# Hello! New guy here



## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Well I guess I just wanted to introduce myself and show you all what I have been working on. I realized I had been using this site as my main source of information for my lawn and figured I should just see if I can join and really dive in. I have a ton to learn about my lawn in general.

Little backstory:
Moved into my current house back in November 2016. Previous owner took great care of the house itself ..however I honestly don't know if they ever even tried to care for the lawn.

Well once we kinda got settled into the house I was able to dive in full throttle on the yard situation. 
I wish I had better pics of the transformation because I think they would be pretty dramatic. Since we moved into the house in late November I was already behind the eight ball as far as re-seeding the front. So I decided to take my chances and did that early Spring this year with a tall fescue. The backyard is another story entirely. I decided to get rid of a ton of scrappy trees and really open up the backyard. My plan was to allow as much sunlight in as possible so I could have my dream backyard. Flat and open as possible. I knew I wanted to go with a bermuda even though I had no clue what to do once I got it. Mistakes were made in the install process and I am steadily fixing them as I go. Approximately 6,000 sq/ft of TifGrand Bermuda installed back on March 14th.

Anyway enough of the blabbering I am sure you all would rather see the pics.
My plan is to update this as my progress continues. Thanks!


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)




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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)




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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)




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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)




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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Welcome to TLF!


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)




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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> Welcome to TLF!


Thanks!


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

That's quite the transformation! The end results look fantastic.


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## HitEmTrue (Apr 25, 2017)

What a project, looks great!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Welcome! Looks great! :thumbup:


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

Yeah that's awesome transformation!! Are you planning on keeping fescue in the front and tif grand in the back?

Before knowing any better...I did a version of that when I built my house for a couple reasons. One my daughter's was allergic to bermuda but not fescue and secondly the house was going to be finished on November so I told the builder to use annual rye in the front and and fescue In the back, all of which was hydro-seeded. The builder agreed to come back in the spring and seed the front with Bermuda. Long story short, it sucked have warm season and cool season grasses. Different mower heights, watering schedules , fertilization etcetera...

We ended up going through a drought in 2010 which in turn we had water well and sprinkler issues - so in 2012, I drilled a second well, fixed the irrigation problems, killed all the grass and laid 33,000 sq ft of Celebration Bermuda sod. Big job but happy with the results now using a triplex reel to maintain. I love the low cut carpet look of Bermuda and I think you will really love the TifGrand especially if you get a reel mower for it!!


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

MrMeaner,
Thanks for the kind words!
As of right now I am planning to keep the fescue in the front. The front of the house is basically in the shade with only about 2-3 hours of good sun. 
Right now I only have my rotary mower. I am diligently scanning the craigslist ads for a used reel mower. Looking for a C-25 or C-27 Tru Cut. I plan to use the reel mower for the backyard and my current rotary for the front. I like the idea of having the TifGrand front and back, but I just didnt think it would flourish with the amount of shade I get in the front. This website has been pretty helpful for me looking at sun exposure. http://www.suncalc.net

But you never know. I am sure like all plans things change. I am kinda just hoping for the best in the front.


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## lagerman72 (Feb 14, 2017)

Great transformation and work! Welcome to the site


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

lagerman72 said:


> Great transformation and work! Welcome to the site


Hey Thanks!


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> MrMeaner,
> Thanks for the kind words!
> As of right now I am planning to keep the fescue in the front. The front of the house is basically in the shade with only about 2-3 hours of good sun.
> Right now I only have my rotary mower. I am diligently scanning the craigslist ads for a used reel mower. Looking for a C-25 or C-27 Tru Cut. I plan to use the reel mower for the backyard and my current rotary for the front. I like the idea of having the TifGrand front and back, but I just didnt think it would flourish with the amount of shade I get in the front. This website has been pretty helpful for me looking at sun exposure. http://www.suncalc.net
> ...


Skip the Tru-Cut(I have one BTW)and go straight to a 26" greensmower from Toro, John Deere or Jacobsen, you have the perfect lawn setup for one. And please don't just take my word for it, I'm positive others here will join in my suggestion and you can thank us all later.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

+1, MrMeaner nailed it.

