TTTF growth habit
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- Posts: 130
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- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
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TTTF growth habit
All,
Second time I've noticed this with a TTTF renovation: there is a stage in the growth cycle where some of the plants want to be tall, wide-bladed, and lighter in color. After a number of mows, they start to get more consistent. Anyone else notice this? Is this a function of TTTF varieties? I'm just hoping the seed mix I used did not include any undersirables (like K31), but I noticed the same with a previous renovation that eventually evened out.
Thanks!
Second time I've noticed this with a TTTF renovation: there is a stage in the growth cycle where some of the plants want to be tall, wide-bladed, and lighter in color. After a number of mows, they start to get more consistent. Anyone else notice this? Is this a function of TTTF varieties? I'm just hoping the seed mix I used did not include any undersirables (like K31), but I noticed the same with a previous renovation that eventually evened out.
Thanks!
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- Posts: 6837
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
- Location: CT (Zone 6B)
- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
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- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
TTTF is just sort of scatter-brained. There is more variation over a season to my eye than with KBG.
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- Posts: 6837
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- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
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Re: TTTF growth habit
No, not like that. That looks like a recent Tenacity application or something. I'm guessing you haven't sprayed anything, though...? Is some of it KY-31?
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- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
No Tenacity, just gave it a Dimension treatment, I don't have much choice but to go with it though. I'm going to start cutting it and see if it settles in. Otherwise I will re-renovate again this year (frankly getting a little tired of renovating with these kinds of results!).
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- Posts: 6837
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
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- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
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Re: TTTF growth habit
Dimension granular or sprayed?
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- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
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Re: TTTF growth habit
Granular
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- Posts: 6837
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- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
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Re: TTTF growth habit
How positive are you that the light patches are actually Tall Fescue?
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- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
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Re: TTTF growth habit
The plant has a medium-sized veined leaf with no mid-rib, so I was pretty sure it was TF.
I cut it two nights ago and it's looking a little better. Going to give it some more time to see how it grows through in the early spring. Not much I can do about it now considering pre-M is down.
I cut it two nights ago and it's looking a little better. Going to give it some more time to see how it grows through in the early spring. Not much I can do about it now considering pre-M is down.
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Re: TTTF growth habit
I've planted TTTF a number of times and never gotten results like this. Very strange. I gather you don't know what was in the seed bag you used? I've never had K-31 in the TTTF bags I've bought. I've found that TTTF starts getting more wide-bladed and clumpy after a few years. For me, the first 2 or 3 years are when it looks best. Close planting also tends to keep the blades narrow. Once you start getting clumps, it tends to get wide bladed. but this doesn't look like that. Looks like a seed variety issue.mooch91 wrote: ↑April 14th, 2019, 4:52 pmAll,
Second time I've noticed this with a TTTF renovation: there is a stage in the growth cycle where some of the plants want to be tall, wide-bladed, and lighter in color. After a number of mows, they start to get more consistent. Anyone else notice this? Is this a function of TTTF varieties? I'm just hoping the seed mix I used did not include any undersirables (like K31), but I noticed the same with a previous renovation that eventually evened out.
Thanks!
-
- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
Like I’ve said in some of my other posts, I found out this seed has 2.31% other crop which I’ve learned could be ANYTHING, but is usually seeds of similar size. Could be K31, annual rye (though it’s second season so I would have thought it would not be back after winter), or something similar. I definitely noticed a huge quantity of broadleaf when I planted this as well. Big mistake on my part.
But I have noticed this with other plantings as well, just not as much. It eventually seemed to even out or disappear.
I’ll try to get a closer up picture.
But I have noticed this with other plantings as well, just not as much. It eventually seemed to even out or disappear.
I’ll try to get a closer up picture.
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- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
I’ve got a lot of triv issues in other areas of the yard, and though the color seems reminiscent of triv, the veined leaf blades give me some comfort that it’s not.
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Re: TTTF growth habit
At first I was going to ask why you would buy seed with that much "other" seed in it, but then I saw you had nearly a couple of acres. That's a lot of seed and a lot of money. Just thinking, you might be better off with all K-31 for uniformity, which matters a lot. It's not a premium turf, obviously, but all-K-31 would be better than a hodgepodge. I think the seed is pretty cheap too.mooch91 wrote: ↑April 19th, 2019, 9:25 amLike I’ve said in some of my other posts, I found out this seed has 2.31% other crop which I’ve learned could be ANYTHING, but is usually seeds of similar size. Could be K31, annual rye (though it’s second season so I would have thought it would not be back after winter), or something similar. I definitely noticed a huge quantity of broadleaf when I planted this as well. Big mistake on my part.
But I have noticed this with other plantings as well, just not as much. It eventually seemed to even out or disappear.
I’ll try to get a closer up picture.
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- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
It was last fall and maybe that’s my culprit. I thought annual rye died off in the winter! Perhaps this is why I’ve seen similar in the past and observed it to clear up.
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Re: TTTF growth habit
Triv has ribs or veins like Tall fescuse. The 2 giveaways are the boat shapped tip. (Fold in half and see id this occurs) and the triangle like membrane when you pull a leaf back.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ligula.jpg
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- Posts: 6837
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
- Location: CT (Zone 6B)
- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
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- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
Not to my eyes, Triv doesn't. Maybe under a magnifier it does, but that's not visible normally. Triv looks more like KBG (makes sense based on the "Poa" DNA in it) than a fescue to me. But apparently annual rye looks a lot like Tall Fescue...
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- Posts: 130
- Joined: April 25th, 2016, 8:16 pm
- Location: central PA
- Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
- Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
- Level: Experienced
Re: TTTF growth habit
Follow up on this question, with some pictures.
I have what I believe is annual ryegrass, though I'm not ruling out quackgrass yet.
I am confident it's not poa trivialis, though there are some similarities. I have extensive patches of that elsewhere in the lawn and I'm able to distinguish between the two.
Here are two pictures of what I believe to be the annual ryegrass. One of a few plants, the other is a close-up. Note the rolled veriation, veins on the front side of the leaf, midrib on the backside of the leaf, and the clasping auricle.
Here is a picture of what I believe to be larger plants of triv from elsewhere in the yard. Note the folded vernation, no veins on the front side of the leaf, and younger leaves have a boat-shaped tip (less pointy than the other plants). Pulling away a leaf shows a sharp pointed ligule, no auricles.
Probably not as easy to see on the pictures, but I've compared them to NCSU images and I feel I've got a pretty good match.
I think I have some quackgrass elsewhere in the lawn and this is not it.
I have what I believe is annual ryegrass, though I'm not ruling out quackgrass yet.
I am confident it's not poa trivialis, though there are some similarities. I have extensive patches of that elsewhere in the lawn and I'm able to distinguish between the two.
Here are two pictures of what I believe to be the annual ryegrass. One of a few plants, the other is a close-up. Note the rolled veriation, veins on the front side of the leaf, midrib on the backside of the leaf, and the clasping auricle.
Here is a picture of what I believe to be larger plants of triv from elsewhere in the yard. Note the folded vernation, no veins on the front side of the leaf, and younger leaves have a boat-shaped tip (less pointy than the other plants). Pulling away a leaf shows a sharp pointed ligule, no auricles.
Probably not as easy to see on the pictures, but I've compared them to NCSU images and I feel I've got a pretty good match.
I think I have some quackgrass elsewhere in the lawn and this is not it.
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