# New home on a cornfield



## LienandGreenLawn (Mar 5, 2019)

Hey y'all. New to site. Lots of knowledge to read and digest on here. So stoked to learn and discuss. I recently built a home on what was a dry land cornfield. In new construction it is common for contractors to level and strip the ground for walkout homes. In doing so disturbs much of the soil profile and causes lots of headaches trying to establish a new yard from seed. From a budget standpoint, it was too expensive to lay sod for 30k sqft. So I did my best to seed a new yard myself. Results were pretty poor first year, but second year had much better results by getting on a good fert and management program. This year I will be using N-ext products, and some experimantal projects. I have a small utility tractor and means to spray most of my applications. Also a toro timecutter.

So any of you guys that have started from new construction or manage large amounts of sqft. I would love to have some discussions.

-ML


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Welcome to TLF.

As far as managing large areas of turf, I use the "best bang for your buck" approach strategy at work. Start with the basics in the cool season guide.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1595

In the beginning, I would look for granulars in pro products and grains from farm and feed stores. The pro products will help to get good quality NPK products for reasonable cost. The F&F stores will help you to buy organics to build organic matter and improve the soil. If you have the $$ and storage, look to buy larger quantities (pallet size) and limit the varieties. Once you get a handle on things, then you can start tweaking, experimenting, etc. For example, setting up a spray rig to save on Pre M costs and apply other herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc. Just my $0.02.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I have 20k. 20k is not 30k, but it is still a larger lot. Some good advice I got recently: Choose about 5k-8k of your yard to maintain. Don't worry about the rest. That makes it much more manageable.
Personally, I cannot follow that advice, but it is sound. Keeping up with a larger property so that it is a 'top-shelf' lawn is a lot of work. ConnorWard does it -- certainly an elite lawn that is also 20k. I believe that Pete1313 also tends a very large property. 
I always feel like I am running behind on my lawn to-do list.

I also started out with new construction. I needed to do quite a bit of soil amendments the first years. Potassium especially. A soil test is a must, IMO. The other main issue was construction debris and rocks. If you see a lot of rocks--even small ones--the more you can get up, the better.

Welcome to TLF!


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## HomerGuy (Jun 5, 2017)

As someone that went from about 10k SF to 35k SF, I agree with the comments that it is a different mentality.

I am also a lot more cost conscious with 35k than I was at 10k. I calculate the cost of everything I apply now. Previously when I was at 10k I really didn't pay much attention. Now, a single bag rate app of Milorganite would cost me $140. I really like the recommendation to find a ag supplier in your area. I found one near me and can buy NPK much cheaper than retail.


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

First thing when you are managing turf (especially that much) is how, or are you irrigating? If you can only manage 8-10,000 square feet of irrigation at a time that's fine, just focus on small sections at a time.

The other thing to manage is expectations against the budget. Is your goal to have all 30,000 square feet looking like a golf course, or are you wanting it to look good? These are two very different levels of commitment and cost.

At the moment I am managing about 12,500 square feet and building the knowledge and equipment since I am looking at buying a piece of land that would be 60,000 square feet. The place I would always recommend is soil testing so you know what you have, and what you need. This will also help you to keep from spending money where it isn't needed.

I would also make sure to use a grass with lateral spread like Kentucky Blue grass, or one of the newer fescues. They cost a bit more than other grass types, but will help the lawn self repair after summer and winter dormancy. That is going to be a reality of any lawn in the southern parts of Nebraska and Iowa. The alternative you would have is to overseed every fall to try to repair the damage to the grass.


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## Hoosier (Jun 12, 2018)

I started out with new construction 2 years ago, and my lawn is still more patchy and bumpy than I'd like. I think 1 more fall aerate/overseed, and I'll have a lawn I'm pretty satisfied with a year from now. So my biggest take-away is patience. I've found that getting a really patchy lawn full of construction debris and fill dirt to fill in is really only successful with fall seeding, other than small areas that can be helped along with extra water/etc. Adding organic material to the soil will certainly help, as you're already planning to do.

A soil test was also very helpful to me. My last one showed that for the most part, all of the macros were where they needed to be, and most of the micros were. Prevented me from spending even more money on fertilizer and things to try to get the grass to grow once I knew that the soil already had everything it needed.

And lastly, a good quality seed makes a huge difference, once it comes time for that. A 35# bag of seed at Lowe's is probably 15# of seed and 20# of coating on the seed, whereas a 50# bag of seed that you'll buy from a landscape supplier or one of the other seed companies that you'll read about here is actually 50# of seed. Doing this also allows you to choose varieties that have the characteristics that you want. For me, it was the darkest color and finest leaf blades that I could get, but others might be disease resistance, wear or drought tolerance, etc.

Good luck!


