawn I've ever had.

I've wrestled with whether or not I want to be a "lawn guy" in the past. I'm self-employed and often work 60-70 hours a week. I was able to make more time for the lawn last year than I expected to, and I'm now committed to maintaining everything myself. Luckily for me, our yard is pretty small at around 6,100 sq feet.

Though I have several questions/posts planned, for now I'd like help deciding what grass seed to use for overseeding. I aerated/overseeded in the fall and it came up pretty thick...I was so happy. However, I'm not sure if I'm using optimal seed types/brands. A few neighbors have patchy appearances on this lawns where they have used mismatched seeds and I definitely want to avoid that.

I'm told our sod was Kentucky 31. Every reference I've seen to Kentucky 31 on this forum referred to it as though it were an invasive nuisance...lol. I don't mind spending some money on seed...any suggestions are appreciated.

Rear - A year ago.









Front - This past week.









Closeup


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Also...does the yellowing look like standard shift to dormancy? I didn't have too many lawn issues last season. I did have a company that performed 10 treatments; fertilization, grub, broadleaf, etc.

We had so much rain last year and did have some fungal issues that I didn't identify properly until they had wrecked some of the side yard. A neighbor told me he thought it was "brown patch" and it did seem to go away with some fungicide.


----------



## Wlodyd (Aug 27, 2018)

Looks like dormancy to me. Grass looks pretty long for the winter tho, so could be some fungus in spots, but I wouldn't recommend treating it unless you can identify. I think it'll all bounce back fine in the spring. But I would recommend cutting it a little lower going into winter next year.

As for grass seed, I think your best bet is to browse Seed Superstore https://www.seedsuperstore.com/ or Hogan's http://www.thehogancompany.us/. Both have good reviews on here as quality seed suppliers. I ordered from Seed Superstore this year and was pleased with what I received. Looking forward to how the lawn looks next year. I've heard good things from Hogans. You can't order online but you can call them and I understand they'll help build a perfect seed blend for you.

A blend of seed is fine, and you are pretty much going to have to embrace the mix of grasses unless you want to nuke your lawn and start fresh. It definitely looks like some heavy bladed fescue like KY-31, but the stuff is hearty and durable... so I would just embrace it and focus on making what you have as good as it can be.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

I'm not sure if that's actually KY-31. I've never heard of it being available as sod, but it's possible. Better photos would help.


----------



## Wolverine (Jan 17, 2018)

Looks like TTTF


----------



## vettetrm (Apr 7, 2018)

With that light green color to it, it does look like K31 too me. Hard to tell for sure though. If so, mixing in "better/newer" seed won't match it. The newer stuff is darker. 
If you like the lite green look of it, stick with K31. Hardest part of that is finding K31 seed without high weed/other crop content to overseed with. 
If you would rather have a darker green lawn you will probably have to nuke it and seed newer stuff this fall.


----------



## sam (Mar 10, 2018)

Hi,

I'm not an expert but I think I live near you (DC area)

Re seeds:
The local universities do the thinking for us - Here is a list of their recommended seed cultivars specifically for our region: (see the tall fescue list which is at the top of page 2)

https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-66/SPES-66.pdf

But then again, if you really do have KY31 and your top priority is a match to that, then the improved varieties may not match KY31

And source some seed that has exactly 0% weeds and 0% other crop. (Assume Other crop is weeds by a different name). I've gotten a poa triv infestation from whatever I spread in the past, so I won't make that mistake again.

Newsom Seed has two stores in Maryland and they sell a Tall Fescue Blend which is varieties on that recommended list for our region and 0 percent weed and 0 other crop. So again - that takes the thinking out of it. The stores are not that close to you but if you prefer that over ordering something online and shipping it. There might be a different supplier closer to you.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Wlodyd said:


> Looks like dormancy to me. Grass looks pretty long for the winter tho, so could be some fungus in spots, but I wouldn't recommend treating it unless you can identify. I think it'll all bounce back fine in the spring. But I would recommend cutting it a little lower going into winter next year.
> 
> As for grass seed, I think your best bet is to browse Seed Superstore https://www.seedsuperstore.com/ or Hogan's http://www.thehogancompany.us/. Both have good reviews on here as quality seed suppliers. I ordered from Seed Superstore this year and was pleased with what I received. Looking forward to how the lawn looks next year. I've heard good things from Hogans. You can't order online but you can call them and I understand they'll help build a perfect seed blend for you.
> 
> A blend of seed is fine, and you are pretty much going to have to embrace the mix of grasses unless you want to nuke your lawn and start fresh. It definitely looks like some heavy bladed fescue like KY-31, but the stuff is hearty and durable... so I would just embrace it and focus on making what you have as good as it can be.


