# GIJoe's 2017 Lawn



## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

I'm going to try to keep up with the lawn a little better this year than I did last year, and I am already off to a bad start. It is seeded bermuda, and probably the worst available kind of seeded bermuda. Before I discovered the teachings of all you lawn Yodas, I didn't know there was more than 1 kind of bermuda, and I stupidly didn't do any research. The backyard was solid weeds about 3 feet high. When I mowed them all down, it looked like a dirt patch. Not liking that, I went to Home Depot, bought a bag of bermuda seed, and spread it out by hand (again, having no clue what I was doing). Fast forward to last year, I started reading more, learned about fertilizers, pre-m, backpack sprayers, mowing low, etc. Bought a lot of the right equipment and supplies, and a lot of the wrong ones, but I think I can make it work.

Available equipment/supplies:

Great States manual reel mower
Chapin battery backpack sprayer with the fancy wand that is recommended to build
Greenlight Amaze pre-m
Celsius, surfactant, tracker dye
2 4D
Glysophate
13-13-13 fertilizer from Tractor Supply (soil test from early 2016 said my lawn was in BAD shape)
Earthway 2150 broadcast spreader
Enough supplies to mix BLSC for the rest of my life
Micros that my lawn needed that I never put down in 2016
Wheelbarrow, pickup, shovels, landscapers rake, etc, etc, etc.

I sand leveled my lawn last year, but it definitely needs it again. I went from occasionally hitting the dirt when mowing at 1.25" to occasionally hitting the dirt when I scalp to 0.5". HOC was 1" last year, and will probably end up at 1" again this year, at least until I get a chance to do another round of sand.

Oh, size of the lawn is in the neighborhood of 1200-1400 sq ft. I don't remember exactly, I'll have to remeasure at some point.

I'm not looking for perfect, I'm just hoping for pretty good. Want to be able to comfortably walk around barefoot, have a nice patch for kids to play, and for it to look pretty alright. I think that's going to be pretty doable this year, and if I don't have much luck, i'll just kill it all and sod with tifway.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Here is an overview shot of the lawn. It has definitely been neglected.



And here is my problem area. I'm not sure if its because of compaction, or buried rocks, or what. Will need to investigate further. Its brown right now, because it was solid clover, and I sprayed the whole lawn with some 2 4D.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Unfortunately, I leave to go out of state for 2 months on Sunday, so anything I do now, will be the last my lawn gets (aside from mowing) for until mid-May. Suggestions? Recommendations? I'm thinking of putting down some 13-13-13 fertilizer, getting the scalp in, putting down some Pre-M (even though its really too late, as there are already tons of weeds), and then on saturday (first of a few days where it'll be over 85 degrees), an application of Celsius.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

So someone will be mowing whilst you are away? If that person/team can do it as often as possible, tell them to keep it as low as they can. That will put you ahead in mid May. By May, you may even be able to re-scalp to just under where you want to maintain it. It will look brown for a week or so, but then really take off with the heat.

It's always a good idea to put out pre-emergent herbicide, even if you have weeds. Maybe you'll catch some crabgrass seeds and maybe you won't, but if you haven't been putting it out, the best advice I can give is to just start. Then, once you've started, just keep applying two to four times yearly and keep the barrier down. Each season the weather changes, new sets of weeds appear, so having the pre-E barrier down will help year round, and keeping it blanketed will help you.

I would skip the addition of 13-13-13 fertilizer this early in the year unless you know the people mowing will keep on top of that job. Otherwise, I'd just start fertilizing when you get back home and can mow regularly. Nitrogen feeds, but doesn't last long, so any lack of green will bounce back when you fertilize upon your return. If you really want to fertilize, you can try something really slow like Milorganite or Texas HouActinite (probably even better and cheaper than Milo for you).


