# SouthernTifTuf Lawn Journal



## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

My fiancé and I bought our home almost a year ago in Spring 2021 and have loved it except for the yard. It was a new construction home and as I now know the yard was treated as a construction grade yard. My yard is kind of split into three different sections that I have plans for and I want to document my progress when the TifTuf Sod is laid on March 18th and afterwards. The builder installed an irrigation system and centipede sod (with the plastic lining I hate) and it has been run to pieces due to its low traffic tolerance. I am not a fan of it because it is very rough on our feet, low tolerance to traffic and I enjoy mowing a bit more often.

This thread I discussed the sod plans in depth if you care to read. 
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=33779

The front yard: The front and side yards are not terrible because it has less foot traffic and irrigation installed. I don't hate it as much as the back and it was only slightly more to redo the entire front and back fenced area so I decided to keep it all uniform and have TifTuf Bermuda sod laid in both areas. The photos below show where the yard is at now and what I am starting with. This area makes up about 2,100 square feet of my lawn.





Back yard: Now this is the area that drives me crazy from the dirt and mud and lack of grass. Our dogs have absolutely terrorized our back yard and they are not even outside that often (medium sized indoor dogs) to really get after it. Half or so of the yard is bare dirt and the rest is thin, hard feeling and overall not a good time for me to manage. This portion is irrigated as well and I am most excited for this area to be sodded. This fenced in area is roughly 2,900 square feet of my yard









What I call the "Back back yard": we own more land behind our fence line that came how it was pretty much. No irrigation back here, no sod I think the grass might be common Bermuda but I am not entirely sure. There are a lot of weeds in this area I know I will need to address. Plans for this area besides mowing it are TBD because I would love to extend our fence and run irrigation back here and have a TifTuf oasis for 100+ feet back but with current lumber prices that is pricey at the moment. Would love any suggestions on this space but I am thinking about sprigging it next year from my back yard TifTuf which would allow me to put the money I would spend on sod into the fence and irrigation in this area. The area back here is around 5,000 square feet.







I did do a soil test and have a fertilizer plan I am going to follow and tweak based on how things go. At this time I am just preparing any products I will need and anxiously awaiting what I call "Sod Day" coming in March and starting to care for the new yard. Look forward to updating more and any suggestions anyone has!


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## typed by ben (Jul 12, 2021)

Soil test is a great call, don't think you will be disappointed there at all. Pretty cool to have an area outside of the "grounds" too that you can do experiments with. One of my favorite characteristics of my yard is all the different places I can try different varieties. Makes life interesting


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

typed by ben said:


> Soil test is a great call, don't think you will be disappointed there at all. Pretty cool to have an area outside of the "grounds" too that you can do experiments with. One of my favorite characteristics of my yard is all the different places I can try different varieties. Makes life interesting


Yeah it is I just can't decide what to do with it honestly. I feel like whatever I do yard wise a fence is required though because service trucks or 4 wheelers will ride back there from time to time and leave tracks. I have been shopping around for the lumber but have had no luck. At year end if I get my promotion and we are staying here longer (chance we could be moving states) term I will definitely be doing the fence and using that area for more turf.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Doing some irrigation prep work. Basically all I am doing is adding 2 more valves to my irrigation that won't have sprinklers on them yet. Running the pipe to the other side of the fence for whenever I need it. Thought process here is whatever I decide to do in the back back yard I will want irrigation for and if I wait to do it I will have to dig up and relevel my nice turf after it is laid.

Will hopefully have the pipe laid and setup sometime tonight after we get back from the gym and will worry about the wiring to the box next week sometime.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Finished up and back filled my pipes to the back back. I have 2 valves installed that I can dig up and access anytime I need to whenever I want to add irrigation back there. Only thing I haven't done yet is run my wires to the garage but that can wait a week.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Bought a 20 inch tru cut that I think I got a good deal on. It was $500 and cuts paper, came with a brand new spare set of tires that I may sell, backlapping kit and everything appears to be in working order. I never thought I would buy a reel mower and thought a rotary would do but I am excited for the lower cut come spring.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Stained the perimeter of the backyard fence this weekend. Not really lawn related but trying to get as much done as we can before the sod is down. Only 11 more days and I could not be more excited!

