# kmw's lawn journal (Everest KBG + GTO TTF)



## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*Background*

Bought our first house in May 2019. If I had to rate the inherited state of the lawn (roughly 10,000 sq ft) on a ten point scale where _1_ = *0% grass* and _10_ = *100% desirable grass,* I'd rate it 4. Overall, the coverage wasn't bad, but the biggest problems (that I could tell) were:

Numerous distinct grass types some w/ esp. wide (ugly) blades
*Best guess*: 30% fescue, 20% bluegrass, 20% warm-season grasses, 30% weeds



Thick layer of thatch in several areas

History of crabgrass
Made worse b/c closing date was too late for effective pre-emergent


*Year 1*


2019-05: Applied granular weed & feed but grass wasn't wet

2019-07: Applied quinclorac to crabgrass to little effect

2019-08: Discovered the Lawn Care Nut

2019-09: Applied milorganite

2019-10: Applied milorganite

*Year 2*


2020-03: Applied milorganite and pre-emergent

2020-04: Sprayed for broadleaf

2020-05: Discovered lawn care youtube (beyond LCN)

2020-06: Sent in soil sample #1

2020-07: Sent in soil sample #2, dethatched front, milo app, granular insecticide (targetting sod webworm), hand-pulled crabgrass, started partial backyard reno


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

My goal is to slowly add high quality KBG to the lawn. When I'm more confident in my lawn management skills, I may renovate whole sections to speed things up but for now it'll be bare/dead spots and overseeding. With that said, I wanted to know what bluegrass cultivars would be best in my area. Fortunately, NTEP includes five entries for Kentucky bluegrass in Columbia, MO. I wrote some code to scrape and summarize the NTEP data, so I thought I'd share the list of 50 cultivars with the highest (best) mean scores:



You may notice that the yearly scores differ from the NTEP website data. That's because I normalized within year. SO the estimates in the y20## columns represent *relative* scores (number of standard deviations above or below the mean). And the median is arguably a better metric for representing average performance so I included that as well.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*June 20-30(ish)*

Normal signs of heat stress thanks to two especially hot and dry weeks

Several spots near driveway are particularly bad/yellow/dead

Closer examination suggests chinch bugs are to blame

I spray damaged areas with only product on hand (Sevin for gardens)



​
*July 1-July 12*

Chinch bug damage slows down (briefly)

*July 13*

Chinch bug damage continues to get worse

KBG seed from The Hogan Company arrives (Everest cultivar from Hogan)

*July 14*

I remove dead grass and lightly top-dress damaged areas near driveway

I put down seed, Scott's starter fert with weed control, and some Milo and then cover everything with peat moss



​*July 15-20*

I water the new grass seed up to 6 times a day (depending on sun, heat, cloud cover, rain, etc.)

I order bifenthrin from domyown.org

*July 21*

I see some new grass sprouts after only 7 days!



​


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I began my very first renovation project-a particularly ugly/thick-bladed portion (roughly 600 sq ft) in the backyard. This will hopefully be the precursor to bigger and/or more important (frontyard) renovations down the road.

*July 18, 2020*

Watered area for about 20 minutes-prob around 0.15''

Sprayed area with 2-gallon sprayer and 5oz Eliminator Weed and Grass Killer Concentrate (49% glpyhosate )

Had some heavy rains two days after spraying

Here's the area Immediately after spraying:



And here it is three days later:



And five days later:



And this is post-scalp:



*Next steps:*


Run dethatcher over area 2-3 times

Continue watering

One more round of Glyphosate

Level area with a topsoil/compost mix

Seed around August 15th


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*Seeding process* (assuming area is post-kill or bare)


Top-dress and level

Seed (use recommended lbs. per 1,000 sq ft)

Starter fertilizer and tenacity

Slow release fertilizer

Peat moss

Water, water, water, water, water


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*Unhelpful Phrases*
I'm making a list of common phrases in lawn care that I find unhelpful. In most cases, I don't realize how unhelpful they are until I actually understand what they mean, but even then I'm unsure if my interpretation is correct.

