# Daddylonglegs U3 Bermuda Lawn Journal



## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

I have been soaking up knowledge on this website since May, so now I wanted to share where you guys helped get me with my new lawn!

We are located in the Oklahoma City metro area. We finished our new build in November 2018 and the lawn was sodded in dormancy, so I anxiously waited all winter to get started.

Our builder sodded U3 Bermuda and it came out to about 4200 sq ft.

Here are some before and after pictures. Before pics at right where taken first week of May and after pictures at left were taken the first week of August.













Found this 20 inch - B&S 3.5hp - 10 blade Mclane at the start of the season.


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## Sparton (Mar 20, 2019)

Looking great man.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

The lawn was horribly uneven and lumpy so I dumped about 4.5 tons of Mason sand in early June to start the never ending and addicting leveling process. Not a lot of good pictures of that process other than a few I pulled from my nest cam in the backyard. It took about three weeks to completely fill in and I can't wait to hit it again next season as the difference was night and day even at the moderate rate.

1.5 weeks after sand.

Three weeks after sand.

4 weeks after sand.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Sparton said:


> Looking great man.


Thanks man, kinda wish I would have been documenting this from the beginning on here.


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## Sparton (Mar 20, 2019)

@Daddylonglegs I know what you mean man. I started with a lawn that I was embarrassed of so I didn't document the very beginning. Then one day I was like o crap that's not half bad lol. Plus the record aspect of a lawn journal is always nice


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Gave the lawn a cut and took some more pics last night. I have been trying to maintain at about .6"
Backyard


Offset property line :lol: There is a pretty sizable elevation difference here so I just choose to let the neighbors maintain up to where the drop off to my side yard is. Everyone takes good care of their yards here. However, this has caused a drainage issue that will be documented soon.


Front yard


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Obligatory golf ball pic with seedheads and all. Been struggling getting rid of these in my first season.





Sprayed some of this magic juice Friday that I picked up in the lawn chemical exchange section. This website is really a great resource!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Also been working on my side yard in the back. The original sod my the builder didn't set in over winter so I had to replace some small sections here. Where I pulled the old stuff up it was laid right over nothing but rocks and discarded bricks. I laid this about three weeks ago and scalped it reel good last night after it rooted in. I'll post pics as it fills in/comes back.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

Daddylonglegs said:


> I have been soaking up knowledge on this website since May, so now I wanted to share where you guys helped get me with my new lawn!
> 
> We are located in the Oklahoma City metro area. We finished our new build in November 2018 and the lawn was sodded in dormancy, so I anxiously waited all winter to get started.
> 
> ...


Your lawn looks great!

Great job!

Is that Natchez Brick on your new home???


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

@ENC_Lawn It sure is, with a light white smear on it. Thanks for the compliments!


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

Looks Amazing!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

@Sbcgenii Thanks! A couple people around the area have been asking how I got it looking better and I always tell them I feel like its 80% attributed to reel mowing.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@Daddylonglegs

Cool deal...we have Natchez Brick and you don't see it often or hardly at all in our area...so when I saw it stood out! :thumbup:


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

@ENC_Lawn

Yeah we are happy with the look and there have been a few newer homes going up around here this summer that apparently like the look too as we are seeing more of it!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Quick cut last night at .6"


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## Ren (Aug 29, 2019)

That is a wild transformation, good job. Beautiful home too by the way.

That offset property line though... :lol:


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Thanks for the compliments @Ren This Bermuda is so forgiving as long as I mow it often it makes it seem like I actually know what I am doing.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Took these pics earlier this week. Seems like the reel mowed turf hangs on to the green longer than the longer rotary cut lawns!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Alright I'm back after what felt like a long offseason!
Got a soil test done in February. Looks like we are needing a little P and K and perhaps work on lowering the PH would be helpful but I'm still debating if that is a worthwhile endeavor. Feedback always appreciated!


Picked up some cheap 0-46-0 DAP for my phos correction and 0-0-60 MOP for my potassium correction from a local seed store. Would rather have SOP and TSP but these were what they had available and at 16 bucks a 40lb bag it will get the job done. Also found some greens grade Milo to throw down in the warmer months. Last year my lawn had a really nice response to nitrogen in this form.


