Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
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Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Hi all!
Just a bit of backstory... summer of 2020 in Southwest PA we had a pretty harsh heat wave combined with a ~month long drought - it toasted the lawn. I also learned a valuable lesson that you can certainly over water. This left loads of new weeds feasting on the bare dirt patches and K31, which like a cockroach, could very possibly be immune to a nuclear holocaust. After much research on the forum, I made the decision to fully renovate in the fall of 2021. I made a couple mistakes along the way that I'll share also (along with the reason I'm even creating this post to figure out what is happening).
The first week of August I began Round Up applications. I didn't tell my wife about this beforehand thinking that she couldn't say no after it was applied. Mistake #1
The whole month of August was spent watching the lawn turn brown (what was left of it) and reapplying where needed to ensure I started with a blank slate*. Keep note of the blank slate for later on... oops. I had multiple rain falls during the month which was great to force weeds to the surface and any surviving grass, etc. I live on a fairly busy intersection (entrance to the neighborhood and across from a CC). There's pro's and con's to this... you get to show off your work (which could be the best part if your lawn is on point), but you have to answer every question to every neighbor in the entire neighbor, and also be embarrassed if your lawn/house are not in ideal shape.
After everything was sufficiently dead and Labor Day approached (kick off weekend), I did one last scalping/scraping pass. I then had around 28T of dirt brought in so I could focus on leveling and create a good base.
Just a bit of backstory... summer of 2020 in Southwest PA we had a pretty harsh heat wave combined with a ~month long drought - it toasted the lawn. I also learned a valuable lesson that you can certainly over water. This left loads of new weeds feasting on the bare dirt patches and K31, which like a cockroach, could very possibly be immune to a nuclear holocaust. After much research on the forum, I made the decision to fully renovate in the fall of 2021. I made a couple mistakes along the way that I'll share also (along with the reason I'm even creating this post to figure out what is happening).
The first week of August I began Round Up applications. I didn't tell my wife about this beforehand thinking that she couldn't say no after it was applied. Mistake #1
The whole month of August was spent watching the lawn turn brown (what was left of it) and reapplying where needed to ensure I started with a blank slate*. Keep note of the blank slate for later on... oops. I had multiple rain falls during the month which was great to force weeds to the surface and any surviving grass, etc. I live on a fairly busy intersection (entrance to the neighborhood and across from a CC). There's pro's and con's to this... you get to show off your work (which could be the best part if your lawn is on point), but you have to answer every question to every neighbor in the entire neighbor, and also be embarrassed if your lawn/house are not in ideal shape.
After everything was sufficiently dead and Labor Day approached (kick off weekend), I did one last scalping/scraping pass. I then had around 28T of dirt brought in so I could focus on leveling and create a good base.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I can't see why your wife had a problem with any of this.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Masbustelo wrote: ↑October 31st, 2021, 9:02 amI can't see why your wife had a problem with any of this.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I'm trying to get a few spots under my original post so that I can put up the rest of the reno (locked at only 4 images). All my posts need moderator approval - maybe because I have a low post count history
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
After getting the dirt right and as level as possible it was time to spread seed, starter fertilizer w/ pre-em, milorganite, and peat moss. All items spread according to sq ft of lawn. I held off on a round of Tenacity because of how much time I spent (~30 days) of killing off everything before hand.
Mistake #2 - Thinking that the 28T of top soil brought in didn't contain weed seeds.
Seed: KBG Midnight 50%, KBG Bedazzled 50%
Fertlizers: Scott's Starter w/ Weed Preventer, Milorganite
I used Melnor timers w/ around 4 sprinklers and one sprinkler hose strip(?) timed to keep the soil moist. Now it was time to pray everything was done properly and that we had good germination. I knew that KBG typically was one of the slower to kick off.
By day 7 I had sprouts!
Mistake #2 - Thinking that the 28T of top soil brought in didn't contain weed seeds.
Seed: KBG Midnight 50%, KBG Bedazzled 50%
Fertlizers: Scott's Starter w/ Weed Preventer, Milorganite
I used Melnor timers w/ around 4 sprinklers and one sprinkler hose strip(?) timed to keep the soil moist. Now it was time to pray everything was done properly and that we had good germination. I knew that KBG typically was one of the slower to kick off.
By day 7 I had sprouts!
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I had more weeds than I had anticipated, but not anything too worry about. They were concentrated in the low spots as well. For reference, if looking at the lawn from the street you wouldn't be able to see any. I think a round of Tenacity would have helped, but certainly wasn't "needed" at seed down.
First mow probably happened around day 30 (~20ish days post germination). It was less needing to cut because of length and more to get leaves off the lawn as a couple of the trees really started to release (Catalpa and Maple, both big leaves). I wanted to make sure that I wasn't smothering the new grass as we've had an extremely wet fall.
