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How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 9th, 2020, 6:37 pm
by s1mpl3k1d
We didn't get rain for 45 days, maybe more. I did water my lawn but not a lot. I took this shot today around 5:30pm Central time. We finally got rain and it's been raining everyday which is nice. How many weeks will it take for this lawn to turn back to green? Btw, this is the first time happening in our area. My neighbors' lawn are also bad.

Of course, I did not spray RoundUp! LOL! 🤣This reminds me of my 2009 lawn renovation, hehehe

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Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 9th, 2020, 7:25 pm
by MorpheusPA
A few. Deeply dormant lawns are like Sleeping Beauty. Are you Prince Charming? You don't look like Prince Charming.

It's going to take some weeks of rainfall and cooler temperatures for the grass to come back. It's not going to take any chances. I know I'm making it sound like the grass makes decisions, which it doesn't, but its genes do respond to environmental keys.

And in this case, the keys aren't fitting the lock yet (or, Prince Charming isn't kissing very well, and never, never, read Basile's original of that particular story if you favor your childhood memories). The grass' roots have tapped their energy going into and maintaining dormancy. They're not going to chance coming out of it only to risk going back into it again--they can't. The second dormancy will be fatal.

So don't expect dormancy to break until the damp period lasts, and until soil temperatures cool--and fall is underway.

Dormancy here is ended, but I still have a few patches near the driveway that got pummeled in July and August. Rainfall has been consistent (even heavy) through August, but temperatures are still warm and the grass hasn't returned. I don't expect the grass back for a couple more weeks yet. This happens every year.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 1:52 am
by s1mpl3k1d
Got it! It's been in averaging 60s in the evening for the past 3 days now. I really can't wait to find out how much lawn died or survived. There were areas today which I think I can pull the brown easily. Good thing that kbg spreads. I'll definitely post another update once I start seeing it turn green.

Thanks again!

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 11:55 am
by northeastlawn
Last summer in an attempt to kill off the poa-a in my KBG lawn, I really stretched our the watering, I felt like I border line killed it.

I had high hopes for the fall fertilizer plan, but the truth was that September had temps in the mid 80’s and we never got much rain.

Last years lawn never really recovered until spring, unfortunately a lot of the poa did also.

I couldn’t chance that again this summer so watered at least 1/2“ twice a week. This year the fall fertilizer program has been showing amazing results so far. It might take you until next spring to see what happens, but hopefully the kbg will spread.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 2:43 pm
by BIGDADDY13
Mine has been awakening nicely in spots. I started some milorganite a few weeks ago and it started to green up. Still some spots that got hammered by full sun are struggling.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 7:53 pm
by s1mpl3k1d
northeastlawn wrote: ↑
September 10th, 2020, 11:55 am
Last summer in an attempt to kill off the poa-a in my KBG lawn, I really stretched our the watering, I felt like I border line killed it.

I had high hopes for the fall fertilizer plan, but the truth was that September had temps in the mid 80’s and we never got much rain.

Last years lawn never really recovered until spring, unfortunately a lot of the poa did also.

I couldn’t chance that again this summer so watered at least 1/2“ twice a week. This year the fall fertilizer program has been showing amazing results so far. It might take you until next spring to see what happens, but hopefully the kbg will spread.
Very good information! I looked down the dirt today. Didn't see any green yet but it's too early. I hope to see green at least end of October.

Thank you!

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 7:56 pm
by s1mpl3k1d
BIGDADDY13 wrote: ↑
September 10th, 2020, 2:43 pm
Mine has been awakening nicely in spots. I started some milorganite a few weeks ago and it started to green up. Still some spots that got hammered by full sun are struggling.
Good! It's been raining daily now which is good. I'm really hoping to see some parts of it green by mid October. That will give me hope it didn't die.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 10th, 2020, 10:28 pm
by Green
Quick question:
You state you did water somewhat. Was this just to prevent it from potentially dying in an extended period without rain?

Also, please continue posting updates as it recovers. Always nice to see the followups.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 2:05 am
by s1mpl3k1d
Green wrote: ↑
September 10th, 2020, 10:28 pm
Quick question:
You state you did water somewhat. Was this just to prevent it from potentially dying in an extended period without rain?

Also, please continue posting updates as it recovers. Always nice to see the followups.
Sorry if I was confusing. I watered it well 2x every week since early July, heavily. But I think I stopped watering it when I was wondering why everything was slowly turning brown. I remember I posted a pic of the hell strip and I was wondering why it was starting to brown. Look at the July pics from this link - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=26058&p=342101#p342160

Also, it's not only my lawn in our area that turned brown. My neighbors' lawn too. Some are 50% brown, some are 80%, 90%. Mine was the worst!

Sure, I will definitely post updates.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 10:47 am
by s1mpl3k1d
Andy,

Should I wait for the lawn to turn green before I spread the urea? I feel like I might waste it since it's brown right now.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:34 am
by andy10917
Water combined with a fertilization should wake up whatever is going to wake up easily. There may be areas that are either dead (obviously never going to wake up) or in deep dormancy. A steady supply of water with a single fertilization should bring those around eventually, but multiple fertilizations are wasted until they wake up.

But here's the challenge - how do you only do the "awake" spots and avoid random deep dormancy spots? There are no straight answers for that situation - you need the thinking cap on and figure it out yourself...

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 12:23 pm
by s1mpl3k1d
andy10917 wrote: ↑
September 11th, 2020, 11:34 am
Water combined with a fertilization should wake up whatever is going to wake up easily. There may be areas that are either dead (obviously never going to wake up) or in deep dormancy. A steady supply of water with a single fertilization should bring those around eventually, but multiple fertilizations are wasted until they wake up.

But here's the challenge - how do you only do the "awake" spots and avoid random deep dormancy spots? There are no straight answers for that situation - you need the thinking cap on and figure it out yourself...
Great info. Got it. I'll try. I'll conduct an experiment. :)

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 10:00 pm
by s1mpl3k1d
Update. I'm starting to see green blades on the left side of the driveway(not one of the pictures I posted but it was also brown). However, the lawn on pic, it is still brown with some green under the tree. Will continue to provide updates.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:21 pm
by MorpheusPA
Toldja so. Patience is a virtue. It's also a woman's name. And a noun.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: September 12th, 2020, 2:02 am
by s1mpl3k1d
MorpheusPA wrote: ↑
September 11th, 2020, 11:21 pm
Toldja so. Patience is a virtue. It's also a woman's name. And a noun.
🤣yep!

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: December 12th, 2020, 7:58 pm
by Green
How did it go this Fall?
Sometimes it takes until the following Spring for full recovery, though.

Re: How many weeks when it's green again?

Posted: December 12th, 2020, 11:03 pm
by northeastlawn
Noticed this thread come back, Green is right on the money.

December 2019 my lawn was a disaster, it had gotten destroyed from that summer. I was hoping and praying for a miracle come spring. I had bare spots everywhere, KBG spreading was my only hope.

Spring this year and the KBG took off and was filling holes in like crazy by May. I never let the summer scortch it this summer, and this December the lawn looks like a putting green. Summer never killed it all, summer just showed me all the poa-a that got through my pre-m.

I have no idea what spring will bring this year, but the Fall defiantly sets up the spring. Don't expect to get the grow spurts you get in the spring, but hopefully you noticed some come back that will take off in the spring.