Also started my scalp process. Probably will take it down another notch with my Mclane next weekend.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Starting to see hints of green in there after the scalp!


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

@Daddylonglegs, first off your name is a classic, love it man! Lawn looks really great, can wait for the warmer months ahead to see the progression of your lawn this season. Good luck!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

@BakerGreenLawnMaker Thanks! I am certainly excited about this upcoming season. I am really looking forward to going through a full season with a nice pre emergent barrier to control the weeds on the newer turf for the first time, as well as getting my core aeration and second sanding done in late April/early May! Maybe self quarantine wont be so bad for the lawn projects!


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

A week later and the slow grind to green up continues! Still isn't pretty yet but there is progress and looks like the scalp is paying off as the neighbors are still looking dormant.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Still documenting my green up weekly in central OK. Yesterday we had a high of 92 degrees! Still not all the way there yet but coming out to more green daily now. 




Not uncommon, but interesting pattern along the north side of my fence line :lol: This was the last to go dormant in November and will likely be the last to green up this spring.




Sprayed the max rate of Humic 12 and RGS, as well as a granular AS @ .6lbs/M two days ago. Saw a good response along with the better temps.


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## Bombers (Jul 14, 2020)

Any updates? is your home from IH? Pretty sure mine is u-3 as well. Did you inquire about the breed from their landscaper? Trying to get my lawn to your level by next year hopefully.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

@Bombers I have done a terrible job updating this journal! But the good news is I have not given up on maintaining the yard and taking pics along the way to document some of the progress.

This is my second season here so I have started focusing on getting some landscaping work done after making some good strides with the turf last season. Also wanted to share some pics of my previously troublesome side yard that faces the north that had a severe drainage problem.

*BEFORE*
Perpetually soggy and shady area was unusable and definitely not suited for grass of any type, let alone Bermuda. These pics are from the end of last season.







*AFTER*
Installed a french drain and some pavers for walking space in the back to the trash cans. Also decided to experiment with some bluemuda on this north facing side in the very early spring. So far it has actually done well over summer and now that the area is dry enough the existing Bermuda is really filling back in. I used Nuglade KBG as it is a more shade tolerant KBG. will probably throw down the rest of the KBG in the fall just for fun.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

I got a pretty early start to my second leveling project. Began the first week of May with another hard scalp, second half of my pre em split app, soil corrections, core aeration, and finally about 6.5 tons of sand over the 4200 sq ft. It filled in really quickly even with the lower overnight temps. The DIY lawn level I made based on ideas from the forum was awesome for a cost of about 20 bucks. I didn't even need to use my drag mat.





I also upgraded the motor on my old McLane to the 6.5 HP Predator motor. Huge improvement in power for 99 bucks. I just did a mid season scalp and it was much easier with the new motor. Shout out to @MarkV for starting that thread to inspire me to give it a shot. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=459&hilit=mclane+motor+replacement


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Here are some of the most recent pics of the backyard area. Added a few landscape beds with a crepe myrtle, hollies, and roses focusing on the areas that were more troublesome to mow and or where the grass was not thriving in these areas. Also got the old crusty fence stained.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Here are some front yard pics. Trying to maintain everything at .5" using PGR/Iron every 225-250 GDD. Started using GreenTRX @ .5lbs/M mid way through the season and I really liked the response, so I will probably stick with it.




A little long, right before a cut.


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## Bombers (Jul 14, 2020)

Looks great man. I have the same sq footage and pretty much identical problem areas in a new build that I closed last November. Just doing regular housekeeping with the lawn right now but looking towards doing dethatching or core aerate and level next spring and possibly tackle landscaping the bare backyard if I don't get burned out.

Also trying to find a reel mower right now but having a hard time since the second-hand market is marginal here. Really leaning towards forking over the upfront cost and pick up a greensmower in the DFW area if the price is right.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Thanks for the comments. One would think having a new construction home would make all the usual tasks really easy and straightforward but I have found that to be quite the opposite in many cases!

Hopefully once the season winds down some affordable reel mowers. I am really interested in possibly getting a legitimate greensmower over the winter and getting it in good shape for next spring also.


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## Daddylonglegs (May 15, 2019)

Threw down .5lbs/M of GreenTRX a few days ago and its really loving it. Cut last night at just a hair over. 5"


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Looks super. Great color.


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