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OnTheLawn's First Renovation: NJ - Fall 2020 GCI Turf TTTF Blend

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38K views 282 replies 29 participants last post by  ColeLawn  
O
#1 ·
Hey All! Relatively new to the community here, but have been perusing, researching, and learning as much as I can about lawn care over the last few months both here and on YouTube. I'll be tackling my first lawn renovation this year, but first a little backstory.

My wife and I bought our first home in October of 2019. I had always loved lawn care in the homes I grew up in, but never more than just mowing, landscaping, occasionally fertilizing, etc. When winter turned to spring here in southern NJ, my neighbors lawns were dominating mine and I wanted to turn it around. I ended up doing minimal research and ended up with a bag of Milorganite and a bag of Lesco seed because one of my family members recommended overseeding all throughout the year. Yea, I know.

So, I saw a rapid turnaround. My lawn greener up and the seed grew in fairly well. My lawn looked great. This was mid June:



However, I started to notice some problems. I had moss in some areas, some of the areas I had patched were browning a bit, and most of the seed that I had planted a couple of months earlier was just not maturing. It stayed a lime green and the blades were very thin. I then stumbled upon a YouTube video by The one and only Allyn Hane, the Lawn Care Nut... I was trying to figure out why I was seeing mushrooms pop up in my lawn. I then found myself deep in a hole of subscribing to every person I could. Ryan Knorr, Lawncology, GCI Turf, Lawn Rebel, all of them. I quickly realized the mistakes I made along the way:

1) no soil test
2) soil compaction left unaddressed
3) didn't measure my yard properly
4) bad about reading labels

All of these things seem so basic, but I really screwed them up at the beginning of my lawn journey. Basically, the seed I had planted was having a very hard time establishing a root system and maturing because my pH was very low (5.3) and the soil was very compacted. Also, because I didn't measure my yard properly and didn't really pay close enough attention to bag rates and labels - thinking my yard was almost twice as big as it actually was - I ended up applying more than double the amount of seed I needed to for overseeding and nearly twice the amount of fertilizer I needed. Now I was using mostly organic fertilizer, so fear of burn wasn't a problem, but I pushed insane top growth with each application and didn't even know micronutrients were a thing.

This was just a few weeks after that first picture:



Because of all the overcrowding, when the heat and humidity of late spring/early summer hit, the new grass checked out almost immediately. Whether it was disease or what, I'm not sure, but it went quick. And not just dormant, but dead. Never stood a chance. However, the more I learned from this great community the more I realized why, so I began focusing on the things I needed to fix.

Instead of focusing on the grass, I set my attention to the soil. I got a soil test done, put down some liquid aeration to loosen things up, and dethatched the lawn on the course to starting over. After some convincing and persuasion, I received the go ahead to do a full renovation, which brings me to today. Next post will discuss what steps I've begun taking, as well as what the next few weeks will look like.
 
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#2 ·
So, why a full renovation? Why not just overseed into the good grass that remains? Well, the number one reason is I'd like to have one type of grass to work with here in NJ. Eventually I may work in another type, but for now I'll be going with a TTTF blend. Also, my front lawn has sporadic weeds all over the place. The neighborhood I'm in has every weed you can imagine, so going with selective herbicides to try and control it is costly and difficult due to the many, many weed types we have. I also discovered patches of Bermuda once summer hit. There were areas of the lawn that were struggling a bit more than others during the spring and I couldn't figure out why. Once summer hit, the Bermuda reared it's ugly head and came to life. I decided that it would be best to just nuke the whole thing and start over!

Number two is the grade of the soil. It's very bumpy with multiple large low spots throughout. I wanted to get as much access to the soil as possible to get it leveled out, so hitting it with glyphosate and scalping it down would give me that.

Now, let's talk about the plan:

Last week I went through the lawn with glyphosate and spot treated every Bermuda patch I could find, as well as some of the more established weeds to start killing it off before making a full application. I then went through tonight and hit the entire lawn with glyphosate to begin the full kill. Here was my setup:



My front lawn is 1,400 sq ft, so using a one-gallon sprayer wasn't too much of a hassle. Any bigger though and I'd recommend sizing up to at least a two gallon. I did not use a spray indicator, but we'll see after a week how well I did with coverage. I did use a piece of cardboard to block the property line and protect my neighbors lawn, as well as the landscape beds. This is what the lawn now looks like after the initial spot treatment and continued die off:







Here are the next steps:

- Application of Liquid Soil Loosener from Simple Lawn Solutions. My plan is to hit the lawn with that on this coming Sunday to break up some bonds, loosen things up, and prepare for what's next

