Renovators: Sprout and Pout
- MorpheusPA
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Renovators: Sprout and Pout
'Tis the season. The seed is down, the stuff is sprouting and growing, and then it stops and stares you down for a while.
That's sprout and pout. It can last weeks. Annoying, intolerable weeks. You may not even leave sprout and pout before the end of the season, depending, although early renovators will probably notice it ending in early October.
Fear not. The grass that seems to be doing nothing is actually setting up root systems. It has enough greenery to do that, and it's happier working on the things that will let it survive the winter and regrow strongly next spring. Right now, top growth is secondary and unimportant to the grass--even if it's really important to you.
Don't use high nitrogen feeding to force the grass to grow--it won't work anyway. It's going to leave sprout and pout when it's durned well ready and not before. But feed as you should, that will help the roots develop.
This is yet another case where nature's goals are at odds to ours, but nature's actually make sense. Ours do not.
That's sprout and pout. It can last weeks. Annoying, intolerable weeks. You may not even leave sprout and pout before the end of the season, depending, although early renovators will probably notice it ending in early October.
Fear not. The grass that seems to be doing nothing is actually setting up root systems. It has enough greenery to do that, and it's happier working on the things that will let it survive the winter and regrow strongly next spring. Right now, top growth is secondary and unimportant to the grass--even if it's really important to you.
Don't use high nitrogen feeding to force the grass to grow--it won't work anyway. It's going to leave sprout and pout when it's durned well ready and not before. But feed as you should, that will help the roots develop.
This is yet another case where nature's goals are at odds to ours, but nature's actually make sense. Ours do not.
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
Would a light dose of starter fertilizer do more harm or good? Would milorgonite be better? Especially if it can be done without too much traffic on the seedlings?
- simpson
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
I hate this part of the renovation. You wake up to nothing, hurry home from work to nothing, and you check again before bed to find nothing has changed.
Well once you start mowing and the blades start to tiller out things will start to come along. Then the nights get cooler and the rains return just in time for a fall fertilizer. Then it starts to happen you will start to see what you are looking for.
WAGS milorganite is always a good feeding for new seedlings. If you did a full app of starter at seeding time I would wait 30 days before your next application. Then I like to switch to half apps every two weeks. That gives the lawn a nice even feeding.
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Well once you start mowing and the blades start to tiller out things will start to come along. Then the nights get cooler and the rains return just in time for a fall fertilizer. Then it starts to happen you will start to see what you are looking for.
WAGS milorganite is always a good feeding for new seedlings. If you did a full app of starter at seeding time I would wait 30 days before your next application. Then I like to switch to half apps every two weeks. That gives the lawn a nice even feeding.
[ Post made via Android ]
Last edited by simpson on August 22nd, 2011, 9:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- silver8ack
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
Is S&P more relevant to KBG than say TTTF or PR?
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- andy10917
- Posts: 29744
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
+1 Simpson. Don't try to solve a problem that ain't a problem. If you want to locate the problem, put your right hand on your right ear, and your left hand on your left ear. The "problem" is halfway between your hands.
- nothing0
- Posts: 1982
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
simpson wrote:You wake up to nothing, hurry home from work to nothing, and you check again before bed to find nothing
- simpson
- Posts: 4982
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
That Sum Bit^H is everywhere lol
-
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
ever come home when it was dark and shine a flashlight on the lawn to check for growth?? Yep, me last week.nothing0 wrote:simpson wrote:You wake up to nothing, hurry home from work to nothing, and you check again before bed to find nothing
- MorpheusPA
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
Yes, although TTTF and PR both Sprout and Pout as well. The cycle is a little faster, though.silver8ack wrote:Is S&P more relevant to KBG than say TTTF or PR?
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- MorpheusPA
- Posts: 18137
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
If your soil test shows low P, the starter will help. If not, it's not worth bothering.TheWags wrote:Would a light dose of starter fertilizer do more harm or good? Would milorgonite be better? Especially if it can be done without too much traffic on the seedlings?
Milorganite, soybean meal, corn, alfalfa, and so on are never a bad idea and I used a lot on my reno every two weeks. You can't overdo them easily, and they're not going to force the grass to do anything the grass is not ready to do yet.
Think of the grass kind of like a child. Right now, it's a baby. You have to feed it carefully, make sure it gets liquids, and so on. Fortunately, no diaper changes are required; your watering does that by washing out biological waste.
By October it'll be a toddler. It can do a few things for itself, but not reliably, and it requires your constant attention lest it play with matches or something.
November sees it to school age. It can handle some time away from you, but it has to be monitored constantly for issues.
