# RobbyBobby Lawn Journal



## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Took a hot minute to pull the trigger on this but here we are. It's been a crazy year with a lot of good coming from it despite the ill that surrounds the world today.

We're situated in Peoria, AZ. Having bought the house back in September of '20 - moving from Dallas, TX. Wife and I are both AZ natives so it was a homecoming and a desired one at that. Took advantage of a work opportunity to come back to the valley where we would be near some family support systems while we start our family. All had worked according to plan as my wife was pregnant within 2 weeks of moving back and we had our first little baby girl in May of this year. Turning 4 months tomorrow, it's been an incredible journey so far.

Despite all of the busy this year, ive been able to make some good strides on the property. A lot more to be desired in terms of overall aesthetics for landscaping but the turf is coming in. It is a mixed bag of differing Bermuda cultivators but it'll do for the time being. This is the first year I've incorporated a fungicide, insecticide and PGR routine into my cadence.

*Property Specs*
.89 acres
18k sqft mowed at .70".
Flood irrigated every 14 days + sprinklers as needed.

*Equipment*

Greensmaster 3100
Toro Greensmaster Flex 2100
TruCut H20
Toro Recycler 20"

*Arial Shot* - listing photo with some cgi for color)




*Move In Day*



Severely Overgrown Trees 


*March '21*



*Current State*


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Some areas of pain / areas to fill in.

This spot is directly in line with the underground piping for the flood water. Roots must be significantly shallower as these spots dry out 2x faster than anywhere else. Picture from May* 


Ive plugged these gaps a little but not nearly what I should have to fill it quickly. Still work to be done today. Picture from August 7.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

A brief look into what flood irrigation looks like. Property can take about 2 hours with of water. Most areas are anywhere from 14-20in deep after which. Water is typically gone within 24 hours.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Last post for the night.

Got a nice little delivery today from Hancock. 160# of Champions GC. Planning to overseed the entire 18k front and back. Will be another month until I get this seed down based on historicals


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## Highlife159 (May 19, 2021)

What are the pros/cons of flood irrigation compared to normal irrigation? It seems like flooding the yard would use quite a bit more water than sprinklers but maybe I'm missing something?


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Highlife159 said:


> What are the pros/cons of flood irrigation compared to normal irrigation? It seems like flooding the yard would use quite a bit more water than sprinklers but maybe I'm missing something?


Significantly more water. It's a unique offering for a small subset of homes across the greater Phoenix area. It's just really cheap, been around for a long time and originally meant for farmland. $180 for the year, flooded every 14 days from April to October and once monthly for the rest. I can take up to 3 hours of water each time but my property really maxes out around 2.

*The Pros*
1)Cheap! My standard water bill is ~$60 a month + $15 for the flood. In the dead beat of the summer I'll supplement with around .5in of water with my sprinklers. All else is from flood.
2) Significantly cooler in the neighborhood. Since everyone 2 blocks north and 2 blocks south of us have the same flood irrigation, everyone maintains a lot of grass. Rare for AZ.

*The Cons*
1) Scheduling can be rough. Everyone locks in the amount of time they're requesting for water and then a schedule is sent out. Your timeslot can be at any time of the day, without exception. Ive had the 12p starts and I've held the 3a starts. 
2) Bugs. Not a major concern now that I have a good insecticide routine in my apps but at first it was crickets galore. When you see crickets, scorpions are close by. Fortunately never had an issue with scorpions and now I rarely see any bugs.


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## Highlife159 (May 19, 2021)

robbybobby said:


> Significantly more water. It's a unique offering for a small subset of homes across the great Phoenix area. It's just really cheap, been around for a long time and originally meant for farmland. $180 for the year, flooded every 14 days from April to October and once monthly for the rest. I can take up to 3 hours of water each time but my property really maxes out around 2.
> 
> *The Pros*
> 1)Cheap! My standard water bill is ~$60 a month + $15 for the flood. In the dead beat of the summer I'll supplement with around .5in of water with my sprinklers. All else is from flood.
> ...