- Application of dolimitic lime 3-5 days after soil loosener app. My soil's pH came back at 5.3 with very low magnesium levels, so I'll be looking to correct that with a fast-acting dolimitic lime. Specifically, I'm using the Oldcastle Green n Grow from Home Depot. This will be a short term fix to bump the pH up quickly, and then I'll begin a long term fix once I complete my first soil test of 2021

- Second round of glyphosate one week from now. This will be to cover the lawn once more, with focus given to patches of Bermuda and areas I may have missed in tonight's app. I will be watering and fallowing the soil to encourage growth and get any more weed seeds to germinate. I may opt to do a third round of glyphosate a week after the second, but may just be more for spot treatment

- Scalping lawn and dethatching one week after second round of glyphosate

- Bringing in premium screened topsoil to fill low spots and level lawn. I found a place in southern NJ that provides a current soil analysis on their website. This soil is also combined with 20% compost. Once put out on the lawn I will continue watering to settle it down and get any weed seeds to germinate. Once they do I will hit them with glyphosate

- Once new soil is in I will make an application of Humic from Simple Lawn Solutions to encourage soil activity. I may also throw down an app of their Lawn Booster to get some iron into the soil, as my test revealed low iron levels. Not 100% sure about this though. May actually do it sooner before the new soil is in

- Target date for seed down is September 6th. Based on my areas average air temps, soil temps, and first frost date this should give me enough time to grow the grass in before our first frost. At a minimum, based on history, it will give me four weeks of growth

Seed choice: GCI Turf Services TTTF Blend
- Contains the following cultivars: Thor, Black Tail, and Falcon IV

Fertilizer choice: N-Ext DIY Seeding pack
- Contains multiple fertilizers to handle everything from starter to maintenance and growth, as well as a jug of RGS (Humic/sea kelp)

- Once seed is down, I will be raking it in and throwing down a thin layer of peat moss. I was contemplating using the Seed Aide Covergrow, but I'm not 100% sold on it yet and it'll be twice the cost of peat moss
 
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#3 ·
Well, hopefully the app I got in yesterday had enough time before the rain hit. Should be ok, as it sat on for about seven hours before the rain started at 11PM. I guess we'll find out in a few days!

I will also be ordering my fertilizers and reel mower shortly. Again, going with the N-Ext DIY seeding package. While this grass matures I'll be reel mowing it and have decided to go with the Great States 18" model. I was between that and the Earthwise 18", both made by the American Lawn Mower company and very similar in design. The main differences that I can see are:

- Earthwise max cutting height 3"
- Great States max cutting height 2.75"
- Earthwise has trailing wheels
- Great States has rollers

The max height was a factor, as I'll be growing TTTF. 2" is about the lowest I'll feel comfortable going within the genetic limits of the plant, but want to be able to go up to at least the 3" range. 2.75" isn't far off and for whatever reason I'm drawn more to the Great States than I am the Earthwise. Not sure why, but if anyone has input let me know!
 
O
#4 ·
Ok, almost everything has been ordered. Just scheduled my topsoil delivery for the 13th, ordered both the Great States reel mower and N-Ext seeding pack, as well as a liquid propiconazole to put down after germination. After reading some other journals and plans for renovations, I decided to add an application of both granular azoxy at seeding and liquid prop after germination.

I'm also considering putting an app of tenacity down, but I'm undecided. Getting an 8 oz bottle will be absolute overkill for my needs, so if I can find a small amount cheaper on here I'll go for it.
 
O
#5 ·
Got a new toy today:





Quick and easy setup, looking forward to the first mow!

Second round of glyphosate is kicking in now visually. Definitely seeing more die off and yellowing. Plan is to hit it again on Thursday, but with the tropical storm set to hit the next couple of days we'll see. I may bump the app to Wednesday, as right now that day looks clear and Thursday could be storms again.





Will also be throwing down my app of fast acting lime to bump the pH a bit. More than likely tomorrow night if the storm passes quickly. If not, I may push back the third glyphosate app and do the lime first to give it ample time before seed down.
 
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#7 ·
bf7 said:
Sorry if you said this and I missed it but how much lime are you putting down? My pH was 5.9 and I think I threw down 30 lbs / 1k sq ft over the past couple of months. Correcting pH is a lot of work.
Click to expand...
I'll only be throwing down about 8lbs/1000. I'm using a fast acting lime for a quick fix and then I'm going to reassess after winter. This rate won't do much for me long term - or at least I can't imagine it will being fast acting - but it should hold me through the fall and at least get the soil in a better range for now. Then hopefully we get a cold winter and I'll submit a new soil test right before spring to see where I'm at. At that point I'll begin the long term fix with heavier rates over the course of the year.
 
