Pulled soil sample cores that I plan to send out to the Waypoint Illinois location next week when I return home from Minnesota.
Applied K4L Extreme Blend @ .5 oz. dry weight/1000ft² today w/ Air-8 @ 9oz./1000ft²
Applied Prodiamine with backpack sprayer today @ .3oz/1000ft²
Watered these in with .5"/1000ft²

Picked up 50 lbs of each of these today from the local co-op/elevator: Urea for fall, AS for spring, & MOP for spring & fall. Tried my best to find SOP, must have called over 20 places and no one had any, still on the hunt for next year, but MOP will have to suffice for this year.

 

Waypoint IL is more expensive than the others. Send it to Iowa or Memphis instead.

 

Done deal @g-man. Thanks! I was curious about that as I think I saw IL was like $26.50 vs Iowa at $21 or something. I'm planning on doing the S3M and adding Soluble Salts and Texture, do you think that will be sufficient?

 

More than enough.

 

For Iowa the S3M test is $16.50 plus tax.

 

Gave the lawn it's second mow of the year @ 2". Got a little scalp from the rotary in the strip near the road this time mowing North/South.

I just flew back in to MI last night from MN and was surprised at how much growth there was since I last mowed on Friday. I was seeing 3" in most places and maybe a little over that near the sidewalks and driveway. We are supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow and a chance on Sunday. I travel again all next week so I figured if I didn't mow tonight I wouldn't have a chance until next Friday.





I need to talk to my neighbors and see if they mind if I mulch & plant something near the utility boxes on both sides of my driveway as I hate the look of these.

I've ordered 22 Hunter Pro Sprays with the regulated pressure and check valve bodies with the MP Rotators(scheduled to deliver this Friday) to replace my Toro 570 pop ups I currently have. Not sure when I will get around to replacing all these due to the weather, but I'm excited to do this ASAP and do a catch test to update my rachio settings so I'm ready for the summer when I need them.

 

Nice stripes. We had a spring flush grow in the last week in Indy. It is going to get stunned with some colder weather. I think you will like the MPs.

 

Thanks @g-man! Those fixed sprays put out way too much water way too fast even with cycle soaks of the rachio. I think I'm going to like the MPs even more than I can imagine right now.

 

I still use the cycle soak. If you set the slope to high in the rachio, it cycle soaks more. I have a high clay soil, so the cycle soaks helps.

 

Thanks for the tip, I may have to play with the slope a little more...currently I have it set as moderate.

 

Finally got around to sending out my soil sample to the Waypoint Iowa location today, they should have it by Monday. Hoping they'll have a chance to get to it by next Friday.

Had a thunderstorm last night that dumped over an inch of water in a couple hours so the lawn was extra soggy today.

Also received my Hunter Pro Sprays with the MP Rotators. Didn't think I'd have time to rip out the old Toro's and put these in for awhile, but I found myself making time late this afternoon. Honestly I thought this would be a whole day project but I was able to get it done today. Started shortly after 4 with replacing the 22 sprinklers and was done and dialing them in by 630. I plan on running an audit on these zones when it warms up and is not so windy.

The rachio flow meter is reporting bout 1/3 of the gpm I used to see, hoping this will help in these areas with the slower precipitation rates.

 

Got back from another work trip today. The lawn needs to be mowed, not sure when I will get a chance with the current weather forecast as of today. It's been raining all week and doesn't look like much of a break in the future.

Also got my soil test results back from Waypoint today:


I picked up AS with a good feeling my pH was going to be high and I could use some Sulfur. Was unable to source SOP locally and didn't feel like paying shipping costs to get it so I will be using MOP in light doses throughout the year and continuing my search for SOP for the future. I already sprayed FAS for my Iron last year so I will continue that again this year due to slightly high pH. Not too worried about micros but I do have some microgreene I will be using this summer as well.

Please feel free to comment on this soil test and my plans as I do not have a great understanding of how all these nutrients play together yet, I need to do more reading on this subject.

 

Your analysis is good. Advance turf solutions should also have SOP in Grand ledge, MI. I get it from them in Indy. Call before taking the trip, part number EC1999.

 

Thanks @g-man , I'm going to call tomorrow. That's a decent drive for me but if they have it I'll find an excuse to make the trip!

