# Pete1313's Lawn Journal



## Pete1313

Rough winter. The end is near, so it is time to start another lawn journal. To see what I have accomplished in the past, you can check out my previous journals.

Pete1313 Reel Mowed Bewitched Kentucky Bluegrass Renovation

Pete1313's 2019 Lawn Journal

Pete1313's 2020 Lawn Journal

Spent the off-season getting the equipment ready for 2021. It has been 4 years since the cutting units were overhauled. Although they were in good shape, they needed some attention. Some pics of the old bedknives and then the new ones installed. Also in the following pics, you can see a new upgrade in the 3" diameter rear rollers.











I also took the FTC assemblies apart, inspected, replaced a few seals, cleaned them up, and replaced a few other pieces of hardware as well.

















In January, I sent the reels and new knife assemblies out for a grind to J.W. Turf, my local JD turf dealer. Here are some pics when I picked them up.









In late February I got the rest of the PMs done on all the outdoor equipment, did the final assembly and setup of the cutting units and started getting the garage setup for the season. The bench HOC on the units are set to .75", the FTC assemblies are set to .625", and the front roller position is on setting 4 with the 2.5" front rollers.


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## Pete1313

Started getting some supplies in for 2021 already. Picked up 300 lbs of ESN 44-0-0 polymer coated urea, 200 lbs of MOP 0-0-60, and 5 cases of Feature(no, they are not all for just my lawn) from my local Nutrien AG. The 44-0-0 is $0.25/lb and the 0-0-60 is $0.18/lb. The Feature is not too bad on price either .



The SGN of the fertilizers were initially a concern before I saw them knowing they are AG grade, but after getting them they look like something I will be able to work with.





I blended the 44-0-0 and 0-0-60 together in a 3:2 ratio since they are both the same SGN. It makes it easier for me to apply this way well. The end result is a 26.4-0-24 that is 100% controlled release and only cost $11.10/50 lbs.



I also found a great deal on some spray grade AMS 21-0-0 at $8.99/51 lb bag, so I took advantage and am stocked up for multiple seasons.


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## dacoyne

Pete where are you getting Feature by the case? I thought they stopped making it last year, no one could find it?


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## SumBeach35

dacoyne said:


> Pete where are you getting Feature by the case? I thought they stopped making it last year, no one could find it?


Message me with quantity and shipping details. Cases are available.


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## Pete1313

dacoyne said:


> Pete where are you getting Feature by the case? I thought they stopped making it last year, no one could find it?


I get it from my local Nutrien AG. I don't think they ever stopped making it, just that the one online seller stopped selling. My local Nutrien AG is willing to get it for me, but to be honest most locations wouldn't go out of their way for most. He let's me pick from his bulk bins and is willing to locate the Feature, but I am not buying in small quantities either.



SumBeach35 said:


> dacoyne said:
> 
> 
> 
> Pete where are you getting Feature by the case? I thought they stopped making it last year, no one could find it?
> 
> 
> 
> Message me with quantity and shipping details. Cases are available.
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to go with @SumBeach35! :thumbsup: Unless you are willing to buy multiple cases at a time. He even has a website in his signature where you can purchase online.


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## Pete1313

Also during the off-season, I picked up a few other things to add to my inventory. 100 lbs of spray grade KNO3 13.7-0-46, 110 lbs of spray grade MKP 0-52-34, 5 gal of 0-0-26 phosphite, and 100 lbs of citric acid. Multiple years worth of inventory, and am looking forward to incorporating all into my spray program.





Spent some time organizing the fertilizers, putting them into bins and labeling to make quick access.



Also picked up more T-nex and really only need to stock up on some urea and will be set for the most part for a while. Based on soil results, there may be some elemental sulfur and gypsum, but will wait on those items until I get the soil report.


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## Pete1313

So what shape is the lawn currently in? What have I done to it so far? And what are my plans for 2021?

The past winter was rough on the grass here in NW Illinois as well as most parts in the upper midwest. November and December had no snow cover, but on 12/30/20 we received snow which melted down some, iced over and I didn't see the first parts of the lawn again until 3/3/21 (64 days later). That 64 days of continuous snow/ice cover produced some gray snow mold and was first observed with the following pics taken on 3/3.











I'm not really concerned about the gray snow mold and will be a distant memory in a few weeks, but with the combined foot traffic when there was no snow in November and December and the patches of snow mold, the lawn is left looking in rough shape to start 2021. It is probably the worst it is looking coming out of winter since I have been here. These pics were taken on 3/8 when just about all the snow has melted(69 days of continuous cover in the worst spots) and are worth documenting to show the shape it is in and how quick it will start looking acceptable in a few weeks.













This is the first year that I have actually put a restriction on the lawn and told the kids no sports on it until you see the mower on it for the first time.

Late last fall I trimmed all the trees, did the fall cleanup and edged all the beds to give myself a head start going into 2021. So far this year all I have done is apply gypsum by the street area to minimize salt damage and it was applied on 3/8.

What are my goals for 2021? Continue to maintain a top level surface for my kids as well as all the neighborhood kids to play on. To be honest, I'm not sure I would do what I do if they didn't enjoy playing on it so much. The lawn gets alot of use, as witnessed by all the color loss in the pics above.

This area again for reference was frequently used last fall for pickup football games. Based on the wear patterns, you can almost see where they lineup and run.



I do take a sports turf approach to maintaining my lawn, and will continue to do it as cost effectively and efficiently as possible.

The plan is to maintain it all year at a .75" HOC and will try to not bounce around HOCs as I have done in the past. A quote from @MNLawnGuy1980s lawn journal is something I strive to do as well, especially regarding the HOC.



MNLawnGuy1980 said:


> I am shooting for more consistency this year, less roller coaster of decision making, and more stroll in the park consistency. The more consistency approach is driven by me constantly doing stupid stuff throughout the year, i.e. when my lawn is thriving at .3 or .4, I am going to do my best not to make the jump down to .25 to "see how it will do".


I'm excited to get the season started and look forward to another fun year out in the lawn!


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## Pete1313

Beautiful day today. Temps hit 60°F, sunshine and no wind. There was no way I wasn't going to do stuff in the yard. Picked up sticks, pine cones and other yard debris. Soil is drying up enough that I was actually able to pull soil samples.

Sample in the bucket and I will mix it up tomorrow and send it off to Waypoint on Monday.


My soil probe that I use for samples with a custom depth gauge I mount on the side to sample down to 4".


When I was done, I debated, but decided to throw the buckets on and do the spring clean up. Based on the cooler/wetter weather forecast for next week, it might be a bit before I will have the opportunity to get out again.



HOC was set @ .75" but kicked the FTC groomers down to .50" to help clean up the yard a bit. In total, there were about 24 full buckets collected. This will be one of the few times in the year that I will run with them on.



Pete1313 said:


> This is the first year that I have actually put a restriction on the lawn and told the kids no sports on it until you see the mower on it for the first time.


The neighborhood kids must have been watching me and waiting. Not more than 5 minutes after I was done, the kids were setting up cones to play football in their favorite spot. At one point I counted 12 kids in the yard, with only 1 being my own. Made me smile!





That spot that they play on constantly starts to make me think if it might need some additional maintenance throughout the year. It is only around 3500 sq ft, but is seeing a good amount of traffic. Whether additional coring, sanding, or both, might all be something I might consider depending how it looks going thru the year.


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## ROJ_3030

Yes!!! A new Pete journal thread to further raise the bar. It's amazing to see how nice your turf looks just after your clean up session. Can't wait to follow along and see what you have in store.

I couldn't relate more to the satisfaction I get from seeing the enjoyment of friends and family playing on all our hard work. Selfishly makes me feel it's all justified.

Couple questions:

What's the reasoning behind the larger rear roller? I'm assuming possibly the progression to shifting the 2500b further from a greens mower to the higher hoc fairway setup?

Could you enlighten noobs like myself on when or why one should use slow release products? Maybe even a slightly deeper dive into your overall fertility program strategy? I know much of this is driven from soil test results but would love to hear you elaborate on this topic as I'm continuing to learn.

-Jacob


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## Pete1313

ROJ_3030 said:


> Yes!!! A new Pete journal thread to further raise the bar. It's amazing to see how nice your turf looks just after your clean up session. Can't wait to follow along and see what you have in store.
> 
> I couldn't relate more to the satisfaction I get from seeing the enjoyment of friends and family playing on all our hard work. Selfishly makes me feel it's all justified.


Thanks for following along. It is satisfying watching others enjoy the lawn. The boys were out again on Sunday playing baseball in the backyard. I was hitting them grounders, and must have thrown 300 pitches for batting practice.



ROJ_3030 said:


> What's the reasoning behind the larger rear roller? I'm assuming possibly the progression to shifting the 2500b further from a greens mower to the higher hoc fairway setup?