That's interesting. I had never heard of it before so I wasn't sure if it was something you decided to put in or something that was a unique offering to your area/region. Has there been any push-back from environmentalist to move to only sprinkler irrigation to conserve water? I would imagine something like the water supply is something that's argued over fairly often in a city like Phoenix that's in the middle of a desert.

When you put down that PRG will you just time it up so that you are putting it down right after the yard dries up from a flood? Or, would you just not flood the yard for a couple weeks so you don't have to worry about the water moving all the seed?

Thanks for all the information!


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

@Highlife159 Here's a little video regarding the process - https://blog.srpnet.com/irrigation-101/. Phoenix does OK for water, in better shape this year due to all the monsoon rain we did get. Wouldnt shock me if it was eradicated in the future but then again it's been around since 1900s.

I'm leaning towards seeding post flood but I worry about continued growth of the Bermuda since it won't be overly cool still. Post seed I'll just sprinkler irrigate until I have good coverage. Last year I didn't have a great take (dummy omit starter Fert) and I only did the front and a small section of my backyard for the dogs, about 9k in total. Doing the whole thing this year will be fun.


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## PhxHeat (Oct 18, 2019)

@Highlife159 "flood" irrigation is fairly common in Arizona and has existed LONG before any whites settled (in) the region. Arizona has been extremely fortunate in that generations of work have been implemented to help "preserve" our water supply. Regions of Arizona have a great water table and aquifer systems. Arizona's in ground storage is massive and very well managed for the most part by several entities. YES environmentalists are a major problem, so is public ignorance, as well as government incompetence . . . . but those discussions (imo) are best kept to be discussed over a cold frosty adult beverage while hanging out by a campfire or playing a yard game on some nice green grass.


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## PhxHeat (Oct 18, 2019)

@robbybobby you didn't specify when you are thinking of overseeding . . . *** EDIT*** just saw in your seed bag pic post, a month out ***.... I look for mid or low 60's at night and prefer highs lower than 85°. On good years, I can overseed in early Oct. Other years not til Nov..


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

@PhxHeat yeah probably mid October will be the ticket. I tried at the very beginning of Oct last year and it was still too warm. Agreed on the temps…trying to lock it in ASAP.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Hydraulic Fluid leaking again, different spot but can't seem to pinpoint. Having a tech come out tomorrow to pressure test and see what gives. Fortunate it wasn't overly heavy but it is allll over the back . Drips here and there and only when running. Any thoughts??


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## Buffalolawny (Nov 24, 2018)

May have missed it. But, what's the leak from? Guessing Your Greensmaster 3100

Setup a Phone, DJI Action or Gopro video the machine as you drive.

Video helps in describing a problem

Especially when a customer come's in a describes like i can hear this noise from the motor.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Buffalolawny said:


> May have missed it. But, what's the leak from? Guessing Your Greensmaster 3100
> 
> Setup a Phone, DJI Action or Gopro video the machine as you drive.
> 
> ...


Yes sir, leak from the 3100. Had a tech out this morning and was able to pinpoint it quickly. Oil seal came off the crank case. Cheap parts fortunately. Will be back in business by end of the week.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

The 3100 is back in business! Oil leak kill off was confined to the drip locations so overall pretty pleased in the minimal damage. Dealing with a significant Spurge issue that has exploded over the past two weeks. Hitting it with Spurge Power this evening.

*Tuesday* *last mowed 9/12*



*Today*


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

A little spot watering and rock digging to encourage some spots to fill in.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

First cut in 8 days. Work has been killer lately and with hours of daylight dwindling…weekends are my only option. Grass is no longer under regulation and as such I generated 3-50 gallon bags of clippings.

Temps are prime this coming week and into the weekend. Looking to hit it once more with TNex to stunt the Bermuda and its overseed time!


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Finally got a chance to update the journal. First cut since seed went down on 10-15. Had some issues with irrigation after seeding, had to replace solenoids on 4 stations. Not painful but being at work all day didnt allow me to diagnose very quickly. Still seeing some seed begin to germinate even now. Weather has still been warm during the days with highs in the high 80s and into the 90s.

