Missed some creeping bentgrass!

Actually, this stuff is a bit off of our property, so not really mine to deal with, however it better not creep back over to our lawn (although I have plenty of Tenacity left)!

Patch of creeping bentgrass

I'll have my eye on it.

Fall fertilization #2

I put down some more fertilizer on the front lawn on Tuesday. It has not yet been watered in. I realized that I was watering some parts of the lawn way too much by watering 5 minutes 3 times a day (I have read that over-watering can actually be more damaging to a lawn than not watering!); one area was getting soft and muddy. So I've been cutting back quite a bit, especially now that the weather has been cooler. I put down about 5 lbs of Scott's (32-0-4), which comes out to 1 lb/1000 sq. ft.

Because I always forget how to calculate how much to apply, here's the formula I used:

x = r / (n / 100) * s / 1000
(or, simplified: x = r / n * s / 10)

Where:

• x = the amount of fertilizer to apply (in pounds); this is what the formula is calculating
• r = the desired Nitrogen fertilization rate (in lbs / 1000 sq. ft.)
• n = the portion of Nitrogen in the fertilizer (the first number in the sequence found on the bag, e.g. "32-0-4")
• s = the size of the lawn being fertilized (in sq. ft.)

So, for this application:

r = 1

n = 32

s = 1600

Enter those values in the formula:

x = 1 / 32 * 1600 / 10

x = 5 lbs.

And presto, it yields the number of pounds to apply. Now all you need is a scale.

(Note that this is for granular fertilizer. You can also use this calculator, and there are probably others out there as well).

(Another side-note for myself: when putting down this amount of fertilizer, even at the lowest rate on the spreader, I'm only able to make one pass over the lawn, so it has to be done carefully in order to be dispensed evenly)

I'm attempting to follow the advice given in the Purdue Turfgrass Science publication "Fertilizing Established Lawns (AY-22-W)" (download) this year, which says this (among lots of other great information about fertilizing):

When Should You Fertilize?

The cool-season grasses (such as bluegrasses, fescues, and ryegrasses) will benefit most when you apply the majority of N fertilizer from late summer through autumn (Figure 4). This promotes summer recovery, enhances shoot density, maximizes green color, and prepares the turf for winter, all without a growth surge.

Apply less N during the spring growth flush, and then apply little to none during summer except where you frequently water and/or regularly remove clippings during mowing.

When you apply N fertilizer during the spring, use slow-release fertilizers to minimize excess growth. To promote maximum density during late summer and early fall (late August through early November), you should apply up to 1 pound of N per 1,000 square feet each month. From early October until early December, apply primarily water-soluble N fertilizers at slightly lower rates (such as 0.5 to 0.75 pound per 1,000 square feet) about every three weeks.

So my next fertilization will be sometime around mid-October.

Germination!

It's always with such great joy that I anticipate and finally get to see those little tiny grasslings making their entrance into the world - it's truly amazing!

Looks like I put a bit too much seed here :)

Coming up amidst what's left of the creeping bentgrass.

I planted on 9/2 and I actually saw a few seeds that had germinated yesterday, so that is only 6 days!

It probably helps that I've been watering. My schedule has been 3 times a day for 5 minutes each time (at 7am, 11:30am, and 3pm). This has probably been a bit too much for some areas of the lawn, and I think I'll cut back on it soon, perhaps down to 3-4 minutes each time, and/or down to twice day, especially as the days get cooler.

This makes for my 5th grass seed planting project since 2010 (fall 2010, fall 2011, spring 2012, fall 2012) - a very small project compared to some of those. You might think I have some sort of addition... but really I just don't have a clue what I'm doing. It's fun trying to learn, though (most of the time).

What's up, Supina?

Ok, so I've been focused on the front lawn and haven't said much about the backyard in some time. That's because I don't have a clue what's going on back there, but it sure doesn't look good and it seems to only be getting worse. The following photos show the progression.

Here are some shots from 7/26:

A closer shot of a patch that appears to be dying

And some from 9/1:

It's not a pretty sight. I just wish I knew what was wrong.

This is what I do "know":

1. It doesn't appear to be a fertilization issue. Not long after the first set of shots from July I gave some fertilizer to two small areas of the lawn and it didn't seem to make any difference.
2. I've also been keeping it well irrigated, watering roughly every other day or so. That said, we haven't had much rain since late June.
3. The summer hasn't been particularly hot (unlike last summer). There was a hot stretch in mid-July (7/14 - 7/19) with highs in the low 90s, and also the end of August (8/19 - 8/31).
4. There are some areas that seem to be fairing better than others - why?
5. From what I can tell (which is next to nothing), it doesn't appear to be a disease.

My best theory at this point is that it's simply the heat since supina bluegrass doesn't like it hot. This theory will soon be tested as fall arrives, at which point I'm very much hoping it will spring back to life. At this point since I don't have a clue what to do about it, I'm just going to wait it out and see what happens.

