# Wagoner tiftuf journal



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Started our lawn reno on May 31, backyard was a mixture of Bermuda and centipede. Not sure exactly what type of Bermuda but it has been pretty good over the years. The lawn was setup with a series of tabletops (the best I can describe it) the good existing Bermuda slopes up the backyard and is our main entrance to the house then there was a main flat area out back that used to have a small 1 foot ish brick wall that we took out years ago and then two smaller tabletops in the back with steep difficult to mow slopes off of them. Last year half the centipede got overrun with weeds, so this year we are fixing that. Another spot of centipede got overrun the same in the front so we cut up all the good centipede in the back and were able to resod the front portion(1000 sq ft) and fix a few bare spots in the front which is 90% centipede. You can see the tabletops in the photos, they had not been cut out yet.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

We had planned to sprig the back with tiftuf with sprigs we were planning to get from a contact who was renovating a golf course in north Georgia but with rains and washouts his project was behind schedule and we decided to go with sod to get rid of the mudpit in the backyard


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

June 20th:
Got 6 pallets of sod delivered. Graded the steep slopes into more manageable and mowable slopes. A full day of work laying down the pallets and finishing up some final grading. Very happy with the sod from NG turf, very dense and not too long didn't notice much bug activity either. We were able to sod all the back, a small section by the driveway which I checkerboarded and will allow to fill in, and a small tee box for our artificial chipping green. Also fixed some of the edges that had gotten cut back over the years along some flowerbeds. Side note: left of the checkerboard section is a small area of panam Bermuda seed that is 3ish weeks old and growing well, ready for the first cut but rain said no today.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Inbetween the two main projects we also cut back a section of the existing Bermuda, which was mounded up and we believe was an old stump, and leveled it out as it was fairly steep on one side and not very level. Was much more work than it seemed.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Overall happy with where we are at, we were able to prep and level the lawn pretty well and after rolling the sod in it is pretty smooth. Once it grows in and we are able to get a good sand leveling it should be what we were after. Now we water, roll and wait.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Here is the final product of the transplanted centipede to the front. Picture taken 6/9 about a week after moving it. We cut the sod deep to make sure to get all the centipede we could and stress it out a little less. It took basically right away and now three weeks later you can't really even tell it wasn't always there.


----------



## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

Love the property. Plenty of open space and a lot of shade.

What machinery did you use to level out the slope?


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@Bermuda_Triangle wasn't ideal but used the sod cutter. After we cut the grass out we would cut a layer of just dirt and push it off down the slope and shape it. Wasn't too bad all in all.


----------



## raymond (May 4, 2018)

@Benwag - looking good! Gross is coming along and garden is a nice landscaping - limelight and blue hydrangea.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@raymond yes tons and tons of blue hydrangeas. We have rooted and spread them all over the yard. Several oak leafs in the edges of the woods and even a tree form you can see right in front of the tee box in the picture above.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

1 week after sod (although 5days for some small sections) grass is greening up after a lot of rain this week and not too much sun until this weekend. Put down nitrogen .75lb/k and some diseasex I had since the sod was pretty soggy most of the week. Also spot sprayed Celsius on existing Bermuda and tenacity on some fescue. Old Bermuda took quite a beating driving and walking over and over it laying sod but it's recovering too.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Put down .7lb N/k two days earlier than planned but weather looks like today might be the only day to make sure it doesn't get washed out judging by how the rain has been lately so went for it. Looking like a mow at the end of the week. Warmer temps and more rain coming. Celsius I sprayed Friday is starting to kick in, excited to see the results. Two little sedges popped up in the new sod so might have to tackle those once it's established more. Hand pulling for now. Today marks 1 week for everything, 9 days for most of it but pulled up some spots to knock down a knob or two and a couple side projects (tee box and edging) were completed last Monday. Everything is rooting well, even some scrap pieces I haven't even watered we're rooting when I picked them up today.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

First mow on the new sod today, cut at .75. A lot of places I was cutting nothing off, sod was cut super low coming from the farm pretty much at or just below .5. Scalped into the crown a little, pretty much only places where a thick piece of sod got laid by a thin piece so not much you can do about that. Can tell it's starting to want to grow vertical so it was time to start cutting it. Will probably come back out tomorrow and look at the scalped sections and see if I can cut it down to .5 soon so I can then raise it back up to .625-.75 for my maintenance hoc and get a better green up.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

13 days post sod, it's feeling pretty established. And has really greened up even since Wednesday's first mow.


----------



## BermudaBen (Aug 28, 2019)

Looks great, nice striping!


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@BermudaBen thanks! Went over the stripes twice to clean them up and make them more defined


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Of course now I see a couple nutsedge weeds pop up in the new sod after I just sprayed the other Bermuda two days ago. Will probably mix up a minuscule amount tonight and put a few drops on the new weeds.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Spot sprayed some sulfentrazone two days ago for goosegrass and nutsedge. Nutsedge just popped up a few places but goosegrass was taking over a few spots. Noticing some yellowing to the Bermuda where I sprayed. Not too bad and I'm sure it'll be back green soon. Is there anything I can do to help those spots that I had to spray a bit? Otherwise I'll just treat it as normal and wait it out.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Nice morning mow before it gets too hot and humid.


