Search found 252 matches

by ronfitch
May 11th, 2023, 2:28 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Voles?
Replies: 7
Views: 528

Re: Voles?

I have what I think are some areas of damage from voles, they are basically like little tunnels and trenches in the grass in a distinct line. It is hard to tell from your pictures, but I get some areas like yours and they are caused by skunks. They will dig a series of small holes all over. Again I...
by ronfitch
May 8th, 2023, 1:58 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Voles?
Replies: 7
Views: 528

Re: Voles?

That doesn’t look like vole damage to me. So, result of all the snow cover and the freeze-thaw cycles? It was a weird winter. As I wrote, we had 90+ inches including a 12+ blast March 31st-April 1st (very, very dense), followed by three days in the 80s the following week. But we had multiple freeze...
by ronfitch
May 4th, 2023, 9:00 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Voles?
Replies: 7
Views: 528

Voles?

So, after the third most snow on record (90+ inches, including an 11-inch blast March 30-April 1st), once things dried out I am finding this in the back yard. This is a north-facing downward slope, about 15 degrees). It would have been the first section of the back yard to lose snow cover. Last fall...
by ronfitch
April 21st, 2023, 10:32 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?
Replies: 23
Views: 1161

Re: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?

Put it down Tuesday early evening. We have had 13 inches of snow in April alone - and were in the 80s for three days last week - so it has been a weird month. I have been checking ground temps since week one (sometimes clearing snow to do it) and checking the online extension sites near me to see wh...
by ronfitch
April 17th, 2023, 2:14 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Weed battle and now POA Triv
Replies: 12
Views: 892

Re: Weed battle and now POA Triv

Sure, that's it exactly. I've expanded that and also strike anything I see early in spring (I did the first app now). That's already whiting out, draining root resources just to survive spring when it's supposed to be growing like crazy. It's already not going to be happy when summer hits. Thanks, ...
by ronfitch
April 17th, 2023, 11:34 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?
Replies: 23
Views: 1161

Re: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?

I put down prodiamine last Friday 4/7/23. I got my irrigation RPZ valve rebuilt and installed last night and watered it in this morning. It's been above 80°F a couple days this week and forecasted the same the rest of the week. The lawn could stand to get mowed. I was in Cedar Falls last weekend an...
by ronfitch
April 14th, 2023, 4:38 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?
Replies: 23
Views: 1161

Re: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?

I put down prodiamine last Friday 4/7/23. I got my irrigation RPZ valve rebuilt and installed last night and watered it in this morning. It's been above 80°F a couple days this week and forecasted the same the rest of the week. The lawn could stand to get mowed. I was in Cedar Falls last weekend an...
by ronfitch
April 14th, 2023, 3:20 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Weed battle and now POA Triv
Replies: 12
Views: 892

Re: Weed battle and now POA Triv

The Morpheus protocol is more, "Dude, like chill. Far out. Tenacity with pure water and, like, surfactant and, like, stuff. Wow." And work with nature. I seriously think my lack of irrigation in summer really does help; I'm not encouraging it. I'm not being helpful. And I don't even have problems w...
by ronfitch
April 10th, 2023, 1:19 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?
Replies: 23
Views: 1161

Re: Who all has put down Pre Emergent?

Went from lots of snow on the ground - aided by 11+ inches of heavy, dense snow in 8-9 hours March 31st into April 1st - to mostly clear in a week. Still some drifts by the curb where at multiple points this winter the snow was taller than the mail boxes. With highs in the 70s F all this week and 4"...
by ronfitch
November 6th, 2022, 8:57 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date
Replies: 17
Views: 658

Re: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date

Here is another data point, Andy. My AFFD is Oct. 5th. This year, real date was Oct. 14th. My last fertilization was Sept. 28th. Our lawn started to dramatically slow just before the real first frost, despite the 4” soil temp never dropping into the 30s yet (dropped into the mid-40s for a few days ...
by ronfitch
November 5th, 2022, 11:31 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date
Replies: 17
Views: 658

