# Brackin4au's 2021 Lawn Journal



## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Last year I gave up on my journal because we moved to a different house early summer. I'd be lying if I said I don't miss the old (big) yard, and especially the putting green I worked so hard on. I'd also be lying if I said the new (small) yard wasn't much easier and cheaper to maintain ha. Last year I cut strictly with the rotary due to some rough terrain that I didn't get a chance to level yet. Took a little while to get the yard in good shape, as shown by pics, but it ended up looking thick and green for a good part of the season.

Moved in with it looking like this....









Scalped to this...











Over the course of the rest of the year, I dethatched, aerated, and mowed mowed mowed...













Ended up looking like this...


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Now to 2021....

I got to work a few weeks ago, and tore out all the shrubs/plants/etc from both of the front flower beds..







Planning to make the right side bed extend to the sidewalk, instead of leaving that useless small section of grass. Will probably get rid of all the landscape blocks as well, and make the left side bed a live edge bed.

Also pulled up a termite bait station... oops ha


I also decided to try burning the yard this year, instead of scalping. It worked great, and was infinitely easier than scalping. Anxious to see how well it fills back in afterward...


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Plans for this year include:

Sand leveling the yard...

Rejuvenating the area I smoked off for the playground my girls got for Christmas (changed my mind on making it a full section of mulch)...



All new flower beds in front, as well as the awkward section between the back of the house and that sidewalk going around to the patio, smoked it off last year as well...



New bed around the mailbox to cut down on trimming...

Possibly mulch around the shed I got toward the end of last season...


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## Two_Rivers (Apr 5, 2019)

Glad to see you back, great work on the transformation already!


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Two_Rivers said:


> Glad to see you back, great work on the transformation already!


Thanks! Can't wait to get after it this year and get back to reel low grass...


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## chadh (Aug 8, 2019)

Looking forward to this one as much as i liked the last!


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

chadh said:


> Looking forward to this one as much as i liked the last!


Thanks! Hopefully I can get it looking good soon, then I'm probably going to start working on a new putting green. Got some new ideas for this one...


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Brackin4au said:


> Thanks! Hopefully I can get it looking good soon, then I'm probably going to start working on a new putting green. Got some new ideas for this one...


I was just about to ask about another green. Which turf type are you going for on the green?


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Redtwin said:


> Brackin4au said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks! Hopefully I can get it looking good soon, then I'm probably going to start working on a new putting green. Got some new ideas for this one...
> ...


The last house, I just smoothed and cut the green with the existing tifway419... but during the winter, I talked with a local golf course superintendent about what they do with the plugs when they aerate the greens. He said they normally toss them in thin areas like under trees and such, but said I was welcome to get as many as I'd like. It's an actual Dwarf Bermuda. Jones Dwarf Bermuda is the actual name he used. So I'm going to try and get a good amount of those cores, and bust them up and spread over the spot I'm putting the green, and then topdress and fertilize/water the crap out of it. He said he's done similar things in the past, and thinks it should work. We shall see. I feel like it will be pretty similar to using sprigs...


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## cosgrc (May 6, 2019)

Looking forward to watching this yard. I had been wondering if you still had the JD260SL and were going to use it. Seen the old yard lately (really end of season last year)? Not even close to what you kept it at..... :shock:


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

cosgrc said:


> Looking forward to watching this yard. I had been wondering if you still had the JD260SL and were going to use it. Seen the old yard lately (really end of season last year)? Not even close to what you kept it at..... :shock:


Haha unfortunately I did see it several times. We got a few packages for my wife's store sent to that address over the course of last summer. So I would have to go pick them up. Kinda made me a little nauseated haha. Your dad's yard was always looking nice though! Ha


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Got a charity mow in today at 0.7". Had it looking pretty green but a recent cold snap yellowed it out a bit... oh well. Nice warm days ahead so it should bounce back quick.

Pictures are pre-mow, didn't get post-mow pics and I'm not sure why....


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Also did a ton of work in my flower beds today. I have wanted to redo these since moving in last year. Today me and a buddy scooped out all the much, 3+", as well as ripped out the bed weed barrier crap, and filled his dads 3/4 ton truck bed to the brim with the mulch... looooot of shoveling. 




Now I can finally get rid of those landscape blocks (buddy who helped me is gonna take them) and also the metal edging along the front porch... and I can make a real flower bed. Plan to make a live edge like I had at my previous house.

Next plan though is to bring in some soil conditioner and till it all up together before adding plants.

Speaking of tilling, used this beast to till up an area in my backyard to add a new bed. This area was more of a pain to mow than it was worth, so decided to just make it into a bed... tilled up great today. Gonna scoop out a few inches of the loose dirt now, then spread some soil conditioner and till again before adding plants...


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Got some more work in the beds done today. Spread a thick layer of soil conditioner over the whole bed, then tilled it all together to incorporate it well. Then the wife and I went to get some plants, finally. Ended up with 5 azaleas "autumn empress", 2 chamaecyparis, 2 golden euonymus, 1 dwarf limelight hydrangea. Left the crepe myrtle, 1 hydrangea tree, and 1 previously planted azalea of unknown variety (this may or may not stay). Dug up the day lilies and separated them to spread out along the beds. Need to move a couple of those Bc the pictures make my OCD off the charts. Got it all in and watered. Now I just have to get a truck load of mulch to cover up all the clay/roots/rocks/debri that kicked up during the tilling process.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Scooped out a few inches worth of dirt in the new bed I'm making in the back yard today. Buddy of mine needed dirt, and I needed some of it gone. So we filled up his 3/4 ton truck bed with loose dirt after tilling it again to make it easier to scoop out. While we were shoveling, I used the @thompwa special, and sifted some of the dirt to use in some low spots. Worked like a charm and got some good "topsoil" to work with. Also gave some to my neighbor who had a couple holes he needed filled...


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

Starting to see some stripes finally, despite some cold weather this week. Mowing at 0.7" right now even though it's bumpy as all get out. Trying to keep the HOC low though in preparation for sanding. As soon as it gets warm and stays warm, I'll be turning this place into a beach...



Got fancy and tried to cut diamonds, but it kind of washed out the other stripes.. oh well...


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