# Mowww's Lawn Journal ('21 starts on pg 7)



## mowww

I will be posting updates here for my lawn, equipment, scheduling, and applications. TTTF/KBG mix in North central US.

I have a Swardman arriving next week. Have been using a Masport Rotorolla 21. I am also working to copy Connor Ward's sprayer with the final piece of the project (tank) arriving in March. Thanks for the thorough walk through.

Here are photos from last year from April, June, and November plus a dog tax.


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## mowww

I spend a lot of time on the road so I will be experiementing with Trinexapac-ethyl this year to save me from coming home to a jungle. Do any of you utilize the GDD tracker on the Greenkeeper App? (greenkeeperapp.com)


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## g-man

I do and I also track it with my log file.


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## mowww

g-man said:


> I do and I also track it with my log file.


Thank you! I have tried using scripts from my personal station on weather underground and have encountered inconsistency when trying to tie in with PenderSuper's weather dashboard. I am going to give yours a shot.


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## pennstater2005

Very nice!


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## mowww

pennstater2005 said:


> Very nice!


Thanks! I wish I could get my KBG as dark as your rye. I am trying but it's been slow even with consistent overseeding of rye and pushing iron.


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## mowww

Things are about to get reel low. But first we're about to get 8" of snow on top of last night's ice.


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## mowww

Brought it down to the basement til things warm up. Quick to setup and change cartridges. Everything looks ready to go from @Reelrollers . Stripped a machine screw on the top cover a little too easily but other than removing and replacing that screw the construction seems solid and high quality. It is so quiet that the neighbors won't even know I'm mowing - might be my favorite feature of all.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker

mowww said:


> I will be posting updates here for my lawn, equipment, scheduling, and applications. TTTF/KBG mix in North central US.
> 
> I have a Swardman arriving next week. Have been using a Masport Rotorolla 21. I am also working to copy Connor Ward's sprayer with the final piece of the project (tank) arriving in March. Thanks for the thorough walk through.
> 
> Here are photos from last year from April, June, and November plus a dog tax.


Dude.... you're lawn looks amazing! Keep it man!


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## mowww

BakerGreenLawnMaker said:


> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> I will be posting updates here for my lawn, equipment, scheduling, and applications. TTTF/KBG mix in North central US.
> 
> I have a Swardman arriving next week. Have been using a Masport Rotorolla 21. I am also working to copy Connor Ward's sprayer with the final piece of the project (tank) arriving in March. Thanks for the thorough walk through.
> 
> Here are photos from last year from April, June, and November plus a dog tax.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dude.... you're lawn looks amazing! Keep it man!
Click to expand...

Thank you!


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## mowww

Here are a few images from last year.

This is 4 weeks after installing irrigation. Primarily PRG seeded. You can see the dark color in the back yard picture of the newly sprouted PRG.




After working to get it all filled in for a couple months:



I figured out why my edges were drying up



I could use a plan to improve my drainage



I love a clean edge


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## mowww

I bolted a cut-down mudflap to my Exmark 30" to act as a striper. We'll see how it performs, I will post pictures.


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## mowww

For 2018 my fiancée and I decided that we'd give wildflowers a shot in the raised bed for some season-long color instead of planting tomatoes. We had a good number of pollinators buzzing around all season and it required minimal effort from start to finish.


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## Buffalolawny

That's a nice photo


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## tcorbitt20

I don't usually venture into the cool season journals, but your yard looks awesome. Sometimes I wish I could grow cool season grass here just for the striping ability.


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## mowww

Thank you, both!

I was fortunate to have a pretty full lawn upon move in two years ago. Here's the lawn upon arrival:


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## mowww

I did some work the other day for a neighbor verticutting with my Swardman Electra 55. The machine had plenty of power to chew through some thick plant matter. I have begun to verticut without the catcher installed and opted to use my Exmark 30 to collect since its catcher is larger. You can see the property lines pretty well, so I guess it did a pretty good job. Quiet, powerful, and long lasting even at the high rpm for verticutting.


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## mowww

Snow and sleet outside today, hopefully it is winter's last breath.

I spent some time in the garage after work configuring a foam marker for my drop in sprayer. I used a 12v air pump typically used for live wells. At first I tried 1/4" hose that came with the pump as the foam-outlet hose as well as the air inlet hose. The 1/4" worked well for the inlet but I stepped it up to 3/8" hose for the outlet and got much better results. It needs a little love and finishing touches but I am excited to put down some my nutrition with it this year and hopefully get my overlaps just right.

I have left and right shut offs and utilized an old Finch wireless switch since I haven't had great luck with handlebar mounted switches so far.


