August 15th is Here!!

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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andy10917
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August 15th is Here!!

Post by andy10917 » August 15th, 2020, 8:42 am

August 15th is finally here, and that means a few things:

(1) it's the traditional "seed-down" date for folks doing lawn renovations, as the evening temperatures begin to dip a bit - this is the time to get the seed down and germination will be reasonably germinated by the Labor Day real cooling. This gives renovators the maximum period in the year to have good growing conditions before the grass stops growing at season-end. Best wishes for renovators - may the rains be gentle and consistent, and the grass green as can be.

(2) If you're not doing a renovation, this is the time to start gently waking the grass with a light natural/organic fertilizer. This is good for having the grass ready for the most intensive fertilization period of the year - Labor Day to the "Pause"/Final Winterizing application. Waking grass up gently now also helps to have the grass and weeds active for the best weed-killing period of the year.

(3) It's also the time when we start to look for the window for the Fall Pre-M application(s). Doing the Pre-M in Fall prevents the germination and growth of Poa Annua and Winter Weeds.

In a way, what you do starting today will directly impact the quality of your 2021 lawn. Getting ahead of the curve from August 15th forth prevents all kinds of mop-up work next Spring and Summer - whether you'll need to be fighting battles next Spring or moving the lawn (and soil) forward.

It starts today!

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PSU4ME
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by PSU4ME » August 15th, 2020, 9:39 am

Thanks for the reminder Andy!

How do you feel about waking up lawns now that have gone dormant from the lack of water? Mine has browned out a bit and I’m wondering if fertilizer before water would have any adverse impacts.

Thanks!

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andy10917
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by andy10917 » August 15th, 2020, 10:12 am

There is common sense implied in the application, and a reason for making the application of a natural/organic fertilizer. If you apply BSF, Milorganite, Soybean Meal, cracked corn, etc and do not apply water, it's just going to sit there and do nothing. The point of the "gentle wake-up" is to move from dormancy to active without suddenly pressing the accelerator with things like Urea. There will be no change in things until water and food are present. You can leave the lawn in dormancy, but when Labor Day rolls around, I feel that a sudden slam into Urea apps is misguided - in other words, you're gonna have to delay the Fall Fertilization Regimen applications until it emerges from dormancy, now or when Mother Nature gets around to doing it. And until the weeds go active, herbicide applications will be far less effective, meaning you'll give up the part of the best time in the year for weed control.

So, I guess the short answer to your question is that you need to decide whether you want to gently bring your lawn to being active, or continue leaving it in dormancy. Leaving it there will have implications for what you do in September, and what you do in September will have implications for what you'll be doing next Spring. It's your lawn and your call...

ShawnT2016
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by ShawnT2016 » August 15th, 2020, 11:09 am

Awesome! I've managed to keep my lawn out of dormancy and gave it a dose of milorganite to get everything going full speed ahead. Once the rain stops today/tomorrow, my first application of my balanced fertilizer will go down for my soil remediation plan. Hopefully my sod plugs act right so I can get them down before it's too late. Exciting times are on the horizon!

fun4me2
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by fun4me2 » August 15th, 2020, 12:00 pm

My August 15 actually started yesterday August 14. :D
Working on my front yard only.
Milorganite at bag rate dropped.
Seed down where stump was removed, and overseeded some areas.
Mother Nature is not going to help so I will be watering gently with a hose.
My schedule is 4x a day until seed germinates then I will use my Oscillating sprinkler.

The backyard is pitiful. It was like a carpet of Spurge. :banghead:
I have been hand pulling to try to get the grass to come through that's underneath.
I have removed "bags" of it.
I don't even think Milo could have gotten through to the soil.
Weather forecast for Monday may be some showers.
I will drop Milo then and hope.

I have posted in the past that my yard did not get any fertilizer Memorial Day due to high temps and lack of rain.
It only got Milo in May.


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s1mpl3k1d
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by s1mpl3k1d » August 15th, 2020, 12:07 pm

Awesome! Thanks a lot Andy!

KBGkicksazz
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by KBGkicksazz » August 15th, 2020, 8:32 pm

Yet another year of partial reno. Installed a pool so having to seed from the damage..... I can’t wait to have a year with no reno the non stop watering gets old.

dantis496
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Re: August 15th is Here!!

Post by dantis496 » August 19th, 2020, 8:41 am

Put down 10 bags of BSF this past Friday and got some nice rain over the weekend. Hope to start the 46-0-0 in a couple weeks....

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