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LiquidStone's 2021 Lawn Renovation - Mazama KBG (Denver, CO)

18K views 157 replies 25 participants last post by  Wile 
#1 ·
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
 
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#27 ·
I haven't updated here in a bit.

7/16 - Trimmed more branches from the large tree in the front to allow more sunlight in. It is still pretty filtered and I'm sure I will have a tough time with coverage in this area. If it is really tough, I can always throw down some TTTF. It'll be a good little experiment. I also removed some large rocks that were next to my sidewalk leading up to the house that have been driving me insane since I moved in.

7/18 - This morning I put down my third app of Gly. The grass is pretty widespread dead but I still had a few strips that needed more. This will likely be my last app prior to bringing in top soil. I will be dethatching this week in order to get all that dead material up and bagged. More than likely, I will have top soil delivered this Friday or Saturday.

Here are some time comparisons of how much sun the front section by the tree gets:

8am (prior to trimming more):


Noon (prior to trimming more):


4pm (after trimming):


Side yard shot to show the lovely kill:


Bonus pic of my dog enjoying the grass that still exists in the back:
 
#28 ·
Liquidstone said:
Bonus pic of my dog enjoying the grass that still exists in the back:
Haha I love the pic of the dog keeping an eye on the grass that's still alive. Nothing happening on his watch!

It will be interesting to watch how the grass fills in under the big tree. I bet it'll get there eventually with just KBG, just may take a season or two. That side yard is going to be money though.
 
#30 ·
Mark2 said:
Haha I love the pic of the dog keeping an eye on the grass that's still alive. Nothing happening on his watch!

It will be interesting to watch how the grass fills in under the big tree. I bet it'll get there eventually with just KBG, just may take a season or two. That side yard is going to be money though.
Haha, I reno'd a few sections in the back this spring and put up fencing that he was not a fan of whatsoever. He likes his grass. The tree area will be interesting for sure. A good test for Mazama and I'm hopeful that you're right about a season or two.
 
#31 ·
I just walked the front yard this evening. Last Gly app was on 7/18 and I felt like I did a good job at hitting the areas that were still showing some sign of life. Well, some areas (very few) still look like they are doing their best to hang on and are still sporting a bit of green.

Thoughts on hitting it with another spot app of Gly tomorrow morning? This would be my 4th app but I would likely not blanket spray.

I plan to dethatch tomorrow and aerate on Friday. Saturday morning I will receive top soil and start to level out and spread.
 
#32 ·
I'd give it a bit. Ideally you want gly to work slowly and not overload it. You want it to work through the entire plant and into the root system. You'll have plenty of time to hit any spots later on that manage to hang on. Once you get the soil down just make sure you're watering frequently to get potential weed seeds to germinate and knock em out.

If you do see any grass still holding on, you can make apps of gly right up until seed down and be fine.
 
#33 ·
OnTheLawn said:
I'd give it a bit. Ideally you want gly to work slowly and not overload it. You want it to work through the entire plant and into the root system. You'll have plenty of time to hit any spots later on that manage to hang on. Once you get the soil down just make sure you're watering frequently to get potential weed seeds to germinate and knock em out.

If you do see any grass still holding on, you can make apps of gly right up until seed down and be fine.
Appreciate it man! Already getting a bit ahead of myself. Always good to get another perspective. Thanks
 
#34 ·
Liquidstone said:
I just walked the front yard this evening. Last Gly app was on 7/18 and I felt like I did a good job at hitting the areas that were still showing some sign of life. Well, some areas (very few) still look like they are doing their best to hang on and are still sporting a bit of green.

Thoughts on hitting it with another spot app of Gly tomorrow morning? This would be my 4th app but I would likely not blanket spray.

I plan to dethatch tomorrow and aerate on Friday. Saturday morning I will receive top soil and start to level out and spread.
We'll be spreading soil at the same time. Mines getting delivered on Friday morning.

Good call on dethatching before aerating. I tried to use my raked up cores to fill in a low spot and there was so much dead grass mixed in that it became spongy. Probably gonna shovel it up and use just topsoil.
 
#36 ·
lbb091919 said:
We'll be spreading soil at the same time. Mines getting delivered on Friday morning.

Good call on dethatching before aerating. I tried to use my raked up cores to fill in a low spot and there was so much dead grass mixed in that it became spongy. Probably gonna shovel it up and use just topsoil.
I believe that. Good call on just using topsoil.

JerseyGreens said:
Make a plan to get the topsoil settling into the old soil...I went with an asphalt roller but anything with a heavy drum will do!
Haha! I still love that gif you have rolling (no pun) around. I'll be renting a roller and will make sure to roll it often during the fallowing phase to let it incorporate and settle. I should just buy one but they are so bulky and I only have a single car garage...
 
