DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Discuss how to and whether you should renovate your lawn
DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by DevilDawg81 » April 25th, 2021, 8:59 pm

Hey folks,

Back at it this spring. I had contemplated all winter on whether or not to tackle a spring renovation. Last year I began on in a much smaller section (1200 sq ft) off the front side of our house on May 17.

Last fall I started having dreams of trying to get the back lawn filled in so we’d have a larger enjoyable area. My wife really wants the front done, but I’m saving that for the fall. I learned a lot on last years spring renovation. I had high amounts of weeds all summer long (as expected). Most of which was crabgrass, and I used some Quinclorac which worked out nicely. By fall I had gotten into the aggressive nitrogen regimens and that is when things really started looking nice.

Fast forward to the past few weeks. The area I had in mind was 10,000 sq ft. It was really bumpy and beat up due to the construction. I started spraying with RU to kill everything off. I got in two nice rounds of kill and scalp. I found a gentleman who was willing to bring in 80 yards of top soil and grade it for a reasonable price so I bit the bullet. I purchased seed (Sunny Mix) from SeedSuperStore.

Last night I measured out my seed rate per 1k sq ft and had that all ready. This morning I was up at 0630. I mixed the seed with SoilMoist Seed Coat.

Seed spread
Starter Fertilizer
Sprayed Tenacity on all sections

While I was spraying Tenacity my father had called and asked if I wanted cheap labor, and I took him up on it. So he came up and helped throw down straw. At one point my daughter came out and helped. I thought she’d peter out, but she stayed there right with us. I was very happy.

Later this afternoon my wife and I drug out all the timers/hoses/sprinklers and got everything connected and tested. 10,000 sq ft off and running. I have same expectations as last year only on a much larger scale. I told my wife it may look shabby until we get into the fall.

My dad and my daughter (in the background) helping get the straw down:

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From the back looking towards the front and side:

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Right outside the garage looking out:

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Last year’s Spring renovation which was the catalyst for today:

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DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 4 Update

Post by DevilDawg81 » April 29th, 2021, 9:11 pm

Starting early this morning through about 5 PM we’ve had a heavy soaking rain. I have some standing water out there. I’ll assess the damage this weekend. I have plenty of seed and extra straw on hand.

The well water was taking its toll on my sprinklers. I had some spare new heads on hand and swapped them out Wednesday and that made a huge difference in how much further I could water. So I have the ‘old’ heads soaking in a mix of Iron Out/water to clean them.

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 8 Washout Woes

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 3rd, 2021, 5:09 pm

Mother Nature has not been kind. It’s Day 8 and I’m starting to see more germination but I’m getting crushed with rain showers.

I held off any seeding this weekend as the weather reports predicted rain today and tomorrow, and unfortunately for me the weatherman was dead on with his forecast.

I’m sitting tight for now. Wednesday it’s supposed to clear up and that’s when I’ll re-seed those washed out areas.

Lots of standing water:
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Some babes are popping:
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DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 15

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 10th, 2021, 8:33 pm

Wow…1.5” of rain yesterday. I did not put down any seed after my last post. All we’ve gotten was rain. There are patches of grass popping up but it is sparse. Today I finally went out and started to reapply seed to bare spots. Got about 1/2 way thru and then stopped. The other half needs to drain more water before I can get into it.

edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by edslawn » May 10th, 2021, 9:13 pm

Hang in there! It is maddening when mother nature refuses to cooperate.


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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by andy10917 » May 10th, 2021, 10:07 pm

It is maddening when mother nature refuses to cooperate.
Mother Nature rules, and doesn't have a restriction of cooperating. She does, though, often send us reminders of who is in charge.

Jamo
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Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by Jamo » May 10th, 2021, 10:21 pm

Great looking property, and once you get some favorable weather and it all takes, it's going to look awesome. Good luck and keep us posted on how it comes along!

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 18

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 13th, 2021, 7:20 pm

We’ve had dry days since Monday. I had to wait a couple of days for the water to subside and between yesterday and today I was able to reseed/cover with straw. Each morning I open the garage door and new grass is sprouting thru.

The heavy rains definitely did some damage,and Andy’s right Mother Nature is in charge. Thank you all for the kind words and wishes. Renovations aren’t easy and you always learn something with each one.

The weather has been below average and the mornings have been just above freezing. Germination was a bit slower this time around. I remember around day 6-7 and barely seeing any signs of babes and getting worried.

Calm weather until Monday and then rain moves in. I will add a couple more sprinklers and a timer tomorrow. I was out a bit longer this afternoon and had to go check on my bees and didn’t get to it.

Here are pics from today…

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DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 22

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 17th, 2021, 8:57 pm

Continue to see more grass every day. This week Mother Nature is cranking up the heat, highs near 90 Wednesday through Sunday.


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edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 22

Post by edslawn » May 18th, 2021, 8:15 pm

DevilDawg81 wrote:
May 17th, 2021, 8:57 pm
Continue to see more grass every day. This week Mother Nature is cranking up the heat, highs near 90 Wednesday through Sunday.


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Looking good Dawg! Glad to see things turning around for you...