----------



## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

@Benwag looks great.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@probasestealer thank you, really taken off the last week


----------



## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@Benwag Looks fantastic!

Impressive progress!


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@ENC_Lawn thank you!


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Spent some time between rain showers while the ground was soft hand pulling some sprigs and planting them between my checkerboard section and in weaker spots of the existing Bermuda. Few rainy days ahead, hopefully will be able to spend 15-20min here and there doing some more to help spread


----------



## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

Benwag said:


> Spent some time between rain showers while the ground was soft hand pulling some sprigs and planting them between my checkerboard section and in weaker spots of the existing Bermuda. Few rainy days ahead, hopefully will be able to spend 15-20min here and there doing some more to help spread


It's amazing how quickly sprigs establish and spread. Plugs seem to lag several weeks behind.

My only complaint is the watering


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@probasestealer yes agreed, hopefully the forecasted rain comes and I won't have to water too much


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Another mow today after 1.5 inches of rain yesterday and more on the way. Sod is well established, existing Bermuda is still thin in spots and algae is covering the ground there. It's been so wet and won't dry out before more rain.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Finally got around to making a HOC bar, drilled and threaded 2 in about 10-15 min for under $20 total. Will make changing mower height 10x easier!


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Spread 5 tons of sand yesterday afternoon and this afternoon. Portion I spread yesterday looks good after dragging it in more after it dried out some. Rained a little this afternoon so will have to wait til tomorrow to drag the other half. A good gentle rain helped the cause too.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Been working yesterday and today raking, dragging, and watering to try and get the sand settled best I can since it looks like pop up showers will be coming through for the next week maybe so don't want it all to wash away.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Mowed first time today, 5/8 HOC. Would have waited longer but have a new bedknife ready to go on later so not too worried about dulling this one down on the JD. Sand makes it very obvious how thin the old Bermuda is. It has had a tough last two months or so, driving all over it stripping the old grass then again sodding it back, spraying out weeds, and now the sand. It's hanging tough though and the rest of the season should be smooth sailing


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Quick mow again, starting to really fill in for most spots that aren't thin. A few areas that get less sun are lagging but doing well.


----------



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Benwag said:


> Quick mow again, starting to really fill in for most spots that aren't thin. A few areas that get less sun are lagging but doing well.


It's looking great!


----------



## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

@benway keep the updates coming. This looks great. I laid a pallet of TifTuf and it's really hitting it's stride at just shy of 3 weeks.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Thank you @Ware and @probasestealer looking forward to the next week of progress


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Just going to put this picture here for reference. This is one of the more filled in areas, take a couple steps back and it looks like there is no sand. Sand put down on 7/14/20 picture taken 7/23/20


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Mowed and trimmed around the edges. I have not set an edge after initially laying the sod because I have been harvesting the runners to fill in the checkerboard section of sod and other thin areas. Been going well so far. Also had a small 8x15 ft section I seeded as a test plot that I have decided to kill off and test out some sprigs. Considering sprigging a larger area next season so want to have a small test run.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Small 150 sqft sample sprig area put down today. Roughed up the ground. Then went around newly sodded area and pulled runners all the way around. Spread them out and sprinkled dirt over them. Rolled it all in and watered. Took about a 5 gal bucket full of runners to cover the area, could have probably gone a little heavier with the sprigs but time will tell. Now to keep it wet.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Mow this morning at 5/8, need to sharpen the reel after putting down the sand but holding off until sand is fully settled.


----------



## Jbird95 (Jun 24, 2020)

@Benwag 
Great execution and beautiful yard. In my opinion, it's hard to beat an Oakleaf Hydrangea.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@Jbird95 thank you! Yeah we have just about every type hydrangea around the yard. If I can get the fescue area under our oak tree looking good this fall/spring it is lined with hydrangeas


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Tiftuf looking good, grass on this hill is filling in nicely. Heavier on sand at the bottom of the slope and it took a hit taking out a decent amount of weeds that were growing on the slope but are gone now.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Got some DEF to spray some spots that are struggling. Sprayed it at .1 LB N/k but got a heavy rain 2.5 hours or so after I sprayed so who knows how much actually got absorbed. Might spray another light app later in the week so these spots can catch up


----------



## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Benwag said:


> Got some DEF to spray some spots that are struggling. Sprayed it at .1 LB N/k but got a heavy rain 2.5 hours or so after I sprayed so who knows how much actually got absorbed. Might spray another light app later in the week so these spots can catch up


Spraying DEF huh?