#38 ·
lbb091919 said:
I can't remember who suggested it, but pulling the SunJoe backwards is so much more effective. I didn't do the entire yard this way but up against the driveway/sidewalk I pulled it into the concrete and it just shredded everything down to the dirt. It was amazing!
Man you aren't lying. I just got done dethatching and I should have just done the whole thing backwards. It pulls up so much more material. That dethatching prepping for seed down is no easy task. I'm glad I'm done. I ran the rotary over the yard after to pick up the debris and it just didn't quite cut it. I really don't want to rake the whole thing.. I may end up using the blower and pile it up on the sidewalk and driveway. That isn't super effective either though. Plans to aerate tomorrow afternoon.

Also, my entire neighborhood thinks I'm out of my effing mind. It's great.
 
#40 ·
Had a good day today. A lot of work but good prep for seed down. Also, had a UPS driver that stopped along his route and he said, "you doing a reno?" That honestly made my day. Talked about the seed I was putting down and it was a breath of fresh air to talk to someone that knew what I was doing and why. Good dude. Told him to swing by again to check up on the headway. He also mentioned that he remembered delivering my seed. Good stuff.

Started off this morning using my blower to collect more dead clippings into the road to sweep up. Honestly, this step could have been avoided, I wish I would have just made more passes with the rotary to suck up all the dead stuff. From there, I aerated (the Home Depot aerator I rented was sub par for my intentions). I may have not had some of the soil as wet as it needed to be to pull substantial cores but it is what it is, lesson learned. After that, I made multiple passes with the rotary to collect more dead clippings and mulch the cores. I feel like my seed bed is looking pretty good at the moment, especially since I am bringing in 8 yards of topsoil in the morning. Like @ibb091919 mentioned, I also pulled out the string trimmer to clean up some low spots.

A few pics of where I am at:

Side yard:




Front Yard:




Close up:


Image of some little green grass that is just trying it's best to hang on:


A good majority of the surface:
 
#42 ·
lbb091919 said:
Lots of bare dirt there looking nice! Aerator did work on that last shot. Good luck with topsoil today!
Thanks man. This is some tough work, not going to lie. I enjoy it though. Could be a little cooler…

Really busted tail this weekend and got the 8 yards I had delivered spread and pretty good and flat for the time being. I'm honestly probably going to need to bring In some more soil after settling occurs.

8 yards delivered


Front near locust tree:


Side yard shots:




What's the best way to approach the edges? Have topsoil run off onto the concrete and then clean it up with an edger once solid growth has occurred?

I'm going to either use some heavy gauge steel grating to work as a drag mat or purchase something to drag and get rid of the smaller bumps that I have. Might as well get er as good as I can while I have the opportunity. I'm also considering renting an asphalt roller like @JerseyGreens did.

Pretty happy with where I am at the moment. I'm going to rent a trencher and run pvc to the back garden for a hose faucet down there, the fiancé will be happy with that and she's been amazing and supportive during this project.
 
#44 ·
Great job spreading and leveling that soil. I don't think you will need an asphalt spreader. You got a nice, thin layer of soil down.

Look into this:

Brinly PRC-24BH 270-Pound Combination Push/Tow Poly Lawn Roller, 18 by 24-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021BSLYS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_XMK5XX9F9BWYTX4G9EHM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It will be useful for seed to soil contact as well on seed down day.
 
#45 ·
JerseyGreens said:
Great job spreading and leveling that soil. I don't think you will need an asphalt spreader. You got a nice, thin layer of soil down.

Look into this:

Brinly PRC-24BH 270-Pound Combination Push/Tow Poly Lawn Roller, 18 by 24-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021BSLYS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_XMK5XX9F9BWYTX4G9EHM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It will be useful for seed to soil contact as well on seed down day.
That's the same roller I have. Does a great job just a bear to push around.
 
#47 ·
Bob Loblawn said:
Wow the yard is looking great- that must've been a ton of work hauling all that soil. But the reward will be worth it! Looks nice and smooooooth.

Are you still aiming for seed down next week?

Glad you gave a supportive fiancé…congrats, when is the wedding? You'll have to get some glamour shots on the brand new lawn :D
Thank you Sir. Not going to lie I was beat afterward. Wouldn't be possible without the go ahead from the better half! I'll be seeding some time between 8/10-8/14. I want to make sure I fallow for long enough and get rid of any undesirable grasses/weeds that come up. I also ordered a drag mat and will be dragging multiple times to try and get that ultimate flat surface. I still have some low spots so I will need to get more topsoil as well.

I'll have to let my fiancé know about the glamour shots because that is an excellent idea! We're still trying to lock down a date and venue, it's been quite the hassle and I'm glad I'm not spearheading that ship.
 
#49 ·
uts said:
What did you use for the leveling?
I Spread out piles with a landscape rake, then smoothed it out with a level lawn and then lastly I rolled it with one of those brimly rollers that you would rent from Home Depot. I'm due for another rolling with the settling I'm experiencing in my lowest spots especially.

I brought in some more top soil today and hit those low spots. Starting to worry about having enough time to fallow.
 
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