My lawn gets 0 direct sunlight in fall and the rest of winter, any renovations undertaken then just fail for me. So I think the fall advice is best, but only for perfect conditions. So autumn I will do a really really light renovation, definitely no deep levelling.
Great job! I'm looking forward to seeing the final result once everything is established. Renovations can be a lot of work, but I always enjoy seeing the outcome. I'm starting my 11th renovation for a new client tomorrow. If you have a backpack sprayer, I would recommend using a wetting agent. It helps with moisture retention, reduces puddling, and peace of mind in-between watering times. For a starter I use sea kelp, humic acid, and fluvic acid. The kelp has a bunch of natural growth hormones, humic acid increases nutrient uptake, and the fluvic acid increases nutrient absorption.
Hey mate! Thanks! I have seen a lot of people using a wetting agent when seeding, never tried it myself. Definitely something I need tro try out! Actually putting on some humic, fluvic and seaweed today :) Thanks for the feedback, awesome!
11:05 Great video as always Sam! Here is a great tip on how to improve your Gardena Leaf Collector: As you mentioned, it pushes the cores in font of you wich makes it ineffective (happens with leafs as well). You can mitigate this by taping a line of duck tape on both the in and outside to close the cap to the ground. You need to experiment a bit with the height of the tape to get it perfect, but it improves it's effectiveness massively! If it's to long and touches the ground, it will fold in and get pushed up by the rollers inside. Also, make it more stiff by using multiple layers of tape. As we all know, looks is everything. Make sure to use black tape 😉 / The awesome lawn nerd in Täby
Awesome tips Lars! I have seen several people saying the exact same thing, I really need to try this out! I will definitely use some other colour tape just because! 😂
Very nice video, Sam. Thanks,really helpful. Here scarifying is done to overseed and rejuvenate the existing lawn and tilling is done for a full lawn renovation. Can't wait to see your results especially the bluegrass 😁
Thanks for the tip, I´ll try to change it and see what happens. I have used the same cord for years and it has been fine, but as you say it may be the cord and not the machine itself, wort a try! Thanks!
My scarifying machine overheats and stops at times too. Check the outlet/exhaust blowing air from the motor. Mine is clogged with dirt often because of a foam filter it uses :/.
I thought it might be overheating too, didn´t know about the filter though, I might have a look, maybe it is clogged up as you say, good point mate, thanks!
Saw you had another comment about the germination, I can see the notification for that comment but I cannot find the comment itself for some reason, so I will just answer here :) The germination was successful from a germination point of view, but the spreading I would not count as a success, really need to find a better way to spread it, the seeds germinated in patches more than usual, I guess the seeds were stuck together, but I did see germination just 2 days after I threw it out.
Put a piece of duct tape on the front of the leaf collector, lower part of the tape should be at 2 or 3 cm higher from the ground, it will look like a flap and it will prevent the cores to be shoot to the front
Cant wait to see the results Sam! Knowing you this is going to look so awesome! By the way where did you get the Kentucky Blue grass? I am trying to find some pure KBG blend but no luck, the ones i typically find have like 40% max KBG inside and the rest fescue/rye
Hey mate! It´s looking kind of thin at the moment, will show you in the next video, honestly I was hoping for better results 😂 but some fertilizer might get it going! That´s a good question dude! When I started searching for pure 100% KGB I found out that it is extremely hard to find any in Europe! Had no idea! Apparently the most sought after cultivars like midnight, mazama etc, they are not certified to be sold in the EU so those you cannot get hold of. There are about 4-5 cultivars available in Europe and they are almost ALL of the part of some mix. You can contact your local DLF distributor and they might sell you a bag of 25kg, but that´s up to each individual DLF dealer if they want or not. I finally found at Skånefrö, a Swedish supplier, but same there, they only sell 20kg bags and the cultivars are limited. THe Jumpstart I am trying didn´t get that good results in trials between different cultivars but it´s the only one I could get hold of. So strange that we do not have a "seed super store" like they do in the US. If you find any, please let me know :)
