After reading the "just got permission" thread and really appreciating the huge amount of nitrogen elite KBG can take compared to others.. Could you use high N doses to selectively weed out everything but desirable elite KBG? Not only could the KGB thrive/spread/dominate but the others would burn out and die?

Kbg can take alot of nitrogen but when its this cool out fescue can as well. I don't think its going to burn out. After years kbg might take over because of spreading but that's long term. I think you have good thinking but I don't think it will work like that.

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On a side note - huge amounts of N is very expensive. So very expensive that a shopping trip and a pair of shoes didn't cut it...had to agree to book a cruise for late winter to satisfy the Mrs .

AMAC wrote:After reading the "just got permission" thread and really appreciating the huge amount of nitrogen elite KBG can take compared to others.. Could you use high N doses to selectively weed out everything but desirable elite KBG? Not only could the KGB thrive/spread/dominate but the others would burn out and die?

Amac, If you truly want an elite KGB lawn, you really need to renovate. As scary as this sounds. It really isn't. Read my reno thread. I started out with a weed infested mut lawn. Look at the last post i made. I have pictures of what i started with and what it looks like today. I am so glad I renovated instead of over seeding as I had planned too. That first morning you look out and see a dead, yellow lawn your stomach will churn, mine did. But don't worry. Your hard work will payoff in the end.

I would start planning now for a fall reno. Get a soil test and spend the spring and summer bringing your soil up to snuff. Research the cultivars you are interested in. Read, and if you can't find your answer, ask. The good people here helped me a lot. Good luck.

Well, thanks for the advice, I am 100% renovating my back yard and likely doing the front. It was more of a curiosity question. One point not mentioned is the surrounding plants in beds and trees which are sharing the lawn's soil. I have a dogwood tree in the front that I doubt would like 20lb N. It just seems that if you push high N the good stuff thrives and the bad stuff dies.

A bit off topic, My dogwood never looked as good as it did this past year w/ Milorganite and soy in the soil.

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as with a warm season grass like Bermuda - where you can pour Nitrogen to it all summer long and just mow at 1/2" tall every other day.... In that case - you just watch the weeds and other grasses either turn brown and die - or get assimilated by Bermuda that grows 1 foot a day!

As a few here have mentioned - you can slowly turn the balance with culture.. but you gotta be careful of the timing with the seasons.. Drop too much N at the wrong time of year and you blow out the whole lawn with fungus outbreaks.... Mow way too short all summer long and you end up with a dead lawn instead of a dormant lawn....

Unfortunately - it's just slowly turning the balance.. Fertilizing more and mowing shorter will swing the balance more towards the elite KBG... but it won't actually rid you of the other stuff totally... If you want a renovation - you gotta renovate....

If you can't swing a full yard renovation - do a small section next fall.... That will give you a chance to see how Renovations go in real life... Unfortunately, they aren't always the Wine and Roses and slam dunks you hear about on the Internet....

Thanks