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## mowww

Applied my 35-0-5 180 duration w Acelepryn and Dimension last week.

Mowed for the first time with my Swardman:


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## jabopy

Looking forward to the seasons improvements. Also love your flat dog avatar!! Had one just the same, just as flat. (Great dog)


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## mowww

@jabopy Thanks! Nothing better than a happy dog to certify your lawn as an enjoyable place to be a pancake. Got any flat dog pics you can share?


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## mowww

I used about 300 lbs of sand to smooth my transitions from lawn to sidewalk/driveway/patio. Just poured it on and brushed in until my heels and toes couldn't feel a difference on the edges. Hopefully this will make use of the reel mower easier along the edges.


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## Shindoman

Your lawn looks great. The Electra will be a great mower, especially with the cartridges.


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## mowww

Thanks, @Shindoman .

Today I helped a neighbor dethatch with the verticut cartridge then aerated 5" deep in a heavy wear area that also has poor drainage (see previous photo from side of shed). I did a poor man's version of a drill and fill. Pulled cores, cleaned up cores, then spread 150lbs of sand focusing on the holes. Finally I swept with the brush cartridge on my Electra.

Here are a few photos with before and after sweeping:


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## mowww

Today I brought it down to 1 inch and trimmed off the brown winter tops with the Swardman. This thing is a lot of fun.


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## NoslracNevok

Looking amazing. How often do you get the compliment/question "Is that turf?" ?


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## mowww

@NoslracNevok Haha never before! Thank you.


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## mowww

Out and back mowed with the Electra, loving the definition



Single direction in honor of the Master's
Things are greening up!


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## mowww

Tomorrow I will be making my first PGR app as my travel schedule is heating up. Shooting for 0.6oz/M.

I am having a lot of fun with the Electra. Shot from this morning:


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## Green

mowww said:


> Applied my 35-0-5 180 duration w Acelepryn and Dimension last week.


Is the fertilizer supposed to release for 180 days? I'm guessing it was applied at ~3.5 lbs per thousand...? So about 1 lb of N per thousand. What are the coatings/specs for slow release on this stuff?


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## g-man

@mowww I'd this is your first time with pgr and at 1in, I think you should start at a lower rate. Im going to start at 0.2oz/M and then go up to 0.33oz (10mL/M).


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## mowww

@Green Yes, 180 days or roughly 25 weeks. I put down at 7.14 lbs/M or 2.5 lbs N/M (0.1 lbs N/wk/M). I have had success with this the past two years giving e even color all season plus great PreM and grub control.

@g-manThanks! I have used Primo in years past on the lawn around 2" at the 0.75 oz rate with success, do you think I will need to dial it all the way down to 0.2 or 0.33 for height difference? You are dead on, it is around an inch in height now. Can I expect 2-3 weeks of regulation at the 0.33 rate? My only fear is coming back in 10 days to a rebounding turf and playing catch up but I appreciate your advice so I don't over regulate it to start the season.


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## mowww

@Green Here are the specs (minus the Acelepryn and Dimension): https://assetcloud01.roccommerce.net/files/_reinders/10/7/7/rp35-0-10-label.pdf


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## Green

mowww said:


> @Green Yes, 180 days or roughly 25 weeks. I put down at 7.14 lbs/M or 2.5 lbs N/M (0.1 lbs N/wk/M). I have had success with this the past two years giving e even color all season plus great PreM and grub control.


Wow, assuming normal percent AIs, that is a lot of Chlorantraniliprole going down (and Dimension, too). Thanks for the spec sheet for the fertilizer component. I will check it out. So, with this approach, when do you fertilize the next time, if ever?


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## mowww

@Green It is a 0.15% Dimension and 0.058% Acelepryn. Near the high labeled rates for both as standalones but not quite there if I did my math correctly.

Edit:
The Acelepryn rate was lower than I had thought. It is essentially a 13 oz liquid rate.


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## mowww

Unfortunately, my neighbor went to the hospital last night and won't be able to tend to his lawn for quite a while. I do the same fertility on his lawn as my own so there will be plenty of growth. Took the opportunity to test out the mud flap striper. Cut his at 2.5" according to the Exmark height gauge but it feels higher.


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## Green

mowww said:


> @Green It is a 0.15% Dimension and 0.058% Acelepryn. Near the high labeled rates for both as standalones but not quite there if I did my math correctly.
> 
> Edit:
> The Acelepryn rate was lower than I had thought. It is essentially a 13 oz liquid rate.