Nice one Sam, 2 things that sprang to mind and I know you covered about why you scarified and then hollow cored, but if you hollowed cored and picked up the cores, then scarified, would it have kept those lovely groves more open. I’m imagining the weight of the corer closed up some of those groves?. Also flat rack would make a more even pass (yours is / looks fan shaped) just an observation… in other news mines now looking the best I’ve seen it in ages, over-seeding with a dwarf rye, bent fescue mix… Can’t wait to see how yours turns out… 👍👍 still got Poa, but that’s life 😂😩😩
Hey Steve! True, that might cause the grooves to close up a bit, never thought about that, I might just do a section next time to see how it turns out, never tried it that way, but interesting to see! Very jealous now mate! Mine is still looking a bit thin AND I can tell you that you are not alone with the poa! Man it is everywhere! I pull some almost every day, it´s just a battle you cannot win 😂🤦♂️
Great job but after spending all that time effort and money, including hiring a hollow tine aerator, why not spend a bit of money to buy a new seed spreader rather than using the broken handled drop spreader? Surely in the total cost of the renovation it would not be too much to invest in a new one? it looked so awkward trying to spread pre germinated seed by turning the wheels of the drop spreader 😂😩🤔🤣 Good luck. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out for you 👍👌🤞🤞🤞😎👏👏🍀🍀🍻🍻
haha thanks mate! That is a very very valid point! 😂 I actually ordered a new one the same day, my hand held spreaders couldn't spread it so I ordered a broadcast spreader. The handle broke as I was using it that day so it was hard to predict, but the new one has arrived so next time I hope to avoid the awkwardness 😅
Did the Kentucky blue grass ever start sprouting in the pregermination phase? I’ve been soaking mine for 3-4 weeks now, changing the water every 12 hours and not a single sprout. Did I kill my grass seed?
Hey Mate, it never got to that point, but it started to germinate about 2 days after I got it out on the lawn. Did you keep the seeds submerged or did you just soak it? It should have sprouted after at least a week I would imagine. I would throw it out and see if it germinates after a couple of days, otherwise it seems they might be dead unfortunately since 3-4 weeks seems very long without any action, even for KBG.
Hej Sam, I recently started to watch your videos and really liking it. I am staying in the south of Sweden near Lund. Do you recommend the renovation during the fall or is spring the best time?
Hey dude! Nice mate, glad you enjoy the videos! You lucky duck! You get spring and summer far ahead of us here 😂 Fall is the best time really: less weed pressure, higher soil temps, more humidity However, I have done both and if you are willing to put in the effort, both work just fine. The only time I have failed a renovation was during summer time, that really didn´t work at all, too dry and with water bans everywhere, its almost impossible.
The bags where it had sprouted still worked for me, but the germination rate went down. So it´s still worth to get it out on the lawn, but just expect that fewer seeds will germinate.
Don't use phosphorous unless you have noticeable purple stems on the turf, use an acidic fertilizer like Ammonium sulphate, if you can find Triclopyr it is safer than 24d and targets clover.
Hey Daniel, unfortunately clover is very hard to get rid of. You can try to get the grass to thrive better, you can add nitrogen since clover indicates nitrogen deficiency but even with all of that it will still take years and not all of it will be gone. I have used chelated iron which will give the clover an iron "overdose" and cause it to dry out and die. But chelated iron is sooo hard to get hold of for some reason, I have no idea why. I am trying to contact suppliers to get them to sell it to us homeowners, but no luck so far, very little interest from Swedish suppliers so far. Sorry, wish I had a better answer, but all these non chemical methods work to some extent but none are easy and none work 100%. Then you are better off just killing off the entire area and reseeding.
