Greetings - My first post. I stumbled across TLF while I was searching for reno ideas. Been lurking here for a few weeks, additionally watching lots of the mainstream YouTube lawn care content. My situation seems unique to me, but to those experienced folks here, probably not. Perhaps your wisdom can help steer me in the right direction. Regardless, this is better than keeping a Google Keep log, so here goes:
Front Lawn Reno, Back Lawn Overseed (not a subject of attention at the moment)
Front Lawn Total sqft 4500
Built a new home during the pandemic, moved in Feb 2021. Middlesex County of CT. New development, 10 homes, 2 homes completed in 2019 (Their lawns look OK, perhaps Tier 1). Was farmland. We were house 8 of 10, they have poured the foundation for the final (10th) home. No one has a driveway paved yet, and the final road + sidewalks wont be completed until late 2022 (earliest).
Contractor seeded with Pennington Contractors Mix in late May 2021. Mix consisted of:
32% Applaud II Perennial Ryegrass
14% PPE_C2[Illegible] Annual Ryegrass
2.75% Other Crop Seed
50% Coating Material
1% Inert Metter
0.25% Weed Seed
As I've learned about PRG, it makes sense that contractors would use this mix - Get the grass up quick. My father told me to put down starter fertilizer, he at the time was all I knew about lawn care. My newer neighbors were surprised at how nice my lawn was looking (it looked like crap IMO). Only the first 2 homes have decent lawns (Tier 1?), the others are 80% weeds including myself. The Annual Ryegrass obviously died. Our specific lot had LOTS of ledge, soil is very rocky. Contractor did not put any screened topsoil, so I have tons of rocks, many within 4 inches of the soil, a few of them being as large as a catchers mitt. I began to notice areas where the grass was not growing, and after taking a pickaxe to the soil...ledge. After examining the soil and performing a ribbon test, it appears I have clay loam or silty clay loam.
I needed to do something about this. I want a nice lawn. Front yard is slope-y, about 1.75:1 slope ratio
Goal: Tier 2
Here's what I have done so far:
July 2021 - Got blessing from significant other
July 2021 - Installed an underground DIY Irrigation system, 2 zones, Orbit Blue lock with Saturn III heads (6) for front, and
RainBird 32ETI with 32sa heads (4) on the side. BHyve Wifi Hub/Values for both. Water pressure is 55psi, 6GPM.
July 2021 - Performed a soil test. Surprisingly, PH is 6.2. Very low P and K Clay loam or silty clay loam.
July 2021 - Ordered SS5000 Sunny Mixture from SuperseedStore.
8/1/2021 - Applied Glysophate using a pump sprayer with surfactant and blue dye.
8/6/2021 - The lawn looks primarily dead now, I see the areas I have missed. See photos. I'm continuing to water to bring out weeds.
8/6/2021 - Realized I could should have used liquid soil loosener from SLS, but bottle says I need to wait a month, too late...
8/6/2021 - Areas of the lawn where grass or weeds did not grow, I'm using a pickaxe like a madman and will continue to find that the builder put some of the ledge there. Continuing to remove large rocks.
Here's my plan now:
8/8/21 - 2nd Round of Gly. Continuing to rake rocks and clean up debris.
8/14/21 - Apply SLS Soil Hume. Continue to water.
8/15/21 - 3rd Round of Gly
8/27/21 - Scalp lawn with mower. (Ego Power+ Rotary 56V, brand new.) Bag Debris and dead clippings. Hope I don't ruin my blades with the rocks.
8/28/21 - Core Aeration
- Removal / Raking of cores
- Spread peat moss as topdressing over holes (to add organic matter, not for seed cover)
- Take delivery of topsoil or topsoil mixed with compost, hopefully 2" ($$), spread and level using a lawn leveler.
- Roll using a rented roller from Home Depot
8/29/21 - Seed Down. SS5000. 60% KBG, 20% Radar Chewings Fescue, 20% Grand Slam PRG
- Roll using rented roller from Home Depot
- Friend coming over (lawn care nut) to spray Tenacity with backpack sprayer.
- Install Curlex I Erosion Control Blankets, staking with biodegradable stakes, tight. I cant risk losing my seed. Gutters pose a problem and cause erosion.
8/29 and beyond: Water 4 times a day depending on weather. Continue to follow g-man reno guide. Not sure about starter fertilizer. Sort of want to wait until germination, then spread SLS 3-18-18 due to low P and K, but I'm spreading new topsoil, so unsure where to go from here.
