Planning for Summer

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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Adam_M
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Planning for Summer

Post by Adam_M » April 1st, 2021, 8:03 pm

It's barely spring, and I'd like to start planning for summer- trying to reduce the summer grass apocalypse that I've had the past couple years. This is going to be a long post. Sorry.

So-
TLDR:
1. Are there cultural practices beyond following the soil remediation plan, mowing high and often, and watering when necessary to help keep my lawn alive through summer? Notably - preventive anti-fungals when I'm not sure that fungus is a problem.
2. How crazy am I to try a spring seeding, going at it with full awareness that it'll probably fail and I'll be doing the same thing in the fall.

And on to it -

First step is done - Soil test and recommendation. Based on Morpheus's advice, I'm going to put less N down - as we're getting closer to where my soil wants to be and less N will be along for the ride. I'm also going to skip a Milo dose (Sorry Andy) - with the intent to get less N into the grass to see if summer goes better.

Prodiamine is going down in the next few days.

The grass is at 2.75" now, but will come up to 3.75" (3.5" setting on the mower) for the summer. I found at 4" that the grass didn't perform as well - lots of BBDL throughout the season and simply flopped over. I'm (in general) careful to cut when it needs to be done - sometimes 2 and even 3 (ugh) when I've really poured the milo on and got rain.

My working theory a few years ago was the issues were fungal, so I tried (somewhat half-heartedly - and by somewhat half-heartedly, I mean only did it for most of 1 season, but put it down as directed) serenade and companion. Should have sent a sample to rutgers, but I didn't.

I applied an anti-fungal from Lowes (and quite unfortunately don't have notes on what it was) that didn't touch it, and put down disease Ex which stopped whatever it was in its tracks, but only worked once (I tried it in a subsequent year) which leads me to believe if it was fungus it's either very quickly developed immunity to the AI or that the disease Ex was inconsequential and something else cultural stopped the die-off.

So - are there other cultural practices I should consider to help this lawn out?

...And now for the more controversial subject - after the grass apocalypse and subsequent 6K reseed last year, I was left with a couple hundred square feet where there was bad sprinkler coverage and now no grass. I"m thinking about a spring seeding ::shudder::, and think I understand everything that goes along with it - no pre-m (other than tenacity, and that can't exceed the yearly dose, and that's not a great pre-m, and it's expensive), the weeds, needing to baby it all summer, and risk of failure.

I've got leftover seed, and if it dies, it dies, I'll seed it in the fall. Is there any damage to be done other than missing out on pre-m and having to be careful the the fertilizer applications around those spots? Don't worry, I'll start a thread in the fall showing the spots being re-seeded for a second time this year when it fails...

DevilDawg81
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by DevilDawg81 » April 1st, 2021, 8:19 pm

I did a spring seeding last year. I went in with expectations of it being tough to control weeds, hot temps, and not as confident as fall seedlings. At the time I knew I would be home, so I could tend to it more versus being at work. On day 3-5 (I’d have to go back and look at my thread) I had a pretty bad wash out but I persisted.

I did have a ton of weeds throughout summer. Once we got into cooler weather I started to combat the crabgrass. By late fall it looked great. My point with all this is it can be done. It’s tough, and the odds are certainly against you but it can be done.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by MorpheusPA » April 1st, 2021, 10:12 pm

Post a six-K die-out, well, something has to change. :-) Maybe let's try not feeding the fungi with juicy, high-nitrogen growth this year in summer...

You can do a spring seeding, just do it early. Which looks like this weekend if you can, as temperatures start to rise, and the week following stays cloudy, rainy, and cool. It won't sprout fast, but it will as soon as it can. Keep it damp if it doesn't, and hope for sprout as soon as possible.

This one time, you can use starter fertilizer with Mesotrione, which will keep weeds out for about a month without harming the sprouting grasses. You should be able to get that at your local Big Box Store.

Unfortunately, spring-seeded grasses will need to be coddled through summer, but fortunately they don't need to be baby-sat. You can go to work. Just make sure to water regularly if nature doesn't, every 3 days or so. Stretch it as long as you can, but don't stress the grass to full gray-out much less dormancy, and water deeply (half an inch) every time you do. The longest-range forecast is for a carbon copy of last year's summer, so expect it to be pretty Pennsylvania-normal.

Do. Not. Feed. The. New. Lawn. In. Summer. It'll stress it. Labor Day, absolutely. Memorial Day, sure. That first starter fertilizer, no problem. But not in summer. The only thing it does is force growth the grass can't afford, and it won't want to grow much, spread much, or do much that first summer other than fight to survive.

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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by Adam_M » April 2nd, 2021, 8:39 am

Sounds like a plan! Seed down this weekend won't be an issue. It'll add about 5 minutes to the work as the prodiamine goes down (but not on the new seeds, obviously). As I sit here looking outside at the snow on the grass in April?!? I have thoughts of spraying the prodiamine on the snow and letting the melt water it in - but that's not realistically going to happen. I won't be out there before it's gone today.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by MorpheusPA » April 2nd, 2021, 2:39 pm

Seed on snow is almost perfect. We didn't get it, but it sure got cold enough last night (and today, and tonight...) The moment the weather changes, the seed "sees" that and reacts. I hate making it seem like seeds and plants have minds when really it's just a genetic response, but...

I'm not a fan of preventative antifungals, just keep a really close eye on the new and old lawns this summer. The instant any problem rears its ugly head, react fast.


Adam_M
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by Adam_M » May 2nd, 2021, 1:50 pm

I wanted to check on this - I got seed down on 4/4 - so essentially 28 days ago - kept it watered, etc. and have essentially 0 germination. I'm assuming part of that was a rather cold spell in April - the temperatures weren't really conducive for germination. Some portions have what looks like algae on the surface of the grass (overwatered?), while 2 5' x' 10' areas are almost bone dry because of their slightly steeper slope.

The grass planted in September in adjacent areas doesn't really seem awake yet - it's almost like a continuation of the sprout and pout from last fall (which during my first reno lasted literally the entire year until I dropped more seed the subsequent fall, at which point the grass that had pouted for a year took off with daily watering + a couple shots of milo of the seeds in the same area), while the mature stands where I didn't have die off are in full spring flush mode.

So - should I push forward with water every day for another week or 2 or just call this one a loss and start hammering the weeds that are inevitably (and I went into this knowing the weeds would move in with a vengeance...) moving in and try again in the fall?

In the weed department, I've got SO. MUCH. BITTERCRESS, some other broadleafs I haven't bothered to identify, but very limited P. annua and no triv from what I see. I've got plenty of both of those in the mature stands elsewhere, though. I'll have some sedge when it gets warmer and I'm getting ready to ramp up the battle on the wooded edges with japanese stiltgrass.

I'm also going to check seed viability, but it was stored in a plastic tub, dry and at 60 degrees all winter so I have no real reason to suspect tired seed.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by MorpheusPA » May 2nd, 2021, 5:08 pm

I got sidetracked. The spring's been kind of chill even over here, where it's warmer than you are. No sprout wouldn't necessarily shock me as of 9 days ago. I only did my second mow as of today.

Adam_M
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Re: Planning for Summer

Post by Adam_M » May 2nd, 2021, 7:04 pm

Thanks for the help again. I'll stay the course for now.

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