All in all, coverage is OK. Cutting at .7 with the 3100. Triple cut in most directions to get an even first cut. Still seeing some growth from the Bermuda underneath. Seed heads are always a pain in the rear lol.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Quick mow mid morning. Not a ton of growth, only 1-50# bag of clippings. Still fairly warm during the peak of the day, high of 91 today. Looking forward to the 70s late next week.

I have another 10# bag of seed that I'll use to touch up certain areas.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Growth is not encouraging. Not sure if it is in need of fert or what. Had some wilt which I attributed to over watering so I dialed that back.

I'm not sure what I'm missing but I haven't mowed in 16 days in the front and it's still no more than an inch tall.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Any thoughts? Fungus? Too much water? Not enough?


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

First mow in roughly 2.5 weeks. Not a lot of growth but long enough that it too a few passes to catch it all. Good amount of rain the in last few days has helped.

My sprayer is still busted (bad pump). Need to get that addressed here soon as I believe I'm still dealing with a little fungus in the turf.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

We're back!

Morning App on the backyard with the upgraded walk behind boom.

18K Sqft total coverage, 11k Turf.

Prodiamine Pre-M - .4oz per k
MSM Turf (PRG Kill Off and random winter weeds) - .011oz per K.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Prodiamime 1/2 app + MSM on the front.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Spot sprayed for chickweed and clover with Dicamba and Triclopyr.

Trifluralin for a pre-e against goatheads.

Bermuda is starting to peak through. My scalp unit (Tru-Cut) is acting up. I could dethatch but I don't think enough Rye has been killed off yet. Going to wait until next weekend to transition.



I feel like I only post the area I'm proud of but will share more sore areas and progress this year. One area in particular I am interested in doing some cultivator experimenting. This area is largely neglected as it is only about 600 sqft. Laid down the pre-e in this area last week and came back today with the spot spraying.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Expanding the reel low turf a bit. Taking the collars out another 12-18 inches to minimize what I need to manage with the rotary. Planning to maintain the collar around 1.25-1.5". Held it around 2.5" last year and while it provided good contrast between the reel low…it wasn't great looking in my opinion.





Ripped out the two failing fruit trees and took her down as low as possible with the rotary. Couple section of heavy weed that I'm letting die off more before knocking back.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

We had bulk trash pickup this past week. Was able to dispose of the "garden" barriers among other things. Still a lot of work to do in this area, to include removing the remaining tree. It drops pollen in the fall and is ugly in my opinion.



Old picture of area



Went back around today and hand pulled most of what I spot sprayed with MSM+. I'm hoping all of this pre-E and weed maintenance on the surrounds will pay off this season.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

1) 3100 Minor Maintenance -
Had a minor gas leak from the carb on the 3100. Would constantly drip out of the overflow barb. Fortunately it was only a worn needle holding the float. Took this opportunity to swap to a new gasket and install a fuel line filter.

2) Threw on the dethatch reels for the first time since purchasing the 3100. Certainly beats having to walk the yard to execute the same thing. Some fine tuning needed as the pull up wasn't as aggressive as it needs. Went over both the front and back 3 times and then went over it all with the rotary. 7 - 55 gallon bags of all dead material.

Definitely in need of another MSM hit in some areas for Rye. Will try to get that done tomorrow morning before heading out of town.

Final Product.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Quick cut on both the front and the back, .700. Greening up a good bit in the front but the back is lagging behind. No fert down yet for the year.

PRE



POST


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Prop & Bifen app on the back. No pictures from today.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Fresh cut and edge on the front and back. Greening up nicely, still zero fert apps. Some rye holding on but unsure if I want to hit it with another dose of MSM.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Tree is gone. Thinking I will till it here soon to speed up the leveling and then start plugging.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Cut on the front and back. Seed heads are starting to take off a bit. Overall not a ton of clippings, I think I emptied my catchers twice.

