+1 for starting a topic like this. This would consolidate all the experiences/tips that we have for 2020 lawn reno. I've been jumping around lawn journals.

To get things started, here are some of my key experiences during my reno.

1. The area that had quickest germination is the sun and shade area. Followed by the sunny area and the last one to germinate is the full shade and wet areas.

2. I got some weed pressure from the straw. This is a known fact but I just want to reiterate. But it really helped a lot on my slopes.

3. I had some areas with thick peat moss cover where germination is not very visible. Started to see baby grass on the 2nd week. But over all, they look like bare spots during the early germination. An evenly spread out peat moss will prevent this.

4. Bluebank germinates faster than Mazama. But mazama catches up in the 2nd week. Can't tell the difference now.

 

I'll just say for those in the Northeast that put seed down in the last 2 weeks dealt with a good amount of washout due to heavy T-storms.

I and @bf7 reseeded yesterday a bit - fingers crossed.

My KBG reno has 2 absolutely stunning areas...and a few that make me wonder what the heck happened!

 

Apparently my cultivars are fairly slow germers. Granted they are a little older than what most people on here are using nowadays. I think I had to dig up 2005 NTEP reports to see ratings.

I am seeing green hues in so many places today that absolutely were not there yesterday. Makes me wonder if I should have dropped the additional 1.5 lbs / 1k yesterday.

I am at day 14. It's looking like days 14-21 will be big for me. Well...could argue I am on day 11 since nothing happened during the 3 days that Laura wreaked her havoc. Actually took major steps backwards.

 

^ is starting to look like it's coming together.

I think the two of us win the most paranoid/impatient 100% KBG Renos of the year awards...

 

Hey folks. This is a great idea, one thing I actually did today was add 3 check valves to some irrigation heads. I thought they would be fine but these heads are all near each other and the area stays soaked. Coincidentally I have low germination in these areas.
I put a little seed down and hopefully these areas can catch up to the others.


The dark area is one of these overly saturated areas.

 

^ is starting to look like it's coming together.

I think the two of us win the most paranoid/impatient 100% KBG Renos of the year awards...

Hahaha, you are 1st and I am a close 2nd only separated by the mere fact that I haven't brought up sissy grass yet.

 

Hey folks. This is a great idea, one thing I actually did today was add 3 check valves to some irrigation heads. I thought they would be fine but these heads are all near each other and the area stays soaked. Coincidentally I have low germination in these areas.
I put a little seed down and hopefully these areas can catch up to the others.


The dark area is one of these overly saturated areas.

Can I pick your brain about what exactly you installed. I'm having terrible wetness in a few areas that I'm chalking up to overwatering...I'm changing out some nozzles again today (on my 360s) but interested in adding check valves.

How many days post seeding are you? Bet you that looks solid at night.

 

^ is starting to look like it's coming together.

I think the two of us win the most paranoid/impatient 100% KBG Renos of the year awards...

Hahaha, you are 1st and I am a close 2nd only separated by the mere fact that I haven't brought up sissy grass yet.

Haha - at this point I don't disagree with how you positioned us. We also dealt with the same level of crazy storms which is adding to our agitation.

Today:
Adding penn mulch to the major bare areas I reseeded.
Changing 2 - 360 sprinkler head nozzles to 2.5GPMs instead of 4GPM (putting out way too much in the middle of the yard - aka my problem area). Should have done this sooner to be honest.
Drop a minimal amount of starter fert to all other growing areas - targeting .20Lbs N per K

 

This evening I think I'm just going to broadcast what starter fert I have left (should equate to roughly 0.3 lbs N / 1k). I don't really want to put down the N yet, but I feel my soil could benefit from more P.

Oh yeah, and spread the rest of that stupid peat.

 

Hey folks. This is a great idea, one thing I actually did today was add 3 check valves to some irrigation heads. I thought they would be fine but these heads are all near each other and the area stays soaked. Coincidentally I have low germination in these areas.
I put a little seed down and hopefully these areas can catch up to the others.


The dark area is one of these overly saturated areas.

Can I pick your brain about what exactly you installed. I'm having terrible wetness in a few areas that I'm chalking up to overwatering...I'm changing out some nozzles again today (on my 360s) but interested in adding check valves.

How many days post seeding are you? Bet you that looks solid at night.

When your zone stops running does all the water drain out from the head? I have a slope so all the water from the line drains out at the lowest point. Not anymore though.

 

Hey folks. This is a great idea, one thing I actually did today was add 3 check valves to some irrigation heads. I thought they would be fine but these heads are all near each other and the area stays soaked. Coincidentally I have low germination in these areas.
I put a little seed down and hopefully these areas can catch up to the others.


The dark area is one of these overly saturated areas.

Can I pick your brain about what exactly you installed. I'm having terrible wetness in a few areas that I'm chalking up to overwatering...I'm changing out some nozzles again today (on my 360s) but interested in adding check valves.

How many days post seeding are you? Bet you that looks solid at night.

When your zone stops running does all the water drain out from the head? I have a slope so all the water from the line drains out at the lowest point. Not anymore though.

Yes, I have that in two areas in particular - both cases it's the lowest head in that zone.

Did you completely swap out heads there?

 

What brand do you have?

 

What brand do you have?

