# Emile's TTTF Lawn Journal



## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Hi all,

I've been following posts in the forum in July. While I've learned a lot from what's been posted here, I also feel like I have a long way to go. I'm starting this lawn journal as I feel like I'm getting a little over my head at this point - and I also fell into that lazy trap of doing things to the lawn and not tracking.

*Goals*
My initial goal is definitely Tier 1. My wife and I are first time home owners of a house that was built in the early 1900s. Given the amount of weeds and litter in the yard, it doesn't seem like it was ever really taken care of.

I really would like to get some form of real grass established in the yard, going into winter.

*The Yard*

Our yard is about 2,000 sqft combined
We're in Cincinnati area, our yard gets a mix of sun and shade
I'm not sure about what grass we had, as it was mostly weeds and/or nimblewill
The front yard consists of a small square that was recently dug up to put a grinder station in. We had sewage backup issues
The front yard also consists of a small 'triangle' of weedy nomix that was dug up near the sidewalk when the take was put in, but less disturbed than the Front Square.
The back yard is about 1,600 square feet of weedy nomix. Main issue here is some shade + erosion + drainage issues

Here are a few pictures as of right now, everything looks very soggy due to the rain coming in 9/7 and today, 9/8 (warning, looks pretty bad):

*Front Square*



*Front Triangle*



*Back Yard*



*Soil Test for Back Yard Only - August 2018*
I also got some good input from g-man on this:


*What's been done leading up to today 9/8*
You probably notice there's a mix of dead stuff, straw, and weak looking new grass in the above pictures. Here's a very rough timeline of what I've done/ what's happened:

*May 2018 - Front Square* - Contractors finish putting in grinder station and plant cheap ryegrass and leave a very hefty helping of straw
*July 2018 - Front Square* - We go on vacation for 12 days and I was too afraid to leave the hose bib sprinkler timing running. Had an intense heatwave while we were gone and all of the ryegrass dies. This is when I find this forum
*July 2018 - Entire Yard* - I learn about tenacity and do a blanket app at 0.5 tsp/gal/M with a pump sprayer and no tracking die. We had a large nimblewill infestation in the back, that gets lit up by the tenacity and eventually dies
*August 2018 - Entire Yard* - Second app of tenacity. By this time a lot of nimblewill and some crab grass is white, dying, or dead. 
*08/19/18 - Front Square and Triangle* - I rake up straw from contractor seeding, run dethatcher over Front Triangle only, hand aerate, add a couple bags of scotts topsoil and some peat moss, seed with LESCO Tall Fescue Select, rake and roll seed in, cover with peat moss, rake and roll seed. 
*08/20/18 *- Hard downpour :roll: 
*08/21/18 - Front Square and Triangle *- Hand reseed a couple small areas and cover with EZ Straw
Since then I've been watering regularly, but it's been hot. I have decent sprinkler coverage using above ground Hunter MP Rotators on Spikes and on timers
*Late Aug/Early Sept 2018 - Back Yard* - Glypho remaining crabgrass and nimblewill)
*09/05/18 - Back Yard* - Applied Scott's Moss out

After all that hard work back in mid/late August, it's pretty disheartening when I look at the front. I didn't do a good enough job killing the crabgrass in the Front Triangle, and the Front Square reseed is struggling. I'm not sure if we put on the EZ straw too thick...I've been removing some here and there with a leaf blower.

*Plan Moving Forward (This is where I need feedback)*
I skipped aerating and overseeding back during Labor Day weekend because it was so hot leading into this rain. Now I'm feeling the pressure to put seed down in the Back Yard, and decide what to do to salvage the Front Yard. My rough Plan has two paths:

If anyone out there thinks I have time to Aerate:

*09/14/18 - Back Yard* - Mow as low as possible, run detatcher to address moss, cleanup
*09/14/18 - Back Yard *- Preventitave fungicide app (Bayer Advanced from Lowes)
*09/15/18 - Back Yard *- Core Aerate. I'm not sure if this has ever been done to the yard
*09/15/18 - Back Yard *- Add topsoil in very low spots to help with level, put down more LESCO Tall Fescue Select seed
*09/16/18 - Front Square* - Mow, Rake up EZ Straw as gently as possible and re-overseed? Not too sure what to do
*09/16/18 - Front Triangle *- Not too sure whether to just leave this alone or try Quinclorac on the crabgrass and then mow a few days later. 