Flood water coming Monday, going to give her its first fert app on Sunday or a Monday.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Another double cut on the back. Filled up all 3 catchers about 60%. Main objective today was to clean up the "collars". Took the rotary up a 1/2 notch from the lowest and will plan to stay there. Some chlorosis in areas, still not fert down so I'm not certain what that is from.

Today was beautiful! Sunny and a high of 86*. Tuesday and Wednesday look to be even better with highs in the 70s. Can't beat that in April for Phoenix. Later this week we're back to the 90s+ for good.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Couple pictures from the flood water tonight. Took 90 minutes from 720p-850p. I could've used about 20 more minutes to fill in the back a touch more but nonetheless a good flood.



It is evident that my rotary did not do a great job of vacuuming my dethatch efforts from a couple weeks back. This is the low spot in the yard so I got a little crazy with the pool net 🤨. I thought I had seen every look imaginable from the wife.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

You have common Bermuda? I have a similar draining problem that I'll problem have to install a French drain


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

CenlaLowell said:


> You have common Bermuda? I have a similar draining problem that I'll problem have to install a French drain


Largely common in my backyard. It drains rather well I think, at least compared to my neighbors. Most areas saw about 18-20" at their peak and it's mostly gone 12 hours later.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

No action on the turf. Given the lower temps these last two days the ground is still fairly squishy from the flood irrigation.

Decided to do a little pruning of all my trees + my grapefruit tree in the front (not pictured). As long as I keep up with them throughout the season I can avoid a trip to the dump and dispose with my weekly city pickup

*Featuring my neighbors Palm that is severely overgrown….I'm thinking about offering him $100 as an incentive to get it cut back.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

And the addiction continues….snagged a local '15 Flex 2100, had to pick it up. Sniped it off a fellow lawn nut but not on TLF….I think I sold him on joining though!

760 hours with transport wheels and a catcher. Ran her for a test drive when I got home and had no issues. I'll be doing some routine maintenance on it tonight.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Finally got this Eley Reel up that I've had in my workshop since July of last year…extra capacity kit, holding a 100ft 3/4 hose. Love it so far!





Took the afternoon while my daughter was napping to execute some much needed plugging. I think I pulled 16 in total across 3 areas. The area closest to the pool could use another 6-7 plugs to fill in better….another day.

**Picture from last September to show the areas to fill**


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Flood Water - 1a to 3a. This was damn near about the most water I've ever taken. Super excited for these next two weeks of warm weather to see it all start to fill in.

Picked up a bag of masonry sand and used some old dirt to backfill my plugs.

Given that the wife and little one were asleep, I spent most of the 2 hours outside in the 60* weather enjoying a few cold ones!


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

How does your water allocation work? I saw your explanation of the concept, but do you say how long it runs for? Or do you agree to a certain amount of gallons? Super curious about this process.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Dono1183 said:


> How does your water allocation work? I saw your explanation of the concept, but do you say how long it runs for? Or do you agree to a certain amount of gallons? Super curious about this process.


The duration allowed is entirely dependent on the size of your plot. Our entire neighborhood plots are anywhere from .8-.98 acres. For this size, we're allowed up to 3 hours of water. This most recent run I elected for 2 hours, beyond that I risk water intrusion against the house + significant runoff on the street. In regards to vol. of water - my research tells me that it is ~11 gallons per minute….so A LOT of water.


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## Dono1183 (Oct 11, 2021)

robbybobby said:


> Dono1183 said:
> 
> 
> > How does your water allocation work? I saw your explanation of the concept, but do you say how long it runs for? Or do you agree to a certain amount of gallons? Super curious about this process.
> ...


That's super interesting. I know farmers that do something similar for their yards w commercial irrigation from the r fields, but they just dump it on, and what soaks in, soaks in. I do enjoy seeing your watering pictures!


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Yes! Largely similar process. We have berms in our yards that just cradle the water. It will all soak in (less evaporation in these coming hot months) but most drops well below the use of my grass or even tree roots.

I get flood water every 14 days so you'll be seeing more!



Dono1183 said:


> robbybobby said:
> 
> 
> > Dono1183 said:
> ...