Centipede has started to green up where it isn't dirt but I am looking forward to the bermuda.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

I have terrible news. The landscapers skid steer is in the shop and the part is 3 weeks out. So instead of the sod being laid in a week it has been postponed until April 15th 

I am going to try and use this time to maybe extend my fence back further and decide on that back back area with the time.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

So a lot of good has come out of this delay. From my other post I have decided to go with celebration instead of tiftuf which will save me a little over $1,000 on the project. I also had the landscaper come out and requote doing the back back yard too which I agreed to. So now we will be having 20 pallets of celebration prepped and laid April 15th. Until then I am going to be working on expanding my fence and irrigation system to the new area and we are really looking forward to having a bigger area with a nice turf.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> I have decided to go with celebration instead of tiftuf...


I don't think you will regret that decision! Looking forward to following your progress.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Redtwin said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > I have decided to go with celebration instead of tiftuf...
> ...


Thanks a ton to you and others for your guidance. I have done a ton of reading here and really appreciate this forum for its wealth of knowledge and willingness to help one another


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > I have decided to go with celebration instead of tiftuf...
> ...


Time for a name change


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Funny how a broken skid steer works out in the end. I think @SouthernCelebration has nice ring to it.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Are you going to glysophate the yard?


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

CenlaLowell said:


> Are you going to glysophate the yard?


Yeah the landscaper is going to come out and do that a few weeks beforehand.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Almost done with running the irrigation to the back back yard which will soon be a part of the backyard. The first new zone with 5 heads is done and in and I am done trenching the 2nd zone and it's 4 heads. I just need to finish laying the pipe and heads. About 300 feet of trenching I dug with a shovel below the frost line which I know isn't the most efficient way to do it but I work behind a desk all day so I enjoy the opportunity to be outside and saving some money from renting a trencher. The turf also isn't down so I don't really care about the cleanliness of removing the dirt and what not as well.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

I have the fence expanded and wow is the extra space nice to have. This took my back yard from around 2,500 sq feet to 7,600 square feet and I am even more excited for the sod to get here.

The 2nd photo is where the old posts were and where my fence ended and the other 2 are now. The fence turned out ok I still need to rip out enough concrete from the old posts to bury them and cut off the tops of one side of the posts so they're uniform. Some details bother me about the pickets but I'm going to wait for the yard to be regraded and see how it looks before making any changes. Not the best work ever but saved a lot of money.

Also ignore the stain mix and match once the new wood dries it will all be stained lol


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

Well, that expanded quickly -- awesome! Following.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

You have a full-on soccer/football field now!


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Yeah the increase in space has been great. The dogs have loved being able to run around more back there. Still a lot of dirt so the house has gotten dirty but tomorrow they're spraying out the existing yard and weeds so that will be a good time to deep clean.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

The landscaper sprayed last Sunday and the yard has been dying off ever since. It has a sickly yellow color to it. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow at the property line for comparison. Super excited for Friday


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

The centipede is struggling from being sprayed out. Looking forward to the bermuda journey.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Out with the old


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

Are we in with the new yet? =)


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

It is still in progress today. I left the house to spend some time with my mom and they were about halfway done. Here's a photo of the bermuda on the pallet last night. Very excited for the final product and the seams to grow in and what not.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

They are still cutting edges and cleaning up but really happy with this view.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> They are still cutting edges and cleaning up but really happy with this view.


Looking forward to the transformation!


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

Looks pretty darn good, looks like they're doing a good job.

I'm a little surprised how green the sod is, too. I figured it might still be relatively dormant, but that looks to be pretty greened up already! Good stuff.

Likewise, am looking forward to the transformation. Congrats!


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Here's a lot of photos from before and after the landscaper took and I had them send me. The new pine straw was unexpected but a very nice touch.

