bombri wrote:Weed ID's - I'd love it someone could help me ID these two weeds. The first one has a much tougher root but I have a fair amount in yard. Definitely not so much that I couldn't pull. The second one seems to be just by the driveway, and street and has a very weak root system.

I think I've determined that its Yellow Wood-sorrel (sp?) I have it in the same spots along the edge, and you can see almost everywhere you drive around TC in the same location. In my own RU, it took 2 applications to get some of the mature stuff to finally die.

I also had some of that earlier this spring and it was a gone after an application of WBG. But by the time the reno came along I had it again and the RU got it. I'm guessing I will have some next spring again but by then I'll be able to apply some WBG and it should clear it up, unless it would be stopped in the in pre m I'm going to apply late fall.

Just got back from another mini-vacation to Colorado and things are looking good at the end of week 3. I'll try and post some pictures later tonight or tomorrow but I had a question first. I know once the grass gets to 3" tall I'm supposed to mow it down to 2" to get it to thicken etc... I have a few patches where it's 3" tall in some of the thicker areas, does that mean I should begin to mow?

I've been waiting for your pictures!!! I'm worried about how mine is coming in so I was hoping to compare to what you are seeing so I'm excited to see you pictures.

I say mow (gently), but not until you post pics.

Alright, here are some pics 22 days after seeding. Again, I'm pleasantly surprised at how things are filling in, especially where there is more sun. Some areas are not thick, or barely have any grass at all but those tend to be areas that are either too wet or have a lot of shade. What is the best ways to approach areas that are too wet or getting too much shade? Is too damp (but not puddling) going to prevent seeds from germinating? As always, let me know what you guys think. The weeds are actually not as bad as they were last week, with the exception that the ones that I didn't pick are more full grown. A lot of the weed looking debris is actually leaves that ave fallen from the trees.

POTS - getting pretty thick except for the one that I spilled... Most are just short of 3" tall when I measured, actually a touch shorter than many spots in the real lawn. I'm guessing that this is because where I have the pots doesn't get quite as much sunlight as some parts of the lawn (about an hour less per day).




Sides - The side by the fence isn't looking great, still pretty sparse on the density. Not as thick because of slope and more shade than the middle of the lawn. This is the worst patch of the reno so far. Side next to the driveway is actually looking better than the pics.





Main Lawn - Decent top growth and density in my opinion considering I only seeded 3 weeks ago, especially the part that gets the most sun by the tree and street. Much of this part of the lawn is over 3" now in the dense parts. Let me know what you think about running the mower gently over some of the more dense areas.

This first picture shows the worst part of the lawn right by the landscaping and house. It's really wet in this area and I'm thinking that I should maybe move the sprinkler so that it's not so wet. It also gets a lot of shade.





Close ups of some of the more dense patches which I am very pleased with. I wish it all looked like this... Also have a shot or two showing the growth right around or even slightly above 3" in the dense parts.

Thats almost 3-1/2" by my reading. I know in High School they said you should read the bottom of the meniscus, but I think grass is an exception. I'd dry her out for a day and mow.

This first picture shows the worst part of the lawn right by the landscaping and house. It's really wet in this area and I'm thinking that I should maybe move the sprinkler so that it's not so wet.

Agreed, or back off of a scheduled watering in that area, since the area has been saturated. I found that eliminating the morning watering in my problem area like yours, fix it.

Maybe - in a another week, it will be 1 month then, consider adding a little seed, very lightly, in these areas.
Since the area is already soaked, maintain watering schedule for the seed that was sown earlier.

The rest of the lawn - you're going to be JUST FINE! Your first mow is just around the corner. Mowing it to 2" will promote tillering. Then comes fertilizer and it will spring to another level (as long as the weather holds) for you!

And PS, to answer the mowing question - if you're itching - HELL YEAH!, go ahead! Some of it needs it already!

I knew Gary had some nuts.

Get a grass shears and start cutting those pots too. If you fertilize them with some TB2 or equivalent and keep them bottom watered you'll be cutting every 2-3 days and they'll be ready for planting in about 2 weeks, 3 will be ideal. Drop them into any bare areas and by next May they'll be twice as wide.

TB2 or equivalent? I believe I have some Vigoro Super Green 35-0-5 sitting in my garage. Would that work if applied lightly?

bombri wrote:TB2 or equivalent? I believe I have some Vigoro Super Green 35-0-5 sitting in my garage. Would that work if applied lightly?

Yes. Probably have enough phosphorous in those pots if you used starter.

Yeah, start mowing regularly. Very, very important.

Looking great Bri! I'm hoping mine can keep up since I'm just under a week behind yours.

I mowed about 1/2 the lawn last night down to 2". I mowed the thicker and drier portions on the small side of the driveway and in the middle by the tree. I'm going to take recommendations from above and slow my watering down so some of those areas where there is not much growth can dry out a bit. We'll see how that goes.

Just looked at the mowing height guide for my mower and realized that it has 1.75" and 2.25". Mowing new grass should I go lower so that I get a higher percentage of the new grass blades or higher so as not to harm the grass' growth?

Also, I still have some spots that are pretty bare after 4 weeks. Should I consider dropping some seed down? I will post some photos later to show you what I'm talking about. I've already got some spots picked out for where I'll put my pots in a few weeks.

I'd mow at the lower height as long as you're not breaking the 1/3 rule.

Alright so here are some update pics after 28 days. I should also note, I ran the mower over just about the whole thing at 1.75" just prior to taking the pics.

The positive -
The thicker parts of the lawn continue to thicken, grow quickly, and actually are already looking better than some of the neighbors lawns. Pots look great as well.

The negative -
There are still pretty thin patches, in fact patches where there is no grass at all. They are mostly places where there is not enough sunlight late in the year. I'll point those out in the pictures.

Pots - Getting pretty thick for the most part even though they aren't getting a ton of sun during the days.




Sides - Looking OK on the bad side of the house by the fence. Still pretty bare however, and wondering if I should add some more seed or just continue to let it fill in and fertilize. The other side is starting to look pretty good. From a distance (as I turn the corner down the street) it's already starting to look better than the neighbor's lawns.




Middle of the yard - Thin part. Let me know if I should add seed, a pot or just let it be for awhile.




Middle - Nice looking part

I'd wouldn't bother with more seed; its getting pretty late and I'd imagine your temps are dropping pretty quickly like ours are east of you. Seed you put down now might not come up for 30 days at best. I'd take care of what you have, put the pots in the middle of the most depleted areas in 2-3 weeks and then consider doing some plugs in March/April. The perfect time for plugs is just after the lawn greens up but before you get top growth. Even without a pot/plug that lawn is going to fill in nicely next year.

+1 JG. At Day 28 mine looked about the same. By the end of October, it had filled in considerably. That was about it for the year, so I dormant-seeded one or two really bad looking areas.

Post first cut, you'll notice tillering starting. Keep it fed and watered on a good schedule and it'll go to town.