Plan 2 - I'm also anxious to get seed down to have enough time for it to establish this fall. If a few days matter then I would skip aeration, and complete the above list starting 9/10 or 11, depending on how soggy everything is.

I will update this as I take further action on the yard. I know the above is long, thanks for taking the time to read and/ or give any suggestions!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Emile:

Have you noticed any germination from the seeds applied in 19Aug?

I would skip the aeration. I think the key right now is to get seeds to grow. If you do not have germination, after this heavy rains we are getting, I would grab hard rake and rake the front back. The idea is to expose the soil as much as possible. Grabbing the hard rake and running it back and forth parallel to the ground works the best to me. Once you do that, drop seeds at around 10lb/ksqft or the rate the bag says for new lawn (not for overseed). Next do a rake of the area to mix the seeds with the soil and then stomp of the seed with your feet to get the seeds into the soil. Keep the area from drying with irrigation at 11am, 2pm and 5pm. If needed, do an extra 8pm irrigation to keep it moist until next morning.

The crabgrass in the front, just hand pull the worst of it. The rest will die in a month.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

@g-man

I definitely have germination from the seeds, but would expect things to be further along given I put seed down three weeks ago. Do you think the heat has slowed growth of the fescue? Below is a flashlight picture of the Front Square from a few minutes ago:



Will see how everything looks after all this rain stops.

Either way, based on your recommendation, I'll start the seeding process on the back yard as soon as things are somewhat dry. I think I can use my greenworks dethatcher to open up the soil a bit.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes there is germination. After things dry up (if they ever!), give it a mow with a lot of care of turning the mower in the sidewalk instead of the grass. Then assess if you see bare spots to throw more seeds.

And yes the dethatcher will work too for the back to take most of the dead stuff out. Getting the seeds beneath 1/8in of soil with good soil contact is the best for germination.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks @g-man . After mowing the front, should I spoon feed any AS? Or just leave it alone?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

They still look young. I would give it a little bit more. Maybe on the weekend a light dose and water it in.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Mowed Front Square and Triangle at 2.5 inches, bagging clippings. Took thatch rake to Front Square and removed as much EZ Straw as possible as gently as possible.

Seeing evidence of seedings that matured into multiple blades AND still seeing little baby seedlings, but they are looking weak.


So my gameplan was to drop about 1.3# of seed, Scott's Starter Fert, Peat Moss but saw this on some of the older grass:


It makes me wonder if I either overwatered, used too much EZ Straw, or both? Either way, I'm considering putting down Bayer Advanced Fungus Control (Propiconazole) tonight or tomorrow. The label doesn't mention any restrictions on seeding or seedlings, but I'm not sure.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes, I would drop propi. I just dropped something similar because I ran out of propi.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

-Applied Propi to Front Square and Triangle early AM. Might have over-applied as it goes quick and it was still somewhat dark.

Front Square
-Raked out more EZ Straw
-Blew out more EZ Straw with leaf blower
-Dropped most of 1.3# TTTF using the Whiz, over entire Front Square
-Gently raked
-Dropped rest of seed
-Dropped slightly less than bag rate of Scott's Starter Fert w/ Tenacity (this is 2nd app)
-Dusted entire Front Square with peat
-4 min watering

Will start watering tomorrow w/ 4 min sessions at 11AM, 2PM, 5PM. I'm tempted to drop the first watering as the high is 76 and this part of the yard really doesn't get exposed to the sun until noon. Considering doing 1PM and 4PM instead?