*Phrase*: _"if you can see footprints in the lawn..."_

*Context*: describing when to water

*Why it's unhelpful*: Footprints might be easy to see in healthy, lush lawns (managed by people who probably already know when to water) but not they are *not* easy to see in unhealthy, scraggly lawns (managed by less experienced people who actually need the help).

*Alternative*: _"Find a 2x2 clump of grass (not weeds) and step throughout; if the grass doesn't spring back up, then it's time to water...."_

*Phrase*: _"if the grass pulls up like carpet..."_

*Context*: identifying causes of turf damage

*Why it's unhelpful*: carpet doesn't pull up!! it's almost always attached (nailed) securely to the floor

*Alternative*: _"If the grass pulls up like a rug..."_


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*How to lower height of cut (HOC)*

*Theory*: _When lowering HOC, an initial mow should be done at roughly 25% lower than desired HOC._

HOCinit[/sub] = HOC[sub]desired[/sub] - 0.25 * HOC[sub]desired​
*Reasoning*: Without an initial scalp, a lower HOC will leave more of the crown (brown/yellow color) exposed and result in a less aesthetically pleasing lawn. Note the amount of green grass blade remaining in the lower HOC in the image below.

​In contrast, an initial scalp of the lawn below the desired HOC forces the crown lower, which means more green blade will be exposed at the new (lower) HOC. Note the amount of green grass blade remaining in right-most grass plant in the image below.

​


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*Update on post-chinch bug damage seedlings*

Things were going well until around day 10, when many of the sprouts disappeared or started dying. I think this was due to overwatering.

My mistake was inferring that spots with shade were doing better than spots without shade because they retained more water. As a result, I started increasing the volume during each watering. In combination with extremely high temperatures, this resulted in a fungus that seemed to kill off the seedlings.

In retrospect, I think that the shade was beneficial because (a) it helped keep the seeds moist and not necessarily because it functionally resulted in a higher volume of water and (b) it lowered temperatures so new seedlings were less likely to fry.


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## Mtsdream (May 2, 2019)

Southwest of you in Joplin &#128077;. Great write up, good to see you going with Everest, Im most likely going to add that and nuglade in my tttf/kbg mix. Bewitched is majority of the kbg at the moment and it has done surprisingly well with this awful summer.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Mtsdream said:


> Bewitched is majority of the kbg at the moment and it has done surprisingly well with this awful summer.


This is great to hear as I was just starting to second guess my selection of Everest out of fear that bluegrass wouldn't survive our summers! :thumbup:


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

*Partial backyard reno update-next steps*:



*Yesterday*
Aerate




*Today*
Apply glyphostate (#2)




*Tomorrow...*
Level with topsoil




*in 1 week...*
Apply glyphostate (#3)




*in 2 weeks...*
Plant seed


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Super unflattering photo here. I swear it doesn't look this bad lol


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Just applied round 3 of GLY. I'm going to spread this topsoil, water it, and do a 4th and final round in a few days.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I just finished glueing together this DIY lawn flattening tool


and I discovered that a turtle had managed to sneak up on me...



and when I kneeled down to take a picture, the turtle left me this


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Pictures of my backyard partial reno project so far:

​
It's hard to see the quality of the grade in the pictures, but I think the ground is a lot smoother now. I'll try to take another evening picture so maybe the shadows from the picket fence will be noticeably straighter now


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

so your seedlings you posted above, are those KBG? You mentioned they sprouted and then pouted, right? How are they doing?

Do you ever get to KC? If so, grasspad does a custom KBG blend called BlueWave that is designed to be optimal for us here in the MO area and a very reasonable price. They are 0% weed and filler with the certified yellow tag if you buy in the 50lb bags.

Also, I'm sure you are aware, but you have a world class agriculture school with a nationally renowned turf program right there in CoMO. You ever try contacting them with questions?


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

badtlc said:


> so your seedlings you posted above, are those KBG? You mentioned they sprouted and then pouted, right? How are they doing?