Now just trying to tune in my watering to not too little and not too much so taking any suggestions for that


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

The lawn has been doing well and started to root in some places. I do have a dollar spot issue in part of the back yard that I posted about in another thread. Ordered some fungicide and can hopefully get it taken care of ASAP and get back on track as I don't want this to get out of hand.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Put out 40 lbs of 13-13-13 which is about just over .5 N/K on the lawn and plan to do the same again in 2 weeks. This dollar spot has me worried but having an excuse to use the new Lesco spreader today and my back pack sprayer tomorrow is a silver lining. The Lesco is 100% worth the money I got 40 lbs of product down so fast it is an incredible time saver. Hopefully the fungus will be eradicated soon.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

The nice thing I have noticed about dollarspot is that you can push through it with Nitrogen. I don't know if that will work for new sod though.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Redtwin said:


> The nice thing I have noticed about dollarspot is that you can push through it with Nitrogen. I don't know if that will work for new sod though.


Yeah my soil test results are painfully bad so I'm sure the lack of nutrients isn't helping the bermuda at all. Think I've decided to put down eagle tomorrow when it comes in and see how it goes with fertilizer and eagle then put down more fert like I had planned in 2 weeks and see if the dollar spot has stopped and if not use propiconazole. Using propi on the new sod just worries me a bit with the growth stunting side effects.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Got the eagle 20EW down today at a curative rate. Hoping to have my first mow at the beginning of next week and am being more mindful of water moving forward. Also corrected nozzles on the backyard zone that the builder put in. It was anything but even and any head no matter 90, 180, etc had the same water so that should be 1 zone corrected. Still trying to figure out another zone with fixed heads in another post.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

First mow today at 1.25 inches. Going to slow take it down mowing every few days and see where I like it. The back is very uneven and in need of some sand at some point but scalping was minimal. The only area I have that is a problem is this area in the back. After inspecting the sod pieces there those are very thin and lacking a lot of roots from the farm. Annoying but not the end of the world since I can see how well the bermuda can fill in.

This was also my first time reel mowing and some of my take aways are:
1) I should've bought a 27 inch to knock out the back faster 
2) controlling a reel mower on turn arounds is much more challenging than a rotary. I am figuring out but initially I didn't know what was going on
3) I cannot believe cut grass can look like that. Such a clean cut and even at 1.25 inches is the lowest I've ever been able to mow


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Mowed again Thursday and this morning at 1.25 inches and applied another 4 lbs/k of 13-13-13. My struggling area in the back seems to be filling in which I am really impressed with. I want to go lower on the front and get under an inch but I'm scalping some already at 1.25 so I'm not sure if I should take it down and deal with the ugly temporarily or what the best course is for that.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Haven't posted an update in the last few weeks so going to give a timeline of what the lawn has been up to. I lowered my HOC on the back lawn on May 9th to an inch to see how it greened up after a height of cut reset and was really happy with it. Didn't take it super low because I was taking it slow but there was a noticeable difference in green when I mowed at 1.25 inches again. When I get my trucut operating again I plan to cut lower for a better reset on the entire lawn. Had some dollar spot come back up so applied 1.5ish ounces/k of propi on May 16th which has really knocked it back plus on May 21st I applied 30 lbs of 24-25-4 over my 10,000 square feet which is the most nitrogen it has had at once time which really kicked it off and grew through the dollar spot. I have not been able to mow since this past Friday because I was out of town this weekend and when I came back it has been storming for the last few days so the lawn is grown out a little and I will likely have to cut with the rotary mower today if I can. How soon would I be able to apply T-Nex to it?

May 9th when I mowed it at an inch. Still pretty in level so that's the lowest it's gone




May 15th after mowing again at 1.25 inches 




This past Friday after mowing


I am also super happy with the drainage of water back here now. Last year it was very bowl like and water would sit for a while. These 2 photos were 2 hours apart of how quickly water gets out once the ground is saturated


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

That's looking good! You can start T-Nex as soon as it is rooted and established, though I would not apply it while you still have Propiconazole active. Start with a low rate and bump it up until you get the regulation you are looking for.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Redtwin said:


> That's looking good! You can start T-Nex as soon as it is rooted and established, though I would not apply it while you still have Propiconazole active. Start with a low rate and bump it up until you get the regulation you are looking for.


