Find Out What it Takes to Maintain this 31,000 Sq Ft Lawn

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Welcome to a journey through one of the most impressive lawns you'll ever set eyes on.

Nestled in the scenic foothills of North Carolina, we're exploring the lush, vibrant world of Brad A.'s meticulously crafted lawn.

A testament to dedication and passion, Brad's lawn stands out not just for its size but for its striking beauty and health.

Let's dive in.

The Lawn

What kind of grass is this?

Turf Type Tall Fescue, aka TTTF.

Beautiful TTTF Lawn
Beautiful TTTF Lawn

What's the secret to highly defined stripes?

A roller should help a lot.

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Any stripe will be more faint unless the suns at your back! Nice grass definitely helps a lot also.

What seed are you using?

I use four varieties of fescue grass seed and I mix them myself.

They are Fourth Millennium, Titanium 2LS, Raptor 3, and Traverse 2 SRP.

Fresh cut grass
Fresh cut grass

How much does it cost to maintain and what are your main expenditures?

Let's just say it's not cheap. But having a well helps with the water expenses!

What sort of lawn mower do you use?

This bad boy right here. It's a Write Velke HC floating-deck walk behind mower.

Lawn mower
Lawn mower

The Maintenance

How do you get that deep green color?

I have only sprayed some nitrogen. I did 0.15 pounds of Nitrogen two and a half weeks apart. It was a 29-0-0 and I did mix in some iron with the last application.

Can you tell us more about the process you follow?

I do things that many people would not recommend, such as overseeding in the middle of August. I make sure the new grass is established and then apply a fall pre-emergent herbicide before the average soil temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is done to prevent the germination of Poa annua (Annual Bluegrass).

Aerial View
Aerial View

What do you use for weeds?

Honestly, I don’t have any weed problems, just being completely honest! If there are any weeds, they are few enough to simply pull out by hand. For preventing grassy weeds, I use prodiamine and dithiopyr as pre-emergent herbicides. Additionally, I use Gallery 75 DF (which stands for 'dry flowable') as a pre-emergent herbicide specifically for controlling broadleaf weeds.

What kind of drone to you use to capture these photos?

The Mavic 3.

Want to learn more? You can find Brad talking in depth about his yard on his Youtube channel, Primetime Fescue.

TTTF lawn in the shade
TTTF lawn in the shade

How much would it cost to install sod on 31,000 square feet of property?

I don't think anyone in their right mind would do this, but let's have some fun with it. Using our sod calculator you can determine:

  • You'd need at least 70 pallets of sod! This could cost upwards of $22,000

  • You'd typically pay around $0.75 / sqft for installation which comes out to $23,000

  • In total, you're gonna be close to $45-$50,000 when all is said and done!

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This article was originally published on November 29, 2023

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