They are doing really well now!



It's still a little patchy in spots, but overall I am happy with it:







badtlc said:


> Do you ever get to KC? If so, grasspad does a custom KBG blend called BlueWave that is designed to be optimal for us here in the MO area and a very reasonable price. They are 0% weed and filler with the certified yellow tag if you buy in the 50lb bags.


My family is in KC-and I remember seeing GrassPad commercials when I lived there-but I haven't been there yet. I will definitely try to swing by one of these times though.



badtlc said:


> Also, I'm sure you are aware, but you have a world class agriculture school with a nationally renowned turf program right there in CoMO. You ever try contacting them with questions?


I haven't contacted them yet, but I work there as well and have been hoping I run into someone who could get me connected. I could reach out to them too, but I'm still too green and would rather bother them in the future when I have a bigger project or problem to ask them about.

Do you have experience with turf programs like these? Since learning about NTEP testing, I've been curious if testing sites like Mizzou might have insights on or access to the best and newest cultivars.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

kmw said:


> Do you have experience with turf programs like these? Since learning about NTEP testing, I've been curious if testing sites like Mizzou might have insights on or access to the best and newest cultivars.


It is good to see your KBG sprouts recovered! Did you have to do anything or just be patient?

I am not experienced in contacting Mizzou. I just know of their work with the professional stadium turfs in the state and I frequent their website with grass information and maintenance guidelines.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

badtlc said:


> It is good to see your KBG sprouts recovered! Did you have to do anything or just be patient?


I created my own fungicide concoction (cinnamon, baking soda, soap, and water) and lightly sprayed each area, but I doubt that did anything. Otherwise, I cut down on the watering intensity and benefited from slightly lower temps!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I finally got around to dropping the sledgehammer. I used half of a package (0.5 gallons). I'll use the other half in two weeks on whatever is left.

Here are some before pictures:


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I was hoping to plant today but we've got a heat wave coming:


So I may follow Mizzou's advice and plant closer to end of August:



> *When to establish*
> Selecting the right time of the year to seed cool-season grasses is the most important factor in successful lawn establishment. The best time to seed cool-season grasses is between Aug. 25 and Oct. 10. Lawns seeded within a week of Labor Day are more likely to fill in completely by winter and produce a thicker appearance the following spring than lawns seeded in October.
> 
> Seeding in late summer is preferred because temperatures are still warm enough to promote rapid germination when accompanied by rain or irrigation. The cooler temperatures and shorter days of the approaching fall are ideal for further growth and development of young seedling grasses.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Here are the before and after leveling pictures. It felt like my leveling approaches were kinda working, and comparing shadows definitely confirms it.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

looking good.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

✅ Irrigation for partial reno (two above ground sprinkler heads)



Since I'm gonna be watering anyway, I'm thinking I should dethatch and overseed in the area next to the partial reno. If I can find time/energy to dethatch in the next few days that's the plan anyway. It would be cool to see results of overseed vs reno in very similar spaces.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

badtlc said:


> looking good.


Thanks 🙏 😊


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Since my SUV doesn't have a trailer hitch yet, I've decided to pay service for aeration this fall. I found a local company (Mow-It-Alls) that will do it for $150.00 (10k sq ft). That's $24.00 cheaper than TruGreen's estimate, so I'm happy with that. The service is scheduled for mid-September depending on the weather.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Make sure they don't seed once they are done.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I finally put down seed for the partial reno. I also threw together a little experiment using fence posts to define four conditions. Zone 1 has a non-trivial amount of shade. Zones 2-4 are, more or less, equally full sun. Seed was applied evenly to all four zones at a rate of 2 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. Jobe's Fruit & Nut* fertilizer was applied to zones 1-2. Scott's Starter +Weed Preventer was applied to zones 1 and 4.

If my math is right, the zones with Scott's should have around 0.22 lbs. N, 0.23 lbs. P, and 0.05 lbs. K. And the zones with Jobe's should have around 0.12 lbs N, 0.2 lbs P, 0.2 lbs K.

