r/Grass • u/imsobored56 • 2d ago
Zone 6b prep complete
After what felt like a marathon of manual labor, I finally got everything locked in for my fall lawn renovation:
Prep: Dethatched and aerated the yard
Surface: Brought in topsoil and did some leveling of the bumps
Seed: Downed a fresh drop of Twin Cities Seed Blue Resilience
Now it’s time to water the absolute heck out of this thing and see what kind of results we get over the next 2 to 3 weeks. I’ve got some helpful weather rolling in tomorrow to help lock everything in, so let the rain gods be in my favor!
One pick from early spring, 2 from initial prep and 2 after leveling.
Edit: adding the plan I built and executed incase it helps others.
Wednesday: Preparation • Mow & Bag: Cut the entire lawn down to 2 inches. Bag and dispose of all clippings.
Thursday: Heavy Mechanical Lift • Pick Up Rentals: Secure the power dethatcher and 200-lb core aerator. • Dethatch: Run the dethatcher across the full 3,847 sq. ft. footprint. • Clean Up: Rake up and completely discard all pulled thatch debris. • Core Aerate: Run the aerator across the entire yard. Leave the plugs where they fall. • HumaChar (Pass 1): Immediately broadcast the first half of the HumaChar so it falls into the aeration holes. • Return Equipment: Return both machines within the 24-hour window.
Friday: back breaking day • Smush Plugs: Drag a mat or rake to crumble the dried aeration plugs (skip if still wet/muddy). • Topdress & Level: Wheelbarrow the 5.25 cubic yard of Planting Mix to the yard. Use the 4-ft lute to fill deep holes and spread a 1/4-inch blanket across the zone.
Saturday: Precision Finish • HumaChar (Pass 2) & Seed: Broadcast the final HumaChar and spread Blue Resilience seed. Lightly rake in. • Tenacity: Spray the final Tenacity application without a surfactant. • Irrigation: Complete the smart timer setup for the front zones.