Yeah, you're right...the Chlorantraniliprole is going down at only a slightly higher rate than when I use 0.067% Acelepryn at 3.5 lbs per thousand. This year, I'm using Grubex brand, which has an even higher concentration (0.08%), so I apply at 2.88 lbs per thousand with that one. Your rate is only slightly higher...not like my neighbor who applies the 0.067 stuff in April and again in July at full rate, lol (no one needs that much!)

Your Dimension rate is way higher than mine, though. I'm guessing that you don't seed in the late Summer, and like to keep a near-season-long pre-M barrier. That's fine if it serves your purpose.

Do you think the polymer coated stuff in that product releases equally well in the cooler Spring and Fall weather as in the very hot Summer weather?


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## mowww

Green said:


> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Green It is a 0.15% Dimension and 0.058% Acelepryn. Near the high labeled rates for both as standalones but not quite there if I did my math correctly.
> 
> Edit:
> The Acelepryn rate was lower than I had thought. It is essentially a 13 oz liquid rate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you think the polymer coated stuff in that product releases equally well in the cooler Spring and Fall weather as in the very hot Summer weather?
Click to expand...

It seems to release evenly, yes. It may also be a function of what the plant is actually taking up during these times of year. While the Duration CR may be releasing more N, the turf could be respiring more at night and mitigating the extra energy and N that would have otherwise gone to top growth.

Here is a photo from November 2017 after a single app on April 10, 2017:

The color and density was consistent all year long


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## Green

@mowww, it's great to see someone here using such a product and commenting about it. The idea intrigued me when I heard about it last year.

So, is that it for the entire year, or do you fertilize again later in the year?


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## mowww

@Green Thanks. That has been it for the entire year the past two years. I think it is sold at Menards branded as "Simp1ify" on the retail side.

This year I might play around with some liquid micros as well and leave check plots.


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## Green

mowww said:


> @Green Thanks. That has been it for the entire year the past two years. I think it is sold at Menards branded as "Simp1ify" on the retail side.


This sort of thing sounds good for someone who does not have time--or other ability-- to go out and put down fertilizer 3 or more times per year. It also sounds very efficient. I bet the 2.5 lbs of N is acting more like 3, due to the spoon-feeding effect...with less waste or runoff.


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## mowww

A few years ago I used my rotary to mow down an area for a small chipping green. I used a peanut butter jar as a cup and painted circles corresponding to point values. Well, it's coming back! This time with a real cup and practice stick.

2 years ago playing with the family:


Today:



And another random picture from the other day that I like:


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## mowww




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## mowww

I put down some Trinexapac-ethyl and Xzemplar hoping to slow growth and prevent early season dollar spot.

Things are filling in and the dead/straw grass from winter is getting worked out.


I've gotta get a sleeve of TLF balls for the chipping green!


I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather as much as I am. I am getting a lot more exercise and enjoyment than I did with a snow shovel in my hand.


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## mowww




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## Shindoman

Everything is looking really nice at your place.
Nice work!


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## mowww

Thanks, @Shindoman! My pedometer is going to need new batteries soon at this rate.


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## Shindoman

mowww said:


> Thanks, @Shindoman! My pedometer is going to need new batteries soon at this rate.


Lol, I did 13,265 steps, just under 5 miles today. All in my back yard!


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## ctrav

Very nice lawn and totally cool chipping area! :thumbup:


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## mowww

Thanks, @ctrav!

Happy Easter, everyone!


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## Powhatan

Looking marvelous :thumbsup:


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## iowa jim

Lawn of the month?


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## mowww

@iowa jim a boy can dream!


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## ctrav

Should be a con tender for sure...hint, hint, hint...


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## mowww

I have a few thatchy spots that are yellowed on the right-of-way. I plugged them, applied some IBA and GA, but still can quite get them going like the turf around the spots... so I did some digging.


I found a rock in one location but the yellowing is likely from something I did (salt from winter? Overapplied fert?) eitherway I am going to try to flush the area and keep an eye on it.


The top dressed edges are making it easy to use the reel mower around the sidewalk.


Mixed it up this year: Beef, it's whats for Easter. Smoked a brisket and enjoyed the sun in the lawn all day with my favorite people.


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## PokeGrande

Lawn looking great!

:thumbup:


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## mowww

@PokeGrande thanks!


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## mowww

The Electra is cutting very nicely despite the rain we're currently getting.


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## gregonfire

Wow, this looks great. Nice looking lawn man!


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## mowww

Thanks, @gregonfire!

Getting married this weekend so went full David Mellor on it with a heart.


Chipping green staying healthy at 1/2".


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## mowww

Things are getting more dense. The Primo appears to be suppressing seed head development which is a nice bonus to the growth regulation. The only place I am seeing seed heads is around the corners where I missed with the Primo spray.