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

As a "neglected" lawn, it looks great! Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing go a long way. I'm curious what seeded Bermuda you put down. It seems to be doing better than expected at 1". The common Bermuda that naturally filled in the largest portion of my backyard doesn't seem to do so well under about 1.5"

Just to expand on what DFW was saying about the pre-emergent. You don't want to apply this 2 - 4 times per year at the full rate. If the application rate is based on twice a year, then divide it in half and apply it four times a year. If it's based on applying once a year, then you can divide the application rate in half and apply twice a year.

Although coverage may be a little weaker, you will get coverage over a longer period. It helps to mitigate the issues of timing.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Wes said:


> As a "neglected" lawn, it looks great! Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing go a long way. I'm curious what seeded Bermuda you put down. It seems to be doing better than expected at 1". The common Bermuda that naturally filled in the largest portion of my backyard doesn't seem to do so well under about 1.5"


Here is my common Bermuda, no idea what cultivar but nothing special I assure you. It was mowed at 3/4" every 3-4 days, fertilized at 1#N a month and Primo'd to the Maxx!


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wes said:


> As a "neglected" lawn, it looks great! Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing go a long way. I'm curious what seeded Bermuda you put down. It seems to be doing better than expected at 1". The common Bermuda that naturally filled in the largest portion of my backyard doesn't seem to do so well under about 1.5"
> 
> Just to expand on what DFW was saying about the pre-emergent. You don't want to apply this 2 - 4 times per year at the full rate. If the application rate is based on twice a year, then divide it in half and apply it four times a year. If it's based on applying once a year, then you can divide the application rate in half and apply twice a year.
> 
> Although coverage may be a little weaker, you will get coverage over a longer period. It helps to mitigate the issues of timing.


The seed was Scotts Bermudagrass Turf Builder from Home Depot. That's all I can tell you. I haven't played with different mower heights, but I'm pretty happy with how it looks at 1". Would love to go lower, but that's not a possibility right now. Maybe after I get to level again, this summer.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotts-Turf-Builder-5-lb-Bermuda-Grass-Seed-18353/203761039


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

J_nick said:


> Wes said:
> 
> 
> > As a "neglected" lawn, it looks great! Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing go a long way. I'm curious what seeded Bermuda you put down. It seems to be doing better than expected at 1". The common Bermuda that naturally filled in the largest portion of my backyard doesn't seem to do so well under about 1.5"
> ...


Your lawn looks amazing. That's pretty much all I could hope for.


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

J_nick said:


> Wes said:
> 
> 
> > As a "neglected" lawn, it looks great! Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing go a long way. I'm curious what seeded Bermuda you put down. It seems to be doing better than expected at 1". The common Bermuda that naturally filled in the largest portion of my backyard doesn't seem to do so well under about 1.5"
> ...


Interesting! As I was typing my response, I wondered how Primo might change things. I also must admit my backyard is truly neglected. The only input it gets is what mother nature provides - with the help of an aerobic septic system that seems to be turning the middle of the lawn into a swamp. When I have used the reel back there and taken it below 1.5" the stems get very "woody" and creates a crunchy feeling under foot. I have never committed to a low HOC for long though, so I might not be benefiting from forcing the lateral growth.

The image of your lawn makes me want to experiment a bit.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wes said:


> When I have used the reel back there and taken it below 1.5" the stems get very "woody" and creates a crunchy feeling under foot. I have never committed to a low HOC for long though, so I might not be benefiting from forcing the lateral growth.
> 
> The image of your lawn makes me want to experiment a bit.


Gotta take it lower than where you want, to get rid of the "woody" stems. If you want 1", cut it to like 0.5" first (i don't know specifics, that's just what i use, because its what my mower allows), then raise your mower to 1", for the normal cuts after the scalp cut. The leafy parts of the grass will be nice and soft, and feel amazing.