#9 ·
OnTheLawn said:
bf7 said:
Sorry if you said this and I missed it but how much lime are you putting down? My pH was 5.9 and I think I threw down 30 lbs / 1k sq ft over the past couple of months. Correcting pH is a lot of work.
Click to expand...
I'll only be throwing down about 8lbs/1000. I'm using a fast acting lime for a quick fix and then I'm going to reassess after winter. This rate won't do much for me long term - or at least I can't imagine it will being fast acting - but it should hold me through the fall and at least get the soil in a better range for now. Then hopefully we get a cold winter and I'll submit a new soil test right before spring to see where I'm at. At that point I'll begin the long term fix with heavier rates over the course of the year.
Click to expand...
Good point. I didn't even know there was such a thing as fast vs slow release lime, nor did I pay attention to what I bought.
 
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#10 ·
@bf7 yea for the fast acting they use an effective calcium carbonate equivalent that breaks down faster. Still has standard calcium in it that will have a long term impact, but it won't be nearly as significant at the rate I'm throwing it down. Matt Martin (@thegrassfactor ) has a great video on his YouTube channel explaining the different lines and their uses.

If your pH was a 5.9 you're really not too far off. The choice of lime really comes down to two numbers: pH and magnesium. If BOTH are low, you'll want to be throwing down dolimitic lime which contains higher amounts of magnesium. If Mg is fine and only pH is low, calicitic lime is best as it will work faster. Most bags will say which it is, but if not you'll want to look for magnesium carbonate on the analysis (I believe. Don't quote me 100% on this). But usually on the analysis it will tell you what type of lime it was prilled or taken from.
 
O
#12 ·
Alright, lime application is down! Finishing up watering it in now. Threw down 7lbs/1000 of the Oldcastle Green n Grow from Home Depot. Again, fast acting for a short term fix. Next spring will be the long term approach. We'll see on a few weeks how much this can move the needle. I went a pound less per K than bag rate as I'm going with TTTF, so don't need to spike it all the way to 7.


Next up is round 2.5 of glyphosate tonight as long as the grass dries and winds are calm. That will give me one more week of full glyphosate application until the topsoil comes next Thursday. If I need to I may hit it again next Wednesday night, but more likely will spot spray at that point.
 
#14 ·
OnTheLawn said:
@bf7 yea for the fast acting they use an effective calcium carbonate equivalent that breaks down faster. Still has standard calcium in it that will have a long term impact, but it won't be nearly as significant at the rate I'm throwing it down. Matt Martin (@thegrassfactor ) has a great video on his YouTube channel explaining the different lines and their uses.

If your pH was a 5.9 you're really not too far off. The choice of lime really comes down to two numbers: pH and magnesium. If BOTH are low, you'll want to be throwing down dolimitic lime which contains higher amounts of magnesium. If Mg is fine and only pH is low, calicitic lime is best as it will work faster. Most bags will say which it is, but if not you'll want to look for magnesium carbonate on the analysis (I believe. Don't quote me 100% on this). But usually on the analysis it will tell you what type of lime it was prilled or taken from.
Click to expand...
Got it. Thank you for the info! I definitely got dolomitic because that's what my soil test recommended. But I had no idea it related to the magnesium. My magnesium ppm was 152, with optimum being 180-330. Like my pH, it was considered just below the "good" range.

My soil test recommended 43 lbs of lime per 1k for being just below "good". Not too expensive but just so much spreading. Can't imagine trying to correct a pH in the low range.
 
O
#15 ·
bf7 said:
OnTheLawn said:
@bf7 yea for the fast acting they use an effective calcium carbonate equivalent that breaks down faster. Still has standard calcium in it that will have a long term impact, but it won't be nearly as significant at the rate I'm throwing it down. Matt Martin (@thegrassfactor ) has a great video on his YouTube channel explaining the different lines and their uses.

If your pH was a 5.9 you're really not too far off. The choice of lime really comes down to two numbers: pH and magnesium. If BOTH are low, you'll want to be throwing down dolimitic lime which contains higher amounts of magnesium. If Mg is fine and only pH is low, calicitic lime is best as it will work faster. Most bags will say which it is, but if not you'll want to look for magnesium carbonate on the analysis (I believe. Don't quote me 100% on this). But usually on the analysis it will tell you what type of lime it was prilled or taken from.
Click to expand...
Got it. Thank you for the info! I definitely got dolomitic because that's what my soil test recommended. But I had no idea it related to the magnesium. My magnesium ppm was 152, with optimum being 180-330. Like my pH, it was considered just below the "good" range.

