I seeded tttFescue 2 weeks ago in SW Michigan. Last 2 weeks, ground temp avg.has been 52.4 degrees. Germination on day 14😊...had sun, rain, snow 3 times. I throw down seed FIRST, go over it twice with SunJoe Scarifier in 2 directions, no peat moss any more. Works fantastic.
Put some stone blocks / pavers around your control box. Stack them about 8 to 12 inches high. That could be a quick fix so the box doesn't fill with water and dirt again. Just a thought.
I am closing on a house tomorrow and the lawn is horrendous. It has bare spots all over, more weeds than grass, a stump that needs ground out from the Derecho (I live in eastern Iowa), and it is so uneven it feels like walking on a sea of softballs. I will definitely be watching a lot of your videos moving forward.
I’m just happy to see you tackle a yard this size. I have almost 3 acres of grass and most videos don’t apply to me. I’ll be watching your progress with this one. I’ve been a subscriber for awhile but I’m hitting the bell on these. Good luck!
I seeded my front lawn with your tall fescue seed several weeks ago. I knew I was taking a chance, living in Sioux City, but it looks like all my seedlings survived the 26°F overnight temp here and now they are all about 1" tall.
Hey Ryan, to clean out your valve box. Try using a shop vac. Sounds weird, I know, but I did it a few years ago and it actually works great. Loosen up some of the soil then suck it out. Keep loosening and vacuuming until you get it all out.
I was thinking the same thing. Vacuuming it out will hopefully not do any damage to the valves and wires compared to trying to scoop. Hopefully it all still works
I’ve had amazing results with your Ryegrass. I did a Full lawn Renovation this spring, entire till and leveling. Planted April 10th soil temp 52 degrees in Massachusetts. Have absolutely perfect weather with day 4 and 5 being upper 80s almost 90. Full germination at day 6 with purple nubs all over. Grass was 2-3” today April 26. and did first reel cut at 2”
That’s awesome man. I had a bunch of grading done to change how my yard sloped over the winter. This spring I planted Tall Fescue on April 3rd. I have had okay results and have had a serious amount of washout. I’m very much looking forward to seeding again in the fall.
The frustrations of planning, hard work and getting hit by something out of your control like weather! 2 questions/suggestions- Have you thought about a catch basin in the low lying areas or a drainage tile? especially with downspouts draining into the lawn Why not use hydroseeding with a tack in it to help hold the seed to the lawn especially with rain and runoff issues that early spring causes? Great channel and content thanks for sharing!
A french drain beside the driveway might help get the water off the hill without eroding the area you desire to plant. Basically dig a trench and toss rock in it, could go with a corrugated perforated pipe with rock.
I was having the same issue with wash out. I ended up making a trench telling the water where to go. That allowed me to establish some grass around it to hold the soil. When the grass had grown I filled the trench and seeded that area. Just a thought. I recently built a house as well going through a lot of the similar issues excited about a bigger lawn at the same time I miss my old lawn LOL
Great video Ryan.I’m learning so much of the do’s and don’s and if anyone make a lawn look great no matter what the condition is it is certainly you. Look forward to the progress of the germination and we’re also fighting the warm and cold weather in Kentucky so it’s everywhere.
I had a similar situation with my new construction property. Too many slopes and too much unpredictable weather to ever get seed to last. I finally bit the bullet and had it sodded. I get the desire to seed ground from scratch but sometimes it's a lost cause.
I am glad you are doing a spring seeding video. Not everyone gets enough sun on their lawns in the fall because of trees and the lower sun angle. I am doing spring seeding because I had deer eating the grass and ripping it out, roots and all! The locals say deer don't eat grass, I have video that proves otherwise in MA.
I think your best option for cleaning up that junction box is a simple shop vacuum and just take your time and allow it to slowly remove the material .
I am a little south in Missouri, and I did just some over seeding a month and a half ago. It got cold right after, so it has been slow to come up, but it's looking a lot better. I am still probably going to need to fill in some spots in the fall, as well, but the places that had small holes or just thin spot are looking better...of an weeds seem to be getting slowly taken over by the new grass. As long as I keep it alive through summer it should be a quick reapply of seed in a few areas, and the lawn looks much better than it has in a long while. I agree with your ending here, staying patient and keeping at it seems to be the key.