Anyways, most of these photos as of 8/6. Dirt photos are from earlier to show erosion concerns.
Cheers folks!
Front Lawn Reno, Back Lawn Overseed (not a subject of attention at the moment)
Front Lawn Total sqft 4500
Built a new home during the pandemic, moved in Feb 2021. Middlesex County of CT. New development, 10 homes, 2 homes completed in 2019 (Their lawns look OK, perhaps Tier 1). Was farmland. We were house 8 of 10, they have poured the foundation for the final (10th) home. No one has a driveway paved yet, and the final road + sidewalks wont be completed until late 2022 (earliest).
Contractor seeded with Pennington Contractors Mix in late May 2021. Mix consisted of:
32% Applaud II Perennial Ryegrass
14% PPE_C2[Illegible] Annual Ryegrass
2.75% Other Crop Seed
50% Coating Material
1% Inert Metter
0.25% Weed Seed
As I've learned about PRG, it makes sense that contractors would use this mix - Get the grass up quick. My father told me to put down starter fertilizer, he at the time was all I knew about lawn care. My newer neighbors were surprised at how nice my lawn was looking (it looked like crap IMO). Only the first 2 homes have decent lawns (Tier 1?), the others are 80% weeds including myself. The Annual Ryegrass obviously died. Our specific lot had LOTS of ledge, soil is very rocky. Contractor did not put any screened topsoil, so I have tons of rocks, many within 4 inches of the soil, a few of them being as large as a catchers mitt. I began to notice areas where the grass was not growing, and after taking a pickaxe to the soil...ledge. After examining the soil and performing a ribbon test, it appears I have clay loam or silty clay loam.
I needed to do something about this. I want a nice lawn. Front yard is slope-y, about 1.75:1 slope ratio
Goal: Tier 2
Here's what I have done so far:
July 2021 - Got blessing from significant other
July 2021 - Installed an underground DIY Irrigation system, 2 zones, Orbit Blue lock with Saturn III heads (6) for front, and
RainBird 32ETI with 32sa heads (4) on the side. BHyve Wifi Hub/Values for both. Water pressure is 55psi, 6GPM.
July 2021 - Performed a soil test. Surprisingly, PH is 6.2. Very low P and K Clay loam or silty clay loam.
July 2021 - Ordered SS5000 Sunny Mixture from SuperseedStore.
8/1/2021 - Applied Glysophate using a pump sprayer with surfactant and blue dye.
8/6/2021 - The lawn looks primarily dead now, I see the areas I have missed. See photos. I'm continuing to water to bring out weeds.
8/6/2021 - Realized I could should have used liquid soil loosener from SLS, but bottle says I need to wait a month, too late...
8/6/2021 - Areas of the lawn where grass or weeds did not grow, I'm using a pickaxe like a madman and will continue to find that the builder put some of the ledge there. Continuing to remove large rocks.
Here's my plan now:
8/8/21 - 2nd Round of Gly. Continuing to rake rocks and clean up debris.
8/14/21 - Apply SLS Soil Hume. Continue to water.
8/15/21 - 3rd Round of Gly
8/27/21 - Scalp lawn with mower. (Ego Power+ Rotary 56V, brand new.) Bag Debris and dead clippings. Hope I don't ruin my blades with the rocks.
8/28/21 - Core Aeration
- Removal / Raking of cores
- Spread peat moss as topdressing over holes (to add organic matter, not for seed cover)
- Take delivery of topsoil or topsoil mixed with compost, hopefully 2" ($$), spread and level using a lawn leveler.
- Roll using a rented roller from Home Depot
8/29/21 - Seed Down. SS5000. 60% KBG, 20% Radar Chewings Fescue, 20% Grand Slam PRG
- Roll using rented roller from Home Depot
- Friend coming over (lawn care nut) to spray Tenacity with backpack sprayer.
- Install Curlex I Erosion Control Blankets, staking with biodegradable stakes, tight. I cant risk losing my seed. Gutters pose a problem and cause erosion.
8/29 and beyond: Water 4 times a day depending on weather. Continue to follow g-man reno guide. Not sure about starter fertilizer. Sort of want to wait until germination, then spread SLS 3-18-18 due to low P and K, but I'm spreading new topsoil, so unsure where to go from here.
Anyways, most of these photos as of 8/6. Dirt photos are from earlier to show erosion concerns.
Cheers folks!