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## LienandGreenLawn (Mar 5, 2019)

Thanks all for the information. Hoosier, I agree patience is key! The property itself is 3 acres. The yard itself is around 30k and all of it is irrigated. Got a great deal on the sprinkler install, so I decided to go big. The seed I used came from a certified grass seed company. Blend of newer varieties of TTTF (90%) and *** (10%). I love the look of ***, but being on an acreage I was looking for something more drought tolerant (bought seed before I had irrigation). I ordered two soil savvy kits, one for the front, and one for the back. The front yard is in much better condition than the back as that is where they cut out most of the dirt for the walk out. It's amazing what you find in your yard after construction, and also being a cornfield. I found an old disc blade off a cultivator, along with some small bits to a screwdriver, and plenty of rocks! I will need to find a local coop and see what kind of supplies they offer. I do have a 40 gallon 3 point sprayer for my tractor that I will be using often this year. So far I have purchased the biostimulant package from GCF and a 25 lb bag of soluble humic acid, 1.25 lbs/gallon = 12% concentration, and 10% fulvic acid. This bag will go a long way, but I've also heard you can throw 'er down HEAVY with humic acid/1k sqft.

Right now I'm just waiting for the snow to melt. We've had over 55" of snow since October, making it the snowiest winter for Nebraska. got 5 inches last night, so we have around 13 inches of snow on the ground right now. Just spent 3 hours clearing my drive way and a few neighbors. Anyone else dealing with lots of snow this year? Definitely getting jealous of all you guys already out in the yard!

-ML


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## O_Poole (Jun 5, 2018)

@LienandGreenLawn Who's soluble humic acid did you get..


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I manage a 1.4 acre monostand mowed at fairly short heights. It is significantly more work than 7k that I used to manage.

If you are new to this i definitely agree with learning to manage a smaller are well first and building on that.

Do a soil test and know what you are working with. Manage that area to your liking and go from there.

Invest in good equipment that scales to your size so you enjoy it more.

Source the materials you need based on soil tests. Check for farm suppliers. The soybean farmer isn't buying his nitrogen at 15 bucks to cover 2.5k.


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## LienandGreenLawn (Mar 5, 2019)

O_Poole said:


> @LienandGreenLawn Who's soluble humic acid did you get..


it is the earthworks brand. I also have humic12 from GCF that I will be applying.


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## O_Poole (Jun 5, 2018)

@LienandGreenLawn Awesome I'm looking into Earthworks fertilizer now 3-4-3.. Thanks


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## Texas MH (Jan 20, 2019)

Though no experience with cool season turf, I do maintain a very large scale lawn. I'd invest in a tow behind core aerator, which are fairly inexpensive for the value you get out of them and you can use it at your leisure as you get the lawn in shape. That tow behind tank sprayer will be your best friend... The N-ext soil amendment products are pretty economical and very effective for large properties (humic 12, RGS, Air 8) but their fertilizers are more costly to implement (green punch, green start), so I don't use those. I love milo, but it is super expensive per app for me and takes a lot of work spreading all the bags. I actually came across the N-ext product when searching for a liquid alternative to Milo. If your budget only allows for one of the N-ext products, I would go with RGS when the grass is actively growing. I use Ferromic AC for my liquid iron which is also very economical.

Big property costs can get out of control if your not careful, so measure out your property from an online site (if you haven't already) so you can accurately know how much to apply. At the start of each year I build a month-by-month lawn calendar on a spreadsheet. After I know how much and of what I need for the year, I put together a product "buy list" for the year. These 2 things will help you see/prioritize/manage your costs so you can make adjustments and stay within your budget.


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## LienandGreenLawn (Mar 5, 2019)

Texas MH said:


> Though no experience with cool season turf, I do maintain a very large scale lawn. I'd invest in a tow behind core aerator, which are fairly inexpensive for the value you get out of them and you can use it at your leisure as you get the lawn in shape. That tow behind tank sprayer will be your best friend... The N-ext soil amendment products are pretty economical and very effective for large properties (humid 12, RGS, Air 8) but their fertilizers are more costly to implement (green punch, green start), so I don't use those. I love milo, but it is super expensive per app for me and takes a lot of work spreading all the bags. I actually came across the N-ext product when searching for a liquid alternative to Milo. If your budget only allows for one of the N-ext products, I would go with RGS when the grass is actively growing. I use Ferromic AC for my liquid iron which is also very economical.
> 
> Big property costs can get out of control if your not careful, so measure out your property from an online site (if you haven't already) so you can accurately know how much to apply. At the start of each year I build a month-by-month lawn calendar on a spreadsheet. After I know how much and of what I need for the year, I put together a product "buy list" for the year. These 2 things will help you see/prioritize/manage your costs so you can make adjustments and stay within your budget.


I agree with the milo, for me it would be ~200.00 an application :shock: I'm looking into alternatives to organic ferts, but I just love milo. I have ties with a local coop where I can pick up fast acting ferts for cheaper. The comments made about managing a smaller portion of the yard definitely makes sense. Personally it's difficult for me to only manage a portion of my yard as I sit on a high hill where many people that drive by can see the yard. I have some good hills in my yard so pushing a spreader with 50+ lbs of material is a workout! have to put some a$$ into it to keep the speed. I have looked at those tow behind aerators but haven't heard any reviews. The property that I don't maintain, I would like to plant some native prairie grass. Perks of working for a seed research company is I have a lot of resources (8 ft drill) to plant.



O_Poole said:


> @LienandGreenLawn Awesome I'm looking into Earthworks fertilizer now 3-4-3.. Thanks


I haven't researched their fertilizer! the 25 lb bag of soluble Humic Acid is what I purchased. I have found amazon is a great place to find competitive prices for lawn supplies!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

See if your co-op sells corn meal or corn gluten meal. It might be cheaper than Milo and a good organic fert.


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