Cool season people need to pump the brakes on Spring seeding. Hold off until early to mid-May to seed. You'll get much more consistent weather both in rainfall and warmer temps.
That could work but last may it was consistently in the 90s here. Just too hot at that point and it never really cooled down much until fall. That's definitely not the norm but there doesn't seem to be a norm anymore haha
@@ryanknorrlawncare No question it can warm pretty quick in May, and I also agree it's not typically the norm. which is why I prefer that time to do it. I've lost enough grass seed in April from snow, frost, and heavy rain to hold off....lol....I think we all just feel like we have to do something coming out of winter, so instead of seeding I tune-up the mowers, sharpen blades, get all my sprayers dialed in, etc. Love the channel, keep up the great work!
Here’s some good news. You’re a hard worker so that’ll overcome some of those issues. Also I know a guy who can get you as much grass seed as you’ll need. I think erosion logs will go along way to helping along the driveway. Thanks for sharing the journey.
i had a valve box full of dirt for who knows how long... Could have been years. Still worked! But was a pain when the time came to do some repairs. A shop vac was involved.
Maybe some stacked paver stones / wall just to stop the soil in that valve box because that'll just fill up each time it rains hard. I feel like these challenges will ultimately be a good thing for this channel and have a greater reward with what you have to overcome. Makes me feel much better about the 4-5 spots I can't get to grow in haha!
We had a ton or rain yesterday in the Denver metro area, but after an overnight freeze (31 for a couple of hours) and some snow, we are into a 10 day streak of 40s for overnight lows and mid 60s for highs. I went ahead and seeded and I'm crossing my fingers - I seeded last fall for my new backyard lawn and it went well (first time) but we had an AWFUL winter with lots of snow and extreme cold, and coming out of it this spring I'm sad to see so much harm but hopeful that if the temps hold out for just 2-3 weeks through mid/late may I will be in good shape through the summer.
Ryan I really appreciate your honesty. I overseeded my lawn 10 days ago as well and still haven’t seen germination. Raked, added top soil, seeded with fertilizer, raked again. Outside temps was in the 70’s but cooled off to 50’s by week 2. Watering has been inconsistent, average 5 days a week and I probably overwatered at first. Did not dethatch (hand raked thatch), aerate or get a soil test lol. This is the my first go at trying to better my lawn so any tips will help! Might have to try again this weekend.
Hey Ryan. On your valve box that got filled up with sand. In the future those boxes are bottomless, they will lift up with a little digging and you should be able to get at your valves a lot easier. When you go back with the box you might lay some rock around so you can have water diversion. 🏕
All that soil around those valves is not going to hurt a darn thing I moved into a house that you could tell had been under dirt for 20 years and it still work fine and when the irrigation company came to fix a valve box they said nothing about all the soil surrounding it all the valves buried under dirt. Of course my OCD took over and I dug it all out and it all came back the next year so I would have to dig down at least 6/8 in below the valves and fill it up with pea gravel then maybe it would hold back the dirt but it just keeps heaving up and filling up the valve lbox not a big deal
Just add 20% too much dirt above grade then when in between rains and moisture work the soil so it accepts and runs how you like so if it does wash out just scrape the top and redo it when able to
Such a sloooooooooowwww start to the season Ryan - hang in there! Please tell me the Propane Guy isn't driving across the fescue bluegrass...…😢 My best to the three Muskateers!
Maybe you need some Smooth Brome seed for erosion control 😅 glad to see the Rye is coming up. I'm hoping my dormant seeding comes up well once we get warmer up here
Man thats a TOUGH property to grow grass in. Looks to be very exposed and windy. I would plant quite a few trees along the driveway/access if possible as well. Really good looking plot of land.
Hey Ryan, what seed blanket do you recommend? Looking to seed some bare spots in my yard and there’s a pretty large spot that never germinated from last season that I’d like to cover with a seed blanket once I throw down some seed. I live in southwest suburb of Illinois. Thanks 👍🏼
Man, I am in the same predicament. I just did a lawn renovation, tore up the old, brought in top soil, graded, seeded, rolled the seed into the dirt with my drag about 10 days ago. Im in south west michigan. We had favorable temps for about a week before i got everything done. had a day or two of decent weather after getting the seed in the ground and we have had rain, some light snow, and low night temps. Will that kill my seed? or will it just slow the germination period. I did rye and kentucky 31 fescue. Any advise/wisdom would be great. I love your channel by the way, big fan!