Rainbird 5000s

 

What brand do you have?

Rainbird 5000s

I have the same problem in some of my sprinkler heads. Did you actually have to replace the head? How do you install the check valve?

 

I will be spoon feeding in about a week or so. I have a question about spoon feeding. Can I use my leftover scott's starter fert for nitrogen spoon feeding? It's a 24-25-4. I'm sure the extra phosphorous can help right or just use AMS?

Follow up question, I have the brand Hi-Yield for my AMS. Unlike the AC brand, the hi-yield is not a powdery stuff it's actually granules. Probably why I had the problem dissolving them in water during the time I'm spraying it with glyphosate. Any one had an experience on granular AMS? Can I spread it using a handheld spreader or better get the AC and dissolve it in water to spray?

 

I will be spoon feeding in about a week or so. I have a question about spoon feeding. Can I use my leftover scott's starter fert for nitrogen spoon feeding? It's a 24-25-4. I'm sure the extra phosphorous can help right or just use AMS?

No experience with AMS yet (other than eyeballing scoops of it for the GLY apps).

On the first note, of course you can just be careful to stick around 0.20 - 0.25 Lbs N for the first few apps.

You can use any fertilizer you want just use this calculator to narrow down the amount you need:
http://agebb.missouri.edu/fertcalc/

My HD had vigoro hand spreaders for like $4 on sale - grab one. It helped a ton. I just fed the growing areas just now.

 

What brand do you have?

Rainbird 5000s

I have the same problem in some of my sprinkler heads. Did you actually have to replace the head? How do you install the check valve?

I have Hunter PGP rotors, for my brand you just replace the filter basket for one that has a rubber gasket on it. I just unscrew the unit from the canister and swap out the filter. I'm sure rainbird has something similar.
Some units come with it and some don't but you can usually add it.

 

What brand do you have?

Rainbird 5000s

This looks like what you need. https://www.bigfrogsupply.com/products/scrnasynst-rainbird?variant=28277662019&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34qdcQVhlRh-g6UWO-kb-_SOI4ROnidNPLyHSZDM1YBgjxAk2-G379MaAptdEALw_wcB

 

Getting off topic here, but I thought I'd share something that has been very therapeutic to me.

Don't look at the weather forecast unless you have to...

My stress levels have gone down tremendously since I stopped checking. I mean if you see a t-storm coming at you, nothing you can do in the moment to prevent damage anyway.

Understand some people need to look to adjust their irrigation when they aren't home, etc. But right now I have the luxury of working from home full time due to COVID. Really no need for me to check weather at all. Just react accordingly to the actual weather in real time.

 

Getting off topic here, but I thought I'd share something that has been very therapeutic to me.

Don't look at the weather forecast unless you have to...

My stress levels have gone down tremendously since I stopped checking. I mean if you see a t-storm coming at you, nothing you can do in the moment to prevent damage anyway.

Understand some people need to look to adjust their irrigation when they aren't home, etc. But right now I have the luxury of working from home full time due to COVID. Really no need for me to check weather at all. Just react accordingly to the actual weather in real time.

That's a good tip. This is my second reno and basically I've learned to chill out. I'm on the ball and ready to pounce into action for anything needed. But along the way I am remaining calm and realize that in the end it will be beautiful. No matter what by the time we are all done the neighbors will be jelly (and remain thinking that we are insane)!

 

@Zcape35 exactly, couldn't have said it better myself.

I wish there was some way to have an elite lawn without looking like a psycho, but alas, it's the path we've chosen, and a trade-off we need to accept.

 

I will be spoon feeding in about a week or so. I have a question about spoon feeding. Can I use my leftover scott's starter fert for nitrogen spoon feeding? It's a 24-25-4. I'm sure the extra phosphorous can help right or just use AMS?

No experience with AMS yet (other than eyeballing scoops of it for the GLY apps).

On the first note, of course you can just be careful to stick around 0.20 - 0.25 Lbs N for the first few apps.

You can use any fertilizer you want just use this calculator to narrow down the amount you need:
http://agebb.missouri.edu/fertcalc/

My HD had vigoro hand spreaders for like $4 on sale - grab one. It helped a ton. I just fed the growing areas just now.

Thanks for the link, that will be useful. That hand spreader is so cheap! Too bad I got the scotts manual hand spreader for 20 bucks just this morning.

 

So since I've been walking on my lawn lately noticed one area that is basically flooded...got me looking at the sprinkler nearby.

Took it off and found this...can't be normal right? For it just to be flooded like that once I pop the head out? Geez.

 

That can be normal, you just need to make sure while it's running that water is not bubbling up from the bottom of the head. If that's the case it might be cracked.
The heads stay full of water mostly when they are at the lowest point on the zone.

 

That can be normal, you just need to make sure while it's running that water is not bubbling up from the bottom of the head. If that's the case it might be cracked.
The heads stay full of water mostly when they are at the lowest point on the zone.

That is understandable and makes very good sense.

I went ahead and got 5000+ with a check valve on it...however when I went to go back and screw them in, they just keep on turning and the female PVC connection got pushed down.

I raised the heads after adding topsoil. Dug around the heads and put some soil under each head to raise them...the install was done on funny pipe making this fairly easy...wondering if I fudged something up with the connections...