Let the tillering start! Finally out of the sprout and pout stage

The entries for the 2024 Lawn of the Year contest are in…

You might want to mow it soon; it’s getting taller than ideal. Keeping it low (2 inches or less) and mowing often until it matures will help the grass focus on growing sideways rather than up, leading to thicker, fuller growth. The lawn looks great, by the way!

@Luca
Planning to mow today. The weather hasn’t been helping.

@Luca
I love this forum; always something new to learn. Does keeping it low like that mean thicker grass and better moisture retention?

Noelani said:
@Luca
I love this forum; always something new to learn. Does keeping it low like that mean thicker grass and better moisture retention?

It means the plant is developing more leaves and spreading out.

@Hollis
Even better, tillers can develop their own stems and root systems that can survive independently from the main plant! This makes the turf much denser. Mowing low and often encourages this development, which leads to a fuller, more resilient lawn compared to those who wait too long to mow and set their height of cut too high (like 3-4 inches) before the grass has matured.

This is one of the most commonly overlooked things when establishing cool-season turf.

@Luca

@Hollis
Looking great! Keep it low—just don’t let your significant other get too upset about the time you spend on it! :joy:

What seed did you use? It looks super healthy!

Shawn said:
What seed did you use? It looks super healthy!

Twin City Seed Mazama KBG.

Hollis said:

Shawn said:
What seed did you use? It looks super healthy!

Twin City Seed Mazama KBG.

I’m using a KBG and PR mix from them. Hoping mine turns out as well!

Hollis said:

Shawn said:
What seed did you use? It looks super healthy!

Twin City Seed Mazama KBG.

Mazama is such a great choice. You’re going to love it.

Hollis said:

Shawn said:
What seed did you use? It looks super healthy!

Twin City Seed Mazama KBG.

I used a 65/35 mix of Total Eclipse bluegrass blend from Twin City Seed along with some Rhambler 2 tall fescue. It’s been hard to tell the two apart—seems like it’s mostly fescue. But since it’s so thick, I must have some bluegrass in there.

@Sawyer

I’d love to see more pics! I’ve been growing KBG for a few years. It’s so slow and patchy that I hardly see full renovation progress pics. Seems like it really shines in the second year.

Sawyer said:
I’d love to see more pics! I’ve been growing KBG for a few years. It’s so slow and patchy that I hardly see full renovation progress pics. Seems like it really shines in the second year.

This was seeded on September 2nd.

How many days after seeding does tillering usually start? I used Twin City TTTF.

Vale said:
How many days after seeding does tillering usually start? I used Twin City TTTF.

For my KBG, it took at least 3 weeks.

Hollis said:

Vale said:
How many days after seeding does tillering usually start? I used Twin City TTTF.

For my KBG, it took at least 3 weeks.

From what I can see above ground, how do you know it’s started? Does it look like more than one blade coming from the same spot?