Can someone please help. I seeded last night and this morning woke up to the yard covered in thousands of ants. I am getting conflicting information on whether or not I can apply Spectracide's Triazicide. Can someone help answer this question please? If I cannot apply this what else can I apply that is going to take care of the ants but also not affect the seeds from germinating?
@@mattb9664 i am very shore that what i have is poa anua. I have used a selective herbicede a week ago. Indeed it made the poa anua a lighter green. I will pull them out manually (the ones that are in biger groups). And in the summer, i will water the lawn once a week at most, hoping the poa anua will die. That is because it has shallow roots compared to the lawn, and it will suffer more than the lawn. Also, keep in mind that this grass will produce seeds from early spring untill mid auttum, so be carefull with phosphorus if you overseed.
I have the same issue. I put down grass seed about 10 days ago. It was 80° in Chicago now it is around 30° in Chicago. I started to see some germination. My question is, should I overseed again or wait till the fall
Give it a little more time. The next two weeks should show you what's going to grow and what is thin. You can still overseed at that point but it will just depend on how quickly it gets hot as to whether it can handle it.
Lots of radical weather happening, more and more extreme and becoming the norm. We all have to be prepared since so many of us are happy to bury our heads in the sand while it's happening.
“When it comes to seeding, you just never know what you are going to get…” False. You know what you are going to get. Thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are what you get when you are seeding! We’ve seen enough of your videos to know this!
Grass Seed - ryanknorrlawncare.com/product-category/grass-seed/
I seeded tttFescue 2 weeks ago in SW Michigan. Last 2 weeks, ground temp avg.has been 52.4 degrees. Germination on day 14😊...had sun, rain, snow 3 times. I throw down seed FIRST, go over it twice with SunJoe Scarifier in 2 directions, no peat moss any more. Works fantastic.
I’m surprised with soil temps of 52 that the seeds germinate. It usually it has to be at least 55. You must have really healthy soil.
Love your honesty Ryan. You keep it genuine with your fans! 🍻
Put some stone blocks / pavers around your control box. Stack them about 8 to 12 inches high. That could be a quick fix so the box doesn't fill with water and dirt again. Just a thought.
Glad that I stayed till the end of the video with the April 26th update. 🙌
I am closing on a house tomorrow and the lawn is horrendous. It has bare spots all over, more weeds than grass, a stump that needs ground out from the Derecho (I live in eastern Iowa), and it is so uneven it feels like walking on a sea of softballs. I will definitely be watching a lot of your videos moving forward.
I’m just happy to see you tackle a yard this size. I have almost 3 acres of grass and most videos don’t apply to me. I’ll be watching your progress with this one. I’ve been a subscriber for awhile but I’m hitting the bell on these. Good luck!
It never fails you do nice work, and then heavy rain, got to love spring time
I seeded my front lawn with your tall fescue seed several weeks ago. I knew I was taking a chance, living in Sioux City, but it looks like all my seedlings survived the 26°F overnight temp here and now they are all about 1" tall.
You will get there buddy
I decided to seed my lawn Memorial Day weekend! 😉
Hey Ryan, to clean out your valve box. Try using a shop vac. Sounds weird, I know, but I did it a few years ago and it actually works great. Loosen up some of the soil then suck it out. Keep loosening and vacuuming until you get it all out.
I was thinking the same thing. Vacuuming it out will hopefully not do any damage to the valves and wires compared to trying to scoop. Hopefully it all still works
I’ve had amazing results with your Ryegrass. I did a Full lawn Renovation this spring, entire till and leveling. Planted April 10th soil temp 52 degrees in Massachusetts. Have absolutely perfect weather with day 4 and 5 being upper 80s almost 90. Full germination at day 6 with purple nubs all over. Grass was 2-3” today April 26. and did first reel cut at 2”
That’s awesome man. I had a bunch of grading done to change how my yard sloped over the winter. This spring I planted Tall Fescue on April 3rd. I have had okay results and have had a serious amount of washout. I’m very much looking forward to seeding again in the fall.