Simply put, yes, it is probably the final step in getting the right setup for having the 2500B cut perfectly in my HOC range. The larger rollers get the brackets out of the canopy. With 2" rollers whether on the front or rear of the QA5 head, the brackets only sit about .5" from the ground. This causes an issue in the aftercut appearance at HOCs .75" and above. When you mow and overlap the previous pass, the bracket will drag in the previous pass and stand up the grass. It makes for a small strip about .75"-1" in width that looks as though it wasn't cut even though it was between each pass. Kind of hard to explain, but hope I did. With the 3" rear rollers, the brackets are above 1". Even with 2.5" front rollers, the front brackets are at .875". I would prefer 3" front rollers as well, but won't fit with the current FTC groomer setup.







Pics of the width of the brackets that would correlate with the width of the stripe of stood up grass that you would see at the taller HOCs.







ROJ_3030 said:


> Could you enlighten noobs like myself on when or why one should use slow release products? Maybe even a slightly deeper dive into your overall fertility program strategy? I know much of this is driven from soil test results but would love to hear you elaborate on this topic as I'm continuing to learn.


I spray almost 50% of my N with foliar urea or soil sprayed AMS. I enjoy doing this because I can really control and use small rates of cheap, fast release N and is easy to add to fungicides or a T-nex/iron spray. That being said, I can't get all my N this way unless I was spraying weekly.

Granular fertilizers have always been my base of N, and the Sprayed N has been the topping off, or getting the right amount of N I want for color/growth. Previously I have used quick release granulars but never liked having to apply small doses frequently with the spreader even though they are cheap. Finding 44-0-0 polymer coated urea at $0.25/lb ($12.50/50 lbs) has allowed me to change up the way my granulars go down this year.

Here are typical temperature release curves of the product I am using this year.



With those curves and knowing what my typical soil temps are in different months, I can begin to estimate how the N will release thru the year. I could go out with a whole 1 lb/M of N with this product on April 1st and estimate that only .2 lbs/M of N would release in April, possibly another .3 lbs/M of N in May, and the other .5lbs/M of N releasing in June.

You would need to be careful of using this product I July or August in my area, as around 60% of this product could release each month, but you could use it again in late August with a high rate of N and have it meter out thru the fall and give a steady feeding of N. That would mean I would only need to apply granular N 2 times/year compared to 6-8 times/year like I have done in previous seasons. I plan to try it out this year, see how I like it, and then decide if I will keep using it in following years.

Hope this helps. Any follow up questions, let me know. :thumbsup:


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## Pete1313

Good day to get out in the yard yesterday, 65°F and a .15" ET. Got to try out a new tool for me, a hex plugger. It quickly moved up my list as one of my favorite tools.





Took plugs from the back corner area of the yard where I store extra soil and yard debris. I will take plugs from this area throughout the year as I look to expand the non grassed area out a bit.



Most of the plugs went into this area. A spot that has been my Achilles heal. It is tough to grow grass in this spot as it is a bottle neck for traffic, has a tough slope, a drain for the pool concrete surface exits here, as well as alot of rainwater runoff runs across this spot. Reseeding efforts as well as smaller pro plugger attempts never took hold. I am hopeful and excited that this repair might be more successful.





Got the plugs fit in tightly together and fairly smooth with the help of an extra piece of wood. When done, I lightly topdressed with extra soil, brushed it into the seams, gave it a good soaking, and roped it off to try and limit traffic. After a few sandings when it starts growing, I am hopeful this spot will be a distant memory in a couple months.



After cleanup, I finished the day with a round of gypsum to the whole yard.


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## Deltahedge

Everything is looking good. I've never seen a hex plugger, but now for some reason I cant stop thinking about Settlers of Catan.


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## ABC123

Awesome plugger Pete! I find the pro plugger a little small at times and this would be a very nice tool to have. Cant wait to see more updates


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## bernstem

That plugger looks slick. I may have to pick one up, but the budget is shot for this month sadly.


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## g-man

In case anyone wants one:. https://www.rrproducts.com/Hexagon-Turf-Repairer-product55230


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## Pete1313

Deltahedge said:


> but now for some reason I cant stop thinking about Settlers of Catan.


 :lol:

@Deltahedge, @ABC123, @bernstem, @g-man, thanks for the replies!

I enjoyed using the hex plugger. The first couple plugs were hard to pull until I got the hang of it, probably due to my heavier loam soil. Once I got going and started pulling the plug next to the previous one it got easier. Made quick work of that spot and ended up pulling almost 100 sq ft in plugs. I like this one better then the pro plugger that I also have because the plugs it pulls are 12 times larger than the pro plugger. It is also nice to fit the plugs tightly together to get a quicker, cleaner repair and recovery.

I will update that spot later on to show how it establishes.


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## ROJ_3030

Very cool plugger and repair job. This would've been huge for a repair job from consumers last year.

Thanks again for the earlier response and taking the time to explain!

Makes perfect sense on the larger rear roller upgrade and also very interesting info on the 100% slow release science. This could buy some serious brownie points at home to reduce to the amount of applications throughout the season. Is this type of product only typical to turf suppliers? I'd love to source some here in Michigan.


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## Pete1313

ROJ_3030 said:


> Thanks again for the earlier response and taking the time to explain!


No problem! :thumbsup:



ROJ_3030 said:


> Is this type of product only typical to turf suppliers? I'd love to source some here in Michigan.


The product I have is actually an AG version of polymer coated urea and picked it up from my local Nutrien AG. There are other polymer coated urea products as well as blends that turf suppliers will carry. I picked up the AG version in bulk to save a bit on cost.


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## JerseyGreens

Love the hex-plugger, you made that look easy!

I wish the Nutrien-AG near me would deal with homeowners...I've tried a few times but they just refuse to hear me out. Any tips on buying there or do you live near one that is super chill?


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## Pete1313

JerseyGreens said:


> Love the hex-plugger, you made that look easy!
> 
> I wish the Nutrien-AG near me would deal with homeowners...I've tried a few times but they just refuse to hear me out. Any tips on buying there or do you live near one that is super chill?


Thanks!

Unfortunately, I don't have any tips for buying from Nutrien AG. My location has been great to deal with!


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## Pete1313

Got my soil test results back today.



Probably the most noticeable difference over the years is the adjustment in Ca:Mg ratio. It was 1.37:1 in 2017 and is now up to 3.58:1 in 2021.

Snapped a quick pic to show how the bewitched is greening up compared to the neighborhood NoMix lawns.


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## ABC123

That test looks fantastic, cant wait to see how it performs.

Ive noticed with my local Nutrien if I come knowing what I want its an easy in and out, hassle free.

Should post before and after pics of feature after it starts to get going. After that its just maintenance for the color and it seemed to be not very noticeable. Loved to spray the N every week and notice the consistent growth, seemed to love it.


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## synergy0852

@Pete1313 are you using gypsum to move the Ca:Mg ratio? If so, how much have you been putting down per 1000 per year?


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## Pete1313

synergy0852 said:


> @Pete1313 are you using gypsum to move the Ca:Mg ratio? If so, how much have you been putting down per 1000 per year?


Yes, and alot. Below is the breakdown of the Ca/Mg ratio tested each year and below that is the amount of gypsum applied that year. Note that the totals of gypsum applied each year were broken up into multiple applications. I also included the elemental sulfur applied in the years. The amount of sulfate released as the elemental sulfur gets converted to sulfate will help leach out some magnesium.

2016 - Ca/Mg = 1.39
No gypsum

2017 - Ca/Mg = 1.37
57 lbs/M of gypsum

2018 - Ca/Mg = 2.15:1
39 lbs/M of gypsum

2019 - Ca/Mg = 2.33:1
64 lbs/M of gypsum
2.5 lbs/M of elemental sulfur

2020 - Ca/Mg = 2.61:1
93.75 lbs/M of gypsum
3.25 lbs/M of elemental sulfur

2021 - Ca/Mg = 3.58:1
Have applied 22.5 lbs/M of gypsum so far

Here are my soil tests thru the years put in order for reference. Hope some of this info helps! :thumbsup:

2016 soil test from Logan Labs. List on the right is the conversions to PPM to make comparing to Waypoint's soil test easier.


2017 soil test. Conversions again on right.


2018 soil test.


2019 soil test.


2020 soil test.


2021 soil test.


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## synergy0852

Thanks Pete! That info helps a ton. I got my soil test back recently and decided I was going to try to increase my ratio as well to help with my sticky soil. My ratio is around 4.3 so a bit higher than what you're dealing with, but I still think there's a benefit to increasing that a little further.

I'm surprised by the amount that you've applied per year. I just went and grabbed 2 40lb bags earlier tonight thinking that'd be more than enough, but now you've got me rethinking that. The two bags gets me about 16lbs/M for this yr.

Out of curiosity what is your goal for Ca:Mg ratio that you're trying to get to?


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## Pete1313

synergy0852 said:


> Out of curiosity what is your goal for Ca:Mg ratio that you're trying to get to?


I'm not set on a fixed number of exactly where I want to get to, but I will try and push it again this year similar to what I applied in 2020. This might be my last year of really trying to move the numbers with gypsum and then see where I am at in 2022 and go from there. I know I don't want the Ca saturation to go above 80% and am getting up there at 75% on the 2021 test. 2022 might be gypsum free and just use elemental sulfur and see how both Ca and Mg numbers respond to that. In the last year the numbers appear to be really moving and I don't want to overdue it.