Next May you'll be along to junior high school. It could theoretically go without you for some time, but it's still unwise.
July, high school. It's not ready to move out and do adult things just yet, but it thinks it is. It starts talking back to you and staying out all night...but I digress. Maintenance is still required, but mostly just watering to make sure it doesn't drought stress (a big no-no the first year).
By next September it's in college. It's mostly pretty responsible if you raised it right, but it does go to frat parties and do things it will never tell you about until it hits thirty at the earliest. This is normal, just keep an eye on it and intervene if anything untoward happens.
The year following it's an adult. Young adult, so it still calls home for money occasionally and ignores you otherwise, but an adult. You can let it stand on its own feet (roots) at that point, but definitely send the money--it's seriously not kidding.
The year after that, fully adult. It calls more often just to talk and doesn't bother with the money thing any longer.
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- Posts: 567
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
keeping with the child references...my father told me when i was a kid he couldn't wait until i grew up and owned my own furniture so he could come over and jump on it...about how long until its safe to walk on with a spreader.
- NJDave
- Posts: 747
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
You've just outlined my child care plan for my 3 kidsMorpheusPA wrote:If your soil test shows low P, the starter will help. If not, it's not worth bothering.TheWags wrote:Would a light dose of starter fertilizer do more harm or good? Would milorgonite be better? Especially if it can be done without too much traffic on the seedlings?
Milorganite, soybean meal, corn, alfalfa, and so on are never a bad idea and I used a lot on my reno every two weeks. You can't overdo them easily, and they're not going to force the grass to do anything the grass is not ready to do yet.
Think of the grass kind of like a child. Right now, it's a baby. You have to feed it carefully, make sure it gets liquids, and so on. Fortunately, no diaper changes are required; your watering does that by washing out biological waste.
By October it'll be a toddler. It can do a few things for itself, but not reliably, and it requires your constant attention lest it play with matches or something.
November sees it to school age. It can handle some time away from you, but it has to be monitored constantly for issues.
Next May you'll be along to junior high school. It could theoretically go without you for some time, but it's still unwise.
July, high school. It's not ready to move out and do adult things just yet, but it thinks it is. It starts talking back to you and staying out all night...but I digress. Maintenance is still required, but mostly just watering to make sure it doesn't drought stress (a big no-no the first year).
By next September it's in college. It's mostly pretty responsible if you raised it right, but it does go to frat parties and do things it will never tell you about until it hits thirty at the earliest. This is normal, just keep an eye on it and intervene if anything untoward happens.
The year following it's an adult. Young adult, so it still calls home for money occasionally and ignores you otherwise, but an adult. You can let it stand on its own feet (roots) at that point, but definitely send the money--it's seriously not kidding.
The year after that, fully adult. It calls more often just to talk and doesn't bother with the money thing any longer.
Beautifully done.
- CTShoreGuy
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
Bravo Morph
- xxryu139xx
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
my grass isn't pouting yet. every morning the greenish tint of the lawn becomes more apparent. you no longer have to squint or stoop down to a certain angle to see em. today i can actually notice it from my 2nd floor bedroom window.
- MorpheusPA
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
It. Will. You're still in increasing color. Eventually it'll stop, drop the monocot sprout leaves and grow three to five adult ones, and then just...sit there.
- xxryu139xx
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
ive noticed that with my pot. it appears that some of the leaves are turning white, almost like they are dying, except i think they are developing the boat shaped leaves. as far as growth they are stuck below the 2 inch mark and there are still some grass starting to poke thru the soil (Emblem?) and it has been almost 4 weeks now for this pot.
so i think with this pot as a representative to my mix, i think i will keep watering 3x/day for 28 days, just to make sure they all come out.
so i think with this pot as a representative to my mix, i think i will keep watering 3x/day for 28 days, just to make sure they all come out.
- MorpheusPA
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
That's wise. I was still getting sprout around day 40, but started so early that the hot weather was stalling my seed a bit. If your weather is like my weather today--absolutely perfect--that's not an issue for you.
- xxryu139xx
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
oh man anyone else feel that earthquake? u think my seeds will fall into the soil and die? aaaaahhh!
- MorpheusPA
- Posts: 18137
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
If anything that should get them to adjust into the soil better.
- southerncalpal
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Re: Renovators: Sprout and Pout
I don't know about TTTF, but my PR can be mowed in the 3rd week, and is IN full-growth mode by week 6. By 2 months, you wouldn't know it was new unless, well... you knew.MorpheusPA wrote:Yes, although TTTF and PR both Sprout and Pout as well. The cycle is a little faster, though.silver8ack wrote:Is S&P more relevant to KBG than say TTTF or PR?
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