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## mowww




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## NoslracNevok

Loving your designs man!


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## mowww

Added 6oz/M of ferrous sulfate to the tank when spraying two weeks ago and the color is holding nicely.

Today I did an out and back to eliminate some of the stripe grain and get a good double cut.


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## ctrav

mowww said:


> Added 6oz/M of ferrous sulfate to the tank when spraying two weeks ago and the color is holding nicely.
> 
> Today I did an out and back to eliminate some of the stripe grain and get a good double cut.


Most excellent! We don't get that kind of green in my neck of the woods...


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## rob13psu

:m


mowww said:


> Added 6oz/M of ferrous sulfate to the tank when spraying two weeks ago and the color is holding nicely.
> 
> Today I did an out and back to eliminate some of the stripe grain and get a good double cut.


Maaaaaaaaannnn that's looking nice.


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## mowww

@ctrav @rob13psu thanks!

Headed out for a few weeks so we'll see what it looks like when we get back. Will probably have to pull out the rotary.


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## mowww

Came back to town and it was 4"-6" most places. Going to take a few mows to bring it down. Primo app ran out of gas in most places, still hanging on in overlapped app areas.


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## mowww

Annnd we're back down to a manageable height


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## ctrav

Looks really good. What is your HOC? No issues with the seed heads and reel mower?


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## mowww

@ctrav right about 1.5" now, will work it down to 1.2" or so next.


Thank you!


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## ctrav

mowww said:


> @ctrav right about 1.5" now, will work it down to 1.2" or so next.
> 
> 
> Thank you!


Thanks as Im always curious to see what others are cutting at.


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## mowww

Some new cartridges from Swardman came in yesterday and I could hardly wait to use them. I got the 10-blade reel and the scarifier.

Although I am cutting around 1.3" I think I like the performance of the 10 blade reel over my 6 blade reel. I thought I would only need the 10 as things got lower but it performed so well at 1.3" that I do not want to stop using it.

The scarifier is one of those tools where when you start using it, you wish you had a weekend all to yourself to do the whole lawn. Since I do not have a ton of time right now I just experimented on the rear-most strip of grass at my house. I set the height to 0 on concrete and then brought it onto the lawn. At that height I was very happy with the results.

Here are some photos:


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## mowww

Check that, going to dethatch the whole thing tomorrow or Sunday, whichever is dry. Will post progress.


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## mowww

I got 1 hour and 26 minutes of use in "regeneration mode" using my Swardman Electra and it's spring tine cartridge at 0.0" on a full charge. Very happy with its performance and biomass removal. In that timeframe it pulled roughly 200 compacted gallons worth of material. I might have to tip the sanitation folks this week.


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## mowww

Subsurface concrete was showing its ugly face as the temperatures rose this past month. Dug up quite a bit of loose concrete in two areas each <10 sq ft.


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## ctrav

Good job but I don't look forward to doing this again next spring...&#128553;


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## adgattoni

mowww said:


> Snow and sleet outside today, hopefully it is winter's last breath.
> 
> I spent some time in the garage after work configuring a foam marker for my drop in sprayer. I used a 12v air pump typically used for live wells. At first I tried 1/4" hose that came with the pump as the foam-outlet hose as well as the air inlet hose. The 1/4" worked well for the inlet but I stepped it up to 3/8" hose for the outlet and got much better results. It needs a little love and finishing touches but I am excited to put down some my nutrition with it this year and hopefully get my overlaps just right.
> 
> I have left and right shut offs and utilized an old Finch wireless switch since I haven't had great luck with handlebar mounted switches so far.


How'd you like this setup throughout the year? I'm thinking about replicating it. Does the aerator simply produce so much foam it fills the container and is forced through the outlet tube? How quickly does it produce foam?


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## mowww

adgattoni said:


> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> Snow and sleet outside today, hopefully it is winter's last breath.
> 
> I spent some time in the garage after work configuring a foam marker for my drop in sprayer. I used a 12v air pump typically used for live wells. At first I tried 1/4" hose that came with the pump as the foam-outlet hose as well as the air inlet hose. The 1/4" worked well for the inlet but I stepped it up to 3/8" hose for the outlet and got much better results. It needs a little love and finishing touches but I am excited to put down some my nutrition with it this year and hopefully get my overlaps just right.
> 
> I have left and right shut offs and utilized an old Finch wireless switch since I haven't had great luck with handlebar mounted switches so far.
> 
> 
> 
> How'd you like this setup throughout the year? I'm thinking about replicating it. Does the aerator simply produce so much foam it fills the container and is forced through the outlet tube? How quickly does it produce foam?
Click to expand...

