[Alisonpv]

I need to update from the last two weeks!

May 28th I mowed for the first time. With a reel mower. Really really gently.

Baaawwwww baby's first stripes! (this is the over seeded back of the back yard)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8fcuj1rlcwf8gip/Photo%20May%2028%2C%201%2035%2028%20PM.jpg

PS- I mow like I'm drunk 😂

I also could begin to see the color difference between Supina and "normal grass".

Supina vs Scott's color https://www.dropbox.com/s/ijo9ce5l1xm30yw/Photo%20May%2028%2C%201%2056%2039%20PM.jpg

Memorial Day weekend (5/29-5/31) we got INUNDATED with rain. 3.5 inches over 3 days. Insane.

Before the rain vs after. 5/27 - 6/1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rvred7wb7cupf0y/Photo%20Jun%2001%2C%207%2027%2058%20AM.jpg

The first week in June I noticed a HUGE slow down in the spread and growth. I fertilized on May 23... and then we got all the rain. Supina is hungry to begin with, and I have trees competing..... and I think the huge amount of rain pushed all the nitrogen out of the root zone. Supina has stubby little roots. ~2 inches or so.

5/22 - 5/27 - 6/4 comparison. Supina slowed WAY down.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2e7145avt4ae78i/Photo%20Jun%2004%2C%204%2040%2046%20PM.jpg

Also on June 4th, I noticed signs of disease. The lawn really did not appreciate 3.5 inches of rain in one go, followed by a 90+ degrees heat wave😂.

Disease. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8azzs8qdc6corhg/Photo%20Jun%2003%2C%203%2029%2048%20PM.jpg

So I hemmed and hawed on whether to apply more fert. Americans were saying no, definitely do not do. Excess N in summertime promotes disease. Germans were saying Supina has a huge N requirement. Do the fert. In the end I went with German recommendations and applied more.

6/5 - fertilizer, BioAdvanced fungus control (at curative rate), and liquid Hume went down.

I got a harbor freight 4 gallon pump backpack. Do. Not. Recommend. 😂. It was so annoying and frustrating. But I got the Hume down.

ONE day later on 6/6.... fertilizer was the right move. DANG.

6/4 - 6/6 comparison. fertilizer on 6/5. https://www.dropbox.com/s/lm93spu1joa3jak/Photo%20Jun%2006%2C%2010%2026%2014%20AM.jpg

Also on 6/5 I started reducing the height of cut. Mowed at 2 inches. And started mowing daily. I also removed the Kid Highway, and set the kids loose on the supina.

Mission: "abuse supina so it grows" has begun

6/6. lower cut. https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgk02mhp4qa5hs8/Photo%20Jun%2006%2C%208%2035%2002%20AM.jpg

6/4 - 6/8 comparison. Go go go!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuoqvmg2pk7l2l0/Photo%20Jun%2008%2C%207%2050%2042%20PM.jpg

On 6/10 my (6 year old) son expressed interest in lawn mowing... sure! I set him loose with the reel mower on the back half of the yard (the overseeded part).

Aside from him mowing more crooked then I do... (like a human roomba 😂&#128514. He did a good job!

Child Labor
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2n18cgo07x103vm/Photo%20Jun%2010%2C%205%2023%2016%20PM.jpg

Child Labor Video - it'll all get mowed..... eventually. LOL
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nxw9puq3ts83v8m/Video%20Jun%2010%2C%205%2024%2049%20PM.mov

6/13 - at the German recommendation; I reduced the height of cut again(on the left hand side primarily supina area). To 1 inch. Last week was 90+ degrees. This week the highest high is 82. I figured it was a good week to test this. I mow this area daily, so if it gets pissed off, I'll just skip mowing a couple of days and let it grow out.

1 inch!!!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vw08y0zm1ei2d5n/Photo%20Jun%2013%2C%209%2045%2017%20AM.jpg

6/6 (2 inch cut) - 6/13 (1 inch cut) close up comparison.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zn0iiulzmfguotn/Photo%20Jun%2013%2C%2010%2059%2059%20AM.jpg

Here are some videos of the left hand, mostly supina area. After the 1 inch cut. SO thick!!!!!

I am beyond amazed at this grass (video)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/km73rbgybbztqn7/Video%20Jun%2013%2C%209%2039%2056%20AM.mov

You can see some fescue. But it's a LOTTA supina. Thick!

Thick grass close up video https://www.dropbox.com/s/g2hvg9rokg342z7/Video%20Jun%2013%2C%209%2037%2043%20AM.mov

 

[Lawndress]

My yard got hideous dead spots when I let the boys mow and they would let the wheels of the tractor spin on damp grass!