Thanks, I'm checking out both sites now. I definitely do not want to nuke everything and have been pretty happy with the way the lawn looked since moving in.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Green said:


> I'm not sure if that's actually KY-31. I've never heard of it being available as sod, but it's possible. Better photos would help.


Here's a better closeup...note that I've overseeded now with a KBG mix from Lowes as well. However the lawn's first overseeding was last fall and I don't think any of those sprouts are in this shot.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

vettetrm said:


> With that light green color to it, it does look like K31 too me. Hard to tell for sure though. If so, mixing in "better/newer" seed won't match it. The newer stuff is darker.
> If you like the lite green look of it, stick with K31. Hardest part of that is finding K31 seed without high weed/other crop content to overseed with.
> If you would rather have a darker green lawn you will probably have to nuke it and seed newer stuff this fall.


One thing I noticed, after applying fertilizer last summer, the lawn took on a much darker blue/green color. There were dark striped edges where my drop feeder had missed a spot. I was actually surprised at how much darker the lawn became after fertilizing, a completely different shade of green than what you see in my first, sunny photo. See updated photo if it helps with identification, and thank you!


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

sam said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm not an expert but I think I live near you (DC area)
> 
> ...


Great resource, thank you! I don't really care about matching the KY31 perfectly. I just want the best option or opinion for my case. If it would make sense to add a blend to this that looks good and would complement the KY31, I'm all for it. I attached a new photo if it helps with identifying our grass.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

From your first image and your statement around green up after fertilizer, I don't think you need to overseed at all.

Give the cool season guide a read. Ensure your soil nutrients are correct and apply fertilizer to promote grow when the conditions are right.


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Let's get some more opinions on whether the sample you pulled in that photo is TTTF or KY-31...
@Powhatan

Of course, you could still have both mixed in in some places. What did you seed with in the past, other than KBG?



g-man said:


> From your first image and your statement around green up after fertilizer, I don't think you need to overseed at all.
> 
> Give the cool season guide a read. Ensure your soil nutrients are correct and apply fertilizer to promote grow when the conditions are right.


Agree with g-man on not needing to overseed the areas you showed us.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

g-man said:


> From your first image and your statement around green up after fertilizer, I don't think you need to overseed at all.
> 
> Give the cool season guide a read. Ensure your soil nutrients are correct and apply fertilizer to promote grow when the conditions are right.


Thanks G-Man, I've read a lot of your posts while lurking here. While the yard looks good, I can still see a fair amount of soil through the grass, and I have a few small bald patches here and there.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Green said:


> Let's get some more opinions on whether the sample you pulled in that photo is TTTF or KY-31...
> @Powhatan
> 
> Of course, you could still have both mixed in in some places. What did you seed with in the past, other than KBG?
> ...


Thank you. I can provide more pics if needed. The yard is nice in terms of being weed-free right now, but the grass is not thick, and I can see the soil in most places.


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Green said:


> Let's get some more opinions on whether the sample you pulled in that photo is TTTF or KY-31...
> @Powhatan


Here's a grass smorgasbord for comparison. The wider blades are KY-31. All the rest are either TTTF, HBG, or PRG. I believe the TTTF pictured here is Southern Belle blend. The KY-31 has some new growth. That indestructible grass germinated last March and survived some nor'easters.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

Thanks @Powhatan. So what would you overseed with in my case? Is it ok to use TTTF over KY31? Optimal in terms of look?


----------



## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

C4talyst said:


> Thanks Powhatan. So what would you overseed with in my case? Is it ok to use TTTF over KY31? Optimal in terms of look?


What you have in your hand looks more like TTTF than KY-31.

I would wait till spring green up and look for any obvious KY-31 characteristic wider blades. If they are there you'll be more certain how wide spread they are throughout your lawn and then you can decide what course of action to do. If minimal KY-31, I would overseed with TTTF if TTTF is what you prefer.


----------



## C4talyst (Dec 31, 2018)

I thought I'd revisit this thread with a little more info and a final question on my overseed selection. Here's an overview of our plot of land, the yard is outlined and is roughly 6k sq. feet.

The northern side of the home gets the least light, you can see that part of the yard shaded by the home here. That grass does better than any other parts of the yard. It's always lush, green and healthy. That area is thick and has had no real weed issues.

The rear of the yard also gets less light, and does relatively well. The south and west-facing (front yard here) sides of the home get the most light, and those areas seem to require the most attention. Knowing this, is it easier to make an educated guess on our sod type?

Lastly, I'm considering overseeding from here on out with Titan RX...any thoughts on whether that's a sound choice here?


----------