The frustrations of planning, hard work and getting hit by something out of your control like weather!
2 questions/suggestions-
Have you thought about a catch basin in the low lying areas or a drainage tile? especially with downspouts draining into the lawn
Why not use hydroseeding with a tack in it to help hold the seed to the lawn especially with rain and runoff issues that early spring causes?
Great channel and content thanks for sharing!
A french drain beside the driveway might help get the water off the hill without eroding the area you desire to plant. Basically dig a trench and toss rock in it, could go with a corrugated perforated pipe with rock.
I was having the same issue with wash out. I ended up making a trench telling the water where to go. That allowed me to establish some grass around it to hold the soil. When the grass had grown I filled the trench and seeded that area. Just a thought.
I recently built a house as well going through a lot of the similar issues excited about a bigger lawn at the same time I miss my old lawn LOL
Definitely a good plan. 👍
New subscriber! These videos have no right being so great! We’re talking about growing grass here and they’re awesome! 🤣🤣
Great video Ryan.I’m learning so much of the do’s and don’s and if anyone make a lawn look great no matter what the condition is it is certainly you. Look forward to the progress of the germination and we’re also fighting the warm and cold weather in Kentucky so it’s everywhere.
Your weather is wild over there. My spring seeding attempts usually go super smoothly.
I had a similar situation with my new construction property. Too many slopes and too much unpredictable weather to ever get seed to last. I finally bit the bullet and had it sodded. I get the desire to seed ground from scratch but sometimes it's a lost cause.
Just dig in a swale next to the driveway so water channelizes and flows parallel to the driveway all the way down past your plots.
I am glad you are doing a spring seeding video. Not everyone gets enough sun on their lawns in the fall because of trees and the lower sun angle. I am doing spring seeding because I had deer eating the grass and ripping it out, roots and all! The locals say deer don't eat grass, I have video that proves otherwise in MA.
I think your best option for cleaning up that junction box is a simple shop vacuum and just take your time and allow it to slowly remove the material .
Gonna need lots of extension cords with the length of that driveway though bud
I put the seed down on April 15th and I just got seed germination. We got this!
I am a little south in Missouri, and I did just some over seeding a month and a half ago. It got cold right after, so it has been slow to come up, but it's looking a lot better. I am still probably going to need to fill in some spots in the fall, as well, but the places that had small holes or just thin spot are looking better...of an weeds seem to be getting slowly taken over by the new grass. As long as I keep it alive through summer it should be a quick reapply of seed in a few areas, and the lawn looks much better than it has in a long while.
I agree with your ending here, staying patient and keeping at it seems to be the key.
When I was working in a factory we used oil absorbent snakes and pillows. There are some for water. That would do the trick
Road side ditch and pipe those down spouts under ground to the ditch or get some water storage for the downspouts
I seeded in Ankeny and set up temp sprinklers. Here’s hoping this lawn year will be better than the
last
I’m from nh and the whether is like yours I don’t have the wind as much as you do you have challenges .i know you can do. Watch all your video
Cool season people need to pump the brakes on Spring seeding. Hold off until early to mid-May to seed. You'll get much more consistent weather both in rainfall and warmer temps.
That could work but last may it was consistently in the 90s here. Just too hot at that point and it never really cooled down much until fall. That's definitely not the norm but there doesn't seem to be a norm anymore haha
@@ryanknorrlawncare No question it can warm pretty quick in May, and I also agree it's not typically the norm. which is why I prefer that time to do it. I've lost enough grass seed in April from snow, frost, and heavy rain to hold off....lol....I think we all just feel like we have to do something coming out of winter, so instead of seeding I tune-up the mowers, sharpen blades, get all my sprayers dialed in, etc.
Love the channel, keep up the great work!
Here’s some good news. You’re a hard worker so that’ll overcome some of those issues. Also I know a guy who can get you as much grass seed as you’ll need.
I think erosion logs will go along way to helping along the driveway.
Thanks for sharing the journey.
i had a valve box full of dirt for who knows how long... Could have been years. Still worked! But was a pain when the time came to do some repairs. A shop vac was involved.
Love it cant wait for it to start growing good. Your place will look amazing
Enjoy all of your videos. Sorry for the issues with getting that lawn to come in.