Re: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date

Here is another data point, Andy. My AFFD is Oct. 5th. This year, real date was Oct. 14th. My last fertilization was Sept. 28th. Our lawn started to dramatically slow just before the real first frost, despite the 4” soil temp never dropping into the 30s yet (dropped into the mid-40s for a few days i...
by ronfitch
October 31st, 2022, 11:29 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date
Replies: 17
Views: 658

Re: Average First Frost Date vs Real First Frost Date

As the author of the Fall Nitrogen Regimens thread, I spend a fair amount of time studying year-to-year variances and how I might improve the checkpoints we use to make the regimen work better. One of the most frustrating, repeating questions I see each year is related to whether to use the (recomm...
by ronfitch
October 31st, 2022, 1:41 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Hoosier state, anyone put Urea down yet?
Replies: 9
Views: 529

Re: Hoosier state, anyone put Urea down yet?

A couple of days of warm weather won’t move the soil temperature needle all that much. This. Air temps are not the indicator, soil temps are. Mow until you get no grass clippings, which indicates top-growth is done and it is time for winterization. That is usually/often a two-ish week window for th...
by ronfitch
August 28th, 2022, 11:45 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Milo on dormant lawn
Replies: 18
Views: 2933

Re: Milo on dormant lawn

And now we at 7ish inches of rain for August, more rain tonight. Sump pump busy.
by ronfitch
August 23rd, 2022, 1:47 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Milo on dormant lawn
Replies: 18
Views: 2933

Re: Milo on dormant lawn

No locusts here (the grasshoppers are of unusual size, but that's normal), but we did get the flood. 4" of rain atop the August feeding of soybean meal, which is the first rain in a month. At least it perked up the lawn and the mower got the day off. And it's thundering again, so more rain is on th...
by ronfitch
August 21st, 2022, 12:55 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Milo on dormant lawn
Replies: 18
Views: 2933

Re: Milo on dormant lawn

Still nothing. Three and a half weeks without rain. Oddly, my lawn looks OK with only minor touch-ups, although it has some crispy areas. Everybody else's? Straw. I do have to water the gardens weekly, they simply can't go without water. Our next chance of rain is now Sunday and Monday; near-certai...
by ronfitch
August 14th, 2022, 4:53 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Milo on dormant lawn
Replies: 18
Views: 2933

Re: Milo on dormant lawn

Eventually, it'll absorb. It's not like it has anywhere else to go, unless it can manage to run off with the water. You can get the soil ready to accept moisture by spraying it with the soil conditioner, or any shampoo at 1-2 oz per gallon over a thousand square feet or so. It breaks up that hydrop...
by ronfitch
August 14th, 2022, 2:30 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Milo on dormant lawn
Replies: 18
Views: 2933

Re: Milo on dormant lawn

It won’t help your lawn if the grass is dormant. Yes. You’re feeding the soil. But if the grass isn’t awake, it won’t see the benefit Will it even absorb into the soil? In the dormant spots of our lawn (we were in drought for much of July and August and a couple of large areas of our back yard get ...
by ronfitch
June 22nd, 2022, 1:08 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Complements from a stranger
Replies: 40
Views: 1572

Re: Complements from a stranger

'Sup with that? I recall the stuff up around Mason City as being rich and dark several inches (feet in some cases, when I bothered to dig that deep) as well. As kids, we were always told that the rich soil was the result of glacial fill. Same here, growing up in SE Iowa and was always told we have ...
by ronfitch
June 18th, 2022, 11:00 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Missed Memorial Day
Replies: 11
Views: 607

Re: Missed Memorial Day

Hey Ron, that's exactly what I got and where. It was on sale for $6.99 a bag this last week so I got 40. Also, yes I did get some from TC Seed. They're a pretty great operation, highly recommend just buying directly from them. Thanks. I might make a run over there next week. I have some spots that ...