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

I'll be honest. I'm a little scared of trying to maintain a 1" HOC back there. There is roughly 14k square feet back there. The 10k in the front keeps me busy enough. :shock:


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wes said:


> I'll be honest. I'm a little scared of trying to maintain a 1" HOC back there. There is roughly 14k square feet back there. The 10k in the front keeps me busy enough. :shock:


I'm totally jealous. Between the front, the back, and the sides... I only have 2500 total, max.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> So someone will be mowing whilst you are away? If that person/team can do it as often as possible, tell them to keep it as low as they can. That will put you ahead in mid May. By May, you may even be able to re-scalp to just under where you want to maintain it. It will look brown for a week or so, but then really take off with the heat.
> 
> It's always a good idea to put out pre-emergent herbicide, even if you have weeds. Maybe you'll catch some crabgrass seeds and maybe you won't, but if you haven't been putting it out, the best advice I can give is to just start. Then, once you've started, just keep applying two to four times yearly and keep the barrier down. Each season the weather changes, new sets of weeds appear, so having the pre-E barrier down will help year round, and keeping it blanketed will help you.
> 
> I would skip the addition of 13-13-13 fertilizer this early in the year unless you know the people mowing will keep on top of that job. Otherwise, I'd just start fertilizing when you get back home and can mow regularly. Nitrogen feeds, but doesn't last long, so any lack of green will bounce back when you fertilize upon your return. If you really want to fertilize, you can try something really slow like Milorganite or Texas HouActinite (probably even better and cheaper than Milo for you).


Well, I went with your advice, kinda. Scalped, string trimmed, put down some milo (didn't feel like spending a ton of time trying to find HouActinite for a few dollars saving on a single bag), put down pre-m, and am watering now.

Should be able to put down some Celsius on Saturday, and get in 1 cut Sunday morning, before I won't get to see my lawn for a couple months, and it'll be in the hands of the girlfriend to keep the grass short. She usually does a pretty good job of it.


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

I'm late to this party but.... Sounds like you've done just about everything you can do in this situation. Have a good trip!


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I too am late to the party but like Red said, I think you have it pretty well under control. I think the Pre-M and Celsius are the two most important things you can do to set yourself up for success when you get back. Good luck and I look forward to following your progress this year!!!


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> Wes said:
> 
> 
> > I'll be honest. I'm a little scared of trying to maintain a 1" HOC back there. There is roughly 14k square feet back there. The 10k in the front keeps me busy enough. :shock:
> ...


Don't get me wrong, I like the big yard, but it's a lot easier to get 2,500 square feet to "crazy-nice" turf quality than 24k square feet. There are pros/and cons to both - in my yard, I never run out of things to do. Imagine mowing all that space every three days! That's why I just maintain the front 10k as "quality turf" and let the back do, what ever it does. I've thought about installing St. Augustine back there just because it's relatively low maintenance.

I guess this might be a situation where the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wes said:


> Don't get me wrong, I like the big yard, but it's a lot easier to get 2,500 square feet to "crazy-nice" turf quality than 24k square feet. There are pros/and cons to both - in my yard, I never run out of things to do. Imagine mowing all that space every three days! That's why I just maintain the front 10k as "quality turf" and let the back do, what ever it does. I've thought about installing St. Augustine back there just because it's relatively low maintenance.
> 
> I guess this might be a situation where the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.


I suppose that is true. I mostly just want to have more room for outdoor type activities. One of the only downsides of living in the subdivision that I'm in. The next place will definitely have more room, even if it means more work to maintain. Hell, I can't even justify getting a powered reel mower. My twice weekly mows with a manual reel, only take me about 15 minutes MAX. It almost takes longer to get the stuff out of the garage than it does to actually do the mowing/trimming.


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> My twice weekly mows with a manual reel, only take me about 15 minutes MAX. It almost takes longer to get the stuff out of the garage than it does to actually do the mowing/trimming.


 :shock:

With my TruCut, I can spend 4 hours mowing, trimming, edging, and blowing if I do the front and back. My wife can't usually stand to be in the house with the little ones that long. I view this as her problem, as she could easily take them to do something more fun for the three of them, but she loves me, and doesn't like to leave the house without me... so I don't argue. I split the front and back up on different days.