 

Google map search for seed feed stores or a coop near you. We live near farming communities and can find this stuff.

This came from a google map search. http://www.debruynseed.com/

 

@g-man I checked with DeBruyn and Advanced Turf Solutions on Friday and neither had it, however ATS said they'd order it for me. Thanks again for the help!

 

Today I mowed the front yard and the sides. Back was still pretty soggy from all the rain last week so I hope I can get out there tomorrow, if not, Monday night t-storms are in the forecast and I think I can beat them.

Got out the trimmer and edger for the first time this year today as well and blew everything off when done.

Pics for myself to look back on in the future:
Before mowing front:

Before mowing back:

Front after mow:


Up close and personal with the lawn:


Later in the evening I pulled up all the edging bricks and cut in a natural edge. I think this is going to take some more work to look the way I want it to as the mulch bed is built up fairly high and I need it to decompose more to look right.

 

Mowed backyard today and gave my manual fiskars reel a backlap and hit the front with it. I got the bug and want a powered reel....reel bad. Just worried my yard isn't flat enough for it!

 

It is flat enough. It looks more flat than mine.

 

@g-man Hard to see in the photos where everything is, but if you can't tell and I know you mow with a reel it sounds like life could get pricey! I like it. Thinking about going with the Electra, just don't know if I have the time/knowledge/skills to buy a greens mower such as a JD or Toro.

 

Blanket sprayed Tenacity w/ NIS @ .5 tsp/gal/M to light up some unwanted grasses so I can target them with follow up spot spray apps at a higher rate in the upcoming weeks. I'm not 100% certain as to what these grasses are but I know Tenacity will light them up from prior experience, but I never tried follow up apps in the past.

 

Took a 2 hour round trip drive to pick up SOP from Advanced Turf Solutions in Grand Ledge, MI this morning. Found out they will be moving to the Detroit area within the year so I stocked up as I can't seem to source it locally. Big thanks to @g-man for the help finding this!

Mowed, edged, trimmed, blow today. Fine fescue in the lawn is really showing right now in certain areas and the color differences are annoying. Really wishing work wasn't getting in the way of the Reno I wanted to do to convert to 100% KBG.
Front after today's mow:



Back after mow:

Girlfriend's Tulips are starting to open up along with a couple other bulbs she planted last fall that I'm not sure what they are.


Winter damage on the side yard is filling in slowly but surely:
3/21

4/26


Still haven't applied any fert to the lawn this year as it's still growing fast right now. Hoping to put down some AS and SOP next weekend maybe if the weather allows. Forecast for rain nearly every day the next week. Also, going to start PGR soon so it doesn't get out of control while I'm traveling for work.

 

Mowed again today, more of a charity mow than anything, was taking off .5" in most areas.

Maybe too early for this but I sprayed PGR @ .5oz./M with FAS, rain in forecast for tomorrow so I won't run irrigation in the AM. Going to be busy with work for the next few weeks so I didn't want it getting away from me between work and the weather. Hoping I have time next weekend to put down some AS and SOP for the first time this season outside of spraying.

 

Today I spent nearly the entire afternoon enjoying the yard and got a lot done.

• Mowed, Edged, Trimmed, Blow

• SOP@2lbs/1000

• AS @ 2lbs/1000, plan on doing maybe 2.5lbs/1000 in two weeks

• GrubEx

• Mixed & sprayed Extreme Blend w/ Air8 @9oz./1000

• Spot sprayed a few small patches of what I believe to be poa annua and one other weird lime green low growing grass(leaf kind of looks like KBG, but no way it is) that tenacity has turned white previously but I never did follow up apps like I plan on doing this time around

 

5/11 Mowed @ 2" still. Planning to keep it here until seed stalks are no longer showing their ugly heads. Might go up to 2.5" for summer, but I honestly prefer the look of it mowed lower.

5/15 Today I'm running the 3 zones I switched the Toro pop ups for MP Rotators for 30 minutes and gathering data to plug into the rachio for precipitation rate I'm seeing which isn't lining up with Hunters specs and I anticipated this. I'm seeing about .55"-.6" per hour. Anyone else close to these numbers by chance?