It worked well so long as the foam concentrate was at the low end of the labeled rates- too much concentrate made the foam almost rigid and it did not exit the hose as easily.

I removed the foamer halfway through the season and instead reduced my boom size so I could be more consistent with overlaps. Foamer: 5/10, might utilize again but if I lost it I would not buy the materials to build the same setup.


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## adgattoni

mowww said:


> adgattoni said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> Snow and sleet outside today, hopefully it is winter's last breath.
> 
> I spent some time in the garage after work configuring a foam marker for my drop in sprayer. I used a 12v air pump typically used for live wells. At first I tried 1/4" hose that came with the pump as the foam-outlet hose as well as the air inlet hose. The 1/4" worked well for the inlet but I stepped it up to 3/8" hose for the outlet and got much better results. It needs a little love and finishing touches but I am excited to put down some my nutrition with it this year and hopefully get my overlaps just right.
> 
> I have left and right shut offs and utilized an old Finch wireless switch since I haven't had great luck with handlebar mounted switches so far.
> 
> 
> 
> How'd you like this setup throughout the year? I'm thinking about replicating it. Does the aerator simply produce so much foam it fills the container and is forced through the outlet tube? How quickly does it produce foam?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It worked well so long as the foam concentrate was at the low end of the labeled rates- too much concentrate made the foam almost rigid and it did not exit the hose as easily.
> 
> I removed the foamer halfway through the season and instead reduced my boom size so I could be more consistent with overlaps. Foamer: 5/10, might utilize again but if I lost it I would not buy the materials to build the same setup.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I may just spend the extra cash on the one from Rittenhouse then. At $100 - still a lot more affordable than $500+ from others online!


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## mowww

Picked up a Ryobi RM480e with 10hrs on it for $1,200. The deck takes 2-3 minutes to remove so I cleaned it up a bit. My plan is to put 3 reels beneath the mower on articulating mounts this winter.


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## cfinden

@mowww Sounds like an awesome project! Looking forward to see how you do it. Ryobi doesn't make reels that fit on this do they? If not do you have a plan? The reels on the Toro and JD triplexes are hydraulic driven right?


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## mowww

@cfinden hoping to use Earthwise 7 blade 16inch reels to get down to an inch.


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## NoslracNevok

That is an amazing deal, looking forward to this project. So what came first, the mower or the idea, or both?


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## mowww

@NoslracNevok The idea came first but never thought I'd have the chance to make it happen. Got lucky on an eBay auction being the only bidder. The same guy had it listed on Craigslist for $2,200.


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## mowww

Sold the house, moved, got a new job with a fertilizer company to put my turf degree to use, and we're building a house that should be done in June
All lawn pictures from here on out will be of a new lawn.


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## Green

mowww said:


> Sold the house, moved, got a new job with a fertilizer company to put my turf degree to use, and we're building a house that should be done in June
> All lawn pictures from here on out will be of a new lawn.


I'm very excited to see this!


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## Ware

mowww said:


> Sold the house, moved, got a new job with a fertilizer company to put my turf degree to use, and we're building a house that should be done in June
> All lawn pictures from here on out will be of a new lawn.


Congrats!


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## bencrabtree27

Still in MN? What are your seed thoughts?


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## mowww

@bencrabtree27 moved from NE to MN. Going with My Holiday Lawn once construction and temps allow.


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## mowww

I took three Earthwise 7-blade reels and mounted them under the Ryobi electric rider. There's a video in my link here:

__
http://instagr.am/p/B8C_bA_hbFE/







I'd like to add a chain to stabilize left and right movement but I am happy with how it has turned out thus far.


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## Ware

Looks nice!!


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## SNOWBOB11

That's cool. Nice work.


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## Gilley11

Great work!


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## Green

@mowww, I've started looking into that long-release polymer-coated fertilizer and to see if it's available in my area. Do you think, based on your experience with it, that it would be perfectly safe to apply it at about the 1.5-2 lb N rate in the middle of Summer heat if that was the only time someone could apply fertilizer to a property? In other words, does it dump a fraction of its N soon after application (undesirable), or is it basically a slow trickle right from the beginning?

And are you planning on using it on your new lawn seeding project, or not until it's established?


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## Steely

This is cool. Nice work!


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## mowww

@Green Harrell's in your neck of the woods should carry PolyOn which would be that slow trickle right from the beginning if you got a 100% PolyOn blend. There should be no problem laying it down mid-season.

I plan on using Duration on my new project as well. Once things thaw I will get a soil test to determine what we're working with. Santiago silt loam is the predominant soil on the land but who knows how much the builders will disrupt the profile.