There is some literature that I have read that suggest a 3:1 Ca:Mg ratio would be appropriate in a sandy, low CEC soil (CEC of 4), and a 7:1 Ca:Mg ratio would be more appropriate in a heavy clay, high CEC soil (CEC of 40). Where do I fit? Somewhere in between.



In my opinion, and may not be the most popular here, is that MLSN and SLAN might be more appropriate for sandy, low CEC soils. In a heavier, higher CEC soil BCSR I feel is beneficial. Especially when it comes to soil structure and Ca:Mg.


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## Pete1313

We have growth! First true mow of the season. I threw the buckets on again to try and grab any remaining yard debris. 30 buckets worth of clippings since the first cleanup mow. Thinking about going out with T-nex earlier this year then I normally do. Pre-m will go down next weekend, and T-nex probably won't be far behind. Still Has some off color spots left from winter damage, but looks much better than the pics I took 3 weeks ago.


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## Pete1313

Quick update on the hex plug repair that I did almost 2 weeks ago. The pics have some better lighting to see the repaired area. It was a completely bare spot 2 weeks ago. Before I mowed last Sunday, I lowered the reels on this spot and rolled over the area a few times without the reels cutting to make sure it was smooth enough to cut. Then the spot was cut at 3/4" just like the rest of the yard. I will watch how the edges of that spot fill in this year. I Might add more plugs or just let the area ride.


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## Pete1313

Last weekend I spent alot of time on the yard.

On 4/2 I powered up the irrigation and made sure all was well. Caught 2 heads that were not spinning properly and swapped them out.

On 4/3 I edged, trim, mowed (.75" HOC and groomers @ .625"), re-edged all the mulch beds and cleaned them up a bit. Then I sprayed a tank mix of prodiamine and isoxaben in all the beds to prevent weeds. Then I put down 90 lbs of my ESN/MOP blend to the whole yard. Finished the day up with a prodiamine spray to the lawn @ a 4 month rate and watered it in with .3" of irrigation.

On 4/4 I sprayed this mix in the morning. I previously checked compatibility and was good to go. I will be expanding what goes in the tank with the T-nex more this year. This mix ends up being .125 lbs/M of N, P2O5, and K2O, with some micros in the mix. In the evening I washed it in with .2" of irrigation.



Growth is taking off a bit and am currently mowing every 2 days @ .75" HOC. If I were to push it to 3 days I would be breaking the 1/3rd rule. I will be upping the T-nex rate in my next spray and might even go out alittle early(based on GDD) to stack it on top of the previous spray a bit. Lots of rain this weekend, so not much to do. Mulch delivery coming early next week. Last are a couple pics of the yard.


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## uts

Pete1313 said:


>


The yard looks great. Your spraying is always very informative and gives a lot of knowledge to beginners like me. With the proper setup spraying seems even easier than spreading.

In the above picture, on the left side is that yours or your neighbour's side? The green up looks great there too compared to other borders of your lawn.


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## Pete1313

uts said:


> Pete1313 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The yard looks great. Your spraying is always very informative and gives a lot of knowledge to beginners like me. With the proper setup spraying seems even easier than spreading.
> 
> In the above picture, on the left side is that yours or your neighbour's side? The green up looks great there too compared to other borders of your lawn.
Click to expand...

I really enjoy spraying. Everything above this line is my neighbor's. He mowed for the first time yesterday and agree, his yard typically looks better then other neighborhood yards.


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## ABC123

Hell yeah Pete. The foliar spray weekly was so amazing and super satisfying to do. Looks fantastic already.


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## Pete1313

ABC123 said:


> Hell yeah Pete. The foliar spray weekly was so amazing and super satisfying to do. Looks fantastic already.


  , thanks @ABC123.


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## SNOWBOB11

Looks amazing as always Pete. Do you always do NIS with your foliar nitrogen/t-nex sprays.


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## Pete1313

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Looks amazing as always Pete. Do you always do NIS with your foliar nitrogen/t-nex sprays.


In the past I usually have not, but wanted to put some in that spray.


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## SNOWBOB11

Pete1313 said:


> SNOWBOB11 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks amazing as always Pete. Do you always do NIS with your foliar nitrogen/t-nex sprays.
> 
> 
> 
> In the past I usually have not, but wanted to put some in that spray.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:


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## Pete1313

Another fun week in the yard. On 4/13 and 4/14 I put down 40 yds of mulch.



On 4/15 I played around with the hex plugger again and fixed I few more trouble spots.



Some more pics of the area (nursery) that I am removing plugs from and expanding out some. At some point I will probably glyphosate the remaining and make a more defined border..





On 4/17 I did my second T-nex spray. Almost the same spray as the last one, but upped the T-nex rate to the .3 oz/M range.



I actually stacked this rate on top of the other one on purpose(based on GDD) to ramp up the rate. I will not apply any more T-nex until this app says it's due based on GDD, and will most likely up the rate to .4 oz/M.



Today, 4/18, did a full edge/trim/mow/redefine all the mulch beds. Had @Kenny Cooper stop by for a visit and is always fun talking turf with people as passionate about lawn care as I am. Demoed the aerator for him that I'm sure we will be using soon on his short turf/putting area project.






We also played around with his drone and took some cool photos.

Here ya go @SumBeach35 :thumbsup:










Today was the 9th mow of the year so far. All of them at .75" HOC. The lawn is off to an early start this year and am liking where it is at.


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## psider25

Sweet aerials Pete!


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## Stuofsci02

Stunning!


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## gregonfire

those drone shots are insane!! nice work Pete, really puts all the work you do into perspective.


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## mribbens

Amazing work, already looking in mid season form, hopefully the cold front will be kind to all of us here in Northern IL


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## ROJ_3030

As others have said, those drone shots are incredible! Your overall color and consistency is mind blowing. I also find those hex plugs repairs oddly satisfying.

Cool to see some collabs with @Kenny Cooper too.


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## Pete1313

@psider25, @Stuofsci02, @gregonfire, @mribbens, @ROJ_3030, thanks for the replies!



gregonfire said:


> those drone shots are insane!! nice work Pete, really puts all the work you do into perspective.


It's hard to get the full picture of everything with a ground pic here and there. The ground level baseball pics are fun showing the low HOC, but am thankful that @Kenny Cooper brought his drone. The pics capture the size of what I am trying to accomplish. Something I, at times, don't realize when working on it.



mribbens said:


> hopefully the cold front will be kind to all of us here in Northern IL


The KBG will be fine with a few days in the upper 20's. Some slower growth, but will be back at it next week!



ROJ_3030 said:


> I also find those hex plugs repairs oddly satisfying.


It is a fun and satisfying tool to use!


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## bernstem

You are making us all look bad here! There are goign to be a lot of gardeners out protecting fragile spring growth even if the grass doesn't care about the cold. We are going to drop to 28-30 here in St. Louis for one night. I'll probably protect my smaller roses.


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## Vtx531

Pete1313 said:


> Started getting some supplies in for 2021 already.  Picked up 300 lbs of ESN 44-0-0 polymer coated urea, 200 lbs of MOP 0-0-60, and 5 cases of Feature(no, they are not all for just my lawn) from my local Nutrien AG. The 44-0-0 is $0.25/lb and the 0-0-60 is $0.18/lb. The Feature is not too bad on price either .
> 
> 
> 
> The SGN of the fertilizers were initially a concern before I saw them knowing they are AG grade, but after getting them they look like something I will be able to work with.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I blended the 44-0-0 and 0-0-60 together in a 3:2 ratio since they are both the same SGN. It makes it easier for me to apply this way well. The end result is a 26.4-0-24 that is 100% controlled release and only cost $11.10/50 lbs.
> 
> 
> 
> I also found a great deal on some spray grade AMS 21-0-0 at $8.99/51 lb bag, so I took advantage and am stocked up for multiple seasons.


Hi Pete - the polymer coated urea at 25 cents a pound?!?! Wondering if that is some sort of hookup/connection you have at that place or can any old Joe Schmo (me) go buy some rubbermaid containers and head to my local Nutrien AG to get them filled up at that price?

Also, how did you blend them? I was thinking an electric cement mixer would work nicely.

Edit: I called and doesn't look like it would work for me. They sell non coated urea and potash in 50lb bag at the usual pricing. She said they do blending for 500lb min. and was asking if my rubbermaid totes are able to go on a forklift...not really sure why that matters but sort of got the "no" after the forklift question.


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## Pete1313

bernstem said:


> You are making us all look bad here! There are goign to be a lot of gardeners out protecting fragile spring growth even if the grass doesn't care about the cold. We are going to drop to 28-30 here in St. Louis for one night. I'll probably protect my smaller roses.


I didn't realize it is going to get that cold even down by you. Crazy. I don't have the impressive gardens like you and talent, so I kind of overlooked the danger to other plants.