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 18th, 2021, 9:37 pm

Thanks! I appreciate it. It’s been slow to take off, and summer is still gonna be challenging but we’ll get there 😀

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 27

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 23rd, 2021, 7:47 pm

Threw some seed in bare areas as I could. This will be it for trying to sow seed and the ‘line in the sand’ until fall. We’ve gotten a healthy preview of summer. Tuesday to be 93. A cold front rolls in later this week and temps are to go back down to mid 70s.

In all and with the amount of rain we got to kick things off I’m pleased where it’s at. Obviously is not uniform 100% germination, but it’s definitely starting to look like a lawn. I’m expecting to mow in another week or two.

My sprinklers are all set to run 10 minutes, 3x a day. Hopefully we can get some rain this week, but if not the system is working well.

Here are some pics of the current state.


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edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 27

Post by edslawn » May 25th, 2021, 8:16 pm

DevilDawg81 wrote:
May 23rd, 2021, 7:47 pm
Threw some seed in bare areas as I could. This will be it for trying to sow seed and the ‘line in the sand’ until fall. We’ve gotten a healthy preview of summer. Tuesday to be 93. A cold front rolls in later this week and temps are to go back down to mid 70s.

In all and with the amount of rain we got to kick things off I’m pleased where it’s at. Obviously is not uniform 100% germination, but it’s definitely starting to look like a lawn. I’m expecting to mow in another week or two.

My sprinklers are all set to run 10 minutes, 3x a day. Hopefully we can get some rain this week, but if not the system is working well.
Quite a change from the beginning of the month...looking good!

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 25th, 2021, 8:47 pm

Thanks a lot Ed.

Tonight I was out watching the water sprinklers patterns and how the grass was in the respective area. I made adjustments on two sprinklers. I was getting great distance, but the amount was on the light side. I admit I should have made this adjustment last week. A few days back reacting to the high temps, I did make each zone run 12 minutes.

We have a front coming through tomorrow bringing some rain. It will be nice to shut the system down for a day.

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 33

Post by DevilDawg81 » May 31st, 2021, 8:16 pm

Temps dipped down into the 40s at time over the weekend. It felt like October on Saturday. We picked up about 0.5” of rain. I have some sparse areas but those will have to be addressed this fall.

I noticed some weeds have the bleach white appearance from the Tenacity sprayed at seed down. Mowing is on the docket for tomorrow. I took an extra day to catch up on some chores and I wanted to carefully give this the first haircut as I have some seed still germinating in some spots.


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DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 39

Post by DevilDawg81 » June 6th, 2021, 2:26 pm

This morning I drug all the hoses and sprinklers off the area. I push mowed and bagged the entire area. Temps are getting close to 90. As stated in earlier posts, I have sparse areas. Things are looking good. I have not fed the grass and have zero plans to do so until fall when temps have cooled down.

I am definitely seeing the benefits of spraying Tenacity versus using granular form of mesotrione. It’s still a thrill for me to peek out each morning and see the progress of a newly renovated area. Mother Nature definitely had me pulling my hair out in early May with all the rain but I’m pleased where we’re at right now.



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DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 42

Post by DevilDawg81 » June 9th, 2021, 8:20 pm

We’re getting lots of rain. Very tropical like pattern right now. As windows of opportunity open to mow I race outside. I have unhooked all the sprinklers as we are expected to get 5”+ of rain over the next five days. I actually rode the riding tractor across the area today, being careful to go past and turn off the ends. I generally push mow it for several weeks but time was of the essence.

I picked up a reel mower this afternoon for a whopping $10 so I couldn’t pass it up. I may try to use it once I get the blades sharpened.

The new area is thickening up. There’s weed pressure on the perimeter but nothing like I faced last year in the smaller spring reno. I did get a better kill and scalp on this larger one, and I sprayed Tenacity.

Anyways…some pictures!


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MorpheusPA
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Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by MorpheusPA » June 9th, 2021, 8:34 pm

Is your wedding ring titanium?

(I ask because mine's tungsten carbide).

DevilDawg81
Posts: 579
Joined: April 11th, 2017, 7:09 pm
Location: Columbus, OH
Grass Type: KBG, PRG, Fescue mix
Lawn Size: 2 acre-5 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Spring 2021

Post by DevilDawg81 » June 10th, 2021, 6:58 am

MorpheusPA wrote:
June 9th, 2021, 8:34 pm
Is your wedding ring titanium?

(I ask because mine's tungsten carbide).
Haha it’s tungsten as well!

edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: DevilDawg’s New Lawn - Day 42

Post by edslawn » June 10th, 2021, 8:21 am

DevilDawg81 wrote:
June 9th, 2021, 8:20 pm
We’re getting lots of rain. Very tropical like pattern right now. As windows of opportunity open to mow I race outside. I have unhooked all the sprinklers as we are expected to get 5”+ of rain over the next five days. I actually rode the riding tractor across the area today, being careful to go past and turn off the ends. I generally push mow it for several weeks but time was of the essence.

I picked up a reel mower this afternoon for a whopping $10 so I couldn’t pass it up. I may try to use it once I get the blades sharpened.

The new area is thickening up. There’s weed pressure on the perimeter but nothing like I faced last year in the smaller spring reno. I did get a better kill and scalp on this larger one, and I sprayed Tenacity.

Anyways…some pictures!
Wow... very nice! Looks great.

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