@Gilley11 @Ware @SNOWBOB11 @Steely Thanks! It has been a fun project. I am going to add eye-hooks to the reel carriage frame and attach it to the deck-lift points on the mower with turnbuckles to limit left and right sway and hopefully allow me to raise the mowers an inch or so.


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## Ware

mowww said:


> ...and hopefully allow me to raise the mowers an inch or so.


I think that would help prevent the reels (wheels/rollers) from gouging when making sharp turns. :thumbsup:


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## jabopy

That looks good mowww,  I would love to see it mowwwing the lawn. Like ware said the turns are going to be tricky, so your going to have to lift the reels for those manoeuvres. :thumbup:


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## mowww

Thanks @jabopy and @Ware for pointing out the susceptibility to gouging the turf! I made some "improvements".

__
http://instagr.am/p/B8SOGtwhBIN/


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## Ware

Nice work!


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## jabopy

That looks like it'll work ok. I'm now wondering which you'll like best when you finish your restoration on the 1951. :nod:


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## MasterMech

I so want to see this thing mow!


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## kds

mowww said:


> Sold the house, moved, got a new job with a fertilizer company to put my turf degree to use, and we're building a house that should be done in June
> All lawn pictures from here on out will be of a new lawn.


Congratulations! Looking forward to the new lawn!


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## dmouw

Any videos of that mower yet?


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## mowww

I ended up selling the Ryobi tractor as I got a good offer for it and kept the reel setup to tow behind my spreader/sprayer. The reels do get stuck at times as traction torque doesn't match what's required in some thick areas of the lawn. The reels also need some adjusting as they cut paper but still shred some blades at times. Ended up with a dedicated bagging tractor, gang reel, and walk behind reel and rotary mowers.


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## Green

So, what kind of KBG sod did you end up with?


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## mowww

Here it is. I'll post a looong bit about how it came to this. Been working hard, never felt like I had the time to put together a comprehensive post, tomorrow I will. @Green a blend of SPF30, Hampton, and a few others. Lots of poa annua too.


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## MNLawnGuy1980

Lawn looks great @mowww. Congrats on the house and getting settled in. I was checking out your IG, interesting placement of the tree on your boulevard.


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## mowww

Here's what has been going on since November:

November:
In an apartment, signed a contract with our builder and got promises about 12-inches of topsoil to be brought in before sod.

December-May: 
Bought and sold some equipment: 1951 Toro Sportlawn (restored and sold), Ryobi RM480e (tried to convert to a reel mower, eventually sold), Greensmaster 3000 (cleaned up and sold), Turfco T3000 (I could never part with it).

Our national builder said we have no say in what sod gets installed in July. I spent a lot of time tracking down who would be installing the sod for the new home and where it would be sourced. Got the installer and grower to agree to upgrade to My Holiday Lawn KBG for some extra money (kept the conversation away from the builder).

June:
Moved in to new home.

Graders scraped less than 1" of soil in most places meaning very little topsoil was brought into the yard. We picked rock for weeks by hand and felt like we barely put a dent in the mess.

Here it is in June:








July:
Sod installer was a few days behind schedule due to rain so the builder dropped them for a much less respectable company that sources their sod from a poa-infested farm. What could we do?

Landscaping got installed :roll:



And the irrigation was "trenched in" to a depth of 2"



Then came the sod - despite beers for the crew there was not much attention to detail









A little 10-10-10, Nutripel, and gypsum went down before the sod was laid to help it tack down.

Once down, sprayed Lexicon, Vivax, and Talstar to help get through a very hot July.

It was filling in but the stripes help to cover up the sad looking lawn:







18-0-18 33% Amsul 33%UF Micros went down and it really started looking better.



Then I applied Primo and mesotrione for the poa annua which was no problem; however, my second app was applied too soon and I got some bronzing.



Finally, some more 18-0-18, Vivax, Manniplex Ultra Turf, topdressing, My Holiday Lawn overseed. You can see the 10 ft perimeter inside the future fence where I didn't spray the Vivax and you see the dew form there but nowhere else:



Oh and we got a pup:




Thanks for reading!


----------



## ABC123

glad to see you got all moved in!


----------



## mowww

@ABC123 thank you! 
@MNLawnGuy1980 thanks! Haha we had say in a few things, that was not one of them.


----------



## Green

Too bad about all the sod weirdness.

On the other hand, I'm surprised it has SPF30. And I had not heard of Hampton, but sounds good.

What about the MHL overseed? Do you expect an overseed to take into the sod? Or did you use it because you had it? And if it works, what do you think the MHL will contribute to the lawn, since they always recommended it as a mono?

