# sbuttr's 2021 Lawn Journal



## sbuttr (Jul 26, 2020)

*Introduction*

I have been lurking around this forum for a little less than a year now and I have decided it is time to create a journal in order to keep up with what I have done, get input from you all, and share what I learn along the way. I live in Knoxville, TN (zone 7a) and my lawn areas are 3500 SF and 6000 SF for the front and back, respectively. My lawn consist of primarily of TTTF, a little bit of Bermuda invading, and a wide variety of weeds that I will discuss later. My HOC is typically 3.5"-3.75" with a 36" Lesco walk behind mower.

*2020 Lawn Care*
Like I mentioned previously, I have been reading this forum for a little less than a year. It was my first full year in this house and my yard had been neglected for years prior. I researched just enough last year to become hooked, realize how much work my lawn needs, and develop a simple plan to over-seed in the fall of 2020. Here is a list of things I did in 2020.


Get a soil test for my front and back lawn. I have attached an image of each report here. The first is for the front the second is for the back.






I aerated the yard, scalped, over-seeded with Hogan's TTTF blend at 4lb/k, and watered with an above ground irrigation system.

Once the grass was established I applied Nitrogen (Urea) at .25lb/k with almost every mowing through the fall.

I applied the recommended phosphate in the form of triple super phosphate.

No potash was applied because I had a hard time sourcing it, and did not realize its importance.

Limestone was applied after the final mow of the year.

*2021 Lawn Goals and Plan*
Rolling into 2021 I quickly realized the importance of pre-emergent weed control. My lawn is covered with clover, chick-weed, wild violet, spurge, broad leaf, ground ivy (last fall), bermuda, etc. The Hogan TTTF does look great though. My goal this year is to eliminate as many of these weeds and as much of the bermuda as possible to ensure a more successful over-seeding this fall and thick TTTF this fall into 2022. I should mention that there is not much bermuda currently, but I fear it will keep taking over. Here are a list of things I plan to do in 2021. Keep in mind that I would like to use as many liquid products as possible.


Apply prodiamine in a split app as soon as my new sprayer and DFW wand parts arrive. (I know I am pushing it with soil temps)

Apply Nitrogen with green punch per last years soil test.

Apply a series post-emergent weed killer this spring to get rid of winter weeds.

Keep fertilizing to improve soil conditions for fall over-seed

Apply a second series of post emergent weed control late summer to prepare for over-seed.

Aerate, over-seed at 6lb/k with Hogan's TTTF, apply Tenacity at seed down, water

Nitrogen blitz per @g-man cool season guide

I realize that my lawn will not be great this year. My primary goal is to learn how to take care of what grass I have, get rid of weeds, and prep for fall over-seeding.

*Front Yard*
This is what my front yard looks like as of 03/05/21. First mow will happen in the next few days







*Back Yard*
This is what my back yard looks like as of 03/05/21. First mow will happen in the next few days





*Questions*

Does this sound like an effective plan, or should I just save for a reno this fall? ( This would worry me a little as I still have a lot to learn

Would it make since to apply a post emergent herbicide and then spring seed with tenacity so that I don't have dead spots for the bermuda grass to invade through the summer.

Should I just apply a pre-emergent and wait until late summer, right before over-seeding to kill off my weeds with a post emergent herbicide?

Are there any good blanket applications I could use to get rid of these weeds and Bermuda grass?

Should I be concerned about the Potash I was not able to apply last fall? Can I make up for this through the spring/summer?

I look forward to learning from the wealth of knowledge here on the forum and updating with the progress I make this year.


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## jskierko (Sep 5, 2020)

Congrats on taking the lawn journal plunge! A few of my thoughts below:


sbuttr said:


> *Questions*
> 
> Does this sound like an effective plan, or should I just save for a reno this fall? ( This would worry me a little as I still have a lot to learn


How about some pics so we can assess the actual need for a reno? It shocked me to see that word at the bottom of the post, because based on the posted information it doesn't seem like the yard is in that bad of shape. Otherwise I'd treat with post-emergent as soon as you can so you can give your already established grass a better environment to thrive.



sbuttr said:


> *Questions*
> 
> Would it make since to apply a post emergent herbicide and then spring seed with tenacity so that I don't have dead spots for the bermuda grass to invade through the summer.
> 
> Should I just apply a pre-emergent and wait until late summer, right before over-seeding to kill off my weeds with a post emergent herbicide?


Keep in mind that a lot of the post-emergent products recommend at least a few weeks before seeding after applying, so that may shorten your window to seed this spring.


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## sbuttr (Jul 26, 2020)

jskierko said:


> Congrats on taking the lawn journal plunge! A few of my thoughts below:
> 
> 
> sbuttr said:
> ...


Thanks for the reply @jskierko! I updated my original post with some pictures of the current state of my lawn. I am going to go ahead and treat with Pre/Post emergent, as you mentioned, and hope this allows what grass is in the problem areas to thrive and not be smothered. My plan is to use tenacity with triclopyr Ester. I will then follow up as need based on initial rates/effectiveness.


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## sbuttr (Jul 26, 2020)

03/14/21 update:

Second mow at 3.5." I also bought a Stihl SG20, built a DFW wand, and applied the first part of split application of Prodiamine at .183 oz/M. Average soil temps are creeping up to 55F daily. This was my first time applying any liquid product to my lawn and my application rate didn't differ too much from my practice runs. I need to slow down a tiny bit next time, but fingers crossed I have good coverage. For the second app I will definitely be using blue marking dye.

Up next is attacking clover and broadleaf with Triclopyr.


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## sbuttr (Jul 26, 2020)

05/08/21 update:

Applied 40lbs of Protene Performance 20-0-5 on 05/02/21 to the lawn to give it a little boost before the temperatures get hot. I also applied the second part of my spilt app of Prodiamine at .183oz/M on 05/07/21 which should give me coverage until a few weeks before overseeing this fall.

I sprayed Triclopyr about a month ago at the low end of the label rate with great success. I have a few bare spots in the lawn now, but I plan to keep them bare until the fall. I will do a follow up spray in the next few weeks before it gets too hot to get some lingering clover and broadleaf weeds.


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