I'm not sure if these products are available in your area, but Trillion or Par III, mixed with urea and citric acid, work well. A cheaper option is spot treatments of Glyphosate applied with an AccuTip Dauber to eliminate drift. If you prefer something more environmentally friendly, you can spray Chelated Iron at higher application rates. Chelated Iron works by causing iron toxicity in weeds. Since most weeds can't absorb iron as quickly as grass, they die from an overdose of iron, while the grass is unharmed because it can absorb the extra iron.
@@hiloran No worries dude, two messages is hardly spam, ask as much as you want :) It is really hard to find pure bluegrass in EU for some reason. I found ONE vendor in Sweden called Skånefrö. Don´t know if the sell outside of Sweden though. The only other way I could find was contacting your local DLF supplier and asking nicely pretty much. But then you need to buy bags of 20-25kg at least. The best cultivars from the US are not allowed here because they are not certified unfortunately. So we really lack a good European Seed vendor like Seed Super Store in the US.
Did the Kentucky blue grass ever start sprouting in the pregermination phase? I’ve been soaking mine for 3-4 weeks now, changing the water every 12 hours and not a single sprout. Did I kill my grass seed?
Vem är det man ska hyra från i Täby?
Det är via Hygglo, finns bara en i Täby att hyra har jag för mig. Ville inte slänga ut killens namn bara sådär, tänkte han kanske inte ville det :D
The awesome lawn nerd here 👋 Tack för de fina orden @Sam🙏
Som sagt, finns bara jag i Täby som hyr ut. Dra ett mess på Hygglo bara 👍
My lawn gets 0 direct sunlight in fall and the rest of winter, any renovations undertaken then just fail for me. So I think the fall advice is best, but only for perfect conditions. So autumn I will do a really really light renovation, definitely no deep levelling.
Sounds like a good plan, we all have different preconditions. These are just general recommendations, you should do what works best for you :)
Always such a chore to keep our lawns green! Nice Job!
Hey Dino! Thanks dude! It really is, but man it does feel great when it´s done and the results kick in :)
I'm with you on the raking Sam. Hate it
It truly sucks! 😂
Great job! I'm looking forward to seeing the final result once everything is established. Renovations can be a lot of work, but I always enjoy seeing the outcome. I'm starting my 11th renovation for a new client tomorrow. If you have a backpack sprayer, I would recommend using a wetting agent. It helps with moisture retention, reduces puddling, and peace of mind in-between watering times. For a starter I use sea kelp, humic acid, and fluvic acid. The kelp has a bunch of natural growth hormones, humic acid increases nutrient uptake, and the fluvic acid increases nutrient absorption.
Hey mate! Thanks! I have seen a lot of people using a wetting agent when seeding, never tried it myself. Definitely something I need tro try out! Actually putting on some humic, fluvic and seaweed today :)
Thanks for the feedback, awesome!
11:05
Great video as always Sam!
Here is a great tip on how to improve your Gardena Leaf Collector:
As you mentioned, it pushes the cores in font of you wich makes it ineffective (happens with leafs as well).
You can mitigate this by taping a line of duck tape on both the in and outside to close the cap to the ground.
You need to experiment a bit with the height of the tape to get it perfect, but it improves it's effectiveness massively!
If it's to long and touches the ground, it will fold in and get pushed up by the rollers inside.
Also, make it more stiff by using multiple layers of tape. As we all know, looks is everything. Make sure to use black tape 😉
/ The awesome lawn nerd in Täby
Awesome tips Lars! I have seen several people saying the exact same thing, I really need to try this out! I will definitely use some other colour tape just because! 😂
Very nice video, Sam. Thanks,really helpful. Here scarifying is done to overseed and rejuvenate the existing lawn and tilling is done for a full lawn
renovation. Can't wait to see your results especially the bluegrass 😁
Hey Lucy! Will try to record the results soon! But it´s looking pretty thin at the moment, hoping the fertiliser will kick in soon :)
Thanks Sam great video
Thanks Robert, appreciate it mate!
Check the extension cord.