I'll top it off with peat moss in the morning.

* 3-5-5 granular fertilizer with mycorrhiza


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

I love experiments.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

The weather has been nearly perfect since seeding except for the downpour we got today (around 1.5'' in two hours). Fortunately the reno area isn't extremely sloped, but there's definitely some washout. I really wish I would have rented a lawn roller now...


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

I feel you! Mine was somewhere around 2.25" in a very short time. I had never seen water run across my KBG patch before.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

It's been 6 days and we have germination!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

g-man said:


> Make sure they don't seed once they are done.


I'm on 🚨!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I'm beginning to more fully understand why people like KBG so much. It's not only because it's dark, spreads via rhizome, and can be mowed short. It's also because it takes so damn long to grow that people have no choice but to start feeling like they have real skin in the game. It's like the grass is struggling and I'm it's only cheerleader!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

If you're reading this then see if you can match each prep (1-3) to the appropriate picture (A-C) below.

1. Scott's starter +weed control
2. Jobe's organic Fruit & Nut
3. No starter fertilizer (control)

A.​

B.​

C.​


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Answers:

1 - C
2 - A
3 - B


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Is progress slow right now?


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

badtlc said:


> Is progress slow right now?


Yep I'm in the sprout and pout phase. Just had a temp drop and rain come in though so hopefully this next week it starts shooting up!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

More progress but also more eg of non-trivial washout. Aeration service should come by soon. After that I'll overseed everything and try to pack down new peat moss in those washout areas.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

☝Don't ignore the caution tape!


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Service I hired finally aerated. I stopped them from overseeding, but not before they threw down fertilizer &#128580;.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

at least you stopped the overseed. at least the fert can be dealt with by water hopefully.


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## Mtsdream (May 2, 2019)

kmw said:


> ☝Don't ignore the caution tape!


What time of the day did you get it? I have one destroying a corner of my reno


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Mtsdream said:


> kmw said:
> 
> 
> > ☝Don't ignore the caution tape!
> ...


9am. But I've also gotten one around 5pm. So I think they are off and on throughout the day.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Just threw down two bags of Chick N Poo. Huge mistake. This stuff smells foul!


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

kmw said:


> Just threw down two bags of Chick N Poo. Huge mistake. This stuff smells foul!


i heard it works very well, though.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

The smell shouldn't last too long...just water the poop out of it. :lol:


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Update: new cultivars are much darker than old ones


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I contacted my seed guy about Rhizing Moon and GTO TTF seed. I'll blend with remaining Everest and use it after I nuke the rest.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Wife can't stand how pale green the rest of the yard looks now.


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

haha that is a crazy difference.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Are you going to reno the rest?


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

g-man said:


> Are you going to reno the rest?


Yeah I was hoping to see how well the KBG did through summer, but my wife can't stand the clear, pale green line, so a few days ago I started renovating a large section (basically all the pale green areas) next to this.

May 21: mowed 1/3rd
May 22: mowed 1/3rd (nearly scalping the lawn) and manually aerated
May 23: manually aerated, sprayed glyphosate (Eliminator), and put down a 90/10 mixture of GTO/TTF and Everest/KBG seed that I got from Hogan. Here's how it looks today. There shouldn't be much of a visual effect of gly yet, so we'll call this the before.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

The highlighted part is roughly the section I'm renovating now:


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

So I applied what I thought was a weak batch of glyphosate (about half of the lower end of the recommended range), thinking that it may do nothing or only stunt the existing grass. Because we're quickly approaching summer heat, I just wanted to grow enough new grass that it would start to blend the dark green into the pale green.

Well, I was either heavy handed or applied Gly in optimal conditions, because you can tell exactly where I lazily sprayed it lol:


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

I thought about spraying the rest, but after doing some reading on Google Scholar, I decided that residual spray may affect seeds that are only a few days away from germination.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

You can hardly tell where I sprayed.


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