I think you can officially rest easy. A month or more of growing season left and you are looking at that. Great job!

Did you consider using the turfbuilder as a winterizer? I am wondering about that now and would be glad to know if you rejected that idea for any reason.

Did you consider using the turfbuilder as a winterizer? I am wondering about that now and would be glad to know if you rejected that idea for any reason.

No I did not. This might sound "crazy" or even stupid, but I just figured the one that Scotts calls winterguard was what I was suppose to use. I know it has a lower N and a higher K than the regular TB with iron.

Next year I will be going organic, except for the last feeding of the year, again I will use the winterizer there.

Next year's tenative schedule:

Organic:
Starting in mid May with 1 LB per 1000 sq ft of Nit.
July 1/2 LB per 1000 sq ft of Nit.
August 1/2 LB per 1000 sq ft of Nit.
September 1 LB per thousand sq ft of Nit.
October 1 LB per 1000 sq ft of Nit.
I will also spray some compost tea the day or so after the fertilizer.

Synthetic:
November with the winterizer - whatever the bag calls for or maybe up to 1 LB per 1000 sq ft of Nit.

That will be a total of 5 LBS of nitrogen per 1000 SQ Ft. for the first year.

Also next year in the Dog Days of summer - I will keep the grass mowed at 4". Then bring it down gradually to maybe (2 to 2-1/2"?) for the winter. Hope we don't get the heat like this next October. 89 degrees today!

Great lawn EastPenna. Incredibly awesome. Your organic plan looks great too. I suggest you diversify you organics, SBM, corn meal, alfalfa pellets, etc. Next year, you can post your pics and offer expert advice to the neophytes. Bill Hill

I don't think that's stupid or crazy at all. Scotts obviously has a bunch of scientists trying to work these things out so I am sure there is a method to the Winterguard idea. I just don't know what that method is.

I mean, on these forums I have seen a lot of people recommend starter fert (low N high P) when seeding and another round 30 days later. I adopted that advice but apparently that resulted in nitrogen starvation (from that other thread).

On winterizing I have read two conflicting ideas - that high P is necessary to encourage root growth, and that high N is necessary to store carbohydrates. Both ideas make sense to me, but which is the truer?

In my case, having already put down a bunch of P and then followed with .75 lbs. N today (bringing total N since seeding to approx 1.65 lbs.), I am thinking that my next and last feeding should be mostly soluble N at 1 lb./1000.

But I really don't know! I mean, I thought I was following a good program up until a few days ago but apparently was not. Now I think I have fixed that thanks to the good folks here, but still have no confidence that my plan for the final feeding is correct. I would be glad to spend a day reviewing a really comprehensive article on fertilizing as I think that effort would be rewarded for many years, but haven't been able to find anything like that.

Just venting I guess...

i enjoyed your pics and you must enjoy your new view! congrats on the rewards after taking that kind of risk.

what is tillering? i'm not finding anything on it that is understandable to me.

thx!

Wow. Really nice job!!!

Thanks everyone, I do appreciate it!

Bill Hill,
I do plan on using some different organics in the mix. I do need to find a local store for the grains, but do have some complete fertilizers already to go.
Next year, you can post your pics and offer expert advice to the neophytes.
That's funny, cause I have so much too learn! Everthing that I have learned so far is from these forums.

Paul,
By chance did you get a soil test before your renovation? If so what did it say about your P and K? Also how much of each product have you put down so far? I know you did the 1-3-1 Seed Accelerator, was that 120 lbs? And then you did a 10-18-10, how much of that? What was the N-P-K that you just did, and how much total product did you apply? What is the sq ft you are working on?

gratefulgirl,
what is tillering? i'm not finding anything on it that is understandable to me.
The process by which these new aerial shoots emerge is called tillering. In contrast to rhizome and stolon emergence, tillers develop upwards. The result is a dramatic increase in the number of new shoots occurring immediately adjacent to the original shoot.

Hey Eastpenna,

No soil test, was not feasible for me this year, though I plan to in the spring, after the various amendments I made this year start to homogenize.

Yes, 120 lbs. seed accelerator over 2200 sq. ft, also approx 6 lbs. 10-18-10 over the same area last week, and today's app was enough 30-3-3 turfbuilder with iron to supply .75 lbs. nitrogen per thousand, don't remember the total weight.

Paul,

I think the "P" is important for root growth when the lawn is still active. That's why it's needed in the (early) fall. The boost of nitrogen for "winterizing" is ideally applied after top growth stops, but before the lawn goes dormant. When this timing is achieved, all of that "N" in the winterizer goes to carb storage. If you apply it when the lawn is actively growing, it will just go to greening and top growth.