Too thin cord might cause under voltage for powerful equipment.
Thanks for the tip, I´ll try to change it and see what happens. I have used the same cord for years and it has been fine, but as you say it may be the cord and not the machine itself, wort a try! Thanks!
My scarifying machine overheats and stops at times too. Check the outlet/exhaust blowing air from the motor. Mine is clogged with dirt often because of a foam filter it uses :/.
I thought it might be overheating too, didn´t know about the filter though, I might have a look, maybe it is clogged up as you say, good point mate, thanks!
Saw you had another comment about the germination, I can see the notification for that comment but I cannot find the comment itself for some reason, so I will just answer here :)
The germination was successful from a germination point of view, but the spreading I would not count as a success, really need to find a better way to spread it, the seeds germinated in patches more than usual, I guess the seeds were stuck together, but I did see germination just 2 days after I threw it out.
Put a piece of duct tape on the front of the leaf collector, lower part of the tape should be at 2 or 3 cm higher from the ground, it will look like a flap and it will prevent the cores to be shoot to the front
Hey mate! Several people said the same thing, not sure why I haven´t thought about that, will definitely try it!! thanks mate!
Awesome
Hey Will, thanks mate! 🙏
Cant wait to see the results Sam! Knowing you this is going to look so awesome! By the way where did you get the Kentucky Blue grass? I am trying to find some pure KBG blend but no luck, the ones i typically find have like 40% max KBG inside and the rest fescue/rye
Hey mate! It´s looking kind of thin at the moment, will show you in the next video, honestly I was hoping for better results 😂 but some fertilizer might get it going!
That´s a good question dude! When I started searching for pure 100% KGB I found out that it is extremely hard to find any in Europe! Had no idea! Apparently the most sought after cultivars like midnight, mazama etc, they are not certified to be sold in the EU so those you cannot get hold of. There are about 4-5 cultivars available in Europe and they are almost ALL of the part of some mix. You can contact your local DLF distributor and they might sell you a bag of 25kg, but that´s up to each individual DLF dealer if they want or not. I finally found at Skånefrö, a Swedish supplier, but same there, they only sell 20kg bags and the cultivars are limited. THe Jumpstart I am trying didn´t get that good results in trials between different cultivars but it´s the only one I could get hold of. So strange that we do not have a "seed super store" like they do in the US. If you find any, please let me know :)
Nice one Sam, 2 things that sprang to mind and I know you covered about why you scarified and then hollow cored, but if you hollowed cored and picked up the cores, then scarified, would it have kept those lovely groves more open. I’m imagining the weight of the corer closed up some of those groves?. Also flat rack would make a more even pass (yours is / looks fan shaped) just an observation… in other news mines now looking the best I’ve seen it in ages, over-seeding with a dwarf rye, bent fescue mix… Can’t wait to see how yours turns out… 👍👍 still got Poa, but that’s life 😂😩😩
Hey Steve! True, that might cause the grooves to close up a bit, never thought about that, I might just do a section next time to see how it turns out, never tried it that way, but interesting to see!
Very jealous now mate! Mine is still looking a bit thin AND I can tell you that you are not alone with the poa! Man it is everywhere! I pull some almost every day, it´s just a battle you cannot win 😂🤦♂️
Great job but after spending all that time effort and money, including hiring a hollow tine aerator, why not spend a bit of money to buy a new seed spreader rather than using the broken handled drop spreader? Surely in the total cost of the renovation it would not be too much to invest in a new one? it looked so awkward trying to spread pre germinated seed by turning the wheels of the drop spreader 😂😩🤔🤣 Good luck. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out for you 👍👌🤞🤞🤞😎👏👏🍀🍀🍻🍻
haha thanks mate! That is a very very valid point! 😂
I actually ordered a new one the same day, my hand held spreaders couldn't spread it so I ordered a broadcast spreader. The handle broke as I was using it that day so it was hard to predict, but the new one has arrived so next time I hope to avoid the awkwardness 😅
Did the Kentucky blue grass ever start sprouting in the pregermination phase?