Looks like a _great_ yard for a greens mower... _particularly_ a 26". I'd be looking for a nice Toro Greensmaster 1600 or a John Deere 260SL. :thumbup:


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## southernguy311 (Mar 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> +1, MrMeaner nailed it.
> 
> Looks like a _great_ yard for a greens mower... _particularly_ a 26". I'd be looking for a nice Toro Greensmaster 1600 or a John Deere 260SL. :thumbup:


Take his word for it, and Ware's, and mine, just about every other greens mower owner. Best decision you will make.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Ha.... Ok so like I said earlier plans change. Looks like I will be searching for either a Toro Greensmaster or a JD 260SL. See this is why I joined the forum!

Thanks for the advice!


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> I will be searching for either a Toro Greensmaster or a JD 260SL


Good call!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

+1 greens mower


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> Ha.... Ok so like I said earlier plans change. Looks like I will be searching for either a Toro Greensmaster or a JD 260SL. See this is why I joined the forum!
> 
> Thanks for the advice!


I paid $2000(reg $2200) on sale for a new Tru-cut about 3 years ago. I still have to use it every time mow and for me it works great because I have a rear fence line with 8 pear trees situated 48" -50" away and lined up down the back fence line. At the time I had a 48" mower which worked fine, then got into wanting a reel mower and then a Triplex reel for my yard.

Since your starting off wanting a reel and the shape of your tif, looks to me like a greens mower would be a perfect fit!! As others have stated, its easer to adjust and maintain!! The tifgrand once leveled with sand will look close to a fairway putting green and neighbors will be jealous, trust me!! If you give your tif another month, June would be a good time to level/profile if you do infact find a used reel mower. Best part is you may infact find a golf course quality mower for about the same as a used tru cut and way less than a new one. Seems like going rates are $500-$1500 depending on hrs and conditions for a large toro or JD reel.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Love all this info I'm getting. 
Ive been scouring the web looking for used 26" reels and they seem pretty hard to find. I saw a couple. It seems the 22" greensmowers are more common. I am 100% leaning towards a greensmower after all the recommendations.

First turf question for ya. So it would be ok to go ahead and level my yard this year? For some reason I was under the impression I would need to wait till next year to do that since it's new sod. I would love to be able to go ahead and level this year.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Here are a few places to watch for used greens mowers.

The 26" units are not as abundant, but if you could find one I really think you would enjoy it on that wide open back yard. I think they are used primarily on golf course tee boxes and approaches, and typically have a slightly higher max HOC setting.


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## fp_911 (Apr 10, 2017)

Oh wow another Charlotte lawn enthusiast! What part of town are you located in? I'm in Davidson.

Welcome!


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

fp_911 said:


> Oh wow another Charlotte lawn enthusiast! What part of town are you located in? I'm in Davidson.
> 
> Welcome!


Thanks!

I'm down in South Charlotte.


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

just depends, When did you lay the sod? June - July is a good time to level with sand, because the grass should be taking off and growing quite well by then. It will just be hot and a lot of work!! You will want to fertilize a week or two before, scalp it down low when you get your reel mower, spread the sand using a wheelbarrow, brooms and finally and use a drag mat. I think Ware has some pictures of how he did his on this site.

Try Turfnet.com for used reels for sale - matter of fact I just looked and found several in you part of the country

Don't buy first reel you see, there is a lot that goes into picking what will want in the long run. Greensmowers are just that, meant to mow golf greens everyday. I doubt anyone wants to actually mow everyday especially 6000Sq Ft.. The shorter you keep you lawn determines how many times a week you need to mow. For instance if you plan on keeping it at 1/2" you will need to mow when it grows to 3/4" - Personally I like a 1/2" lawn - its fairly easy to maintain and it will look like a golf tee box or fairway. Like Ware said the larger 26" reels are meant to mow tee Boxes and approaches so they typically will have thicker bedknives and a little heavier duty steel on the reel itself. That will be perfect for your lawn.

