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tigrikt

No Mow grass overseeding

A couple years back we tried to overseed our back yard (midnight KBG) with NO MOW grass (creeping bent grass growing to 2-6 " max w/o flowering).
Now - Couple years later - we don't see that NO MOW grass took over the lawn. Possibly we did mow it too much (KBG grows faster and produces seed heads in spring), or it was too hot in the last 2 summers. (In Central NJ). We don't irrigate.
Also we found some other undesirable characteristics of the NO MOW grass
- it has tendency to mat
- false crowning (because we needed to mow it at 2-3 " to control flowering KBG)
- low heat tolerance
Right now we have probably 60 percent KBG and 40 percent NO MOW.
There are a couple patches of nimbleweed developing that need to be killed (3 areas about 1 sq ft each)

We want to overseed with Midnight KBG using Tenacity at seeding.

Can we get away with just overseeding w/o doing complete renovation?
Can we use Scotts starter fertilizer with Tenacity in it instead of Tenacity?
Would be it enough to use Tenacity to control Nimbleweed?

Thank you
Any other recommendations are welcome.

Comments (3)

  • gsweater
    10 years ago

    Planting CBG in what most would consider an excellent type of grass, which does require regular mowing, was a bad idea, as you found out. There are numerous problems with creeping bent, some of which you noted:

    - Requires VERY high irrigation in summer unless you plan on letting it go dormant (you indicated you don't irrigate)
    - False crowning when mowing at normal lawn heights creates puffy areas that look very odd and don't blend well with other grasses
    - Tendency to go dormant VERY quickly in heat
    - Off color from KBG (it tends to appear bluish, especially in the AM)
    - PROMOTES diseases that will kill your other grasses along with it
    - Mats down
    - High thatch preventing water from getting to your KBG and will eventually take it over

    All in all, it's a grass most consider to be a weed with little to no benefits. You should get rid of it and quickly. It's used in golf courses and cut very short to prevent false crowning. They are also watering and feeding it constantly because it has shallow roots (about an inch deep).

    Good news is that Tenacity will wipe out the creeping bent and leave your KBG intact. It will also take out your nimblewill.

    I personally would do a blanket spray with Tenacity to start with and kill the demon grass. Follow up with a second spray and you should see it gone. I wouldn't use the fert combo because it won't kill anything. The stuff is worthless considering the high cost.

    One thing you indicated was that you don't irrigate. That said, KBG is a poor choice for you as well, as the water requirements are moderate. TTTF has better drought tolerance and blends well with KBG. Down side is that you have to overseed every so often.

    That's my 2 cents.

  • tigrikt (Central NJ/6b)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you, gsweater
    NO MOW was promoted as a great solution for a low maintenance grass that would not need an irrigation and mowing only a few times in a season.
    That was the major reason we wanted to try it.
    I am not 100% sure that NO MOW is a regular creeping bent but some kind of hybrid.
    We had TTTF initially after a construction of our house that was put down by our contractor. We dont like it because it tends to bunch and needs overseeding.
    Our front is Midnight KBG, it is pretty heat tolerant but we mow it regularly at 3 ". It thins out during very hot summers along the driveway and in a few trouble spots but restores quickly during fall/spring. And we add compost on these spots. Also started to add shampoo/mollases on them too.

  • littlesprouts
    9 years ago

    It sounds like you are over mowing the NoMowGrass but there are other things in your post that instructions say not to do-
    If you have been mowing during the summer months, then that explains your issues with it. It says not to mow during summer, which leaves a canopy for holding in moisture longer.
    Do not use chemicals on your lawn as any weed killer besides TriMec kills the grass. So only spot spray when you do weed control with something else.
    In reading all the directions on the NoMowGrass.com website-
    IF you used herbicides to remove your old lawn- then after the grass has a season under its belt- top dress the soil with a layer of peat moss to reduce growth hormones in soil.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Easy Maintainance of NoMowGrass Lawn