I'm 5 days into my Reno with MHL. Not expecting to see anything come up for a while. But really hoping it tolerates the adverse conditions in that area (shade, dampness, ponding after rain, standing water for days or weeks at times, ice in Winter...the list of adverse conditions is crazy). But my reason for picking it is that the area simply cannot be mowed often due to water. I improved the drainage a bit, topdressed with sandy soil to firm the surface, and then seeded. The existing grass was a mix of stuff including Poa Triv, but had become somewhat low mow over time due to the conditions preventing good growth anyway.


----------



## mowww

Ordered some Tupersan for spring overseed and some bait stations for voles this winter.

@Green I think it is among the slowest to establish KBG varieties so on an initial seed it could be oddly spotty. With an overseed I am less worried about patches of this or that growing at varying speeds. Going with Tupersan in spring and more seed after an aggressive verticut. I am excited to see your Reno progress. I seeded a few areas 10 days ago and have some germination.

Mowed the front quickly today.


----------



## g-man

I did not notice the steep hill in the previous images. What are you using to mow? The swardman?


----------



## mowww

@g-man I am indeed. I had to replace the rear drum motor recently but now it handles the hill just fine. Downhill over there inevitably turns into a light jog.


----------



## mowww

Worked on the fence I've been building over the past month. Cleaned up a few edges as well.







I have been reel mowing the front and using the rotary in the back so I now have my own "domination line" even though it's clear to see the shorter stuff is more off-color. Going to try to manage the areas inside and outside of the fence differently into the future for some experiments.


----------



## jabopy

You have your grass looking very nice! After the sh(one)t laying of the turf. Thanks for the update. &#128077; Love the new pup&#128149;


----------



## mowww

Thanks @jabopy! I like to think he's a grass lover too.


----------



## mowww

We had pretty good germination in late September from the My Holiday Lawn overseed in early September. Because of the overseed I have not been attacking the poa annua with Tenacity or Prograss even though these temperatures are almost perfect. I'll have to wait until next year for that.

I have had some challenges with silt washing into the yard from neighboring lots that are under construction. Got the builder to install a curblog to retain the silt on that corner. Here's what we were working with:



I dethatched the front yard (not the boulevard or sides) and pulled about 250gal worth of material out. Since then the front has been pretty dinged up. I applied 0.25 lb/N/M to the front along with ferrous sulfate to mask some of the damage and darken it up. Now we've got a blackish brown hue to things but it'll heal eventually and I am happy with the amount of aerial poa it pulled out.





Then got a mow in this morning:


----------



## mowww

Sun came out and I did a second cut to get anything that was laying over. After that I sprayed the boulevards, right side of driveway, and a test plot of 300sq ft with Prograss at 1.5oz/M. The plan changes by the hour over here. Those areas just have so much poa annua that I'd rather start on getting rid of it there and hope the seedlings don't get too beat up, we'll see.

Also put a clean edge on everything:


----------



## mowww

We're thinking about adding some beds to the left and right sides of our driveway in the boulevard since it is currently a tough place to grow grass and we could use some variety out front as many homes and landscaping in the neighborhood are nearly identical. Anybody see any benefits for one design over the other or have tips? Thanks


----------



## Green

Did you dethatch specifically to try to pull out Poa annua? It appears it was rooted into the thatch layer and came with the sod.

Did the dethatch pull out much of the new MHL grass?


----------



## mowww

@Green You bet. I'd say it pulled about 50% of the poa annua that I had, most of which was aerial.

Hard to say how much MHL was lost, none that was noticeable even on some thin areas. Here's a photo near a dried out seam that made it through alright. I had the height set around 0.25" on the power rake in hopes to save the seed.


----------



## mowww

Three months, a boatload of hours smoothing, leveling, seeding, adjusting, and I'm starting to feel good about where things are at:


----------



## mowww

Going to blow the irrigation system out tomorrow. Might put out a few minutes worth of water tonight on some of the ridges and areas that are drying up. Sometime before the snow mold app I would like to put down a final app of Vivax wetting agent to regulate the water handling properties of the clay.


----------



## mowww

Got a little snow already ❄. Pup's first experience with the stuff.


----------



## mowww

It looks like we will catch a break and get into some above-average temperatures over the next week:



With that I plan to put out another Protecta bait station for voles and put down a snow mold/anti-transpirant app if temps look like they'll fall back below freezing again the following week.


----------



## MNLawnGuy1980

I am thinking I am going to take the greens mower out, not to cut but just get my lines a little more defined for Halloween.


----------



## mowww

@MNLawnGuy1980 Scratch that itch! It'll be interesting to see how well rolling crisps them up compared to a cut.