Yes sir I am super happy with it! Still a little bumpy and uneven so itching to sand level but overall after 5 1/2 weeks I can't complain. Just hoping I can get this bolt in for my trucut soon so I can lower my cut for the entire yard and reset some scalping


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Mowed today for the first time since Friday and it was super overgrown. I used my rotary on the 2nd lowest setting because of how high it was and also because I'm still waiting on the bolt for my trucut to come in. Let me just say what a difference a reel mower is compared to it. The cleanness and smoothest of the cut between the 2 is incredibly different. For a while when I got onto TLF I wasn't drinking the reel kool aid because I thought it wasn't a big gap in quality but wow I don't think I could consistently go back now.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Sun setting on the lawn this evening. We have some really nice sunsets back here.


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> Sun setting on the lawn this evening. We have some really nice sunsets back here.


That's beautiful. What a great way to be able to end your days @SouthernTiftuf.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

We are back in business! Got my bolt replacement today and spanner wrench so my reel to bed knife is good and cutting paper again. Hopefully I won't have anymore mower issues moving forward. Cut at 1 1/8th of an inch and took a lot off since the rotary can only cut so low so it doesn't look it's best. I'm going to cut each day this weekend a little lower and reset the height of cut and see where I can get it looking best. Didn't have time to mow the back yet but I'll hit that in the morning hopefully weather permitting.

I have this trouble area by my fence that looks rough as well. It stays pretty wet there because a drain pipe from my house comes out in that area and I think keeps it moist as well as I think this is the low spot for the area. Looking for solutions but if I can't find one soon I think I'm going to landscape the side of the house all the way down with a rock bed with either bushes or flowers and use it as an opportunity to reposition sprinkler heads properly.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Got the back mowed today and got my Bifen and Imidacloprid down for insects. This forum has been super helpful and kind since joining. My lawn isn't as good as some yet but compared to where I was last year with all of the knowledge here it has made a world of a difference so thank you everyone.


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

It's looking really quite good -- and it's also still relatively early in the season. I think you'll be pretty happy with it by EoY and likely thrilled with it by this time next year.

Good stuff, looking forward to your continued updates.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

3 of our dogs enjoying the backyard this afternoon

Mowed the front and still at 1.25 inches. Just can't put myself to scalp it yet or how low to take it down to reset. Partially scared to be honest to mess it up too much or too low in the heat. I am fertilizing again this coming weekend so maybe I'll convince myself to do it then. Also have a sprinkler head from the builder to repair or replace this week.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Finally have gotten the courage to move my HOC down to reset. Have been going down a little in the front each day. Today is 7/8th of an inch. It looks bad but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The corner by the gate is constantly wet from that pipe so I'm a couple mows away from adding bushes there and not dealing with it anymore.


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

I see a PRS in your future. =) Looking good.

You may want to drop to ~0.5" over a shorter time period (ie 2-3 mows in 1 or 2 days), then let it green back up and maintain your desired HoC -- how low are you thinking you're going to want to keep it & maintain it at?


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

ADanto6840 said:


> I see a PRS in your future. =) Looking good.
> 
> You may want to drop to ~0.5" over a shorter time period (ie 2-3 mows in 1 or 2 days), then let it green back up and maintain your desired HoC -- how low are you thinking you're going to want to keep it & maintain it at?


I'm not really sure yet to be honest with you. My plan is to get down to 3/4 of an inch and go back to an inch and see how it looks there and kind of discovery what works best. The lawn is in need of leveling to go lower consistently so I'll need to get some sand on I think to get much below that. It is funny the difference between this community and the neighborhood because 1.25 inch cut seems super low compared to the neighbors but is nothing to the tifgrand lawns maintained at .25 inches haha


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

ADanto6840 said:


> I see a PRS in your future. =) Looking good.