I think it goes without saying that my "experiment" idea is off for this year, which is just as well since I'd barely have the time for such a project.

Lawn surgery

Hot off the heels of the last application of Tenacity, since most of the creeping bentgrass is now dead (or at least appears to be dead) I didn't want to waste any time since this is the ideal time (for central Indiana) to plant grass seed. But before I did, I wanted to make sure that it's ok to plant so soon after spraying. I found an FAQ page with these questions and answers:

On which grasses has Tenacity been tested for use at or prior to seeding?
Tenacity is safe for use at or prior to seeding on Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and centipedegrass. Application at seeding can be made to fine fescue only if it is less than 20% of a seed mixture.

What are some of the unique benefits of Tenacity herbicide?
Tenacity has pre- and post-emergence activity on 46 dicot and monocot weed species. It can selectively control perennial monocots such as bentgrass and nimblewill and annuals such as crabgrass and goosegrass in many turfgrass species. Tenacity can be applied at the seeding to prevent weed germination and allow the turfgrass species to establish without weed competition.

I remember reading that, but I had to double check because it just seemed so counter-intuitive seeing as it turns mature Kentucky bluegrass tip white, so you'd think that young grass would be even weaker and more susceptible. Apparently not, which is fine by me!

I went ahead with planting some seed on Monday (9/2).

For this project I ended up using up a bunch of remaining stuff I had on the garage from previous years: some Scott's starter fertilizer, a bit of GreenView Grass Seed Accelerator (left over from this project), and hesitantly/fearfully the seed I used for last years reseeding. The other stuff should be fine, but the seed had a sell by date of 4/13 and of course is over a year old. I did a search online regarding the use of expired seed and the (completely unofficial) general consensus I gathered is that most of the seed should be fine as long as it was stored properly (e.g. not exposed to moisture), but to expect germination rates to be be lower (more so the older it is). As I often tend to do, I decided to take the risk, but put down more seed than I normally would to hopefully compensate. If 25% of the seed germinates, I'll be happy. We shall see.

Also "reused" in this project was the dead carcasses of the dead creeping bentgrass in lieu of straw or some other mulch, because I 1) didn't have enough of the Greenview Grass Seed Accelerator left, 2) didn't have any other mulch, and 3) was lazy and didn't feel like going to the store and buying any (I firmly believe that laziness is a prime fuel for creativity). In most places the bentgrass was pretty thick, so it just makes sense to me to use it, plus it made the project easier and cheaper - win, win... maybe?

So I used my manual tiller to loosen up the soil underneath the dead bentgrass and the pulled it back to reveal the soil below as seen in the following photos:

After this, I generously dispensed some seed into the soil using a handheld spreader, and then added some starter fertilizer also using the handheld spreader. Then I mixed it all up a bit into the top layer of the soil, covered it back up with the dead bentgrass clumps, and finally matted it down a bit by walking on a board I laid over top of each area. After which, the finished product looked like this (not much different than before!):

In some areas where there was more soil exposed, I put down
some of the GreenView Grass Seed Accelerator

In addition to the bentgrass areas, I also seeded some other areas that seemed to have died this summer (apparently I didn't irrigate enough!).

North side of the driveway (after tilling)

By the road (after tilling).

By the road (after seeding).

Closer shot of the previous.

As usual, I now anxiously await germination - which I hope does in fact happen! In the meantime I'll be irrigating to keep the soil moist.

I just can't seem to go a year without reseeding - maybe next year!

I'll report back upon germination, or lack thereof.

3rd (final?) Tenacity application

On Friday (8/30) I applied a 3rd application of Tenacity, that is 12 days after the second application and 29 days after the first. I didn't mix any more this time and instead just used what I had left in the sprayer which was about a half gallon. I decided to do a third application because 1) in some spots I still saw some sparse green bentgrass leaves (although most was brown), and 2) I missed a small patch in the first application (got it in the second, so it needed another). Hopefully that's enough to do the trick! It has seemed to work very well. Here are some photos from Sunday (9/1):

Dead patches that were once creeping bentgrass

The creeping bentgrass is looking quite dead! And the Kentucky bluegrass seems to be just fine and other than turning white a bit has not died.

Tenacity after 2 weeks + second application

Here are some photos I took on Thursday (8/15) which is 2 weeks after the first application:

More browned grass in there this time along with the white, but also still some green.

I applied a second application on Sunday (8/18).

Tall fescue makes a comeback

Tall fescue sticks out like a sore thumb; I've noticed these clumps as the Kentucky bluegrass has gone dormant during the drier weather.

Either these are new plants (I doubt it), or they survived the Certainty treatment and have come back. Perhaps this is why the Certainty label was changed to remove use on cool season grasses?

I'll have to pull these by hand... and take care of those weeds :)