My soil test recommended 43 lbs of lime per 1k for being just below "good". Not too expensive but just so much spreading. Can't imagine trying to correct a pH in the low range.
Click to expand...
You would know if it was fast acting. The bag would definitely say it and the label rates would be MUCH lower. But even if it was fast acting, you actually still need to apply the same recommended amount to get the long term correction. Since you're just below the optimal range then what you applied was perfect. It's a marathon to fully correct it, but you're on the right track.

And yea I'll have my work cut out for me come spring time once I re-test the soil and get the correction program going.
 
O
#16 ·
Got home in time last night to do round 2.5 of glyphosate. There definitely some areas I missed with the first full app, so made sure to target those first and then did a blanket covering of the entire lawn. Naturally it rained about 10 hours after this app, but it should be fine.

I'm now rethinking my top dressing selection based on the latest Ryan Knorr podcast. He and Ryan discuss different options and they talk about using compost because it has a better carbon to nitrogen ratio. The place I'm getting my topsoil delivered from has a leaf compost and provide an analysis and it looks like it'll do the trick. Problem is I only need a yard and the minimum for delivery is four yards. Going to try and borrow a truck and pickup myself since it's only a yard. If not I'll just stick with peat moss.
 
#17 ·
I dont have the time to listen to the podcast, but I'm pretty sure Ryan #2 is referring to properly cooked compost. Most compost sold at nurseries is not properly composted. It has wood pieces and possibly weed. Unless you know it is good, use peat moss.
 
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#18 ·
Thanks for the input @g-man. I think it's a sign that I'm unable to get it delivered, so I'm gonna run with that. My buddy has a garden center that stocks bags of compost and he gives me a pretty good discount so I'm gonna go check out what he's got. Might be something worth throwing down, but peat moss will likely be the way to go here.
 
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#20 ·
The die off continues. Quick reminder: one spot application of glyphosate 7/23; one blanket application of glyphosate 7/30; second blanket application Of glyphosate 8/5. The first spot application worked insanely well with almost complete die off within a week. No rain that week whatsoever and it got to back. The first blanket app didn't work quite as well due to heavy rain occurring about five hours later. However, it still was effective. Second blanket app should take it home over the next week. I did have rain about 10 hours after application, but shouldn't be an issue as it sat all night. Here's some visuals:

7/30:




8/3:




8/6:


 
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#21 ·
So I've been trying to figure out the best route for scalping and removing the dead stuff. The obvious choice is to scalp at the lowest setting of the mower and then get a dethatcher/scarifier to clean it up. Unfortunately, my budget is tapped out so no more toys. I could try and find a used one on Facebook/craigslist, but it's proving difficult. So, I came across the Arnold universal rotary blade that has "dethatching" tines you can insert in the blade. From the reviews I read, the blade really can tear up the lawn and shouldn't be used for general dethatching, but that may actually fit the bill for this. I went and picked one up for $20 at Lowes and here are some results from a test plot in the backyard:

Blade:


Pre Scalp and Dethatch:


Post Scalp, Pre Dethatch:



Post Scalp, Post Dethatch (right side):







The blade actually works really well for this purpose. The grass section was also only hit with one app of glyphosate one week ago, so the roots were still somewhat intact. Removed quite a bit and I'm happy with the results. Will be using this for the front lawn renovation for sure.

This plot is also going to be a test plot for grass seed. I'll be trying out a roll of Go Trax and two sections of the GCI TTTF side by side. The Go Trax will only be watered. One section of the GCI seed will get all the fixings from the N-EXT DIY seeding pack. The other section of the GCI seed will get nothing but top dressing and water.
 
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#24 ·
I think I may do one more plot with the GCI as a test. There's been some interesting articles out about Humic acid at seeding and it's effect on phosphorous availability in the soil. Let's figure on adding a fourth plot that will NOT have the Humic and RGS applications from the seeding pack and strictly the fertilizers.
 
M
#25 ·
This is great. I've been looking for an alternative to renting a dethatcher. Is this the one you bought? Do you think it's still necessary to dethatch if I plan to put down an inch or so of topsoil?

16 in Dethatching Power Rake for Most Walk-Behind Mowers with Deck Cutting Width Up to 22 in
https://www.homedepot.com/p/308914247
 
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#26 ·
@MJR12284 that is not the blade, but it's close. I think that one would be better for thinning an existing lawn, but it may still work. This is the blade I picked up at Lowes. What I think I like about this one is you can adjust the length of the tines. So the first pass I'll have them even to scalp and remove as much vegetation as possible. Then I all adjust the tines so one side will be lower and can get into the soil and act as a light tiller and hopefully remove some more crap.

As for should you do it with adding 1" of topsoil? I say yes. It's going to take time for soil activity to eat up that dead vegetation, so I'd rather clear as much out as possible and allow the new seedlings as much soil to establish a root system as possible.
 
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