 

[Mark B]

Great progress Alison! Love the 6/4 - 6/8 comparison. My supina has always looked its best in June.

So I hemmed and hawed on whether to apply more fert. Americans were saying no, definitely do not do. Excess N in summertime promotes disease. Germans were saying Supina has a huge N requirement. Do the fert. In the end I went with German recommendations and applied more.

Just my 2 UK cents but I think both are correct. Excess N in summer heat is baaaad. But you do want enough N and moisture kicking around to try to maintain a healthy growth, spoon feeding (low rates) based on your needs is probably best. When you hear that something has huge N requirements, which supina does, definitely don't drop a big chunk of the season requirements in summer! How much fert did you drop?

Also great that you did the soil test, what's your plans for getting any lime down? If you post the results on the soil fertility thread, you are sure to get some very useful feedback.

 

[Alisonpv]

Great progress Alison! Love the 6/4 - 6/8 comparison. My supina has always looked its best in June.

So I hemmed and hawed on whether to apply more fert. Americans were saying no, definitely do not do. Excess N in summertime promotes disease. Germans were saying Supina has a huge N requirement. Do the fert. In the end I went with German recommendations and applied more.

Just my 2 UK cents but I think both are correct. Excess N in summer heat is baaaad. But you do want enough N and moisture kicking around to try to maintain a healthy growth, spoon feeding (low rates) based on your needs is probably best. When you hear that something has huge N requirements, which supina does, definitely don't drop a big chunk of the season requirements in summer! How much fert did you drop?

Also great that you did the soil test, what's your plans for getting any lime down? If you post the results on the soil fertility thread, you are sure to get some very useful feedback.

I got some lime down REALLY early season, and I'm probably due for more.

I put .75#/1k down on 6/5 and 6/17 (with dimension this app, I'm finally 2 months from seeding and I by some miracle beat the race against crab grass!). I'm also competing with a bunch of trees 😬. However probably laying off until late July at this point, summer is short in Massachusetts, but it's basically the entire month of July 😂. And I do have irrigation.

I thus far have NOT put hydretain down, I have some but haven't needed it yet. I may put it down on the areas of the lawn that get "more" sun and possibly not on the shadiest areas.

 

[Green]

If the 0.75 N had a good amount of polymer coated N in it, no worries. It's the initial fast release portion you'd want to mostly take into account and keep as low as possible. 0.5 lb or less should be ok (e.g. if the fert had 1/3 of its total N from polymer coated N). Usually, Dimension with Nitrogen does have some polymer coated urea in it. (Sulfur coated urea without polymer tends to dump everything in the first month or so as the prills get crushed and wet, so that wouldn't help much.)

Anyway, June is a fine time to fertilize generally in our climate as long as it's not dry. N uptake is very efficient due to warm soils. But it's going to be July in another week and a half and the soils will bake. I personally don't fertilize with N in July. But I would definitely pick back up in mid to late August with another 0.5 lb or so.

If you want to fertilize with N in July, I'd keep it low (0.25 lb or less per app and give it a good two weeks to judge the response for synthetic) but maybe use organic. If the grass doesn't look like it needs it, I wouldn't do it in July. I feel like July N is something that should only be done if needed.

I haven't sprayed Hydretain yet, either. But I feel like it's a bit late and I'm antsy for the right conditions (rain) so I can do it. I use it on a mostly nonirrigated area.

 

[Chuuurles]

the people demand an update!

 

[mmanville]

Another gentle request for an update

 

[ChaseC123]

I am planning on putting down some Poa Supina in a very similar looking shady backyard. This has gotten me feeling pretty good about it. Any updates?

 

[Chilly302]

Any updates?

 

[dksmc]

I'll be doing some Poa Supina seeding this season in my yard. But it would be nice to see how it's gone here!

 

[Chilly302]

Curious why people pick Poa Supina over Poa Triv?
I wanted to try some Supina but I still can’t find any within Canada to sell.
Can Supina be cut super low like Trivialis?

 

[dksmc]

Curious why people pick Poa Supina over Poa Triv?
I wanted to try some Supina but I still can’t find any within Canada to sell.
Can Supina be cut super low like Trivialis?

Not to spam, I but I sell Poa Supina on my site now. The lawnmedic.ca and yes it can be cut low. You can pm me as well.

 

[Chinzw]

Not to spam, I but I sell Poa Supina on my site now. The lawnmedic.ca and yes it can be cut low. You can pm me as well.

You're selling 2LB bags for 300$ ripping people off is not a very good business practice.