The time has come to renovate my front lawn and take it to the next level. I'm definitely looking forward to it but am also nervous at the same time. Creating this log with hopes that some of you vets will chime in and hand me some tips along the way. I'm not new to lawn care but am aware that this forum has a great deal of knowledge and experience. I have learned a wealth of information from this forum and am happy to be a part of it. Please chime in with any and all advice!
I'm located in Denver, CO. I have 3,500 sq ft in my front and side yard. My front yard (west facing) is mostly flat with a large tree on the southernmost side. My side yard (west and north facing) has some flat and also some slope towards the eastern most section of it. Pics below.
I am going to get my seed from CDFord as they are the only suppliers that I can find with Mazama right now. Thanks to @OnTheLawn for giving me that link.
Here is my plan that gives me some cushion in case things come up:
6/5 - Apply 1lb of N/M of AMS to promote growth for good kill. Send off my soil samples to Waypoint for the front yard.
6/12 - Order Seed. Soil Moist seed coat is already on order. I need 7lbs of seed for my 3.5k sq ft and will be ordering 20lbs to make sure I am good on wash out or any issues. At this time I will also start mowing low and bagging.
6/19 - Glypho at the ready. Calibrate Sprayer. I am considering using blue dye as well. Go through irrigation, I will be relocating a couple heads and adding at least one head to an existing zone. I built a fence last fall that interrupted the somewhat poor design that I'm working with. Still Mowing low and bagging while avoiding a scalp.
6/26 - Likely going to need to drop some SOP at this time based on my backyard soil test results. We'll see. Amend any other deficiencies. Apply gly at 7oz/gallon/1K. Running perpendicular to ensure even coverage. Fallowing daily to promote weed growth.
7/3 - Bag mow low. Run dethatcher through yard to pull up a good amount of material. Run bagger over it and clean. Continue to fallow daily. Another round of gly if needed.
7/10 - Run dethatcher again if needed. Amended top soil delivery (8yds 70% top soil/30% compost). Spread top soil and fill in low spots. Water daily light and frequent. Another irrigation check and tweak.
7/17 - Spot spray gly if needed. Weigh out seeds and bag for each area.
7/24 - Long range forecast is at the ready. Adjust seed down date if needed. Calculate Tenacity rates and write them down. Acquire peat moss with tackifier. I am still considering using a futerra netless mat on my side section that has slope (could pay off big).
7/31 - Rake area and go over with drag mat. Get it as flat as possible. top 1/4" loose.
8/5 - 2 days out, Apply gly and prep for seed down day
8/7 - SEED DAY. Rake area lightly again and seed. Lightly rake again to embed in soil. Put down starter fert (still debating this) I may use P if it shows low but I doubt it will. I have a couple bags of Milo, I may also use this but still considering my options. Roll the seed into the soil. Apply pre-calculated Tenacity. Lay peat moss in flat sections and either futerra net or peat with tackifier on slope.
Post 8/7 - WATER. My area is very dry. I'll be starting at 5 times a day and will adjust based on needs. Keep an eye on fungus. I have propi 14.3 in my arsenal.
14 DAG - Apply AMS at .1 or .2N/M
21 DAG - Look for no germ zones and apply more seed if needed, poll community
28 DAG - Apply Tenacity, go over your rates and get it right
28 DAG - Another spoon feeding of AMS and probably Milo at bag rate
28 DAG+ - When seed is above 2" in height mow at 1.5-2". I have a manual reel to keep the weight on the new seedlings as little as possible. Mow at this height for 4 weeks
37 DAG - More spoon fed N as needed
45 DAG - More spoon fed N as needed
60 DAG - Apply prodiamine. Continue spoon feeding. Do NOT forget to apply prodiamine.
Front - West Facing - picture taken at noon
Side - West Facing
Side - North Facing
I'm located in Denver, CO. I have 3,500 sq ft in my front and side yard. My front yard (west facing) is mostly flat with a large tree on the southernmost side. My side yard (west and north facing) has some flat and also some slope towards the eastern most section of it. Pics below.
I am going to get my seed from CDFord as they are the only suppliers that I can find with Mazama right now. Thanks to @OnTheLawn for giving me that link.
Here is my plan that gives me some cushion in case things come up:
6/5 - Apply 1lb of N/M of AMS to promote growth for good kill. Send off my soil samples to Waypoint for the front yard.
6/12 - Order Seed. Soil Moist seed coat is already on order. I need 7lbs of seed for my 3.5k sq ft and will be ordering 20lbs to make sure I am good on wash out or any issues. At this time I will also start mowing low and bagging.
6/19 - Glypho at the ready. Calibrate Sprayer. I am considering using blue dye as well. Go through irrigation, I will be relocating a couple heads and adding at least one head to an existing zone. I built a fence last fall that interrupted the somewhat poor design that I'm working with. Still Mowing low and bagging while avoiding a scalp.
6/26 - Likely going to need to drop some SOP at this time based on my backyard soil test results. We'll see. Amend any other deficiencies. Apply gly at 7oz/gallon/1K. Running perpendicular to ensure even coverage. Fallowing daily to promote weed growth.
7/3 - Bag mow low. Run dethatcher through yard to pull up a good amount of material. Run bagger over it and clean. Continue to fallow daily. Another round of gly if needed.
7/10 - Run dethatcher again if needed. Amended top soil delivery (8yds 70% top soil/30% compost). Spread top soil and fill in low spots. Water daily light and frequent. Another irrigation check and tweak.
7/17 - Spot spray gly if needed. Weigh out seeds and bag for each area.
7/24 - Long range forecast is at the ready. Adjust seed down date if needed. Calculate Tenacity rates and write them down. Acquire peat moss with tackifier. I am still considering using a futerra netless mat on my side section that has slope (could pay off big).
7/31 - Rake area and go over with drag mat. Get it as flat as possible. top 1/4" loose.
8/5 - 2 days out, Apply gly and prep for seed down day
8/7 - SEED DAY. Rake area lightly again and seed. Lightly rake again to embed in soil. Put down starter fert (still debating this) I may use P if it shows low but I doubt it will. I have a couple bags of Milo, I may also use this but still considering my options. Roll the seed into the soil. Apply pre-calculated Tenacity. Lay peat moss in flat sections and either futerra net or peat with tackifier on slope.
Post 8/7 - WATER. My area is very dry. I'll be starting at 5 times a day and will adjust based on needs. Keep an eye on fungus. I have propi 14.3 in my arsenal.
14 DAG - Apply AMS at .1 or .2N/M
21 DAG - Look for no germ zones and apply more seed if needed, poll community
28 DAG - Apply Tenacity, go over your rates and get it right
28 DAG - Another spoon feeding of AMS and probably Milo at bag rate
28 DAG+ - When seed is above 2" in height mow at 1.5-2". I have a manual reel to keep the weight on the new seedlings as little as possible. Mow at this height for 4 weeks
37 DAG - More spoon fed N as needed
45 DAG - More spoon fed N as needed
60 DAG - Apply prodiamine. Continue spoon feeding. Do NOT forget to apply prodiamine.
Front - West Facing - picture taken at noon
Side - West Facing
Side - North Facing