I can usually get by doing the backyard once on the weekend (again common bermuda with an increased HOC) and the front yard as needed (about twice a week during the peak of the summer).


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wes said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> > My twice weekly mows with a manual reel, only take me about 15 minutes MAX. It almost takes longer to get the stuff out of the garage than it does to actually do the mowing/trimming.
> ...


Sounds like you need some T-pac!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

Wes said:


> I can usually get by doing the backyard once on the weekend (again common bermuda with an increased HOC) and the front yard as needed (about twice a week during the peak of the summer).


Mullet yard! My style!


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## jbrown (Feb 22, 2017)

[/quote]
With my TruCut, I can spend 4 hours mowing, trimming, edging, and blowing if I do the front and back. My wife can't usually stand to be in the house with the little ones that long. I view this as her problem, as she could easily take them to do something more fun for the three of them, but she loves me, and doesn't like to leave the house without me... so I don't argue. I split the front and back up on different days.

I can usually get by doing the backyard once on the weekend (again common bermuda with an increased HOC) and the front yard as needed (about twice a week during the peak of the summer).
[/quote]

Wes, me too! I have 3 littles and my wife hate that I work on the yard all the time, but she love that I'm home and loves me and loves how awesome the yard looks. Most of the time the kiddos are out playing while I'm doin the yard work. So it's all good.

JB


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Got the front yard scalped to 0.5". This yard is the more gross of the two. Its currently a mix of common bermuda and St. Augustine. I know the bermuda surviving isn't likely, due to the shade from the oak, but I can hope. If not, it'll probably get a total kill and some zoysia sod at some point late this summer.



Here is my hell strip. Its more of a combination of ground as hard as concrete and some weeds. I've never really paid much attention to it. Once I can get the rest of the front yard looking decent, i'll probably receive a little love too.



Have an oak stump in the front yard I need to remove. I cut the tree down last year because it was leaning way too far towards the house. More than likely, I'll just pay someone to come dig it up, or grind it, for me. Too much work myself. If zoysia sod happens, I'll probably call a landscaping company to come out, and do some leveling too. The whole yard is pretty uneven and need some heavy duty work.



Still learning about grass, so I haven't looked much into other things. Looking at ripping these shrub bushes out. Had a couple smaller boxwoods in front of them that my girlfriend was allergic to, so they already came out. Suggestions for replacement? Or maybe just grass all the way up to our mini-patio?



Heading around the side of the house gets pretty gross looking. There was some sort of tree planted there that got in the way of the gate, so I removed it almost as soon as I moved into the house 3.5 years ago. Still haven't addressed the random pile of rocks/concrete laying there. Will probably need to add a little soil, and really nurse this area along to get the grass to come in here.



Then there is my dreaded "side yards". They both look about the same, although right now, the other side is being used to store some random 4x4 truck parts and tires. It doesn't really see any sun through here, between my house, the fence, and the neighbors 2 story house right next door, it is shady all the time. Ideas for here? Maybe some form of xeriscaping or something?


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## Wes (Feb 15, 2017)

Awesome!


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Got some pictures from the GF of the lawn today. She was showing me "her area" which is the rocky stuff on the other side of the edging which is coming along pretty well. I talked her into getting a couple pictures of "my area" (the lawn) while she was out there. Specifically my bald spot where i've been having issues with grass growth, and then a quick overall. The bald spot is actually filling in decently. I'm pretty happy to see the progress it has made in since March 21. Looking at the overall picture, its easy to see where the mower is scalping and a few spots that need more leveling sand. I'm still going to evaluate around the end of May. If I don't like what I'm seeing, I'll do a total kill and resod with a hybrid bermuda when I am putting down the zoysia in the front.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Looking at the bald spot, i guess maybe the only thing holding up growth there, was the weeds/clover were choking out the bermuda not letting it have a chance to thrive. Now that they are dead and gone, it is moving in pretty quickly.


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