# Topcat's Lawn Journal 2018



## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Okay, so I've not taken the time to downlaod pics from the phone to the computer to do this... until now. I've always been a 2 - 3 inch lawn guy until I happend to stumble on @Redtenchu youtube channel about a year and a half ago, and his lawn looked stunning. And what was that mower he was using.? I had no idea those could be bought for a home lawn. I had to have one and had to get my lawn to look at least a third of what his did and I'd be happy. Here is the lawn a couple of years ago


I went out and bought a Trucut, and started the journey to a low cut lawn. Here is the lawn towards the end of last year - my first year cutting low


Beginning of this year. I sold my Trucut and bought a Swardman. This is after the scalp with the Swardman



And subsequent pics up to last week










Plans for this year includes an aggressive leveling and getting the strip on the other side of the driveway converted to low cut Bermuda. It is currently a mix of St Augustine and Bermuda. I started nurturing the Bermuda last year with keeping it low cut. I hit it with MSMA a few weeks ago. The SA is yellowing and the Bermuda is starting a nice take over. 




I will run the Swardman with the Scarifier reel across it in another week or so, then start planting these to speed the Bermuda take over.



I planted three more trays of Bermuda a few days ago that is just starting to germinate


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

Lookin reel good!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

Fantastic work, Keep it up!


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

@Llano Estacado and @Redtenchu Thanks - this low cut Bermuda transition is a process - I have a way to go to get to where I want it... I think by next year I will be just about there.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Holy crap dude, that looks amazing! Huge change since I was it.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Cut at .3". Fill in is almost complete. I have to get PGR down ASAP. It is really growing too fast to keep up. I cut the last three days and each day there was enough to fill the catcher 1.5 times. The front is just shy of 1500sq ft.


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## raldridge2315 (Jul 1, 2017)

Looks good!!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

This makes me want to ditch the Zeon Zoysia and put down Bermuda again


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

Looks great.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)




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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Sprayed FAS + PGR today. Hope to put the brakes on growth. I cut four consecutive days. If I let it go two days between cuts, I'd blow the 1/3rd rule with the aggressive growth.


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## Alan (Apr 23, 2017)

Topcat said:


> Sprayed FAS + PGR today. Hope to put the brakes on growth. I cut four consecutive days. If I let it go two days between cuts, I'd blow the 1/3rd rule with the aggressive growth.


Looks great! I'm starting to think the 1/3 rule applies to all other grasses EXCEPT Bermuda, since it grows so damn fast. :lol:


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Waiting for the PGR to kick in, so I cut again this morning. I really love cutting with the Swardman. In my opinion, the money was well spent. "Buy once, cry once" really applies in regards to this purchase. It is light, easy to maneuver, gives a great cut and looks good doing it.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Topcat said:


> Waiting for the PGR to kick in, so I cut again this morning...


Very nice. :thumbup:


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

A little update on my St Aug to Bermuda conversion. The St Aug is definitely stunted allowing the Bermuda to start thriving. Nearly all of the green is a healthy stand of spreading Bermuda.


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## Alan (Apr 23, 2017)

Looking good. About 1/4 of my front is St. A and the rest Bermuda. I have MSMA and I know it'll smoke the St. A. I just don't have the balls to smoke it yet.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

@Alan I started the Bermuda conversion last year. I bought the MSMS last year, but like you just couldn't pull the trigger on the MSMA application until now. Bermuda is pretty aggressive, but the St Aug stolons are so thick and tightly woven, that it puts up a pretty good fight. So this year I bit the bullet and put the first application of MSMA down, and the Bermuda seems to be thanking me. I will dethach it this weekend to thin out remaining St Aug stolons, give it a heavy dose of nitrogen and then hit it with MSMA again in another few weeks - depending on how much St A is left after the dethatch.

I will problably start planting plugs this weekend as well. My goal is to get it full of bermuda before the season is over, then level it next year. This strip needs it badly. It undulates pretty badly. The neighboring lawn use to have a Bradford Pear with roots that pushed up the earth. That is why I had St Aug there, the shade from the pear was brutal on the Bermuda.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@Topcat I would make sure you are lowering the MSMA dose as the temps rise. At 90°, anything over 1 oz/gallon/1000sf gets a little "hot". I normally apply at 2 oz/1000 until 85°, then 1.5 oz/1000 to 90°.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Spammage said:


> @Topcat I would make sure you are lowering the MSMA dose as the temps rise. At 90°, anything over 1 oz/gallon/1000sf gets a little "hot". I normally apply at 2 oz/1000 until 85°, then 1.5 oz/1000 to 90°.


Thanks for the tip. I had not considered the temp outside. :thumbup:


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Did a quick cut between rain showers. PGR is starting to slow the growth. It's been three Days since I cut and only filled the catcher halfway. I also had to rake what looks like bird guts and feather off the lawn. Looks like a cat had dinner on my lawn last night.

I also noticed some nutsedge growing. Will spray tomorrow as long it doesn't rain.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

He was probably a @Topcat.


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## RaginCajun (Aug 1, 2017)

Looks great! Can't wait to put some of that msma to use on my lawn!


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## Redland1 (Feb 26, 2018)

Your lawn looks awesome.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Topcat said:


> Did a quick cut between rain showers. PGR is starting to slow the growth. It's been three Days since I cut and only filled the catcher halfway. I also had to rake what looks like bird guts and feather off the lawn. Looks like a cat had dinner on my lawn last night.
> 
> I also noticed some nutsedge growing. Will spray tomorrow as long it doesn't rain.


Love the planters that are overflowing with color. I bought one of the coconut hanging baskets to repot a basket I have. That plant seems to have soil that dries out pretty rapidly. Do the coconut baskets help retain water?


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Love the planters that are overflowing with color. I bought one of the coconut hanging baskets to repot a basket I have. That plant seems to have soil that dries out pretty rapidly. Do the coconut baskets help retain water?


I am not sure how well they hold moisture. This is the first year using them, and we've not made it to the typical Charleston summer temps yet. Last year I had regular hanging plants, and they had to be watered twice a day. This year I plumbed drip irrigation to them from my sprinkler system. I am hoping once every other day will suffice.... But the beauty is that I can simply use my phone to water them via the Rachio controller.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Spammage said:


> He was probably a @Topcat.


I see what you did there.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

RaginCajun said:


> Looks great! Can't wait to put some of that msma to use on my lawn!


Will hit the post office this afternoon @RaginCajun :thumbup:


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## Redland1 (Feb 26, 2018)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> > Did a quick cut between rain showers. PGR is starting to slow the growth. It's been three Days since I cut and only filled the catcher halfway. I also had to rake what looks like bird guts and feather off the lawn. Looks like a cat had dinner on my lawn last night.
> ...


Try peat moss.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

A quick cut while the dew was still on the lawn. The PGR is starting to wear off. I had an off color around the perimeter where I overlapped too much I hunk I will halve the dose the next time I put it down.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

After a solid month of daily rain my lawn was over 3". The ground was so wet that mowing was a very messy affair. We had a few relatively dry days with rain mid-evening over the past couple of weeks so a scalping was in order. I used my Time Master on the lowest setting bagged it, then went over it with the Swardman also on the lowest setting. Now to nurture it back.


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