First mow probably happened around day 30 (~20ish days post germination). It was less needing to cut because of length and more to get leaves off the lawn as a couple of the trees really started to release (Catalpa and Maple, both big leaves). I wanted to make sure that I wasn't smothering the new grass as we've had an extremely wet fall.
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- Posts: 18
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- Grass Type: KBG - Midnight/Bewitched
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I was super happy after the germination and initial kick off. By day ~30 (Oct 1), I did a light round of Milorganite (about half the normal rate) to push some further growth. Everything was going pretty well.
Now on to the fun part...
So I was getting some random spots (totaling maybe 10), usually in shaded areas, where the grass had almost "melted." It was sticky, stuck together, and was dying. I asked around and some said it could be Pythium Blight. I also started getting a pretty good amount of Powdery Mildew around the same time.
Pic of the melted/sticky stuff. I thought it could also be rot because of how dense the grass was, but wasn't sure...
Oct 10 - Because of how wet it had been and moving solidly into fall, I did a round of Scott's Disease Ex. The melted spots (Pythium Blight?) have all disappeared, but it didn't affect the Powdery Mildew all that much. I'm honestly not too worried about the PM. Although, I was starting to get a few yellowing patches in my low spots along with slowed growth.
Oct 15 - I'm thinking that with how much rain we've had combined with the low ~50 degree weather that maybe the grass is starting to turn towards dormancy? I guess that would be the best case scenario, but I'm not sold..
I don't think it's rust because nothing wipes off. Because of how wet it's been maybe the new grass is struggling to bring up the nutrients? At any rate, figured I'd get some expert opinions before we enter winter just in case there is something I need to jump on ASAP.
Now on to the fun part...
So I was getting some random spots (totaling maybe 10), usually in shaded areas, where the grass had almost "melted." It was sticky, stuck together, and was dying. I asked around and some said it could be Pythium Blight. I also started getting a pretty good amount of Powdery Mildew around the same time.
Pic of the melted/sticky stuff. I thought it could also be rot because of how dense the grass was, but wasn't sure...
Oct 10 - Because of how wet it had been and moving solidly into fall, I did a round of Scott's Disease Ex. The melted spots (Pythium Blight?) have all disappeared, but it didn't affect the Powdery Mildew all that much. I'm honestly not too worried about the PM. Although, I was starting to get a few yellowing patches in my low spots along with slowed growth.
Oct 15 - I'm thinking that with how much rain we've had combined with the low ~50 degree weather that maybe the grass is starting to turn towards dormancy? I guess that would be the best case scenario, but I'm not sold..
I don't think it's rust because nothing wipes off. Because of how wet it's been maybe the new grass is struggling to bring up the nutrients? At any rate, figured I'd get some expert opinions before we enter winter just in case there is something I need to jump on ASAP.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Texpa, great posts. I also live in SE PA and have been considering a reno. How did it survive the winter? Hope you can give a spring update. Didn't think KBG could germinate so quickly. I thought it took 3 weeks which had me concerned with the reno (washout from heavy rain, lots of watering.)
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
It still has not really kicked off yet. I see what everyone says now about KBG being one of the last to come out of dormancy. It's greened up, but just not growing yet. Have moved one, really just to lop the weeds. The weeds are in full force. I've hesitated to hit it with Tenacity just yet until it wakes up.
Unfortunately, no idea how, I have 15-20 patches of Crocus. Not entirely sure how that got into the lawn, but I do live on a very busy road with no curb - weeds/random plants are a larger battle for me than most.
One thing I have noticed between this new KBG lawn and my old Rye/PA Mix is that it is much thicker. The blades aren't as soft as Rye, but overall I bet this lawn will choke out weeds much better.
Unfortunately, no idea how, I have 15-20 patches of Crocus. Not entirely sure how that got into the lawn, but I do live on a very busy road with no curb - weeds/random plants are a larger battle for me than most.
One thing I have noticed between this new KBG lawn and my old Rye/PA Mix is that it is much thicker. The blades aren't as soft as Rye, but overall I bet this lawn will choke out weeds much better.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
jburns - meant to get you a pic earlier but forgot... lawn has done well. I have had to keep it watered though because of this crazy weather (thankfully we're getting two full days of rain now). Pic of from July 4th taken from across the street.
Looks good, really happy with the reno, but am dealing with weed pressure of clover and some other random ones. Tenacity didn't seem to kick everything and I've done a couple rounds of SpeedZone which cleared a lot of it up. For fertilizers, etc... have just used Milorganite. I am trying to stay someone consistent with Disease X though to prevent late summer/fall issues. Will likely move to a more organized/timed approach to herbicides, etc in the future.