That's my understanding at least. Hope it helps.

Paul,

Here is what you have applied so far.

1.57 LBS of N per 1000 sq ft.

2.20 LBS of P per 1000 sq ft.

.893 LBS of K per 1000 sq ft.

Witout a soil test it is a little tricky.
I think that you are still a little low on nitrogen for the first two feedings, ( I'm counting the 10-18-10 and the 30-3-3 as one feeding).

In my humble opinion, I would split the difference from now and your last application in two. I would recommend a winterguard (the on have is Scotts reddish bag, without weed control). It is a 22-3-14, and comes in a 14 LB bag. You can use 7 LBS each time.

That would add:

1.4 LBS of N per 1000 sq ft.

.19 LBS of P per 1000 sq ft.

.89 LBS of K per 1000 sq ft.

You can take these numbers a post a seperate thread for more opinions! But this will get you close to a 3-2.4-2 for the new lawn. 3-1-2 is the ideal ratio, but since you seeded the extra 1 in the middle should be fine, IMO.

Next year definitely get a soil test! Especially if you will be using sythetics.

I am also going to start to load half of the total product to be used into the spreader and going East to West, then load the other half and go North to South. It worked well for seeding, so why not fertilizing.

Awesome....just awesome.

My Amazonian yard is a far cry to the weed-free success you are having there!

Rob

rlembke,

Thanks, but trust me by NO MEANS is it weed free! I have a ton and a half of them! Will fight those next year!

eatpenna,

That is beautiful. Your front yard certainly looks better than mine did at the same time two years ago.

Great job!

Thank you very much eastpenna, that is very helpful!

...and now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

turf toes,
Your front yard certainly looks better than mine did at the same time two years ago.

I'm not sure I believe that 100% (lol), but thank you very much! Your lawn was actually what inspired me to renovate mine. All last winter my plan was to overseed this fall with seed purchased from a big box store. Then I came across those photos of your lawn on another forum (which also lead me to this forum), and I knew right then that was the lawn I wanted! I think it even listed the cultivators that you used. So thanks again!

The above statement is 100% true!
Hey, how about some updated photos of your project this year!

Paul,
You are quit welcome! I have gotten alot out of this forum for myself, so it feels good to be able to help someone along the way. You are going to have a sweet looking back yard next year, and you'll be a pro by next year should you decide to do the front!

FWIW, I just went out and mowed again (mulched this time)at 2-1/4" , wow I'm not use to cutting that low! 3" was always what i've done in the past.

There are actually a few area's that really still have not been mowed. All of them are where there was either a small flower bed or a burning bush, I wonder if I should throw some organics stuff down there? Even though I will be fertilizing with TB with iron on Sunday.

Boatboy, just saw your post, thank you for the advice!

Looking good! I want to mow today as we had a break in the rain. I think I am going to have to go to HD or Lowes and pickup an el cheapo reel mower to cut my lawn. Others here have scared me off from using my monstrous rider on my delicate new lawn, lol.

This forum has been very helpful. I will post more pictures soon. I put down fertilizer last Wednesday or Thursday and let me tell you it has doubled in lenght in a week. I can tell the difference in it between when I leave teh house in the morning and when I come home fromm work. It's nuts!

Time to take down the rope fence. Your lawn looks Sweeet.

Nice job.

I like your organic approch, exept for the winterizer

There is no need for a Chemical Winterizer if you feed your lawn organically throughout next year. Your soil will have more than enough nutrients/micro nutrients to survive winter.

skoot cat, thanks I appreciate it!

I'm just trying to keep as much traffic off as possible, maybe when I get to the once per week deep watering I can remove. Some area's where the grass is not as thick are still really soft.

There is no need for a Chemical Winterizer if you feed your lawn organically throughout next year. Your soil will have more than enough nutrients/micro nutrients to survive winter

I should have mentioned that if I do use the winterizer it would only be the first year or so, but if I can get away without using it that would be great! I will see where the lawn is at this time next year and go from there. Trust me, if I can use something organic in its place I will.

By the way, I've seen the photos of your lawn, it's awesome!

I hear you on mowing that low, looks odd to me too.

I hear you on mowing that low, looks odd to me too.

Yea, I think that I will go up a little, atleast to 2-1/2" or maybe even the next higher one from there. I measured the blade before I mowed and it looks like it was at 2-1/4", the book says the setting I used is 2".