# Boy_meets_lawn Lawn Journal



## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Been registered here a while and guess its time to start a lawn journal.

I have 10.5k of what is most likely tifway 419 mixed with common bermuda that was installed by the builder. I had a few different yard services manage it but was never happy with the results as they would always end up scalping with a large rotary deck in several places.

August 2020 I bought a JD 220e and scalped from 3+ to 0.75". The yard took about a month to recover and was still thin in several places but the appearance was a major improvement. I realized I may not have the time to maintain the larger backyard as low as I wanted and bought a automower as an experiment. I had the robot mow at the lowest setting of 0.8" for the remainder of the season as I maintained the front with the JD at 0.75"

Not really a lawn picture but shows the state that it was maintained in the start of 2020 before I found this site.



Automower at work the end of 2020 season



Front yard end of last season



2021

I scalped both yards at 0.4" and have been maintaining at 5/8. I modified a fairway kit meant for the larger automowers to essentially let me cut as low as I want to. I also built the popular chapin 12 gallon push boom sprayer.

As of May I have aerated once, applied 1 lb/k of SOP, and started spraying Tnex at 0.25 oz/k with AMS and Feature. I had a soil test done and plan on spraying citric acid monthly and multiple apps of Sulfur to start correcting my pH. I will probably alternate between granular fairway or greens prilled 16-4-8 and liquid urea and AMS apps.

I plan to redo most of the landscaping in the front yard as I have some plants that didn't survive the hard freeze and I need to remove a oak tree before it becomes a larger problem.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Added a Davis weather station and WeatherLink Live. Placement was definitely a compromise as I'm surrounded on the sides by other roof lines and I doubt the HOA will approve a 30 foot mast to mount the anemometer.



Current picture of the backyard post 1st Tnex application of the season.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Beautiful lawn. These automowers seem to be legit. Im not ready to give up my excuse for "me" time just yet but one day.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Well not sure what I can do, can't control the weather. I got in a super soggy mow yesterday and the day before I sprayed some PGR with feature and azoxystrobin. I definitely have some fungus in a few places that have remained wet for over a week and I definitely have some over regulation spots from my tnex app.

We had another 1" of rain today and there's more on the way the next few days. I think I'm going to let this pgr app run its course and grow out of the fungus damage.

I have 4 French drains in my backyard at the lowest points of each swale and this still occurred.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Got a little bit of fungus going on after all the rain despite my preventative apps. Forecast shows the rain is moving out so I will do a follow up app of azoxy in the next day or so. Might also stop the robot and bag the clippings for 2 mows or so.

Cut the front yesterday and the color has come back from my previous pgr apps, still not where I want it but getting there.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@Boy_meets_lawn Really nice. I see some stripes so are you letting the automower cut and then striping with the reel occasionally or what? How much does the 310/315 run per day or per week to keep up? Definitely leaning towards pulling the trigger on one for 15k front yard myself.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

cglarsen said:


> @Boy_meets_lawn Really nice. I see some stripes so are you letting the automower cut and then striping with the reel occasionally or what? How much does the 310/315 run per day or per week to keep up? Definitely leaning towards pulling the trigger on one for 15k front yard myself.


I cut the back with the reel probably once or twice a month. Usually before I spray so I can have a visual reference. I wasn't spraying at all last year and the robot took care of it the whole time. I'm running the 310 for 14 hours a day 7 days a week. I'm using pgr now so I'm going to try to cut it back an hour or 2 a day and see. Definitely oversize if you can afford to, the 430 is a bigger machine.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Reapplied PGR with feature and a little 20-20-20. I didn't have time to stripe the back with the reel so we will see how evenly I applied.

Submitted my landscaping changes I want to make to the hoa.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Everything is looking good!!!


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Scalping with the reel in a few spots, I need to level but am putting it off. I put out another application of Sulfur and sprayed some citric acid with the rain we have been getting, looking forward to my next soil test.


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## Broad St Bagman (Apr 8, 2021)

Turf looks great.

What was your PH on the first test and what are you aiming for? I've got an area that's more alkaline but I've been putting off trying to correct it.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

My pH was 8.2, I'm trying to get to at least 7.0. I don't know if its placebo effect but I think my granular fert applications are working better than last year.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

To close out last years events, I broke my leg and wasn't able to keep up with the yard.

2022

Soil test has pH at 7.9 so I've done 1 app of Sulfur and planning on another 2 this year. I did a core aeration this spring and have just been doing around 0.5 lb N a month granular apps. PGR I started at 0.125 oz and just made my second app at full rate 0.2 oz.

Got hit with what I think was Pythium in the front yard. Applied some subdue max and seems the damage has stopped but it's going to take some time to fill.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Need to just remove the 2021 from my journal title as I don't see the need to create another one each year.

July update. Front yard has almost completely healed from the fungal damage and I had my oak tree removed. I'm still planning on doing some landscaping changes but will probably wait till the fall. 


Backyard needs a verticut to remove some grain. I've been on the lookout for a gas powered unit, might just have to rent a slice seeder.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

August update.

Picked up a sunjoe dethatcher on sale for $50 and figured I'd try the scarifier on a section in the front yard instead of renting a slice seeder. I would advise anyone who's thinking of doing this not to.

Before



After





At least the backyard is hanging on despite the lack of rain.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

I bet it will bounce back quickly. Looking good. I'm also on the lookout for a verticut or dethatcher. If you find one, I'll rent it from you!!!


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Plenty of rain has been falling these past 2 weeks and sped recovery of the "verticut" area. I've been doing preventative fungicide apps for DS since greencast alerted high disease pressure. Besides trying to time my liquid apps and mowing around the rain I really can't complain.


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