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You are really moving along fast for KBG. Good work, it looks great.

Day 42 Pics (first mow with rotary mower)

Day 42 Pics (first mow with rotary mower)

Day 42 Pics (first mow with rotary mower)


Here is the one bad area from Day 5 downpour. The pic doesn't do it justice to show how eroded the ground is. I will eventually add a bit of topsoil and let it fill in.


Aerial shot pointing out thin areas circled in yellow, washout area pictured above circled in red, and my test plots of 5 different blends circled in purple (which is now on day 22)


Since the inch of rain we received on Day 5, we have received less than 0.25 inches total over the last 37 days. Pretty evident given the surrounding areas.

jskierko wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 3:39 pm

Day 42 Pics (first mow with rotary mower)

Great job! Looks awesome. So is your first cut with anything at 42 days (as opposed to first cut with a rotary)? Thanks for all the comparative pics!

Pway wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 5:45 pm

Great job! Looks awesome. So is your first cut with anything at 42 days (as opposed to first cut with a rotary)? Thanks for all the comparative pics!

My first cut was around Day 28 with a manual reel. I still have quite a few spots with younger seedlings, so today was the first day that I was brave enough for the rotary.

Been feeding it with nitrogen weekly at 0.25lbs/k since the first reel mow and it has really pushed it along nicely.

Congratulations, it all looks great. I have a lot more shade than you, your at least two weeks ahead of mine.

Whew that is looking sharp! Well done

jskierko wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 3:36 pm

Day 42 Pics (first mow with rotary mower)

Looking great!

jskierko wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 4:19 pm

Aerial shot pointing out thin areas circled in yellow...

What do you think is the cause of the thin areas along the property boundaries? Poorer watering from the irrigation system in those spots? Overwatering from the irrigation system in those spots? Pre-emergent from the neighbor?

ken-n-nancy wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 11:53 pm

What do you think is the cause of the thin areas along the property boundaries? Poorer watering from the irrigation system in those spots? Overwatering from the irrigation system in those spots? Pre-emergent from the neighbor?

The left property line is definitely due to overwatering. That area sits in a low spot and the soil is extremely compacted and slow draining. It is a nutsedge hotbed. I showed my neighbor yesterday that I could hardly get a screwdriver down 1" in that spot. In order to get adequate water to the rest of that side, closer to the house, I had to live with some water pooling along the property line. It was a bit of a game to try to find the right balance. I tried cycling and soaking, decreasing the watering from irrigation while hand watering different areas. In the end I just figured I'd save myself the hassle and told myself the area would get better with time (which it has).

The right side is a bit of an anomaly, as there is no rhyme or reason to the thin spot. As both of my neighbors have lawn services, I would guess that area was caused by overspray from a pre-emergent.

jskierko wrote: ↑

September 25th, 2020, 7:26 am

ken-n-nancy wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 11:53 pm

What do you think is the cause of the thin areas along the property boundaries? Poorer watering from the irrigation system in those spots? Overwatering from the irrigation system in those spots? Pre-emergent from the neighbor?

The left property line is definitely due to overwatering. That area sits in a low spot and the soil is extremely compacted and slow draining. It is a nutsedge hotbed. I showed my neighbor yesterday that I could hardly get a screwdriver down 1" in that spot. In order to get adequate water to the rest of that side, closer to the house, I had to live with some water pooling along the property line. It was a bit of a game to try to find the right balance. I tried cycling and soaking, decreasing the watering from irrigation while hand watering different areas. In the end I just figured I'd save myself the hassle and told myself the area would get better with time (which it has).

Definitely sounds like you're on top of the issue. I wonder if the compacted, slow-draining section would be aided by "shampooing" that area for increased water permeability?

ken-n-nancy wrote: ↑

September 25th, 2020, 9:09 am

Definitely sounds like you're on top of the issue. I wonder if the compacted, slow-draining section would be aided by "shampooing" that area for increased water permeability?

I have been treating all summer/fall with SLS/humic bi-weekly . I've seen some spreading into those areas, so we will just have to play the KBG waiting game.