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Forgot my B-hyve was on rain delay, so watered Front Square for 15 mins at 3:30, and another 10 min at 5:00. Edges of the yard seem to dry out so plan to water at 11AM, 2PM, 5PM - 12 mins each

Back Yard
-Scalped & bagged at lowest setting on Ego
-2x power rake + vacuum up with Ego
-Started spreading a topsoil (Menards brand) Peat Moss mix for leveling low spots. Hopping this doesn't end up causing issues for the overseed







Plan to finish up the Back Yard tomorrow evening by
-Spread remaining topsoil & mix in some peat
-Drop ~17# of LESCO TTTF
-Drop standard rate of Scott's Starter
-Roll in with Lawn Roller
-Cover with Peat by spreading with landscaping rake
-Apply preventative propi 
-Start watering schedule on Friday


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Good prep and plan. I would give it a good soak the night you apply the seed, since that's an extra 12hrs of moist seeds.


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## JohnP (Oct 24, 2017)

I'm just here to say, "Wooooh! Love seeing an Ego mower!"


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

@JohnP - I like mine!
@g-man - I really appreciate all of your input!

Front Triangle - Mowed. Haven't watered since the weekend. Will start tomorrow.

Front Square - Added watering time. Now watering for 12 minutes at 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, 8PM

Back Yard - SEED IS DOWN. Completed every step I listed in previous post. I decided to water for 14 total minutes today (7 minutes per station) at 7:40PM. Initial watering plan is 12PM, 3PM, 6PM for 7 minutes per station.



Based on what I've read in other folks lawn journals, this felt kind of like a reno in terms of how much nimblewill we had.

Here's a pic of the yard lit up with tenacity on August 5 2018. Except for the patch on the right hand side, the rest of the green is mostly moss:



Here it is today!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Emily, I agree, this is a reno.

You will have weed pressure from the weeds outside the fence. I would trim them if possible to avoid them developing seeds. PreM in the spring at max rate is a must for you to keep those weed seed from developing in your lawn.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

@g-man I'll probably go back there with the weed wavier and try to clear at growth near the fence. A lot of it is groundcover and vines.

Also, we have a mulberry tree that's dropping a lot of it's leaves (heat stress?). Should I get out there and try to blow some of the leaves off of the yard? I'm think run the sprinkler to wet the peat moss and then blow the leaves.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I would not bother with the leaves. It is not a lot and they might actually help with the current heat/sun.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Seeing germination in most of the Front Square and in spots of the Back Yard! While I'm glad to have sprouts, still very paranoid of fungus/ the seedlings damping off.

Front Square - some of the grass from 8/19 is getting quite tall


The Back Yard - *I'm still wondering if I should be concerned about the leaves?* I haven't done anything so far per g-man's recommendation. 


Front Triangle - This was probably a bad move, but on 9/16:
-Thatch rake to remove straw back from 8/19 seeding attempt
-1.5# of the LESCO TTTF seed down
-Very light app of Scott's starter
-Rake seed in with thatch rake and step on seed
-GLYPHO over all crabgrass

We'll see how it comes back, but I have seed to spare. Here it is as of today:


P.S. Current watering schedule is:
Skipped Monday 
Front Square - 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, 8PM for 12 minutes each
Front Triangle - same times for 15 minutes each
Back Yard-1130AM, 230PM, 530PM, 830PM for 8 minutes on right side, 16 minutes of left
I cut this above plan to 90% at 5ish today as the yard wasn't looking as dry as it normally does


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Front Square - Morning of Day 11

-I feel like the new seedlings are 'stalling' a little bit? I'm not sure if was the heat or paranoia or something else

Back Yard - Morning of Day 9 

-I am excited so far at the progress. Seeing some thin spots, but will see how/ if they fill in.