Congrats on the grass babies Ryan! 🎉🎉🎉
Classic Midwest “fake spring, second winter”. Gets us every time.
Maybe some stacked paver stones / wall just to stop the soil in that valve box because that'll just fill up each time it rains hard. I feel like these challenges will ultimately be a good thing for this channel and have a greater reward with what you have to overcome. Makes me feel much better about the 4-5 spots I can't get to grow in haha!
Helpfully you’re on the downhill with the seeding
You need to dig a ditch beside the road. It doesn't have to be a deep ditch, but definitely need something there.
I agree
Great update! I'll be doing my first cut this weekend!
We had a ton or rain yesterday in the Denver metro area, but after an overnight freeze (31 for a couple of hours) and some snow, we are into a 10 day streak of 40s for overnight lows and mid 60s for highs. I went ahead and seeded and I'm crossing my fingers - I seeded last fall for my new backyard lawn and it went well (first time) but we had an AWFUL winter with lots of snow and extreme cold, and coming out of it this spring I'm sad to see so much harm but hopeful that if the temps hold out for just 2-3 weeks through mid/late may I will be in good shape through the summer.
@2:19 hail! Spring has been a thorn in my side for past 10 yrs now with the cold. We had more well above normal days over winter vs March & April. Ugh
I would be looking at putting a french drain down the side of the drive. (after you have some grass to control soil movement.)
We’ve had the coldest April in a long time. Thinking I’ll wait till September
This is gonna be good
Gotta love that midwest weather.... ibwas once told "Iowa is the easiest place to grow grass" 😂
Ryan I really appreciate your honesty. I overseeded my lawn 10 days ago as well and still haven’t seen germination. Raked, added top soil, seeded with fertilizer, raked again. Outside temps was in the 70’s but cooled off to 50’s by week 2. Watering has been inconsistent, average 5 days a week and I probably overwatered at first. Did not dethatch (hand raked thatch), aerate or get a soil test lol. This is the my first go at trying to better my lawn so any tips will help! Might have to try again this weekend.
You're gonna be fine!!
Could you get some tenacity down yet? To help control the weeds and unwanted annual grasses?
That hail and rain sound can put me to sleep
Hey Ryan. On your valve box that got filled up with sand. In the future those boxes are bottomless, they will lift up with a little digging and you should be able to get at your valves a lot easier. When you go back with the box you might lay some rock around so you can have water diversion. 🏕
I over-seeded with rye this spring and it took like 15 days for it to show up bc the rollercoaster of temps
At least it looked like the hail was small and didn’t do any damage
All that soil around those valves is not going to hurt a darn thing I moved into a house that you could tell had been under dirt for 20 years and it still work fine and when the irrigation company came to fix a valve box they said nothing about all the soil surrounding it all the valves buried under dirt. Of course my OCD took over and I dug it all out and it all came back the next year so I would have to dig down at least 6/8 in below the valves and fill it up with pea gravel then maybe it would hold back the dirt but it just keeps heaving up and filling up the valve lbox not a big deal
Just add 20% too much dirt above grade then when in between rains and moisture work the soil so it accepts and runs how you like so if it does wash out just scrape the top and redo it when able to
Ryan, use a shop vac to clear out my irrigation boxes. Works great.
Maybe an actual drainage ditch would be the best use of that 10” or so beside the main driveway
I think Ryan knows exactly what he's going to get when you seeds his personal projects :D Silt fences might do the trick.
Are you neutral to sod on a fresh 4” rolled bed of 4-way mix…in the spring?
I would make a dirt berm so the water follows it around instead of washing out and over
It’s funny cause I’ve had the opposite problem here in California. Got rapidly hot and doesn’t seem to cool off till next week
Such a sloooooooooowwww start to the season Ryan - hang in there! Please tell me the Propane Guy isn't driving across the fescue bluegrass...…😢 My best to the three Muskateers!
All I can say is, yeah, the weather here in Iowa this April has been rather....'odd'. Let's keep at it, though.
Same crazy up and down weather out here. At least we do not have 2 feet of snow piled on the lawn right?
Maybe you need some Smooth Brome seed for erosion control 😅 glad to see the Rye is coming up. I'm hoping my dormant seeding comes up well once we get warmer up here
Believe me, more brome is going to be the answer for a lot of things it appears
What's the best way to maintain lawns that are 15k+sqf?
