2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Discuss how to and whether you should renovate your lawn
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northeastlawn
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2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 6th, 2017, 10:45 pm

I figured I would start a mini reno thread on my shaded hell strip reno. I have 4 hell strips; 3 are in and out of the shade and one gets full sun. The one in the sun was seeded with Lesco Sun and Shade mix before I knew better and is growing great after two (2) years. The shaded ones always start off well, but thin out quickly. They are very poorly graded also and need to be leveled.

Some of it may be due to my battle with POA, I used Tenacity which is very hard on FF. I suspect FF was the grass that was growing well there. So my neighbors will think I am totally crazy, but I am going to kill off the grass in the shaded areas and try a shade mix of FF and Bewitched KBG and see if the grass makes out any better.

Here is a pic of the hell strips...

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Here is the label from the seed mix from SSS I am going to try out...

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northeastlawn
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Pre-Kill Pictures....

Post by northeastlawn » August 7th, 2017, 4:57 pm

Here area few pre-nuke pictures. Its cut long, so its hard to see how thin and patchy the grass really is.

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turf_toes
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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by turf_toes » August 7th, 2017, 5:20 pm

Wow. Those pics look pretty good. Im not sure I'd have renovated if I were you.

But as you note, I can't really see turf density from those pics.

Based solely on the photos, I'd have suggested just edging the lawn. I think it would have looked much better with a nice edge.

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 7th, 2017, 8:38 pm

Yea, I know my neighbors think I am crazy. It hasn't been all the hot this year and we had a good spring. Even the grass in the front is pretty good.

Its just that the back strips were about 2" higher than the sidewalk at spots and needed to be leveled, and they just never filled in thick. Its hard to see from the pictures. Especially under the tree.

The shade mix may not be better, but at least I gave it a shot. Its an experiment. :)

I used to edge, but when I do the hells strips always yellow from the heat in the summer. I figure if I let the grass grow over a bit, that is the grass that yellows and dies in August, not the healthy grass in the strip.

After this reno the grass will be flush with the sidewalk, maybe Ill try edging again.

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2nd Nuke - Day 6

Post by northeastlawn » August 15th, 2017, 10:04 pm

I have been neglecting this thread so the dates on the post will be off, but I need to update to get it to what it is now. Here are some pics from Day 6 post nuke and scalped 4 days after about a week after, one (1) more week before seeding. Notice all the bare ground from how high the grade was in the strips....

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by ken-n-nancy » August 15th, 2017, 10:35 pm

northeastlawn wrote:
August 7th, 2017, 8:38 pm
Its just that the back strips were about 2" higher than the sidewalk at spots and needed to be leveled
How did you (or are you planning) to address the 2" higher problem? Are you removing the top 2 inches of soil?

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 15th, 2017, 11:07 pm

ken-n-nancy wrote:
August 15th, 2017, 10:35 pm
How did you (or are you planning) to address the 2" higher problem? Are you removing the top 2 inches of soil?
For better or worse, I just put an old blade on the lawn mower and started scalping it. I gradually kept lowering the mower. It made a mess and I probably disturbed a lot of soil, but I just used the lawn mower.

A few days after I used a steel rake to rake out some high spots. Its much better, I used to have a problem cutting it at 2 1/2". Some of it would be scalped, some of it high. At least now it looks much more level.

There was probably no way around of disturbing things and making a mess.

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Final Nuke and scalp....

Post by northeastlawn » August 16th, 2017, 7:37 am

This is the last catch up post, this was the last nuke at Day 17. Seed down will be today after I do the backyard or tomorrow....

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Seed Down Day - Final Nuke

Post by northeastlawn » August 18th, 2017, 9:21 am

So yesterday I grabbed the supplies from the backyard reno and did the shaded hell strips. Here is a final before pic and the supplies, I only used one (1) bucket of leveling mix around the tree, peat moss you can never have enough of....

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 18th, 2017, 10:52 am

Here's the final seed down pic's. Just a matter watering now, this area has a lot of shade, Ill water quick in the morning and at noon...

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Day 5 - First Germination

Post by northeastlawn » August 21st, 2017, 7:22 pm

So I went to water before work and got my first germination coming up. This is a SSS Shade Mix, with different types of Fine Fescue and Bewitched KBG. I am pretty amazed I have germination already, Fine Fescue is supposed to be 14 days and KBG three (3) weeks. I have a feeling the 1++ of rain that did a tune on the backyard was much gentler under the tree and by the bushes.

Maybe that soaking rain and high temp's helped the seed along. I didn't have any wash outs in the front.

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by probasesteal » August 21st, 2017, 10:06 pm

That is early germination. Here's to hoping it's not Poa a...

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 21st, 2017, 10:10 pm

I never had much if any POA in the front hell strips, it was the one part of the lawn that I was able to get rid of the POA. Unless the seed had POA in it, but SSS has always had a decent reputation when it comes to seed.

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by ken-n-nancy » August 21st, 2017, 10:23 pm

Bewitched KBG is quick to germinate and get a first blade up, but then seems to put all its effort into developing roots for quite a while (an even longer "sprout and pout" than many other KBG varieties).

I seem to recall most other Bewitched renovators reporting initial germination on Day 5. In our 2015 Bewitched renovation, we saw widespread germination on Day 7.

We did have a late seed-down date (Sept 9) and are further north than you, but the baby grass didn't grow enough for a first mowing until May 9th of the next year! Hopefully with your seed-down date being three weeks earlier and your first frost date being at least 2 weeks later, you'll be able to mow it this fall!

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by northeastlawn » August 21st, 2017, 10:52 pm

There is also some Fine Fescue cultivars in this shade mix, I can't be sure what is germinating. Although the backyard seems to be coming up also, and there is Bewitched in my KBG blend. I have to be patient.

I read your reno thread you linked me to with the wash out, can't say i am not worried.

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Re: 2017 Shaded Hell Strip Reno...

Post by ken-n-nancy » August 22nd, 2017, 9:59 am

northeastlawn wrote:
August 21st, 2017, 10:52 pm
I read your reno thread you linked me to with the wash out, can't say i am not worried.
If you think you have significant washout, have largely ungerminated areas on Bewitched by Day 10, and have the seed to add, I'd suggest sowing more seed in the sparse areas.

That said, I never added more seed to our Bewitched renovation, even with the areas of washout -- (a) because I didn't have more seed, and (b) because it was too late in the fall anyway.

By next June, the Bewitched had mostly filled in the sparse areas -- as long as there is at least one grass plant in every area about the size of a post-it note, it will fill in to be a lawn when each of those single plants grows to have 30-50 blades!

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Day 7 - Photos

Post by northeastlawn » August 23rd, 2017, 10:50 pm

I'm at day seven (7) and have been watering lightly 3 times a day. Its a Fescue and Bewitched KBG mix in these strips. Judging by the KBG in the backyard the fescue is what is coming up first. The KBG in the backyard is germinating, but is really tiny. I think the hard rain I got on day 3 really soaked everything down really well, its been a good 80deg everyday also.

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