# Valentine's Lawn Journal



## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Starting a lawn journal to help me keep track of things.

Open to any and all comments/questions.

This is my first year taking lawn care seriously. 
Current situation is typical of a lawn with 3 years of little to no weed control.

Front yard is going to be my main concern as it's viewable from the street (obviously) but I have two dogs, one of them being a lab, that terrorizes the back yard. Front yard greens up fairly decent in the summer, but has weeds scattered throughout. I'd like to get rid of all of the weeds, and focus on building some healthy turf.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Current treatments:

2/10/19 - First ever pre emergent treatment with Dithiopyr (from home depot) 


3/9/19 - Scalped yard using lowest setting of Craftsman mower. 
Yard is fairly uneven and mower contacted dirt in some areas, but did not remove enough in others. Toying with the idea of renting a dethatcher.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

2/24 - Sprayed 2-4,D, killed a lot of the broad leaf stuff. Still a large amount of Poa Annua (I believe) Planning on treatment of Celsius and Prodiamine. later in March.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

lvlikeyv said:


> 2/24 - Sprayed 2-4,D, killed a lot of the broad leaf stuff. Still a large amount of Poa Annua (I believe) Planning on treatment of Celsius and Prodiamine. later in March.


Are you in OK? Regardless, hit me up on a PM.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

3/13/2019
Sprayed prodiamine with a blue marking dye. 
Quickly learning that my sprayer is not very efficient. I will be looking into a better sprayer in the upcoming months. 
Using Prodiamine 65WG. 
I spread at .5oz per 1,000 sq feet. 
Going to apply another .33oz per 1,000 sq feet in the fall.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

@Ivlikeyv

Brother, I will be selling my 4 Gallon Chapin Backpack Sprayer as soon as next week if your interested?

https://www.domyown.com/chapin-gallon-treeturf-pro-commercial-backpack-sprayer-61900-p-1150.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw96fkBRA2EiwAKZjFTQuVjW9SkinW-8MSwZw4GLvrDSF5ZcDc067y1FZAwLxkKaJSh3lORRoCBYwQAvD_BwE


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Two9tene said:


> @Ivlikeyv
> 
> Brother, I will be selling my 4 Gallon Chapin Backpack Sprayer as soon as next week if your interested?
> 
> https://www.domyown.com/chapin-gallon-treeturf-pro-commercial-backpack-sprayer-61900-p-1150.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw96fkBRA2EiwAKZjFTQuVjW9SkinW-8MSwZw4GLvrDSF5ZcDc067y1FZAwLxkKaJSh3lORRoCBYwQAvD_BwE


I wish I would have saw this earlier. I just bought the Field King https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AYHKUO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 earlier this month. It is so much sweeter than my 1 gallon hand pump sprayer. Thanks for the heads up though. I need to keep my eye out for the post notification.

Last I saw you were going to test out your new reel? what did you go with again? and what do you think so far?


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

4/8/2019
Blanket sprayed 3.2 grams/1000 sq ft of Celsius on entire yard. I have numerous weeds throughout the entire front, back, and side yards. I went with the max single application rate to target the widest range of weeds. I will follow up with the smallest app rate in a couple of weeks.

I mixed in some MSO. The bottle stated to use 0.25-0.5% v/v. Any idea how to calculate this? I just added a small splash to be on the safe side.

4/9/2019
I know Celsuis is labeled as being a slow killer, but its only been one day and I'm already seeing signs of it working.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

lvlikeyv said:


> Two9tene said:
> 
> 
> > @Ivlikeyv
> ...


I got a GreensMaster 1000! Loving every minute of it. You can see it in my journal.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

4/20/2019
Spread 0.5lb/1000 sq ft of 13/13/13 fertilizer. I plan on doing another application in two weeks to get the 1lb/1000sq ft per month.

I spread fertilizer around 8am and immediately watered in for around 10 minutes.


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## Crabbychas (Apr 25, 2018)

lvlikeyv said:


> I mixed in some MSO. The bottle stated to use 0.25-0.5% v/v. Any idea how to calculate this? I just added a small splash to be on the safe side.


1 Tablespoon per gallon of mixture comes out to .4%. v/v means volume by volume, so use liquid measurements.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Crabbychas said:


> lvlikeyv said:
> 
> 
> > I mixed in some MSO. The bottle stated to use 0.25-0.5% v/v. Any idea how to calculate this? I just added a small splash to be on the safe side.
> ...


Let me run this back to make sure I understand.

I converted to milliliters as it makes more sense to me.

1 tablespoon = 14.79mL
1 Gallon = 3785.41mL

14.79/3785.41=.0039*100=0.4%

I've found that I need 3 gallons to treat my 4,000 sq/ft area. (I use a 4 gallon backpack sprayer)

so I would just multiply 14.79mL * 3 to get 44.37mL. I would add this to the 3 gallons of mixture?

If so, that's not bad at all.


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## Crabbychas (Apr 25, 2018)

Yep, that's all it is. Make sure you agitate the mixture well to get the oil mixed in.

Another way to look at is 1 gallon is 128 fl oz. 1 table spoon is .5 fl oz. so 128/.5 = .004


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Saw what looks to be Nutsedge popping up. If anyone want to chime in to confirm or deny please do so.

I plan on doing my remaining low dose of Celsius and was thinking about throwing in some Sedgehammer with it. I believe I read people mixing the two as they both work well with surfactants. (Feel free to chime in on this as well.