Upcoming weather


Questions
-Should I mow the Front Square to cut down some of the taller, existing grass? Or wait a few more days?
-I plan on blowing the leaves off the Back Yard today given the cooler weather. Any reason I shouldn't at this point? 
-Any tips on how to adjust watering now that we're out of the high 80's + I have germination? Should I stick to 4x a day and water shorter amount of time? Or cut down to 2-3x per day and water longer? Unsure how to adjust at this point


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes mow at 2in before the Monday rains.

Go ahead and blow them off.

Try to keep it moist reducing the frequency. Today is cloudy, so it should hold moisture for a long time.

By the way it is looking nice.


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Looking good! I had the same feeling about stalling out, and regular progress pictures helped remind me that it was in fact looking better day by day :lol:

- mow: how tall are the tallest areas? The height of the seedlings, their "fragility", and the sogginess of the ground will tell you when to mow. If the tallest seedlings are 3.5"-4", and can withstand your mower turning on them, then mow at 2-2.5" when the grass isn't soggy. Your mower can and will rip out seedlings when doing hard turns, especially if it's heavy, so if you decide to mow go slow and pay careful attention to your wheels when you turn. And sharpen your blade!

- watering: you can be a bit more relaxed now, unless your reseeding any barespots or washed out areas. TTTF will not spread like KBG, so extremely thin or bare spots could be lightly reseeded now that you can see them. The plants themselves will thicken and tiller, so be mindful of overcrowding. Reseeded areas should still be kept moist but the rest can go a bit longer. What I did was hand water those spots periodically during the day 
(I work from home), and cut down on the sprinklers. If it was a sunny 80 degree day I went down to watering around 11 after the dew dried, and then again around 1, and again at 4. If it was cloudy and cooler then I would skip the 1 o clock and push the 4 pm back until like 5 or so, There were even a couple overcast cool days that I didn't use the sprinklers at all, or only used them once, because there was still so much moisture in the ground from rain the previous day. I did increase the time I watered.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks, guys.

- I ended up mowing the Front Square as the ground wasn't too soggy. Mowed at setting #2 on the Ego and bagged. Blades were freshly sharpened (my Ace Hardware sharpens for free! I never knew)



- Used leaf blower remove a large majority of the leaves that were on the Back Yard. 1. Saw a few more thin spots that I may add seed to after the first mow. 2. It was pretty soggy along the fence line - I may reconnect my sprinklers so I have a Front and Back zone instead of a Left and Right zone.

- Probably won't run the sprinklers until this upcoming Thursday given the upcoming rain.

- Will mow Front Square again late next week as soon as it's dry. May wait until next weekend to mow the Back Yard for the first time. Some of the new grass is at least 2.5"!! But it takes awhile to dry out


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

:thumbup: I like your plan. Starting thinking of applying some nitrogen (0.25lb of N/ksqft)to the front area, ideally a fast source.

What is the metal circle in the front?


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

I have some very fine-grained AS that can spread. What setting do you typically use on the Wiz?

That metal circle is why I'm here! It's the cap for a grinder station tank. We live in a historic neighborhood that has had recent issues with sewage backup . The city installed it as a back flow prevention system.

That tank is 8-10 feet tall. In April, they dug up our entire front yard to install. I've been trying to regrow grass ever since. Still trying to figure out the best way to cover/ hide/ pretty up that tank cap.


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Nice progress! The whole space is green and looking like you've got good coverage throughout.

You could cover the cap with large river stones, something that's easy enough to move away if you ever need to. Then to pretty it up, put a planter or a sign with your house number or something on the rocks.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks @samjonester - I'm hoping those newer seedlings continue to stay healthy and sprout new blades soon. I think we may put planters or something on that cap once the grass is in order.

@g-man, regarding spoon feeding with N. Should I be using straight AS (my PH is 8)? Or spoon feed with something like LESCO starter fert (18-24-12) to encourage root growth as well.

I also have RGS...which I will probably apply at the minimum rate, every other week, until the last mow.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Sorry, for the late reply. It was a busy day at work

I checked your soil test. It seems like you have sufficient P (did MSU ever told you the test methods?). You can either do the lesco at 1lb/ksqft per week or the AS or alternate between the two (one week Lesco and the next AS).