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Cut the front with the Flex 2100 and the back with the 3100. The flex is cutting at .600 vs. .700 with the triplex. Stripes well and once this fills in it'll be pretty special!

The 2100 is no joke. I've seen a few thread about how much of a beast it is and it is true. Using that machine makes me incredible envious of people that have turf flush with surrounding concrete or pavers.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

9/3

Backyard @ 11gal 
PGR - .30oz/K, 242GGD.
Bifen - .33oz/K
Prop - .18oz/K

Quick cut this morning. 3 days growth and was about 3/4 full on each basket.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

9/13 at 12am

Urea @.3lbs per K
Bifen XTS @.33oz per K

Light sprinkle to wash off the leaf material around 0500.

2 hours of flood water from 10a-12p.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

The Urea apps + PGR have worked wonders over the last month.

*Cutting @ .700*

*Morning dew & fuzzy @ 0700*


*Fresh cut @ 0830*


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Midnight+ app!

*Front*: 7K sqft
PGR - .40oz/K
2,4-D - .55oz/K
Celcius - High Rate
Urea - .5lbs/K

*Back*: 11K Sqft
PGR - .40oz/K
Urea - .40oz/K

Curious to see how the front handles it


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## BruceAlmighty22 (May 12, 2021)

robbybobby said:


> 9/13 at 12am
> 
> Urea @.3lbs per K
> Bifen XTS @.33oz per K
> ...


Just read through your journal and I'm amazed how the water allocation works. I've only lived in the southeast where it's unheard-of to that sort of thing. Very interesting concept to conserve water though.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

@BruceAlmighty22 it is now seen as rather wasteful as a lot of the water sheds back into the water table. Selfishly though, it is the only way I could have this much reel mowed turf without a stupid water bill. I think I payed $88 last month!


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

A little TLC to the 3100 tonight. Noticed my aftercut was a little funky from the mow Sautrday morning and gave me an excuse to do an oil change while the middle reel was off.

*Work Completed*
Oil + Backlapped all reels.

-Full Synthetic 10W30 back in. 
-Backlapped with PinHigh 120 Grit


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

*Morning Dew*





*Post Cut*


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Flood water tonight from 7:55p to 8:55p. Only was able to fill the back tonight as I have some concrete demo occurring in the front yard starting tomorrow AM. This was our last bi-monthly watering of the year until we pick back up again in April. Unfortunate because we still have a good 40-50 days of growing soil conditions.

Got my shipment of Prop and Bifen XTS today. 
1 Gal - Prop 
32oz - Bifen


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

What is left of the flood water this AM. Another 24 hours or so and she’ll be ready for a haircut.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Not much growth since my last app, 253 GDD, when I upped the PGR rate to .40oz/K (.30oz previously). Had a little bit of bronzing this time around so I’ll likely settle for .30oz per K.

Had some concrete done to the front of the house and lawn dig resulted in rocks everywhere. I’m done with the reel up there for the season.


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

robbybobby said:


> Midnight+ app!
> 
> *Front*: 7K sqft
> PGR - .40oz/K
> ...


Do you have a build list for this sprayer? Looking to upgrade my Chapin to a bigger pump and more than the 2 nozzle setup I have now.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

killacam said:


> Do you have a build list for this sprayer? Looking to upgrade my Chapin to a bigger pump and more than the 2 nozzle setup I have now.


Let me put something together. You’re not the first to ask and I’ve been lazy to get around to it.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Quick cut today on the back. Maybe 1/2 full on all 3 catchers.


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

robbybobby said:


> Let me put something together. You’re not the first to ask and I’ve been lazy to get around to it.


Sounds great, looking forward to it.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Midnight app.

Urea - .4# per K
PGR - .3oz per K
Bifen XTS - .15oz per K
Prop - .18oz per K


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

With the 3100 under the weather (oil leak) I had to mow with the Flex 2100. HOC was still set from my reset a couple months back and took it as high as it could go, .600. I mow at .700 with the 3100 so I expected to see a little more scalping than what transpired.

Been raining on and off all day and expected to continue tomorrow so I executed during a light sprinkle.


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