As a general rule the more blades that are on the reel determine a lower height of cut(HOC) I would suggest, if you plan on keeping it at or around 1/2" look for a 26" with an 8 bladed reel - it will give you the option to cut very low as well as cut a little higher if you having to mow to often. 11 and 14 bladed reels are really meant for cutting greens 1/4" and lower daily or every other day

If you really want to get cray, you can look into a riding triplex mower - Many can be had for under $4-5K - Im so dumb I have two riding triplex's for my big *** yard.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

MrMeaner said:


> just depends, When did you lay the sod?


Sod put down on March 14-15th

Thanks again for all the info. I def don't want to be cutting my lawn everyday.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> I def don't want to be cutting my lawn everyday.


Insert PGR Thread here!


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> Cavan806 said:
> 
> 
> > I def don't want to be cutting my lawn everyday.
> ...


That comes later!! lol He just getting his feet wet now


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

MrMeaner said:


> That comes later!! lol He just getting his feet wet now


How long does it normally take to get your/my feet wet? lol. I really want to use the PGR but just have not taken that next level step.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Well...I pulled the trigger on a new mower today. Looking forward to learning how to use it.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Wow 260B with wheels, catcher and brush! Congratulations


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## bwatso01 (May 4, 2017)

Hello and welcome to the forum...yard looks great.
I was just about to send you this link on CL: https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/grd/6116980229.html
...but looks like that is the exact mower you got...good call and post some pics once you stripe it up with that machine.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Yep that's the one I got! The owner is delivering today. He is also going to give me a brief tutorial. Pretty excited.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> Yep that's the one I got! The owner is delivering today. He is also going to give me a brief tutorial. Pretty excited.


Congrats! :thumbup:


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Can't say enough positive things about the guy I bought it from. He delivered it and basically mowed my lawn for me while he was teaching/showing me how to use it. First passes were at 7/8" second round he showed me how to lower the HOC and I mowed it a 3/4". It's going to take some time to really get the feel for it down.
Overall I am super pumped I listened to everyone's advice from here and went with a greens mower over other options I was looking at.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I think you're going to be really happy with the 26". :thumbup:


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

+1


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## Reelnutt (May 4, 2017)

I started with a Tru-cut. Clear that thought out. Greensmower all the way


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## kds (Apr 28, 2017)

Welcome! That looks great. I love the shape of the yard against the mulch. Also love the lawn beer.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

So after using the new mower for the first time this weekend I noticed a lot of the high spots in the lawn were shaved pretty close. This resulted in the typical brown spots all over the lawn. I kinda figured this would happen. So my question is: Do I need to do anything to address these shaved spots other than the normal watering and monthly fert treatments? Is my thought process right thinking that these spots will adjust to the new HOC and eventually fill in laterally with consistent mowing? I know pics are better than words so I will try to get a good shot of the areas I am talking about tonight when I get back in town. Current HOC is 3/4". Its hard to see your very green lawn show signs of stress.

I guess I will have to top dress and level the lawn. That's just a lot for me to take on at the moment though.


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## HitEmTrue (Apr 25, 2017)

Cavan806 said:


> So after using the new mower for the first time this weekend I noticed a lot of the high spots in the lawn were shaved pretty close. This resulted in the typical brown spots all over the lawn. I kinda figured this would happen. So my question is: Do I need to do anything to address these shaved spots other than the normal watering and monthly fert treatments? Is my thought process right thinking that these spots will adjust to the new HOC and eventually fill in laterally with consistent mowing? I know pics are better than words so I will try to get a good shot of the areas I am talking about tonight when I get back in town. Current HOC is 3/4". Its hard to see your very green lawn show signs of stress.
> 
> I guess I will have to top dress and level the lawn. That's just a lot for me to take on at the moment though.


If you mow more often than needed, those spots could be ok. But if you wait until the rest of the yard needs to be mowed, you will probably scalp those high spots each time you mow.


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## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

Did you hit dirt on these spots? If not, I think you'll be ok as long as you keep up with your mowing.


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## Cavan806 (May 2, 2017)

Iriasj2009 said:


> Did you hit dirt on these spots? If not, I think you'll be ok as long as you keep up with your mowing.


No I didn't hit dirt anywhere. Ill see how it goes and I guess adjust up if I need to until I can top dress.


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