Vtx531 said:


> Hi Pete - the polymer coated urea at 25 cents a pound?!?! Wondering if that is some sort of hookup/connection you have at that place or can any old Joe Schmo (me) go buy some rubbermaid containers and head to my local Nutrien AG to get them filled up at that price?
> 
> Also, how did you blend them? I was thinking an electric cement mixer would work nicely.
> 
> Edit: I called and doesn't look like it would work for me. They sell non coated urea and potash in 50lb bag at the usual pricing. She said they do blending for 500lb min. and was asking if my rubbermaid totes are able to go on a forklift...not really sure why that matters but sort of got the "no" after the forklift question.


Not sure it is a hookup/connection but instead just a friendly location that is willing to take my business. I'm sure it helps when I initially go there and purchase $500 worth of Feature to split with a few other people, but it was my guy at Nutrien AG that suggested the polymer coated urea when I wasn't even going there looking for it.

The reason for the forklift is they need a way to weigh the bulk product so they know what to charge. The way my location does it is they weigh my truck before I go to the bulk area, then we fill my containers and do a post weigh in once I have them filled and back in the truck. I do imagine most locations would not want to bother letting someone pick from their bulk supply for small amounts. I need to actually head back to my location this year and get more as I'm starting to use the mix on a few other yards as well. The mix puts down 1 lb/M of N and .9 lb/M of K2O on a whole acre for only about $35. Controlled release N at that, so it is gaining some Interest with other large yards wanting me to apply it for them.

The scoop/shovel method works good for mixing, just give yourself enough room to work the product. A large gorilla cart and doing it in small batches would work well. Don't over work the product too much, or in too small of a container, as you don't want to damage the coating.


----------



## ABC123

Pete really wants lawn of the month this year. Looks amazing. Props man


----------



## Pete1313

Thanks @ABC123!


----------



## Rucraz2

Is 0.4oz rate what you usually use for the Tnex? I have debated on pulling the trigger on some this summer but just wondering what rate on my current nomix will suffice to make it last. She needs some help filling in from my glypho mistake last yr. I think the bottle says .75oz for mix and .6 for kbg. How does your rates hold up?


----------



## Pete1313

Rucraz2 said:


> Is 0.4oz rate what you usually use for the Tnex? I have debated on pulling the trigger on some this summer but just wondering what rate on my current nomix will suffice to make it last. She needs some help filling in from my glypho mistake last yr. I think the bottle says .75oz for mix and .6 for kbg. How does your rates hold up?


My rate varies. 0.2-0.4 oz/M, I've done 0.6 oz/M on rotary mowed bewitched way back in the day. Cultivar, species, mowing, what your goals are will vary, and there is not a one size fits all rate for everyone. My current goal is to balance growth so I am mowing once every 3.5-4 days at my .75" HOC.


----------



## Togo

@Pete1313 Those drone shots really put into perspective all the work you manage on that property. Truly is amazing.


----------



## Ware

Looking nice @Pete1313 :thumbup:


----------



## Pete1313

Thanks @Togo and @Ware!


----------



## Ware

I bet your kids love that super wide driveway for activities.


----------



## Pete1313

Ware said:


> I bet your kids love that super wide driveway for activities.


They do! The real advantage to the driveway is the extra parking for when we are entertaining. It is common in the area for people to park on the grass at the edge of the street when driveways are full, so the larger driveway limits that.. although it does happen from time to time.


----------



## Pete1313

Three weeks since my last update. Put down 3.5 lbs/M of elemental sulfur on 5/2 and did another spray on 5/8



You can see this 3rd T-nex spray is alittle different then the previous two. The MKP and KNO3 have been replaced with phosphite and kelp. This will be my summer spray when I go out with T-nex and will switch back to the MKP+KNO3 in the mix once the soils start to cool again in September.

Update on the section I plugged 3/21

3/21

4/1

5/2

5/9


It could use a few more plugs and maybe some sand, but seems to be going well otherwise.

I've been checking 2" soil temps a bit for when to start my summerpatch preventative apps. It was up at 65°f for a couple days around May 2nd, but has dropped back down this week. Most likely next weekend will be "go time" to start the fungicide plan here.



Seedheads are here and will be for another week or two. These two pics are a couple days after a mow so the seedheads are more noticeable. No proxy this year. It prevented seedheads last year, but didn't like some of the side effects I saw with it on my KBG.





Still mowing every 3-4 days and still at .75" bench HOC. A few other pics of the lawn taken this evening.


----------



## Shindoman

Nice Work! You have a fantastic property.


----------



## Stuofsci02

Outstanding... it really looks great!!


----------



## Harts

I have no words. It looks amazing.


----------



## Pete1313

@Shindoman, @Stuofsci02, @Harts, thanks for the replies! It's always fun following along what you guys do in your lawn journals as well!


----------



## ksturfguy

@Pete1313 Do you get your kelp mix locally or from a place like kelp4less?


----------



## Gaddis

Absolutely incredible Pete. Your property is just stunning. I can only dream that I can get my lawn anywhere close to that in the future.


----------



## Pete1313

@Gaddis thanks! You will get yours there!



ksturfguy said:


> @Pete1313 Do you get your kelp mix locally or from a place like kelp4less?


It is the kelp4less. I premix the powdered kelp in a couple gallons of water the day b4 I spray. Looking at the kelp4less site, their prices have gone up since I bought 2 years ago. Almost double.


----------



## ksturfguy

Pete1313 said:


> @Gaddis thanks! You will get yours there!
> 
> 
> 
> ksturfguy said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Pete1313 Do you get your kelp mix locally or from a place like kelp4less?
> 
> 
> 
> It is the kelp4less. I premix the powdered kelp in a couple gallons of water the day b4 I spray. Looking at the kelp4less site, their prices have gone up since I bought 2 years ago. Almost double.
Click to expand...

Still a lot cheaper then say the NXT products


----------



## Pete1313

ksturfguy said:


> Still a lot cheaper then say the NXT products


Agreed!


----------



## kay7711226

Pete1313 said:


> Three weeks since my last update. Put down 3.5 lbs/M of elemental sulfur on 5/2 and did another spray on 5/8
> 
> 
> 
> You can see this 3rd T-nex spray is alittle different then the previous two. The MKP and KNO3 have been replaced with phosphite and kelp. This will be my summer spray when I go out with T-nex and will switch back to the MKP+KNO3 in the mix once the soils start to cool again in September.
> 
> Update on the section I plugged 3/21
> 
> 3/21
> 
> 4/1
> 
> 5/2
> 
> 5/9
> 
> 
> It could use a few more plugs and maybe some sand, but seems to be going well otherwise.
> 
> I've been checking 2" soil temps a bit for when to start my summerpatch preventative apps. It was up at 65°f for a couple days around May 2nd, but has dropped back down this week. Most likely next weekend will be "go time" to start the fungicide plan here.
> 
> 
> 
> Seedheads are here and will be for another week or two. These two pics are a couple days after a mow so the seedheads are more noticeable. No proxy this year. It prevented seedheads last year, but didn't like some of the side effects I saw with it on my KBG.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still mowing every 3-4 days and still at .75" bench HOC. A few other pics of the lawn taken this evening.


Tagging, good info and reference to get started on my Reno


----------



## bernstem

Looking good! I dropped Azoxy 5/2 here in St. Louis. Soil temps were pretty consistently at 65.


----------



## Pete1313

kay7711226 said:


> Tagging, good info and reference to get started on my Reno


 :thumbsup:



bernstem said:


> Looking good! I dropped Azoxy 5/2 here in St. Louis. Soil temps were pretty consistently at 65.


Alittle behind you being further north, but I did end up getting my first preventative fungicide spray down for summerpatch last Friday evening (5/14).



2" soil temps were creeping up there in early May here with the warm temps the week prior, but then went back down into the 50's with the cool air temps that you can see followed.



With the current temps forecast, I think I timed it well. I went against the "Gold Standard" and used propiconazole for my first app instead of azoxystrobin. I will do two apps at the lower rate of propiconazole on 14 day intervals and then switch to azoxystrobin for 2 apps starting in mid June on a 28 day interval.

I kind of enjoy spraying the soil fungicide apps. I witnessed how the golf courses do it a while ago and was impressed how the irrigation is triggered within seconds after the sprayer leaves a green. I try and coordinate mine with the same technique. As soon as I am done spraying a zone, the irrigation is triggered behind me and I move on to spraying the next zone. I put down .2" of irrigation to immediately get it into the soil. With the high Koc values of some fungicides, especially propiconazole, waiting to irrigate it in would be a waste if your target is summerpatch prevention.


----------



## kay7711226

@Pete1313 so I'm curious as to when you would irrigate/water-in your spraying applications? Yesterday I did my first ever PGR, Azoxy, Feature and Urea combo(rates were very similar to your last app) Curious if you irrigated after then vs your preventative on 5/14. What's your general irrigating strategy when spraying.


----------



## uts

@Pete1313 wondering why you used AMS and not urea in this app? I see that you usually use urea.