Is irrigation essential or are there better ways to keep your lawn moist
Can you use mesotrione after seeding?
Man thats a TOUGH property to grow grass in. Looks to be very exposed and windy. I would plant quite a few trees along the driveway/access if possible as well. Really good looking plot of land.
Honestly it makes me feel better that mine hasn't grown in the last 10 days either lol
Hey Ryan, what seed blanket do you recommend? Looking to seed some bare spots in my yard and there’s a pretty large spot that never germinated from last season that I’d like to cover with a seed blanket once I throw down some seed. I live in southwest suburb of Illinois. Thanks 👍🏼
Same just happened to me seeded same week as you and it snowed 😫😫 wondering if wasted all my seed
Man, I am in the same predicament. I just did a lawn renovation, tore up the old, brought in top soil, graded, seeded, rolled the seed into the dirt with my drag about 10 days ago. Im in south west michigan. We had favorable temps for about a week before i got everything done. had a day or two of decent weather after getting the seed in the ground and we have had rain, some light snow, and low night temps. Will that kill my seed? or will it just slow the germination period. I did rye and kentucky 31 fescue. Any advise/wisdom would be great. I love your channel by the way, big fan!
The Elite fescue looks so good, I would love to use your seed but unfortunately I’m in the U.K.
I did the same- seeded after the warmth we had in the Midwest and now 12 days later I see nothing 😂😢
Can someone please help. I seeded last night and this morning woke up to the yard covered in thousands of ants. I am getting conflicting information on whether or not I can apply Spectracide's Triazicide. Can someone help answer this question please? If I cannot apply this what else can I apply that is going to take care of the ants but also not affect the seeds from germinating?
Hi. Do any of you guys have any ideea of how to kill poa anua grass that has infested a lawn? By hand is hard.
@@mattb9664 i am very shore that what i have is poa anua. I have used a selective herbicede a week ago. Indeed it made the poa anua a lighter green. I will pull them out manually (the ones that are in biger groups). And in the summer, i will water the lawn once a week at most, hoping the poa anua will die. That is because it has shallow roots compared to the lawn, and it will suffer more than the lawn. Also, keep in mind that this grass will produce seeds from early spring untill mid auttum, so be carefull with phosphorus if you overseed.
Ryan, I suffered the same fate as you up her in Des Moines. I should’ve known mid April was too good to be true 😂😂😂
Guess I’ll learn to accept my dandelion lawn and try again in the fall
I have the same issue. I put down grass seed about 10 days ago. It was 80° in Chicago now it is around 30° in Chicago. I started to see some germination. My question is, should I overseed again or wait till the fall
I’m in the same boat. I have germination but there are definitely spots where there is nothing. Im wondering if I should overseed as well.
Give it a little more time. The next two weeks should show you what's going to grow and what is thin. You can still overseed at that point but it will just depend on how quickly it gets hot as to whether it can handle it.
Really surprised you didn't use and reducer to your down spout, put 4inch pvc and burry it past your grass line to drain...
FIRST
Just wondering why you opted to not bury all your downspouts?
No time. I'll get there eventually
That hail storm destroyed my roof....😢
Maybe the guys at the ryegrass heaven sod farm will donate some turf to your front yard 😎
Shop vac for that valve box my man
Letsgooo!!!!
Shop vac on the valve box lol
Iowa?
First one to comment finally!!!
Ryan, please come over to my house and help me with my lawn in Omaha! I will buy you a beer and a runza!
Little busy at the moment haha
@@ryanknorrlawncare Lol, worth a shot. Thank you for the great information you share with us!
Think they are called wattles….
remember, plants do not follow your timeline, they have their own.
🌱👍
Lots of radical weather happening, more and more extreme and becoming the norm. We all have to be prepared since so many of us are happy to bury our heads in the sand while it's happening.
The best time to water is 5am to 10am
“When it comes to seeding, you just never know what you are going to get…” False. You know what you are going to get. Thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are what you get when you are seeding! We’ve seen enough of your videos to know this!
Ooohhh haaaiilllll no
I live out in Central Iowa and I know the struggle with overseeing my lawn prior to all this nonsense.