The Country Club: 10+ App Elite Program
Who This Plan Is For
You're past "nice lawn." You want perfection. You own a reel mower (or you're about to). You've done a soil test. You know your grass cultivar by name. You think about your lawn before you go to sleep.
Welcome to the Country Club.
This plan adds Plant Growth Regulators (PGR), liquid-only feeding, sand leveling, monthly fungicide rotations, and advanced overseeding protocols to everything in the Neighborhood Envy program.
What Makes This Different
Plant Growth Regulators (PGR)
Product: T-Nex 1AQ (Trinexapac-ethyl)
PGR is the single biggest secret in professional turf management. It suppresses vertical growth by 50%, forcing the plant to grow laterally instead of upward. The result:
- Denser, thicker turf (more tillers per plant)
- Deeper green color (chlorophyll concentration increases)
- Less mowing (seriously, you might only mow once a week)
- Better stress tolerance (the plant puts energy into roots, not blades)
Rate: 0.3 oz per 1,000 sq ft every 2-3 weeks during active growing season
🧪 How It Works: Trinexapac-ethyl inhibits gibberellic acid, the plant hormone responsible for cell elongation. By blocking vertical growth, the plant redirects resources to root development and lateral stolons/rhizomes. The visual difference is dramatic within 2 weeks.
Reel Mowing
If you're on this plan, you need a reel mower. Rotary mowers tear grass blades. Reel mowers scissor-cut them. The difference is visible — clean cuts heal faster, resist disease better, and show stripes more crisply.
Recommended cut heights:
- Kentucky Bluegrass: 2.0 - 2.5 inches
- Bermuda: 0.5 - 1.0 inch
- Zoysia: 0.75 - 1.5 inches
Budget options:
- Fiskars StaySharp Max (~$300) — Best manual reel for cool season
- Allett Liberty 43 (~$900) — Battery-powered, golf-course quality
- Swardman Edwin 2.0 (~$2,500) — End-game reel mower
The 10+ Application Schedule
Rounds 1-7: Everything from Neighborhood Envy
The full Neighborhood Envy schedule applies. Split pre-emergent, broadleaf control, fertilizer rounds, fungicide prevention, and winterizer.
Round 8: Bi-Weekly PGR Applications (May through September)
Product: T-Nex 1AQ at 0.3 oz/1,000 sq ft
Start PGR applications once your lawn is actively growing and you've completed at least one mowing cycle. Apply every 14-21 days in a backpack sprayer. Mark your calendar — consistency is key.
Total seasonal apps: 8-10 PGR applications
📊 GDD Tracking: Advanced users should track Growing Degree Days (GDD) rather than calendar days. PGR wears off based on accumulated heat units, not time. Rebound typically happens at 200-300 GDD (base 32°F).
Round 9: Monthly Liquid Iron Protocol (April through October)
Product: Ferrous Sulfate (FAS) + Chelated Iron (EDTA or DTPA)
Forget granular iron. Liquid foliar iron absorbs immediately and gives you that deep blue-green color within 48 hours. We run two iron sources for maximum effect:
- FAS (Ferrous Sulfate Heptahydrate): 2 oz per gallon per 1,000 sq ft — provides instant color
- Chelated Iron: 0.5 oz per 1,000 sq ft — provides sustained feeding
Frequency: Every 3-4 weeks. Can be tank-mixed with PGR applications.
⚠️ Staining Warning: FAS will stain concrete, pavers, and siding. Be extremely careful near hardscapes. Blow off any granules or spray drift from sidewalks immediately.
Round 10: Sand Leveling (Late Spring or Early Fall)
Product: Masonry sand or 70/30 sand/compost mix
If you want a putting-green-smooth surface, you need to level. Sand fills in low spots, smooths out bumpy areas, and improves drainage. This is a labor-intensive process but the results are transformative.
Process:
- Mow low (drop 1 notch below normal cutting height)
- Spread sand at 0.25 inch depth across the lawn using a drag mat or leveling rake
- Work sand into the canopy with a push broom or drag mat
- Water lightly to settle
- Repeat once more in 3-4 weeks if needed
Rate: ~1 cubic yard of sand per 1,000 sq ft at 0.25" depth
🏗️ First Timer? Don't go deeper than 0.25 inches per application. Burying the grass crowns will kill them. Patience. Multiple thin layers beat one thick dump every time.
Round 11: Advanced Overseeding Protocol (Early Fall — Cool Season Only)
Step 1: Core Aerate — Rent a drum aerator and pull plugs across the entire lawn Step 2: Dethatch if thatch layer exceeds 0.5 inches Step 3: Broadcast Seed — Use premium cultivars:
- KBG: Mazama, Bewitched, Midnight blend
- Perennial Rye: Fiesta 4, Manhattan 5
- Tall Fescue: Regenerate, Titanium 2LS
Rate: KBG: 2-3 lbs/1,000 sq ft | TTTF: 6-8 lbs/1,000 sq ft
Step 4: Topdress with peat moss at 0.125" layer to retain moisture Step 5: Starter fertilizer (e.g., 18-24-12) at label rate Step 6: Keep moist — Water 2-3x daily for 10 minutes until germination
Full Season Shopping List
| Product | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|
| Prodiamine 65 WDG | $25 |
| Granular Fertilizer (3 bags) | $90 |
| Trimec 992 or Celsius WG | $30-45 |
| T-Nex 1AQ PGR (1 qt) | $65 |
| Ferrous Sulfate (25 lb bag) | $25 |
| Chelated Iron | $20 |
| Azoxystrobin + Propiconazole | $70 |
| Milorganite / Carbon-X | $40 |
| Winterizer | $25 |
| Sand (2 cu yds delivered) | $60 |
| Seed (premium cultivar) | $50-80 |
| Starter Fertilizer | $20 |
| Total | ~$450-$550 |
The Mindset Shift
At this level, you're not "doing yard work." You're managing a biological system. You're thinking about:
- Soil biology — Are you feeding the microbes?
- Plant physiology — How is gibberellic acid affecting tiller density?
- Agronomic timing — What's the GDD accumulation this week?
- Cultural practices — When was the last time you sharpened your reel?
It sounds intense. It is. But when you walk out on a Saturday morning to a lawn that looks like the 18th hole at Augusta — it's worth every minute.
Before & After Reality Check
| Metric | Before Country Club | After 1 Season |
|---|---|---|
| Mowing frequency | 1x/week | 1x/5-7 days (lower with PGR) |
| Time per week | 30 min | 2-3 hours (including spraying) |
| Annual cost | $150 | $450-550 |
| Neighbor comments | "Nice lawn" | "Is that real grass?!" |
| Personal satisfaction | Good | Unhealthy obsession |
Welcome to the club. 🏌️