I’ve been soaking mine for 3-4 weeks now, changing the water every 12 hours and not a single sprout. Did I kill my grass seed?
Hey Mate, it never got to that point, but it started to germinate about 2 days after I got it out on the lawn. Did you keep the seeds submerged or did you just soak it?
It should have sprouted after at least a week I would imagine. I would throw it out and see if it germinates after a couple of days, otherwise it seems they might be dead unfortunately since 3-4 weeks seems very long without any action, even for KBG.
Hej Sam,
I recently started to watch your videos and really liking it. I am staying in the south of Sweden near Lund.
Do you recommend the renovation during the fall or is spring the best time?
Hey dude! Nice mate, glad you enjoy the videos!
You lucky duck! You get spring and summer far ahead of us here 😂
Fall is the best time really: less weed pressure, higher soil temps, more humidity
However, I have done both and if you are willing to put in the effort, both work just fine. The only time I have failed a renovation was during summer time, that really didn´t work at all, too dry and with water bans everywhere, its almost impossible.
Tack Sam
I pregermenated my seed until sprouts,,will they still garmenate in lawn?
The bags where it had sprouted still worked for me, but the germination rate went down. So it´s still worth to get it out on the lawn, but just expect that fewer seeds will germinate.
Are you putting some Sulphur down?
Not this time, I checked my PH and it´s just under 7, so right now I am happy with it :)
Any recommendations for fighting clover?
Don't use phosphorous unless you have noticeable purple stems on the turf, use an acidic fertilizer like Ammonium sulphate, if you can find Triclopyr it is safer than 24d and targets clover.
@@wayneessar7489 "safer than 24d"? 2,4,D has been one of my food groups for 40 years. Smells and works great!
@@wayneessar7489 can’t use any chemicals here sadly, only biodegradable stuff…
Hey Daniel, unfortunately clover is very hard to get rid of. You can try to get the grass to thrive better, you can add nitrogen since clover indicates nitrogen deficiency but even with all of that it will still take years and not all of it will be gone. I have used chelated iron which will give the clover an iron "overdose" and cause it to dry out and die. But chelated iron is sooo hard to get hold of for some reason, I have no idea why. I am trying to contact suppliers to get them to sell it to us homeowners, but no luck so far, very little interest from Swedish suppliers so far. Sorry, wish I had a better answer, but all these non chemical methods work to some extent but none are easy and none work 100%. Then you are better off just killing off the entire area and reseeding.
I'm not sure if these products are available in your area, but Trillion or Par III, mixed with urea and citric acid, work well. A cheaper option is spot treatments of Glyphosate applied with an AccuTip Dauber to eliminate drift. If you prefer something more environmentally friendly, you can spray Chelated Iron at higher application rates. Chelated Iron works by causing iron toxicity in weeds. Since most weeds can't absorb iron as quickly as grass, they die from an overdose of iron, while the grass is unharmed because it can absorb the extra iron.
What is the bluegrass you use?
I am trying out a bluegrass called Jumpstart
@@SamsLawn Sorry for spam. Where do you buy it. I do not find anything in EU
@@hiloran No worries dude, two messages is hardly spam, ask as much as you want :)
It is really hard to find pure bluegrass in EU for some reason. I found ONE vendor in Sweden called Skånefrö. Don´t know if the sell outside of Sweden though. The only other way I could find was contacting your local DLF supplier and asking nicely pretty much. But then you need to buy bags of 20-25kg at least. The best cultivars from the US are not allowed here because they are not certified unfortunately. So we really lack a good European Seed vendor like Seed Super Store in the US.
Did the Kentucky blue grass ever start sprouting in the pregermination phase?
I’ve been soaking mine for 3-4 weeks now, changing the water every 12 hours and not a single sprout. Did I kill my grass seed?