Idech scissors came in today and they are very nice and makes trimming much more enjoyable. expensive at $300 but seems like that's the market for them so fair enough. Really happy with them and hoping to be my last big lawn purchase for the year haha


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Gave the dogs a pool/play area for when it gets hot out or when it is raining we have a dryer place to take them out. Plan on fencing off this and the grass area next to it for them for when it rains and to use the bathroom on in the morning to try and limit dog pee spots.

Not bringing the reel mower next to those rocks either the thought of that stresses me out.


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> ADanto6840 said:
> 
> 
> > I see a PRS in your future. =) Looking good.
> ...


LOL - that was faster than I expected! :lol:

Agreed WRT the expense, but yeah, they're so nice to use. Just after pulling the trigger I think I stumbled across a thread here that said you could call them directly and get 10-20% off. Oh well, that's how it goes.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

ADanto6840 said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > ADanto6840 said:
> ...


I found them on amazon for a little under $300 25% off. If I see them anywhere cheaper I might pull the trigger and return the Amazon one if the difference is enough.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Mowed the back again. Not super happy with the cut but maybe I am being picky. Starting to get more and more sedge in the back. Is it too early to use herbicide on it? The surrounding yards back here aren't maintained because it's behind peoples fence lines so there's a lot of weeds so I am surprised it not worse. The area behind our back is basically a sedge farm that gets mowed every 4-6 weeks unfortunately.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

The sedge field behind my lawn


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Mowed today and applied 3 lbs/k of 32-0-10. In a month before my next application I am going to get another soil test to see how my P and K is doing for the year since it was so low last year. Also PGR came in the mail so going to get that out at some point and maybe some herbicides if the lawn is old enough for it. Fixed 5 out of my 6 irrigation zones to have more even coverage as well. 2 I installed myself and have been good to go, 1 was the builders I worked on earlier this year and 2 more I tinkered with and got to work today. The last one is super off though and not sure what to do with it so I'll have to play around and see what I can make work.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

So I've posted before about the corner area in my lawn always being wet. I knew it was from the AC unit drip pan but it was just drips so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Well I put a bucket out there to catch the water and help the area dry up and wow it is a lot of water. This bucket fills up in about an hour and a half so that is all going into that area constantly. Going to look into how I can redirect these pipes and avoid this but for now my bucket will stay and be dumped.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Yeah, it's pretty humid in Georgia. The TifTuf is looking great! What HOC are you currently mowing?


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Redtwin said:


> Yeah, it's pretty humid in Georgia. The TifTuf is looking great! What HOC are you currently mowing?


1.25 inches in the back and about an inch inch 1/8th in the front. It's just so bumpy still in some spots from the sod I can't get much lower. I'm planning on sand leveling the front on July 9th and hoping after that I can get it to 3/4 or an inch at least. Also funny enough I have celebration after a last minute change my TLF name was selected already haha


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, it's pretty humid in Georgia. The TifTuf is looking great! What HOC are you currently mowing?
> ...


You may be surprised after leveling...you'll likely be able to get down lower than .75". Your celebration is looking good though! It loves to be mowed short


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## Vandy (Sep 2, 2020)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> So I've posted before about the corner area in my lawn always being wet. I knew it was from the AC unit drip pan but it was just drips so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Well I put a bucket out there to catch the water and help the area dry up and wow it is a lot of water. This bucket fills up in about an hour and a half so that is all going into that area constantly. Going to look into how I can redirect these pipes and avoid this but for now my bucket will stay and be dumped.


Let let know if you find a solution for this. I am having the same issue.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

monsonman said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > Redtwin said:
> ...


Yeah I am excited to see the difference in how low I can take it. I think on July 9th I am going to level the front yard only and save the back for next year. This fall I am eligible for a promotion at work so we could be moving so I figure I will save the time and money when I know we will be here longer term or not.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Vandy said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > So I've posted before about the corner area in my lawn always being wet. I knew it was from the AC unit drip pan but it was just drips so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Well I put a bucket out there to catch the water and help the area dry up and wow it is a lot of water. This bucket fills up in about an hour and a half so that is all going into that area constantly. Going to look into how I can redirect these pipes and avoid this but for now my bucket will stay and be dumped.
> ...