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Update from this past weekend. Still bagging for all mows. May mulch from here on out

9/29:
-Mowed Front Square and Triangle at setting #2 on EGO (2in)
-Lightly raked and added seed to small section of Front Triangle where crabgrass had been thick
-Dropped AS on Front Square at 0.25N/K rate

Front Square on 9/29

-Not sure how well the newer seedlings are doing - don't really see any progress compared to 9/22
-Section I'm most worried about is immediately in front of the bushes (bottom of the pic)

Front Triangle on 9/29

-Looking pretty good considering it was seed down + glypho all on 9/18

9/30:
-First mow of Back Yard! at setting #2 on EGO
-Dropped Scott's Starter Fert over entire Back Yard
-Dropped seed on some thin spots in Back Yard & covered with peat
-Sprayed RGS at 6oz/K rate over entire yard, front and back
-Quick spray of Propi over entire yard, front and back

Back Yard on 9/30

-I was pretty happy with how this looked after the first mow!
-The tire tracks and foot prints are starting to stand back up this morning (10/2)
-The yard by the fence line stays soggy, I may just put (shade loving) plants in the worst areas

Going forward:
-Find out testing method for soil test
-Spoon feed with AS weekly, RGS at every other fert drop


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Emily, I noticed something I had not seeing before. In the front are you have a single nozzle pointing towards the street. Spray nozzles are pretty good throwing water at a distance but not close by. The area in front of the nozzle might be dry. I suggest you swap the nozzle around (place by the round metal lid) pointing towards the shrubs.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

10/6 Update

-Put 360 MP rotator head on the Front Square's sprinkler and moved it further out into the yard, based on what @g-man saw. I actually need to extend the hose itself to be able to have my 90-210 MP rotator aimed back at the shrubs

-Mowed entire yard. Front Square and Triangle with Fiskars Reel set at 2". Back Yard with the Ego at 2" and mulching.

Front Square and Triangle (just had a driveway poured!)

-Still struggling. Hoping the change in watering direction helps, but this seems like it'll need to be a redo 
-I'm thinking I should get a soil test just for this spot to see if there are any localized issues


-Now deciding if it's worth trying to grow grass here before the end of year. The ground closest to the driveway is extra rocky or compacted so I'd need to try to dig some of it up and replace with topsoil.

Back Yard - starting to see stripes!!

-I dropped 2nd round of Scott's starter back here last week. I'm thinking I should wait another week to drop AS?


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## samjonester (May 13, 2018)

Wow! It's really coming together! Great work


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

The back looks better than the front. It is crazy how that happens sometimes.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Yes and the back is 1 week younger than the front. Idk if it's the higher amount of sun, or a soil issue.

10/7 saw signs of PB in the back yard. Dropped DiseaseEx at the curitive rate over the entire yard the same morning.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Great proactive approach with the fungicide. They are calling for a cold weekend here in Indy. Your watering needs should reduce.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Spring time!!

Raked the Back Yard and removed some debris. Back Yard is looking okayish coming out of winter. I do have some mole damage.

Also have quite a few spots where the grass has greened up more than the rest of the lawn. Might be from my dog?

Applied Scott's lawn food with halts at bag rate.



Front Yard is still it's lackluster self, consistent with how the new grass came in. Didn't apply any PreM as I am debating getting sod


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Emily, welcome back. Yes the green spot are from the dog. The dog urine is a potent source of nitrogen. It could kill your grass. One option is to train the dog to use the mulch area only. The other one is to have a can of water or hose to water the area immediately after they pee to dilute it.

Did they brought in new soil when they installed the sewer port? it looks like it make a perfect area around it. I would push some nitrogen in that area to see how the grass reacts. Maybe have the dog pee there.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

@g-man - I wasn't keeping close watch when they put in the sewer. I'd think they re use what they dug up but I might as well flip a coin.