Funny story:
I did a deck reno this past October and the project produced quite a bit of trash/debirs that I was storing on the side of the house. It took me longer than it should have to clear the debris (close to 5 months) Fast forward several months later and I'll be damned if the area of grass that was covered by cardboard, a door, and junk isnt the greenest most weed free portion of my line. You can literally see the outline of the box that covered the lawn. 
I'm seriously debating covering the entire lawn come winter just to prevent sunlight from getting to any weeds. 
I'm guessing this is just a testament to resiliency of Bermuda.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

lvlikeyv said:


> Saw what looks to be Nutsedge popping up. If anyone want to chime in to confirm or deny please do so.
> 
> I plan on doing my remaining low dose of Celsius and was thinking about throwing in some Sedgehammer with it. I believe I read people mixing the two as they both work well with surfactants. (Feel free to chime in on this as well.
> 
> ...


That's definitely a sedge brother!


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Thanks for the reassurance bud. I sprayed some sedgehammer this morning and mixed in my final app of Celsius for the year. 
Bermuda is definitely starting to fill in. I'm fighting off several years of improper care so I'm just trying to be patient with it. Hopefully it fills in fully this summer because it would be nice if I could top dress it to smooth it out a bit. I'm just trying to get on your level.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

5/5/2019
Celsius is definitely doing its job, I still have some Poa Annua in the back and some stragglers in the front so I hit it with the low dose app of Celsius and a half app of SedgeHammer. 


5/7/2019
Spread the remaining bag of 13-13-13 fert at .5lb/1000sqft. Giving me the 1lb per 1000sqft per month. I'm going to switch to straight N fert on my next application. I need to get a soil test.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

5/17/2019
New patio furniture came in. Got to be outside, assemble some furniture, and drink some beer out of the coolest coozie I own.





5/20/2019
Spread a bag of Miloganite 6-4-0 at a rate of 32Lbs per 2,500 sqft. The bag states to set the Scott's edge guard at 12 or so. I did one pass and noticed the fert was literally pouring out. I looked like the crazy guy of the neighborhood sweeping the grass to spread the granules around at 5:30am.

5/21/2019

Got a quick mow in with the push reel. Grass is looking 10x healthier than previous years. Celsius wiped out a huge chunk of weeds that was slowly taking over. I did a very small plug job. I thought "What the hell? It cant hurt."



Current state of the lawn


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Did some landscaping and got a quick mow in before the rains come. 




I posted on my journal a while ago the milorganite bag had the incorrect setting for my spreader which ended in me dumping a huge trail. Well it definitely shows. If anyone was skeptical about Milorganites efficacy let this be the proof. You can see the semi circles formed when I spread the fert. It's not that noticeable through the pictures but damn is it ever in real life.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

6/1/2019 
sprayed Penterra in hopes of preventing pooling on either side of my lawn. As far as that goes, it has does absolutely nothing. Pooling is just as bad. I am seeing some improved water retention in areas that were otherwise very compacted. I can feel some give when I walk over it so hopefully I will see some grass coverage in the upcoming weeks.

6/7/2019
spread 26-0-11 fert at .75/M. I had a small amount of Milo in a bag so I dumped that in as well. I liked the green up from the iron (I believe)

I purchased a SunJoe power rake. I can guarantee my lawn hasn't be dethatched in 5 years. I'll post some before/during/after photos when I use it.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Got in a quick mow and edge before the rains come. I cannot believe how much better my lawn looks compared to last year. I am blown away and am loving the results.

I just bought a sun Joe dethatcher and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Plan on spreading some more fert and penterra in the next couple of days. As I stated before, i am not seeing any results in regards to the reduction of ponding in poorly draining areas. But I am seeing some good results in water retention in areas that were otherwise hard and compacted allowing grass to migrate and fill in a hell of a lot faster than before.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Quick side by side shows areas that were bare dirt after our deck renovation are almost completely filled in.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

6/23/2019
Mowed at 1.5" HOC with the Fiskar's push reel. Then got to use my new SunJoe Dethatcher. I set the height at -5, and ran it in two different direction, then used the rotary in two different direction to vacuum up all the crud. (5 passes all together makes for one hell of a day.)

Pretty impressed and pleased with the results from the SunJoe, especially since it was only around $100. 
The grass catcher that came with it is absolutely pointless. People reported having issues when using an extension chord, but if you plan your passes strategically you will not have any issues.

We plan on having people over for the 4th, I plan on spraying another app of MSMA to completely kill off the Dallis Grass then put down some Ironite a couple days before to really give it some green.

Loving the process and results of the journey. Very rewarding, especially when the neighbors start taking notice.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

6/30/2019
Spread some Ironite at a rate of 3Lbs/1000 square feet. We're having family and friends over for the 4th and I want some nice deep green in the lawn when they're here.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

7/10/2019
Just a little before and after photo. 
Mid to late March - Early July


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

2/8/2021
Spread 1/2 rate of Prodiamine and watered in thoroughly. 
I was worried I was too late and the soil temps got to warm, then I see it's supposed to get down to 16 degrees here on two different days. I think I'll be okay.

I plan on scalping early March and again late April/Early May as this is the year I attempt to level my yard.


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## lvlikeyv (Jan 26, 2019)

Scalped using the Greenworks corded mower down to 1.5" then followed it up with the Fiskar's manual reel. If you want to get a workout, try scalping your yard with a manual reel mower. I don't wish that upon anyone. 
I got it down to around 1". Backyard is very uneven so I hurt dirt in several places. 
This is the year I level the backyard!


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