Will do. Right now my most aggressive maybe plan is to cut through the wall on the other side (my garage) and redirect the pipes into the garage and then out onto my driveway somehow so it runs off into the sewer. Not 100% sure yet how I will accomplish that and make it look good still but it is a work in progress.


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

We had one of these at our old house. You can hook up a hose to it and use the water for planters and such. It's not pretty to look at, but works well.

https://www.ntotank.com/225gallon-acerotomold-white-horizontal-leg-tank-x7838695


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Put down .2 oz/k of T nex yesterday evening. First PGR application ever so I started light and hoping to see a noticeable difference.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Yup PGR is amazing. Lawn looks so good and with less clippings. My last mow was Thursday and we have been gone all weekend. I came back to no seed heads and not much growth but it was thicker and darker. Photos after this evenings mow.

The back is a little drought stressed but it hasn't had water in a over a week and it's been 100+ almost every day so that's honestly better than expected.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

3 of our 4 dogs pictured enjoying the evening yard time.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Applied 4 scoops of certainty per 2 gallons of water and spot sprayed any sedge in my lawn this evening. Will hopefully see results in the next few weeks and a reduction but if not I'll reapply.


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## Humbert810 (8 mo ago)

I just realized this was you! I read through your journal the other night. Amazing progress. I will be following along to see how your recent treatment goes!


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Humbert810 said:


> I just realized this was you! I read through your journal the other night. Amazing progress. I will be following along to see how your recent treatment goes!


Thanks a ton! It has been a lot of work but very enjoyable and hoping to continue to push the lawn to the next level and not mess anything up along the way.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

The heat down here is serious lately. Already irrigating again tomorrow morning. Going to use the rachio flex daily feature to see how that goes with the ET data and what not.


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## futuradesign (Jul 3, 2018)

Beautiful lawn and dogs! Bet they love having all that space.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

futuradesign said:


> Beautiful lawn and dogs! Bet they love having all that space.


They love it. These 3 not so much when it's 101 out with their fur but our 4th who is a short hair rescue loves to sun bathe out in the heat haha. Now when winter comes around he stays in a dog bed while they run like crazy in the cold.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Not as hot today but broke out the dog pool for them to enjoy.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Applied a T nex and Bifen mix Saturday evening at a .2oz/k and 1 oz/k rate on the lawn. Following GDDs of 225 give or take and haven't seen yellowing yet but regulation seems good so far. Will monitor this moving forward if I need to raise it and will hopefully be coming out of regulation before July 9th so I can sand level.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Was out of town for a few days but able to mow today. Haven't fertilized in a little I've 3 weeks and mowing at an inch right now in the front. Next year I plan to switch to a spoon feed program to try and avoid the color drop off.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Also think going down to .75 inches then coming back to an inch will help a lot and will probably do this week.


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## WillyT (Jun 26, 2019)

Impressive work in a short amount of time!


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

WillyT said:


> Impressive work in a short amount of time!


Thanks a ton for the compliment! This year has definitely been trying to get the feel for everything and what works and what doesn't for my lawn. Hoping next year after sand leveling, starting a spoon feeding program, etc I can take a jump to the next level.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

This is an exceptionally beautiful lawn, especially considering there are 4 large dogs that enjoy it as well. Great work and great transition!


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> WillyT said:
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> > Impressive work in a short amount of time!
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You should go ahead and level now!


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

killacam said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
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We have our wedding coming up in November so we are trying to save cash to cover anything over budget + honey moon so I told my fiancé I was done making any large purchases for the lawn this year. She's been super supportive allowing me to buy a reel mower, all of the sod, extending the fence, extending the irrigation, power rotary scissor, every chemical this world has to offer, the water bill, etc so holding off on sand definitely isn't a deal breaker for me at this point.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Redtwin said:


> This is an exceptionally beautiful lawn, especially considering there are 4 large dogs that enjoy it as well. Great work and great transition!