Edit: I went back to your 2020 journal and realized that this is more for soil application since you water the fungicide/grub control immediately after and not for a foliar application!

Should read before I open my mouth next time.. lol

Also I didnt ask this as to the advantage of using KNO3, MKP and phosphite in the spray program? How does it defer from maybe spraying SOP with urea and phosphite to get all 3 macros down?


----------



## JerseyGreens

Pete1313 said:


> Three weeks since my last update. Put down 3.5 lbs/M of elemental sulfur on 5/2 and did another spray on 5/8


Hey Pete - love the lawn this early in the season; can't wait to keep following all Season long.

Quick question - do you time these apps with taking in consideration when watering is needed from your ET spreadsheet? Meaning do you purposely spray this awesome sauce on a day in which you know the irrigation will be turning on 3-4 hours after spraying.

edit: didn't realize @kay7711226 just asked the same question above!

Thanks!


----------



## Pete1313

kay7711226 said:


> @Pete1313 so I'm curious as to when you would irrigate/water-in your spraying applications? Yesterday I did my first ever PGR, Azoxy, Feature and Urea combo(rates were very similar to your last app) Curious if you irrigated after then vs your preventative on 5/14. What's your general irrigating strategy when spraying.


If it is a foliar app, I generally would spray in the evening and then run the irrigation the next morning and put down .1". That is not always the case though, as sometimes I would leave it on the leaf. Depends on the time of the year and what is in the spray. If It is a soil app, I would usually run the irrigation immediately and put down alittle more water at .2".



uts said:


> @Pete1313 wondering why you used AMS and not urea in this app? I see that you usually use urea.
> 
> Edit: I went back to your 2020 journal and realized that this is more for soil application since you water the fungicide/grub control immediately after and not for a foliar application!
> 
> Should read before I open my mouth next time.. lol
> 
> Also I didnt ask this as to the advantage of using KNO3, MKP and phosphite in the spray program? How does it defer from maybe spraying SOP with urea and phosphite to get all 3 macros down?


I like urea for my foliar apps as it is a better option IMO. AMS is for the soil apps as it can acidify the root zone somewhat. Something that is important with my higher soil pH and how that pH has an effect on the severity of summerpatch.

I added MKP to my sprays this year in the spring and will try some more in the fall. The thought on that is to get some phosphorus to the plant when the soils are cool. At my soil pH, phosphorus availability is limited. More so at 50°f soil temps compared to higher temps that you would see in the summer.

KNO3 and phosphite to get some potassium in the sprays. Phosphite now as it can help build some stress resistance going into summer. Phosphite does not add any phosphorus and is not the same as phosphate.



JerseyGreens said:


> Quick question - do you time these apps with taking in consideration when watering is needed from your ET spreadsheet? Meaning do you purposely spray this awesome sauce on a day in which you know the irrigation will be turning on 3-4 hours after spraying.


I don't time them to be sprayed with a deeper irrigation cycle, but I won't spray when the ground is saturated either if that makes sense. I spray when that .1"-.2" has some benefit to the ET log calculations.


----------



## ABC123

Hell yeah Pete. The foliar applications were amazing for me last year. Hope to see some great results again this year, I'm moving and will be doing another Reno this fall. Can't wait to do another monostand.


----------



## JerseyGreens

Thank you, Pete! Exactly what I was trying to figure out.

We are having August type weather right now and I'm only watering based on the ET guide...want to get into foliar apps (evening temps are OK) but just want to make sure I'm in line with my goal of deep watering - which I can time now based on your direction!


----------



## gregonfire

Pete every time I click on your journal I am amazed. The attention to detail is incredible. Where do you find the time!? As always, the grass is looking spectacular.


----------



## ROJ_3030

Man Pete, your place is looking stellar! Love seeing the progress pictures of your plug repair area filling in over time.

I hope you understand how much myself and others appreciate the time you take to share your knowledge and answer questions throughout your threads. I constantly find myself referencing your content so THANK YOU!!!


----------



## Zip-a-Dee-Zee

ROJ_3030 said:


> I constantly find myself referencing your content so THANK YOU!!!


+1


----------



## JerseyGreens

hey @Pete1313 - noticed that your next PGR app should be coming up soon but you applied PPZ 9 days ago...what kind of rate will you drop your next PGR app too, or, have you timed it as such that 14 days will pass from the date of the PPZ app?

I put down 1oz per K PPZ today and timing my first ever (finally doing it) PGR app next Sunday...Given that info I'm trying to dial in my PGR app and avoid overregulation.

Thanks!


----------



## Pete1313

gregonfire said:


> Pete every time I click on your journal I am amazed. The attention to detail is incredible. Where do you find the time!? As always, the grass is looking spectacular.


Thanks! I try and be as efficient as possible. The right equipment helps. Mowing or spraying, the process takes alittle over an hour. Plan the bigger projects when the wife and kids are out of town. :lol:



Zip-a-Dee-Zee said:


> ROJ_3030 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I constantly find myself referencing your content so THANK YOU!!!
> 
> 
> 
> +1
Click to expand...

Thanks to both of you for the kind words.. That is why I try and keep up with the journal.



JerseyGreens said:


> hey @Pete1313 - noticed that your next PGR app should be coming up soon but you applied PPZ 9 days ago...what kind of rate will you drop your next PGR app too, or, have you timed it as such that 14 days will pass from the date of the PPZ app?
> 
> I put down 1oz per K PPZ today and timing my first ever (finally doing it) PGR app next Sunday...Given that info I'm trying to dial in my PGR app and avoid overregulation.
> 
> Thanks!


This is my second year doing soil apps of propiconazole. In 2018 I did some foliar apps of propiconazole and saw the effects of overregulation and/or phytotoxicity that myself and others have mentioned especially when combined or used in a plan that includes trinexapac-ethyl. In 2020 I did not see any ill effects when the propiconazole was irrigated in immediately.

2020 spray order;
6/12/20 - T-nex (.2 oz/M)
6/18/20 - PPZ 14.3% (2 oz/M)
6/28/20 - T-nex (.2 oz/M)

Growth is good this year as well and has not slowed down or showed any negative effects when using propiconazole and immediately watering in.

The note section on this sheet shows my mow frequency. It has not slowed down any.



.4 oz/M of T-nex on 5/8, .73 oz/M of PPZ 41.8% on 5/14 (equivalent to 2 oz/M of PPZ 14.3%). I am doing another T-nex app tomorrow still at .4 oz/M and planning another PPZ app at the same rate as my previous app sometime this weekend. I will learn the hard way if I'm wrong, but my thinking is the negative effects of the Propiconazole might be reduced if you water it in (key word immediately). I'm also getting these PPZ apps out earlier in the season to try and avoid any issues using it in the heat of summer.

Did you water in your PPZ app or did it sit on the leaf for any period of time?


----------



## Pete1313

Mini update. Not too much work done on the lawn since my last app on 5/14. Mainly mowing. I did grab a quick cart of plugs on Saturday to fix a spot by one of the mailboxes.



Alittle late in the year to be moving plugs, but we will see how they do. The area I have been pulling from is starting to take the shape that I am looking for. I will spray the rest of this area out with glyphosate this weekend and make a more defined area.



A quick pic from the upstairs window yesterday to show how the yard is doing.



Looking forward to getting a couple sprays done in the next few days.


----------



## ABC123

How much are you cutting off when you mow Pete?


----------



## Pete1313

ABC123 said:


> How much are you cutting off when you mow Pete?


3/8" - 1/2"


----------



## kay7711226

You seem to be mowing 3-4 days on average with your T-nex apps, is that considered to be "standard"? HOC affects mowing frequency? Would you risk increasing T-nex to mow less and still maintain healthy grass?

"Student in the front of the class asking"


----------



## Pete1313

kay7711226 said:


> You seem to be mowing 3-4 days on average with your T-nex apps, is that considered to be "standard"? HOC affects mowing frequency? Would you risk increasing T-nex to mow less and still maintain healthy grass?
> 
> "Student in the front of the class asking"


I dont think there is a standard. If you were managing a sports field and could mow daily or every over, perhaps you would reduce the T-nex rate and or increase the N rate to encourage more growth and recovery. What I'm trying to achieve is about an 1/8" of growth daily. I like that amount as it fits my schedule. I am not mowing too much, but the grass still has some growth and recovery from the traffic on the yard. I would also worry about slowing the grass down too much when the nasties of summer hit.


----------



## JerseyGreens

kay7711226 said:


> "Student in the front of the class asking"


I chuckled at this comment because I feel the same way!

I have a guy on my team that gets 5 small, yellow pieces of paper (yes, we are all grown adults) before any lengthy team meetings...those are his questions/comments/or cutting people off when they are speaking cards (he's a Brit). Once he runs out of all 5 he's done derailing or interjecting his comments into the Meeting.

I will allow myself 1 question per week for Pete...if I run out of my card, well, I'm out of luck!

To your question @Pete1313 - I let it sit 2-3 hours before watering in as I mixed in a foliar Urea app. I'm going with 0.15oz per K T-nex. Thanks for the data, and direction!