Pics after 2nd mow in back and front. I've been traveling and lazy ... so no weed treatment yet. Dropped 4lbs of milo in the Front Square where there is poor growth just to see what happens.

I'm also thinking through what landscaping changes to make in the back (wet + shade bushes at the back of the back yard?) and front ( to sod or not to sod)


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Well,

It's been hard keeping up with my lawn AND my lawn journal this year. We had our first child! As. You can imagine, she is my biggest priority right now.

The thing is that documenting what I've been doing to my lawn has been a very useful reference. The next few posts are to provide and update and keep my log current.

This post will just be the few shots of my lawn I took over the summer. In summary, fungus + heat got to a few parts of my lawn...especially in my front yard.

TODAY






BACK IN SPRING (Before summer did its damage)


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Congrats on the kid. The lawn looks great. It was a tough year for lawns.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

The 'TODAY' shots in my previous post are the results 3 weeks into an overseed in front and back. Here is what I did.

September 21:
- Scalp entire lawn down to 2 inches
- Run dethatcher over spots that died from fungus (I wish I would have just done the whole yard)

September 22:
- Double-pass core aeration (rented from HD) in back yard
- Single-pass aeration in front
- Put compost in front yard on areas with dead grass from 2018 plumbing
- Drop milo on entire yard, I didn't measure 
- Drop seed on entire yard
- Cover bare spots with peat moss
- Spray with Air-8, RGS, Tenancity (can't remember if I tank mixed or not)

October 6:
- First mow of back yard at 2"
- Dropped Scott's starter fert at bag rate on entire yard

October 12:
- Second mow of back yard at 2"
- First mow of front yard at 2"

October 13:
- Dropped .25lb/k of Ammonium sulfate on entire yard and watered in

Plan is to drop .25/k of AS weekly for next few weeks. This is something I did not do last year. Maybe I'll stop once we get first frost? I'm actually not sure.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

g-man said:


> Congrats on the kid. The lawn looks great. It was a tough year for lawns.


Thanks! The summer sure was rough. I also didn't start watering until 1-2 days before aeration. Nearly all the grass around the tank in the front yard was toast. I'm glad some seed has taken hold there (and it looks better than last year's seeding). But there are still bare spots that I hope thicken up via the AS applications. We'll see!


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Well I'm posting to remember a mistake I made.

For the longest time I've wanted a super clean edge on my areas of lawn in the front. I held off for a year, but recently broke down and purchased an Ego Edger to go along with my trimmer, blower, mower.

Eagerly, I went out and did this 


The ground was way too wet. I thought wet ground would be a good thing...make it easier for the edger to do its job. But it ended up making the ground much 'stickier' and my line started coming out in chunks. I actually started at the right side of this picture (uploading cause odd rotation), the abomination towards the left happened when there was so much mud built up on the edger that it reduced it's cutting depth, and took it off course.

Next time I'll wait til it's dry! Still figuring out what/ if I should do anything to clean things up. I may edge the part towards the left of the photo by hand, and hope the gash I created grows over later.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

My trick is to walk backwards. I can keep an edge straight easier this way.


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Today is 1 month since overseed date. Back on Saturday:
- Mow front and back at 2#
- Drop .25N - AS


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

:thumbup: 
The backyard looks really nice!


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks! I'm hoping the front yard comes around eventually.

I'm one month and 2 days into this reno. Lows are 40's highs are 60's. Should I water less than once a day? How many more weeks should I hit the yard with 0.25N?


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## emile (Jun 19, 2018)

This past Monday:
-Mulch mowed front and back (EGO @ 2)
-Tank mixed full-rate RGS and dissolved Ammonium Sulfate (.25N)

That might be my last fertilizer app? We'll see. Last night's low was 29. Below are pics of front and back. The absolute best part of the yard is this triangle of grass next to the driveway. There are 'dog spots' close to the sidewalk, otherwise it's the thickest, greenest part of the lawn


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