That's a ton redtwin! It is funny when I talk to my fiancé we're royalty in our neighborhood compared to the other yards but I just know it can be so much better with some adjustments! It is incredible though being able to use the lawn and play with the dogs this year without them being covered in dirt and running around in mud every time it rains. Incredible thankful for TLF


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

I have been using the rachio flex daily for a bit now and am pretty happy with it so far and think it's pretty efficient. I have it set to water a half inch but am considering raising it to 3/4 if it reduces the frequency but I am not 100% sure how it all works yet.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Finally got a mow in yesterday morning before another downpour. First mow since Sunday before the 4th with all the rain we have had plus I blanket sprayed Celsius and certainty so had to wait 2 days after that to mow. Front I raised the HOC on since we have company next week but I reset the back that I already kept taller and it looks ugly. Looking to fertilize if it dries out enough this morning before another rain. Also need to reapply PGR tonight or whenever I can get a pocket of dry weather. Going to reduce my rate some and see what impacts it has on the grass.


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> So I've posted before about the corner area in my lawn always being wet. I knew it was from the AC unit drip pan but it was just drips so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Well I put a bucket out there to catch the water and help the area dry up and wow it is a lot of water. This bucket fills up in about an hour and a half so that is all going into that area constantly. Going to look into how I can redirect these pipes and avoid this but for now my bucket will stay and be dumped.


I've probably got 7 tons of AC for my home. 3,100 square feet. Just an FYI. The condensate drain can dump as much as 35 gallons in a 24 hour period. Just a rule of thumb to use if you want to run it to storage.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

JRS 9572 said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
> 
> 
> > So I've posted before about the corner area in my lawn always being wet. I knew it was from the AC unit drip pan but it was just drips so I figured it couldn't be that bad. Well I put a bucket out there to catch the water and help the area dry up and wow it is a lot of water. This bucket fills up in about an hour and a half so that is all going into that area constantly. Going to look into how I can redirect these pipes and avoid this but for now my bucket will stay and be dumped.
> ...


Interesting, thank you. My house is around 1600 square feet so maybe 60% the water. I am thinking about doing like a vertical French drain with 3 inch or larger PVC pipe 3-4 feet deep into the ground and filled with rocks and some holes. Just not sure if that will be enough to handle the volume or not so will need to run some numbers on that. Also thinking about just buying a huge tank and filling it up and draining every few days but that might be an eye sore.


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

SouthernTiftuf said:


> JRS 9572 said:
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Yeah or you could bury a tank, and put a submersible well pump inside of it. But that's a lot more work.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Sprayed t nex tonight at a lower .15 oz/k rate to see how it does. Photo from tonight makes the back look better than it is. Some of the weeds are still dying off from the Celsius certainty combo last week so that's an improvement. It's been a rough 4-6 weeks weather wise from droughts to endless storms so for my first season I am pretty happy as long as we can make it into spring next year and really start on things with verticutting, spoon feeding, sand leveling, etc.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

JRS 9572 said:


> SouthernTiftuf said:
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It would be awesome if I could use the water for something but that much water I wouldn't use for months on just watering bushes. I like the submersed pump but agree much more labor.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Mid summer soil test is back and much improved from the one this winter. Still have some work to do and already ordered 16-4-8 for my last applications this year.


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## SouthernTiftuf (12 mo ago)

Haven't posted any photos lately but I've been mowing, spot sprayed some weeds with a heavy certainty/Celsius mix out back so some discoloration there and applied 13-13-13 at 8 lb/k rate since my soil test because I couldn't get any 16-4-8 for a good price.

I also learned I will possibly/likely be moving soon for my job for a promotion so I am looking forward to that but I am sad if we move I won't be able to see the lawn reach it's full potential. Hoping wherever we end up I can grow Bermuda or zoysia but maybe I'll have to shift to the cool season side.


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