Renovating/Replacing My Lawn

My Lawn is very, very ugly. I've decided to change that.

Well, I've lived in my current house for about 2 years now, and I have taken little to no care of my lawn and have treated my lawn with no respect all this whole time. After 2 years, my lawn is now showing me the results of my lack of action. There are areas where my lawn refuses to grow. There are weeds whose names I don't even know. It is full of hills and wholes. My lawn just does not look nice... at all.

So against the advise (but with the support) of my wise and beautiful wife, I embarked in a new mission: to completely kill off my existing lawn and turn it into a lawn I can be proud of and proud to look at... and to show off to my neighbors and visitors, too, why not :-)

I will be sharing my steps, reasoning, expenses and general experience in this vlog. So, here I go:

This is what the lawn looks like at the start of my project. See Pictures Below

Day 1 ( July 20th, 2020): Killing my lawn.

I used a product called ###### that I got form a local nursery because it has 41% glyphosate. This product says not to seed until 7 days after application. However, the good people at the local nursery suggested I waited 14 days instead. It took me about 4 hours to apply to my under-1400 Sq./Ft lawn (relatively small) because I was using a small and cheap 1-gallon spray tank. Must invest in a better one.

COST: Just over $41

Experience: Generally I don't like chemicals, so I wore gloves, a dust mask (I know), and boots with long parts and long-sleeve sweater. This was a bit hard on my back because of the tank I used. I feel like it took me longer than it should have taken me. My yard is not that big.

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Day 2 (Tuesday July 21st): Ordered Seeds and Starter Fertilizer

Probably should have ordered seeds BEFORE killing the grass, in case there are any eventualities and I can’t get my seeds. But to me killing the grass was the defining moment. I knew there was no turning back now!

I’m using Kentucky Bluegrass because I read all over the place that Kentucky Bluegrass is a very nice-looking grass, and one of the best for the Northeast. The exact mix I used was from the “Seed Customizer” of seedsuperstore.com. I came across this website by watching a few youtube videos. This was my first purchase from them ever.

This is the mix I created:

20% SS1100 Bluegrass Blend (Just as a backup mix of seeds) 20% Bewitched Kentucky bluegrass (Because I like its name “Bewitched”, lol) 20% Fahrenheit 90 Hybrid Kentucky bluegrass (I’m hoping the name means it can take some of that New York summer heat) 40% Midnight Kentucky bluegrass ( I wanted this as the majority grass because I read this is one of the most beautiful-looking grasses.) Seeding Rate: 2 lbs/1,000 sq. ft. Amount: 10 lbs.

For my starter Fertilizer I bought Anderson's Starter Fertilizer with Mesotrione (Tenacity) Item:FertAndersonStart21-22-4-with-meso.

I’ve read that I should not use a fertilizer with a weedkiller when planting new seeds, But I’m trusting these guys at seedsuperstore.com know what they’re doing. Besides, I heard (on YouTube) that Tenacity will only kill weeds, and not my grass…. I’m seriously hoping that’s the case.

I decided in favor of the starter fertilizer with the Tenacity in it because my lawn has a severe weeds problem. So I’m afraid that some of the weeds will survive my step 1 (Killing the grass and weeds)

COST: About $213 (+41= $254 so far)

...The grass doesn't look dead, yet...

Also Day 2: Testing my soil (the lawn soil, that is).

I've read a ton of how important it is for the soil to have the right amount of Ph and whatnot (read about it HERE and HERE) So, I’m doing a professional soil test by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Rockland County. I ordered the containers needed to send in a sample.

I just called the number on the site. They were very courteous and answered most of my questions. When I asked if the weed and grass killer would somehow alter the soil test results, the person transferred me to someone who did not pick up the phone. I left a message with my number and a very helpful gentleman called me back and answered all my questions. He said I should wait at least the 7 days that the product suggest before taking the samples.

Day 4 (July 23rd): Got my seeds/fert. Ordered tools & supplies

Seeds & Fertilizer

Today I was pleasantly surprised to have received my seeds and the starter fertilizer. Only 3 days after placing the order online! I still think I should have ordered before killing the lawn just in case...

My lawn is starting to look dead... Makes me a little nervous, but there is no turning back fo-sho now!

I also decided to order some other things I'll be needing. Here is the list and links to the amazon products I ordered. (I don't know how to make money from advertising these products, so I'm not getting paid for this at all. But I'll learn). I will be discussing my results as I use them and see results.

4 DAYS LATER

Ordered:

1) Soil Test Kit, Soil Tester for Moisture, Light & pH Meter ($13.00): I'm planning to compare these results with the lab results and use it occasionally to keep track of PH, Humidity and light in the soil.

2) Tenacity Turf Herbicide ($67- Ouch) I've seen great reviews from YouTubers about this product, and since my weed problem is severe, I decided to have this on hand. This is supposed to kill only the weeds without causing permanent damage to the grass. I understand not to use this (or any herbicide) until fatter the grass is well established.

3) Surfactant ($16) This helps the Tenacity (herbicides) stick to the surface of the weeds better. Although I've seen plenty of YouTubers using surfactants, I'm assuming this is not a vital product, but I'm going for a weedless lawn, so I don't mind the sixteen bucks.

4) Spray Dye ($14) This will help me see where I've sprayed the herbicide. I wouldn't want to overspray any area for reasons of lawn damage and cost of product. Tenacity is very expensive.

5) Lawn Lime ($48) I'll be needing this to adjust the Ph of the soil. I will apply during the soil leveling process and only after I get the results back from the lab. For what I've read, this gives the soil nutrients that fertilizers lack and helps keep the lawn greener and healthier.

6) 2-Gallon Compression Sprayer ($55) The sprayer I have is cheap and works very poorly and takes me a long time to spray a small area. Based on the Amazon reviews, I'm hoping this sprayer works well.

7) Soil Leveling Tool ($150). Having a leveled soil bed will help me properly mow my lawn and it will look better. This is an expensive tool for sure. But for what I've seen in most videos, this tool is a must for quick and optimal leveling of the lawn. I understand that I will not get the same results using my rake. I went to both Lowes and the Home Depot to see if they sold these there cheaper, but they didn't have them. Now, I did a google search and found a site that was selling these about $20 cheaper... after I had bought this one, of course.

COST: all these tools and supplies were $343 (+$254 = $597!... so far). I think the only other expense I'll have will be the top soil I'll be adding. I'm expecting that to be no more than $150 for 2 yards of top soil and 1 yard of sand. I'm still debating on the sand, although plenty of people seem to like using sand. I'll only get it if it is free to deliver and not too expensive.

I will also need to buy a new lawn mower (another $200+). I don't think mine will last much longer and it is pretty shitty. So I wouldn't want to use it on my brand new, beautiful, dark green, weedless, thick lawn (I can already visualize it).

Day 6 (July 25th): Got my Lawn Lime. Lawn really dying.

Funny thing is that Amazon still says that I'll get it by August 5th. I got it the in two days! I'm not complaining, though.

Also, you can now really tell the lawn is really dying out. It is a weird feeling of being nervous and being excited at the same time. Seems like some of the weeds are refusing to die, but they're really struggling to stay alive. Will take pictures tomorrow.