----------



## Pete1313

JerseyGreens said:


> I will allow myself 1 question per week for Pete...if I run out of my card, well, I'm out of luck!


 :lol: no worries! If I get busy, I might just be slow to respond.



JerseyGreens said:


> To your question @Pete1313 - I let it sit 2-3 hours before watering in as I mixed in a foliar Urea app. I'm going with 0.15oz per K T-nex. Thanks for the data, and direction!


Got it. Looks like you are being careful and going low rate of T-nex since it was foliar. Also watch out for high air temps when spraying the two.


----------



## Pete1313

T-nex spray #4 went down yesterday.



Everything in the spray was the same except I took out the urea. I have my second summer patch preventative spray planned this weekend and would prefer to get some N down with soil sprayed AMS.

Couple quick pics of the lot lines. Both neighbors are doing well with their yards this year. They are both fertilized, mowed at 3" or higher, have had good soil moisture this year, and have been kept up on the mowing. The bewitched is holding its color strong despite the height of cut difference. The pics show the genetics of bewitched, the power of primo/iron sprays, but also the challenges to get good color out of the tight, high pH soils in the area.


----------



## gravely G20 pro

Very impressive. I have never seen yard such a darker color out of such shorter grass before. Very nice


----------



## Pete1313

gravely G20 pro said:


> Very impressive. I have never seen yard such a darker color out of such shorter grass before. Very nice


Thanks!

Fun weekend in the yard(s). Double cut on saturday (5/29). Dropped the HOC slightly to 23/32". Edge, trim, redefined all beds. Did my second round of propiconazole for summer patch prevention in the evening. Watered it in immediately with .2".



Sunday (5/30) I went to @Kenny Cooper's yard to play with his putting green project. 7% affected surface aeration, removed cores and sanded.







https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_cooper_lawn_life/video/6968222442108226822?sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=6968310114823570950&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

When I got back home, I marked off and sprayed out the remaining area I was using for plug repair with glyphosate.





Also sanded any spots that I plug repaired this year. Had some more drone shots taken, and Kenny put them all in a slide show.







https://www.tiktok.com/@kenny_cooper_lawn_life/video/6968426936385244421?sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=6968310114823570950&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

Mowed again on Monday and put down another round of gypsum at 22.5 lbs/M. Neighborhood kids back at it playing whiffle ball in their favorite spot.


----------



## rob13psu

Looking great, Pete! That would be my favorite whiffle ball spot as well.


----------



## jskierko

TLF whiffle ball tournament at Pete's! Teams by region or grass type. Certainly we could get some corporate sponsorships with that field.


----------



## gravely G20 pro

Dude those drone shots are insane. Very cool looking


----------



## Zip-a-Dee-Zee

Hey Pete,
I was reading through your 2018 journal and noticed that you weren't always a proponent of using fungicides:



Pete1313 said:


> I'm not a fan of fungicides, it is one of those things I don't feel good about spraying, but some sprays were needed. Bewitched had good NTEP ratings for dollar spot resistance.
> This was a rough year weather wise and is a first year after a reno. I think I might try the curative route, only if needed, next year as well and see if I can get by without using any fungicides as the turf matures.


I'm just wondering if you've changed your mind and feel like a robust fungicide program should be a part of any maintenance plan or if you're aggressively managing with PPZ primarily because you've had issues with dollar spot in the past. Thanks!


----------



## Pete1313

@Zip-a-Dee-Zee, no i do not feel like a robust fungicide program should be a part of every maintenance plan. If you keep reading into 2019, you will see I was fungicide free. That allowed me to access my mature stand of bewitched and see what type of disease it was more susceptible to. The only thing that scared me enough in 2019 was summer patch. The 2 apps of PPZ this year are targeted for summer patch prevention. They will have a benefit of preventing other diseases, but that is not their main target. I might possibly try being fungicide free again In a couple years. That depends on if I'm able to shift some soil test numbers a bit.


----------



## jskierko

Any phytotoxicity from the PPZ and T-Nex apps? You think watering PPZ in immediately (like as soon as done spraying a zone) saves some damage? I spaced my apps (PPZ @ 2oz/k and T-Nex at 0.3 oz/k) 7 days apart and am seeing far more discoloration than I'd like. Propiconazole wasn't watered in until following morning, however.


----------



## Pete1313

jskierko said:


> Any phytotoxicity from the PPZ and T-Nex apps? You think watering PPZ in immediately (like as soon as done spraying a zone) saves some damage? I spaced my apps (PPZ @ 2oz/k and T-Nex at 0.3 oz/k) 7 days apart and am seeing far more discoloration than I'd like. Propiconazole wasn't watered in until following morning, however.


I Have not seen any phytotoxicity when watering it in immediately. After last year and now the 2 apps this year and the current heat wave, I can say fairly comfortably that irrigating it in immediately reduces some of those negatives of PPZ.


----------



## Pete1313

Summer is here in the midwest. You can see some of the temps recorded in my log.



Besides some of the heat, there has been a lack of rainfall. You can see one time it rained in my log on 6/9. It was a quick, heavy downpour though, so probably not much was taken up by the soils in the area.



Alot of irrigation cycles to keep up with some of the high ET rates as of late. I'm currently irrigating at 90% of ET and seems to be working well with my yard. Looking at my log, 150 minutes = .50" of irrigation.

This screenshot was taken on 6/10 and showed the high amount of water used the previous 7 days to keep up with ET rates and lack of rain. It is the highest I have ever seen for a 7 day total.



Currently in a moderate drought and bordering on a severe drought.



On 6/10 I did T-nex spray #5 for the season. Due to the high temps, I sprayed at 7:30pm and irrigated the next morning at 4:00am.



I have another summer patch preventative fungicide spray planned for this evening, 6/13. Azoxystrobin this go around, and will once again irrigate it in immediately. Imidacloprid is also added in the tank for grub control.



Another update on the section I plugged 3/21. It received some sand on memorial day weekend.

3/21

4/1

5/2

5/9

6/12


Pic of the area I hit with glyphosate a couple weeks ago. Glyphosate toasted grass along side dark green grass is kind of satisfying.



A few other random pics of the yard.











There is a graduation party for my daughter next weekend, and then our annual party we host July 9th-11th. Trying to make sure it remains at its peak for these two events. I will probably kick it down 1/32" by next weekend and maybe anther 1/32" by the party in July.


----------



## Biggylawns

Your plugged patch filled in so fast. Anything different or extra you did with that are vs the rest of the yard?


----------



## Vtx531

Looks like the irrigation is doing a good job


----------



## Pete1313

Biggylawns said:


> Your plugged patch filled in so fast. Anything different or extra you did with that are vs the rest of the yard?


It was plugged using the hex plugger early in the season. That is probably the main reason it has been successful. Early on to help minimize transplant stress, and the hex plugger to fit the plugs tightly together with minimal gaps. Only thing I did different then the normal inputs the whole yard received was I gave it some extra water the first couple weeks and gave it some sand a couple weeks ago.



Vtx531 said:


> Looks like the irrigation is doing a good job


Thanks! Alot of planning went into the irrigation rehab before I renovated. I feel I have it as uniform as It can get. It is going to be a tough year for lawns in our area. It looks like your area is getting hit hard with drought as well. Next chance of rain here is Thursday night into Friday... we will see.


----------



## kay7711226

I'm here trying to visualize 50,000 Gal of water.........best I can come up with

"A 50,000 gallon factory coated bolted steel tank is 33 feet in diameter and 8 feet high"   

Does the Mrs. see the bill(if any)? :lol: :lol:


----------



## Pete1313

kay7711226 said:


> I'm here trying to visualize 50,000 Gal of water.........best I can come up with
> 
> "A 50,000 gallon factory coated bolted steel tank is 33 feet in diameter and 8 feet high"
> 
> Does the Mrs. see the bill(if any)? :lol: :lol:


Easier visual.. 2x the amount of water in my swimming pool. No real bill as I'm on a well. It costs electricity to irrigate, but TBH with the pool pump on 10 hrs a day and the A/C cranking this time of year, I don't really notice an extra cost for irrigating. Typical winter electric bills are around $120-$150 compared to summer electric bills peaking around $300. It's a healthy well and I upgraded the pump shortly after I moved in. The new pump is really efficient and works great supplying the water needed for the irrigation. You can see the setup in this post..

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=8125#p8125


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## JDgreen18

Man your lawn, yard is just fantastic....great job as always Pete


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## Pete1313

Thanks @JDgreen18!


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## Pete1313

The weather pattern has changed from hot and dry to humid with alot of untimely rain/drizzle here. No irrigation for the last 10 days. Some low daily ET numbers as well.



Mowing every 4 days and dropped the HOC down slightly to 11/16".



A couple spray apps since the last update. Worked an FS app in. That is 5 oz/M of FS.



Some pics from 6/22. The lot line pics really tell the story for the lawns in the area.









Pic of the one bed I cleared out and re-did last spring.