Looks good, really happy with the reno, but am dealing with weed pressure of clover and some other random ones. Tenacity didn't seem to kick everything and I've done a couple rounds of SpeedZone which cleared a lot of it up. For fertilizers, etc... have just used Milorganite. I am trying to stay someone consistent with Disease X though to prevent late summer/fall issues. Will likely move to a more organized/timed approach to herbicides, etc in the future.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I also have zero spreading of the KBG yet so there are quite a few bare spots. Hoping that year 2 it starts to fill in. I'll probably start working on a regular feeding cycle w/ iron, etc then too. Could be a lot darker I'm sure, but haven't really put a ton of time into it yet.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
I would highly recommend (if you haven’t already) reading the fall nitrogen regimen thread
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15109&hilit=Fall+nitrogen+regimen
If you’re truly committed to your lawn you should study that topic, pick a plan (aggressive or non-aggressive), and execute this fall.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15109&hilit=Fall+nitrogen+regimen
If you’re truly committed to your lawn you should study that topic, pick a plan (aggressive or non-aggressive), and execute this fall.
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Thanks, will do!DevilDawg81 wrote: ↑July 20th, 2022, 7:13 pmI would highly recommend (if you haven’t already) reading the fall nitrogen regimen thread
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15109&hilit=Fall+nitrogen+regimen
If you’re truly committed to your lawn you should study that topic, pick a plan (aggressive or non-aggressive), and execute this fall.
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- Posts: 18
- Joined: August 14th, 2021, 9:55 pm
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Approaching 1 year since the reno (~11 months since germination). We've had some decent rain the last few weeks. My main goal was trying to keep the yard out of dormancy during the summer so I could push root growth as long as possible. Not sure if that's actually how it works, but I've been hitting the yard with quite a bit of Ph after my early soil test showed very low levels. Between the granular 0-0-48, and the Air-8 soil softener (0-0-5), I think it's doing alright and made it through the hottest part of the summer. As long as I don't see too many hot weeks coming up, I may pick up that fall nitrogen regimen and begin fertilizing.
Last fall, I did run into a few issues with pythium blight as well as fairly broad coverage of powdery mildew. I have been every 6-8 weeks been throwing down a big of Disease Ex to try and prevent fungus, and will probably look into a multi-control method once September comes.
I have around 7-8 spots in the pic below that appears to be dollar spot. Originally, I thought it was deer peeing on the lawn as my yard seems to be a super highway for them, but upon closer inspection (not shown in pics) it looks to be fungus related. Fortunately, it's not prevalent enough to be seen unless you're in the lawn.
Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Looking forward to really trying to push a dark green color come fall time.
Last fall, I did run into a few issues with pythium blight as well as fairly broad coverage of powdery mildew. I have been every 6-8 weeks been throwing down a big of Disease Ex to try and prevent fungus, and will probably look into a multi-control method once September comes.
I have around 7-8 spots in the pic below that appears to be dollar spot. Originally, I thought it was deer peeing on the lawn as my yard seems to be a super highway for them, but upon closer inspection (not shown in pics) it looks to be fungus related. Fortunately, it's not prevalent enough to be seen unless you're in the lawn.
Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Looking forward to really trying to push a dark green color come fall time.
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- Posts: 18
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- Grass Type: KBG - Midnight/Bewitched
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Re: Texpa Lawn Reno - Fall 2021 (hmmm)
Meant to say K as in Potassium (not Phosphorus).texpa wrote: ↑August 6th, 2022, 2:48 pmApproaching 1 year since the reno (~11 months since germination). We've had some decent rain the last few weeks. My main goal was trying to keep the yard out of dormancy during the summer so I could push root growth as long as possible. Not sure if that's actually how it works, but I've been hitting the yard with quite a bit of Ph after my early soil test showed very low levels. Between the granular 0-0-48, and the Air-8 soil softener (0-0-5), I think it's doing alright and made it through the hottest part of the summer. As long as I don't see too many hot weeks coming up, I may pick up that fall nitrogen regimen and begin fertilizing.
Last fall, I did run into a few issues with pythium blight as well as fairly broad coverage of powdery mildew. I have been every 6-8 weeks been throwing down a big of Disease Ex to try and prevent fungus, and will probably look into a multi-control method once September comes.
I have around 7-8 spots in the pic below that appears to be dollar spot. Originally, I thought it was deer peeing on the lawn as my yard seems to be a super highway for them, but upon closer inspection (not shown in pics) it looks to be fungus related. Fortunately, it's not prevalent enough to be seen unless you're in the lawn.
Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Looking forward to really trying to push a dark green color come fall time.
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