Finally, seeds are down(Day 1)

[s1mpl3k1d]

I was so friggin friggin tired today. I started at 8am. Went to HD to get starter fert. I forgot to buy it. I started with core aeration followed by manual raking. I had to manually rake so that soil gets loosened which it did. The manual raking is what took most of my energy. I think I started raking around 9:15am and when I took my break, time was 12:30pm and I was only halfway done. I also had to fix the dirt that was damaged by the builder. They took out my good soil and replaced it with a bad one and they didn't even leveled it. They said they will fix it but yesterday, the hired folks ignored it. The only part that was graded was the property beside my house.

During lunch time, I mixed my 4 elite(LOL, hahaha) KBG seeds(Boutique[15%], Bewitched[30%], Blueberry[15%] and Emblem[40%]).

I went back to raking around 2:30pm and I finished everything around 5:30pm. Next I dropped the seeds, then rolled it, then spread Scott's Starter Fertilizer, then finally spread peat moss very lightly. I think I installed the sprinklers around 6:45pm. Then around 7:10pm, I installed a million dollar fence. LOL. At 7:16pm, I went down to the basement to create a rule on my ELK HA system to water each zone.

I'm hoping it will work.







This is the one they damaged and the one I fixed this morning.

[bpgreen]

Congrats.

I hope it works out as well for you as it has for the other renovators.

[MorpheusPA]

Looks good! Now you get to kneel and inspect every 4 hours until sprout...

[s1mpl3k1d]

I hit the bed around 12am but my body wouldn't go to sleep. I am very tired, mind would like to sleep but body wouldn't cooperate. So here I am, still awake as if I took some drugs! LOL!

I added this August 14 pic since this device is part of the renovation. LOL.

[jglongisland]

Hang in there. If you could go to sleep for 3 weeks your state of mind would be much better. I'm on week 10 now and finally have a lawn (with some Poa T).

Just hope that nature doesn't bring a downpour for the next 3 weeks .

[talldesk]

Looks good, congratulations. Today I did my 2nd round of RU, and will put down the elite seeds in a few days. (My mix is Midnight II, Moonlight, Boutique, Bedazzled.)

How big is the lawn you're renovating?

[s1mpl3k1d]

I have a problem at the lower end corner where the sprinklers are. It's creating a puddle. The seeds near the sprinkler are gone. It got washed away. The sprinkler also makes a puddle when it is turned off. When the water pressure is lost, the water is exiting slowly near it the sprinkler. What should I do with this?

[s1mpl3k1d]

Looks good, congratulations. Today I did my 2nd round of RU, and will put down the elite seeds in a few days. (My mix is Midnight II, Moonlight, Boutique, Bedazzled.)

How big is the lawn you're renovating?

I think about 2,500 sqft only.

[s1mpl3k1d]

I was thinking that seeds will be fine if I cover them with sand. Using slit seeders, they get burried about 1/4". So am I correct that covering the seeds with sand will be fine? I'm trying to prevent seeds from being washed away by the puddle. The peat moss were also washed away.

[talldesk]

I was thinking that seeds will be fine if I cover them with sand. Using slit seeders, they get burried about 1/4". So am I correct that covering the seeds with sand will be fine? I'm trying to prevent seeds from being washed away by the puddle. The peat moss were also washed away.

Other options:

1. Position your sprinklers elsewhere
2. Change the sprinkler leg, from the pointy type to a flat base, then place the sprinkler on the concrete.
3. If you don't mind the ugly sight, do as shown in this pic. The extra water from the sprinkler will drip into the container, and will drain out slowly thru the 0.24 inch holes. Place the container on the concrete.

[s1mpl3k1d]

I moved it to a different location and it still created the puddle. I put seeds again and covered them with sand. I like your option 3. It's totally cool!

[MorpheusPA]

I have a problem at the lower end corner where the sprinklers are. It's creating a puddle. The seeds near the sprinkler are gone. It got washed away. The sprinkler also makes a puddle when it is turned off. When the water pressure is lost, the water is exiting slowly near it the sprinkler. What should I do with this?

If you're friends with your neighbor, ask if he/she'd mind if you put it just over the line until your lawn comes in. Their grass will slow down the water flowing onto your seed bed.

If you're not, the can idea will work, or you can drive it through a cheap Ziploc storage container with a tiny hole or two drilled into it. That will slow down the escaping water enough to help as well. It's the same philosophy as Talldesk's but smaller.

[s1mpl3k1d]

Here it is folks. I moved it closer to the street so that pot is a little tilted towards the street. It's a SUCCESS!!!Water is coming out from the pot really strong and exiting towards the street! Woohoo!!! I also moved the other sprinkler on the other side. I transferred it closer to the garden plants.

[s1mpl3k1d]

Now that I was able to address the puddle that was being caused by the sprinklers, how do I address the same puddle but larger since we had a strong rain half an hour ago? I mean, how can I make the seeds stay in place? The puddle went away after 15-20 minutes. I can say that some of the seeds that I put this morning are gone again. LOL.

The puddle is actually seen from this pic.

[nothing0]

Could you bring in some topsoil and raise that area a little?

[s1mpl3k1d]

Here is what I did just few minutes ago. I dug the neighbor's dirt and made it 2-3" lower than my dirt. I also put a 6'x3' black insect screen on top of the area that gets puddle. I put enough thin metal wires(kinda like hoo) so that the screen won't go up.

We'll see after a month.

What should I do if let's say after a month, I have many blank areas? Should I wait for spring before I seed those empty areas? In mid September here, our temp averages 35F-40F and sometimes even hard frost.

[MorpheusPA]

To a point, those seed aren't getting washed...they're getting buried. That's fine. Unless soil's eroding, you should still be OK.

Blank spots can be seeded over the winter...which for you sounds like it starts around Labor Day. Kidding, but as soon as soil temperatures fall under 45, you can dormant seed. Personally, I did it in February (we don't get much snow and it melts quickly) when soil temperatures were sub-35.

They'll sprout on their own when the soil warms back over 55.

[s1mpl3k1d]

To a point, those seed aren't getting washed...they're getting buried. That's fine. Unless soil's eroding, you should still be OK.

I'm pretty sure the seeds got washed away because the seeds grouped together in one corner. And when I saw the puddle this morning, the seeds were floating too. The puddle was like 2" high.

Blank spots can be seeded over the winter...which for you sounds like it starts around Labor Day. Kidding, but as soon as soil temperatures fall under 45, you can dormant seed. Personally, I did it in February (we don't get much snow and it melts quickly) when soil temperatures were sub-35.

They'll sprout on their own when the soil warms back over 55.

I was wrong! I looked at my last year's picture and our first light frost was October 4. Our average hard frost is usually October 15 and not September 15. That is a saver. My grass would have more time to grow.

I'm thinking of doing it February too!

[s1mpl3k1d]

Good morning folks,

I would like to know the differnce between Turn Builder and Starter fertilizer other than the NPK values. Also, at what week will we see the grass at 2.5 - 3 inches tall?

Thanks!

[MorpheusPA]

Good morning folks,

I would like to know the differnce between Turn Builder and Starter fertilizer other than the NPK values. Also, at what week will we see the grass at 2.5 - 3 inches tall?

Thanks!

Turf Builder's very high N feeds (mature) grass and encourages topgrowth. The lower P and K are more or less to keep the soil at maintenance...although soil tests show how well that works!

Starter, with moderate N, doesn't shock young grass as much. The high P supplies resources for root growth, and the low K restores what's used but nothing more.

2.5 to 3 inch tall grass? In my case, about week 20 to 24, which means I didn't see it until spring. That will vary, though.