I'm liking how this one looks as well. Both are really easy to maintain and are a breeze come fall cleanup time.



A zoomed out Pic of that bed plus you can see how the grass by the one front maple is doing. It is holding up well this season.



A pic of some of the other front trees.



Some pics from today, 6/27







And a couple showing density and HOC


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## JerseyGreens

Looks great Pete! Love that flower bed. Good planting choices!


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## Stuofsci02

Looks amazing Sir!


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## gregonfire

Hey Pete, looks fantastic as always.

How do you keep your mulch beds weed free? Do you hand pick them, chemical, barrier, something else?


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## Pete1313

gregonfire said:


> Hey Pete, looks fantastic as always.
> 
> How do you keep your mulch beds weed free? Do you hand pick them, chemical, barrier, something else?


Sorry I forgot to reply to this. I tank mix isoxaben and prodiamine and spray the beds in the spring. Any breakthrough weeds are either hand pulled or or occasionally sprayed with glyphosate.


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## Pete1313

Slowly worked the lawn down to 5/8" for our party/event that we throw every year that was last weekend. Double cut and removed clippings on the morning of the party.



Couple sprays leading up to the party. Another t-nex spray and another high rate iron sulfate spray.



I have been maintaining fairly aggressively leading up to the party as we play a game on it every year where ball roll and playability is important. Here was the Facebook announcement for game we play, "Yard Golf".




Now that the event is over, I personally take a needed exhale, loosen my belt a bit, and start thinking about what I want to do for the yard leading into fall. TBH the 5/8" HOC is not my favorite HOC but was needed to make for some tough playing conditions. I much prefer the 1"-1.125" HOC and will be where it eventually gets to by fall. Another fungicide app is planned for Wednesday, and might not mow again until Saturday while raising the HOC some.

Some pics from 7/4 when I was getting blitzballs out of the gutter.

















A couple of the #2 teebox and hole location on the day of the party.





And a couple more that were taken yesterday.


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## ksturfguy

Looks great Pete!


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## JerseyGreens

Looks awesome during the dog days of Summer. Your pictures snap me out of wanting to add an Elite PRG to my monostand!


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## Pete1313

Thanks @ksturfguy!



JerseyGreens said:


> Looks awesome during the dog days of Summer. Your pictures snap me out of wanting to add an Elite PRG to my monostand!


Thanks! Haha, yeah, I've read some of the conversations on PRG. There are a couple things about PRG that are appealing, however there are more things I don't like. For me, I would be disappointed by adding it.


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## Pete1313

Stripes were really popping during this mornings mow. Two sprays planned for today.


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## SNOWBOB11

Fantastic Pete.


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## kay7711226

What is your HOC in the last pic vs previous HOC for your party? Saw you were debating between 5/8 vs 1-1.125"....goes to say they all shine whatever the HOC


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## Liquidstone

Lawn games on that beautiful turf is a must. I'm sure it was pristine. Good stuff!


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## Pete1313

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Fantastic Pete.


Thanks!



kay7711226 said:


> What is your HOC in the last pic vs previous HOC for your party? Saw you were debating between 5/8 vs 1-1.125"....goes to say they all shine whatever the HOC


No debate, I am raising the HOC now that the hard part of my year is over. In that last pic the bench HOC was set at 1.0" and the groomer was set at 0.81". I also bumped the front roller setting up a couple notches to decrease the bedknife attitude.



Liquidstone said:


> Lawn games on that beautiful turf is a must. I'm sure it was pristine. Good stuff!


Thanks, and I agree, lawn games are a must! Missed my evening spray last night as the neighbor's were all out there playing more whiffle ball. Kids vs. adults... I am confident when I say that I wouldn't maintain this much grass the way I do if it was not enjoyed by everybody.


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## Pete1313

Another t-nex spray on 7/17. Was done spraying at noon. Let that sit on the leaves all day and did not irrigate it in in the evening as high temps are not too high.



Did what is most likely my last preventative fungicide spray this evening on 7/18. Added alittle prodiamine to the spray. I am irrigating it all in right now.



Took a couple lot line pics when I was done spraying and running the sprinklers. The color is really impressive compared to the NoMix lawns of the area.


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## Pete1313

Mow and trim this morning. Finished up right around 9am to beat the low 90's heat today. Pics of the lawn after mowing. 1.0" HOC.














Played around with the aerator yesterday. Replaced the belts and swapped out the coring tines for 5/16" solid tines. This setup is right around an affected surface area of 4%. Tested it on a couple spots and was pleased with the results.



An update on the section I plugged 3/21. Last pic isn't the best, but you can see it's doing well.

3/21

4/1

5/2

5/9

6/12

7/25


Couple pics of the front maple tree rings showing short grass and maples coexisting.





Some irrigation stats on the year so far. Since March 1st I have accumulated 20" of ETo and we have received 10.6" of rain. I have put down 10.1" of irrigation, which is right around 270,000 gallons.

I have put down 4 fungicide apps on the season. 2 propiconazole and 2 azoxystrobin. The apps have done what I was targeting for, which was to prevent summer patch and this year should have been a tough year for it. Cost on the 4 apps is right at $2.40/M or around $91 total on my size lawn.


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## Stuofsci02

Pete,

I have been in your area this week for business and it has been hot and humid.. Well done on keeping the color nice...


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## Pete1313

Stuofsci02 said:


> Pete,
> 
> I have been in your area this week for business and it has been hot and humid.. Well done on keeping the color nice...


Thanks! Alittle break from the heat this week, but it will be back by the weekend.

Another spray on 7/31. The T-nex sprays seem like a copy and paste at this point. I can measure and mix all the products without even looking at a log sheet.



Backyard pic from 7/30, day before the spray.



Neighborhood kids have been enjoying the yard all day, and have been even playing night games on it as of late.


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## kay7711226

What's your secret in keeping the fungus out? Are you seeing any fungus issue in the neighborhood?


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## rob13psu

Pete1313 said:


> Backyard pic from 7/30, day before the spray.


The delineation between your turf and the neighbors is crazy. The color is looking great!


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## Pete1313

kay7711226 said:


> What's your secret in keeping the fungus out? Are you seeing any fungus issue in the neighborhood?


Sorry for the late reply.. I can't really see any fungus issues in the neighborhood, but every yard has been dormant most of the summer.

No secret to keeping disease away. Proper mowing, watering, fertility, and a few preventative fungicides.



rob13psu said:


> Pete1313 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Backyard pic from 7/30, day before the spray.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The delineation between your turf and the neighbors is crazy. The color is looking great!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Here are a few pics I took on the 17th.


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## lbb091919

Simply amazing as usual Pete.


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## Pete1313

Had a neighbor surprise me with some drone shots of my yard today. I just completed a grading and seeding project of 6500 sq ft for him this weekend.


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## jwill

Beautiful shots Pete!


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## SNOWBOB11

Quarter circle of awesomeness.


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## M32075

Stunning


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## Stuofsci02

Phenomenal!


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## Liquidstone

Friggin awesome. I always think of a baseball field with these aerial shots. It might as well be!


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## Pete1313

Thanks for the replies! I've been spending the week tweaking and adjusting the irrigation cycles on the neighbor's project. 5.5 days since seed down, there are plenty of rye seedlings poking up already. It is a sun/shade mix (blue,rye,fescues). He had a pool install recently and approached me after a landscape company bid $4000 for grading, seed, straw and pray for rain. I did the grading, seed process, irrigation setup, and followup adjustments for him. Some pics from today of the area and with a perfect timing for seed down, I'll post some more pics of grass in a couple weeks.


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## kay7711226

I think "We" should have some sort of TLF certified badges :thumbup: :thumbup: I have more fun now helping and coaching my neighbors!


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## rob13psu

@Pete1313 I have to tell you that I was looking the pics you posted and my 3 year old walks over and says "That's Pete's grass." Even she knows!


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## Chris LI

kay7711226 said:


> I think "We" should have some sort of TLF certified badges :thumbup: :thumbup: I have more fun now helping and coaching my neighbors!


^+1
Maybe call it the TLF Mentor Club???

...or something cooler like Turf Dragon's Merit Badge.

I know, I can do better on the name, but I like the idea.


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## g-man

@Pete1313 How is the lawn doing this fall?


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## Pete1313

My lawn is doing good @g-man. The rest of the yards in the area are not so good.





The drought continues, and has been rough on lawns and crops this year. I recorded .59" of rain in September. Year to date, I have put down over 19" of irrigation(500,000 gallons). It's a number that makes me as well as others question if what I am doing is responsible. The high school football field and the golf course are about the only other green grasses in the town.



1.25 lbs/M of N from polymer coated urea went down in the beginning of September and will be the bulk of my fall N. Some pics of the lawn today after mowing,













And a pic of the triplex cleaned up after mowing.


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## Stuofsci02

I wouldn't call it irresponsible…. I design industrial water treatment plants for a living. The average dairy plant that makes milk uses 500,000 gallons per day…. A typical chicken slaughter plant uses around 2-3 million gallons per day.

I think you said you water comes from a well?