I had always wondered how well it would work or if there was some other stuff in it I didn't want on the ground when I manage to spill some putting it in my F350. It is just water and urea after all.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@FATC1TY yeah I know other members have been using it with success. Looking forward to the results


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Freshly sharpened reel made the cut much better today. Also put down some Disease Ex for some little patches of fungus I've been seeing. Hopefully that'll take care of that. HOC 5/8. Also sprigs have been down a week now, many of them didn't go brown at all and the majority seem to be doing well now. Will have to go in and take a closer look this weekend to see areas that didn't survive and manually plants some sprigs in those spots


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Another cut at 5/8 today. Double cut both stripes. Think I'm due for a HOC reset soon.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Applied Bifen on Monday and today scalped it down pretty good to .35 to reset HOC to .5 will put down some 10-10-10 at .5lb N/1000 and keep it watered. A lot of showers in the forecast coming up so seemed like as good a time as any. Will get pictures tomorrow


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Pic from today. Did also spread some leftover sand in spots that needed a little more while I've got it down low.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

First mow after the reset yesterday cleaned things up. Pretty good green up in less than a weeks time with new sod too. Didn't get as much rain as forecasted but was able to keep it from baking out. 

Also installed irrigation yesterday and finished up today. Only had to trench across the grass in one spot and we were able to press it back together with hopefully little damage. Yard is long and narrow enough that no sprinklers are in the grass and most of them are actually on poles hidden in flowerbeds just off the yard. With the elevation changes in the yard the poles help even out the coverage so they don't have to spray uphill as much. You can see the one on the right side of the picture, although that was a temporary pole which has been upgraded today and the pipe run straight down with the pipe now as well.
Also got a few extra pieces of sod mostly to fill in our biggest low spot that got cover pretty heavy with sand. Kept washing out and was questionable to grow in by end of season. Only bad part is the new sod is like 2 inches so will be mowing around it the rest of the season most likely. Makes me appreciate our original sod that was super dense and had to be cut at under .5 and both from the same sod farm. Oh well.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Pic from today, 1 week after taking it down to .35 and after two mows at .5 (which cut very little)


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Still recovering. Sprayed liquid iron @ 4oz/k and nitrogen @ .1lb/k. First time using liquid iron, looking forward to the results


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Seems like I've been working on getting the grass looking nice and then doing something like leveling or resetting then working toward nice dense grass again. Main section of the lawn is nice and dense turf, spots around the edges that get less sun are slower to fill back in but they're getting there. Anyways switched to the fairway look with a secondary higher cut around the perimeter. Liking the way it looks. HOC is .55 and .875. Will let the collar go to 1 inch as it grows in better.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Got in a mow this morning, double cut the low cut turf. Sprayed Bifen tonight with some iron and nitrogen. Saw some worms out early this morning and have some spots that are thin so hoping this will get things back on track.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Grass is looking better after spraying Sunday, did notice a few spots on some leaf blades so spread an extra bag of diseasex I had laying around. Hoping it keeps trending upwards.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Was battling fungus all of September it seemed like. It's turned around and is looking better now, even though growth is slowed wayyyy down. Cut today was the first since last Tuesday and didn't take much off at all but cleaned up nicely.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Bad day for the grass, after bad storms last night and heavy rain just days ago the amazon driver made a bad mistake. This area was a thin strip of fescue which had been over seeded this fall.


----------



## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

That.....blows. Sorry. SMH


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@JRS 9572 hopefully amazon makes it right.
A lot of clean up work done today. Backyard Bermuda looking pretty good for the first week of November. Interested to see how the TifTuf holds color compared to the old existing Bermuda we left in.


----------



## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

This is my TifGrand Sunday the 15th of November. We did have a slight frost already two weeks ago. Just on the roofs of houses. Supposedly we're in for another "patchy frost" later in the week. We'll see how she does. It's funny. The neighbors with 419. They're nothing close to this as far as color and thickness.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

@JRS 9572 thats great, the TifTuf stay green much longer than most around here. Seemed like most neighbors mowed their grass into dormancy early. The slope in my yard that catches the most sun during the winter never fully lost color, still hold a lot of green especially when you look up close.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Finally got around to working on a broken mower I picked up last summer as a project. Got the engine running and got a lot of the reel/roller cleaned up and checked out. Should be running and cutting next day we have some good weather


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Several spots that are not greened up because of some bad spraying with image during dormancy. All the spots still have green stolons and stems so hoping they continue to wake up and fill in. Grass is doing well though, just kicking myself the whole yard isn't green yet.


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Rainy day here in Atlanta but afternoon was good for a mow. Tiftuf at .500, didn't scalp this spring to see how it would differ. Seems just not quite as vibrant green as expected. Will likely thin out the grass here soon and do a mini scalp and bring it back up but happy where it is now. Also had a good bit of seed heads so that doesn't help color either


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Had a neighbor offer to run his aerator over our yard and did that on the 23rd of may, pulled some good cores but did rip up some tufts of grass. Blew them into piles and shoveled up, then went over the yard with the rotary to clean it up more and rolled with rear drum of the reel. Mowed a few times since then with the groomer to get the leftover dead material out. Tuesday put down half a pound of N (11-3-11) and today dropped HOC from .5 to .425 and spread a thin layer of sand. Racing against a rain shower but got it covered. Will water in and broom in tomorrow and likely do some spots here and there. Then will cover my bentgrass with sand which is much needed. And unfortunately will be picking out rocks…


----------



## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

First mow today, heavy rain last night washed everything down in really well. Picked up tons of rocks since putting the sand down but still couldn't get them all. Luckily the mower doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. Hoc @ .470


----------