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## g-man

Oh wow. I wasn't aware of the drought so close to me. I had a dry month right before dropping seeds for the Reno. Maybe you should drop some seeds in an area to make it rain.


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## Stuofsci02

g-man said:


> Oh wow. I wasn't aware of the drought so close to me. I had a dry month right before dropping seeds for the Reno. Maybe you should drop some seeds in an area to make it rain.


Lol…. Or you might get fiber internet installed..


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## Pete1313

So good news for the area is that we received about 2" of rain over the weekend. Much needed for the yards in the area and my yard is now too soft. I have been out of town for the past 6 days in Nashville and returned Monday evening, so my lawn is over 2" long. About an hour after returning, and about ready to go to bed, I looked out the window and saw a car stuck in my ditch. As I went out there, it was spinning its tires and trying to free itself. I yelled at him to shut it down, snapped a pic of the plate, and immediately called the authorities to file a report. He was stuck and not going anywhere and my whole intent of the call was just to get a tow truck to come out and properly free him as well as document the damage to be claimed for insurance. Turns out the kid was arrested for DUI. That is probably the only thing that angers me because so many young kids live on my street and this was at only 9pm last night. Anyway, some pics of the damage.









I have a bid coming in for repair, but will most likely take the money and repair it myself either this weekend or next. The plan is to sod cut an area in the back and then spring seed that back "donor" spot next year, but we will see how the area looks after some rounds of heavy rolling and working the soil back into place.

The part that made me smile was the get well soon "grass" cards that a couple of the neighborhood girls made today that play in the yard alot. As well as the heckling from the neighborhood friends saying "My yard is garbage now!" and "Bringing down property values!" :lol:









Anyway, remember that its just grass folks. Part of the fun for me is seeing how quickly I can repair damage like this. Like a super/turf manager. I will post pics when I complete the repair.


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## rob13psu

Dang Pete, glad no one was hurt by this kid. The cards are awesome though. Looks like you have some pretty good neighbors.


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## JerseyGreens

What an awesome community. You deserve credit for welcoming these kids to play on your "turf". Kindness matters!

Sucks to see that sort of damage and even more upsetting that the dumb punk was drunk...should have went out there with a bat...(sorry my jersey is coming out...)


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## Chris LI

I'm glad no one was hurt and the damage to your property wasn't more severe. You have a great attitude and great neighbors. Good luck with your new project!


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## Butter

Your lawn may very well have prevented someone from getting hurt or killed.


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## kay7711226

Now you get to start a thread on "How to repair a damaged lawn" 

Same sentiments here "It's just grass" does not speak of the hard work, but for "us" we take pride/joy in doing the work. Good luck man and will be tracking that new thread


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## gm560

Butter said:


> Your lawn may very well have prevented someone from getting hurt or killed.


This was my thoughts exactly. If you didn't have such a well maintained and well irrigated lawn, he very well may have carried on... The grass is a hero.


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## gregonfire

Wow Pete, that would make me so mad. Luckily nobody was hurt or killed by this guy. Sorry you have to deal with this, but like you said it's another challenge for you.


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## Pete1313

Thanks to everyone for the replies!



gm560 said:


> Butter said:
> 
> 
> 
> Your lawn may very well have prevented someone from getting hurt or killed.
> 
> 
> 
> This was my thoughts exactly. If you didn't have such a well maintained and well irrigated lawn, he very well may have carried on... The grass is a hero.
Click to expand...

These stood out and make you think. The damage to grass is only temporary and glad his adventure ended there.

I spent a few hours on the area this week. Wednesday evening I kicked some of the displaced sod back into place. I then spent an hour rolling it by hand as the area was too soft to drive over. Thursday evening I spent another hour rolling it by hand.

Saturday I mowed and then mixed up a mixture of 50/50 mason sand/native soil with my tiller.









I then filled the ruts and smoothed it with the level rake. Sunday I gave it another mow. Here are some before and after pics on the area from similar angles.













I'll let it sit for the week and then decide if I want to replace with sod or use the hex plugger in some of the bigger spots.


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## Stuofsci02

Repair looks great…. I think that'll fill in by late next season on its own if you can stand to wait that long…


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## ABC123

Pete sorry to hear about that but you did a great job fixing the damage that was there. Personally if you have a handheld sprayer you could apply foliar N to it weekly or slightly less and it might recover slightly going into winter. Worse case transfer plugs after the 2nd mow in the spring. Bewitch is an amazing grass


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## uts

Really missing the updates on the journal.

Sorry to hear about the lawn being torn up but my thoughts were the same as everyone, you probably saved someone getting hurt. I am really looking forward to how you repair the lawn. My driveway entrance gets continuously trampled every few weeks by incoming ups/amazon trucks .. lol


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## Green

If the yard was in poor shape, and mud or something, who knows if any vehicle might have lost traction easier, and maybe had a worse outcome. This is everyday life, but it reminds me of the racetrack grass damage Allyn Hane showed recently. Imagine how much energy a good turf can dissipate, as the sod and soil absorb some of the force. It's tough to tear up sod. Amazing that only cosmetic lawn damage occurred and not something worse...assuming a high speed was involved.


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## Pete1313

uts said:


> Really missing the updates on the journal.


Sorry on the lack of updates. I blew out the irrigation last weekend and also closed the pool.



This Saturday the wife mulched some leaves and then afterwards I sprayed alittle N and Fe. Today was a full edge, trim, mow. I also moved some plugs into the worst of the damaged area by the street and topdressed with a sand/soil mixture. Sad time of year as I will only see the lawn on the weekends now with the time change. A few pics from today.













Kind of a bad pic, but one of the spot I repaired last spring.


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## rhart

Spectacular! That's all I can say.


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## Butter

Dang!


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## Pete1313

I'll put this at the end of my 2021 journal. My neighbor surprised me with a video of all the footage from the game we play on the second weekend in July. It is fun to look at in the cold of winter and has me itching to get back out and do it again. Here is the link in my journal describing the game and then the video. Winner took home around $200. Grass was double cut at 5/8" the morning of the event (7/10/21). Smooth ball roll and challenging slopes. 

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=415138&sid=913dac75b8a5e6d7cc42eb1fcae93230#p415138

https://youtu.be/7Er-b-4aC-s


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## Wile

What a great idea! I was thinking of doing a 3 hole whiffle ball contest, but this is way more entertaining. The hills and slopes in your yard make it even more fun and challenging.


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## kay7711226

Is there a @Pete1313 2022 lawn journal?


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## Pete1313

@kay7711226 sorry but I have not had time to do a separate journal this year. I will post some updates when i have time, but will just continue with this one for now. Here are my logs, what I have done to date and soil test. I will get some pics up soon.


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## Sfurunner13

Are you basing your GDD on base 32F? If so what made you change from a base of 0F.


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## Pete1313

Yes. It is easier for me to interpret my temperature data. There is alittle more to the 32F formula =MAX(0,((LOW+HIGH)/2)-32) and you need to convert the reapply interval from 0C for primo. Once you plug it into the spreadsheet, it is easy though.


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## Taduc

Why Pete stop posting! Update please!


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## Jeff_MI84

I'm curious as to how that damaged area has recovered by the street.


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## Pete1313

Jeff_MI84 said:


> I'm curious as to how that damaged area has recovered by the street.


It's doing good and filled back in for the most part. Besides the initial repair, there was a round or two of sanding in those spots.







Someone messaged me asking how the Jacobsen aerator handles tree roots. So today I just did 3 passes(72") around my tree rings. Here are some pics of the cores around a maple, and a birch tree. 2" x 2" tine spacing with .425" inside diameter side eject tines.





As you can see, it pulls a core straight out of the root. (Alittle tree root pruning, :lol



Pic of the Jake GA-24.



The unit is for sale, but might still keep it for spot repairs. Plan for today- rake up and remove those cores(I did 2 other trees on the other side of the property as well), trim trees, clean up mulch beds, try and get a mow in @ 5/8" before sunset. I failed to have a journal this year due to a busy life. Things are slowing down a bit and will do some updates this fall as well as get one going for next year.


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## Jeff_MI84

@Pete1313 wow it looks like nothing happened there.


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## Babameca

Glad to have you back! This machine is sick. My contact is a Jake retailer...maybe some old unit lays in his graveyard.


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## Chris LI

Babameca said:


> Glad to have you back! This machine is sick. My contact is a Jake retailer...maybe some old unit lays in his graveyard.


^+1
These are great machines! We used to have the old Ryan GA-24 at the pitch-putt course I used to manage. This is the same basic machine rebranded as a Jacobsen. Textron is the parent company and probably switched it over to the Jacobsen line (I think they killed the Ryan name). Anyway, we used 5/8" hollow tines and one size up or down (1/2" or 3/4"). We also had 1/2" solid tines for the summer, for minimal injury and light dustings of topdressing (we had a major OM problem with our native soil push up greens). This thing drives straight and deep, with excellent throw. Someone was fixing an old one up awhile ago on TLF. Glad to see these guys still in production (Toro Pro Core is It's main competition).


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