I've got a little more to melt on the north side of the house before I can get after it.


----------



## mowww

I came out to the garage yesterday and smelled gasoline. After some looking around I found that my sprayer's carb was leaking fuel. Tried replacing it over lunch today but I'm not quite finished.


----------



## mowww

Got the sprayer fixed, new carb, a new fitting on the pump outlet hose, and a few adjustments and it is running well.

Temps got into the 70s today and I got a mow in while I prepare for my snow mold/winter app on Saturday before things get chilly again. Things were very dusty from nearby construction.





Whatever the outcome from today's election, I hope we can come together. Today I got flipped off by a guy in front of me at the Hardee's drive thru, I waved because I didn't understand what was going on and he said "f you and f your mask" which I had just put on as I pulled forward to hand the employee my credit card.

Separately but related - The flag here isn't much but hey, maybe it will start a conversation with a neighbor or two.


----------



## mowww




----------



## mowww

Got my soil test results. A lot of work will be needed to improve the health of my soil.


----------



## g-man

It doesn't look too bad. More OM and potassium. Interesting the H3A test method correlates with the standard ones, but I don't get the 3.4 value.


----------



## Green

Did you set up a flag? I didn't quite catch the reference. But that incident reminds me of one that happened to me in a University parking lot a few years ago. I had just removed my seatbelt and moved the car up one space, and opened the door to check the positioning. This other student coming from his car walks right by, looks in right as I open the door, and says, No seat belt?

Lawn looks good.


----------



## mowww

@g-man I haven't calculated soil health through any equation in the past, let alone the H3A method. Where does your calculation fall?

@Green I tried to clarify some of the text in that post, I realize it did not read cleanly.


----------



## mowww

2020 ^^^
______________

2021 vvv​Things are melting here and we're seeing some grass. Looking forward to getting back out there and sticking to my plan in 2021.

Preliminary results of last fall's snow mold/anti-transpirant application are in. The edge of the rocks at the top of the hill down to the green valve box is the cutoff for the application. Pretty clear differences in disease and in color; however, I am surprised to see a yellower color out of the treated side. I have another check plot out front but it still has snow cover.


Once the frost is out of the ground I plan on renting a sod cutter to convert some border and corner areas out back to wildflowers. I will use that sod to patch the convenient winter dog pee area out front.


----------



## mowww

My primary lawn-related winter project has been taking a beat-up Earthway 2150, getting it functioning (more parts and $ than expected), and then installing a quick-changeout patent-not-pending 5/7 gallon bucket sprayer. It takes about 2.5 minutes to set up and about 1.5 minutes to take apart to go back to granular spreading. This is a gift for my brother who is trying to take his lawn to the next level.

-2.2 gpm pump
-Quick connects for spray gun (not shown) and front nozzle
-The front nozzle is a Hypro HF140-15, same style you'd see on a Turfco ride-on. Not entirely sure why all HF 140-10 1 gpm nozzles seem to have an uneven distribution on the left side of the pattern, even when flipped. The 1.5 gpm does not have that problem. I've got to imagine it has something to do with the plumbing before the nozzle. 
-4.5 ft effective spray pattern at 15 deg angle. I wish I could find who mentioned "DJ clamps" to thank them for bringing them to my attention in another thread.
-Easily swap full buckets to make the mixing/spraying process faster





It ain't pretty but it works pretty well. I think he will enjoy using it.


----------



## mowww

Here's a look at the spray pattern when the 1 gpm nozzle is installed (same when flipped 180 or another nozzle of the same model is used). The left 1/3 is not quite right. The 1.5 gpm nozzle is a more even arc. Anyone have an idea as to why that might be happening? Pressure 40 psi.


----------



## mowww

3/9 I got to get out and enjoy the warm weather while it lasted. I swept up most of the cellulose insulation that was left after the snow melted. Picked up about 10 gal of insulation in the front yard. I'd like to thank the insulation guys for the impromptu turf blanket  , it came up pretty easily.











One of my first projects once things start growing will be cutting sod from the back yard to create native wildflower borders and then use the sod to fix the dog pee spots in the front of the house.


----------



## mowww

Last fall I left a few untreated check plots when I sprayed for snow mold. Here is one below:


Here it is this spring, almost looking better than all turf around it:


As I have mentioned before, in the back yard I sprayed a couple swaths along one fence line (2nd photo below's fence) and that area certainly looks better than the rest of the untreated back yard, especially the untreated corner that collects snow. Everything out side of the fenced area that you can see was treated:




Finally, I swept up about 10 more gallons of debris from the yard that were plowed in. This included rocks, sticks, $0.48 in coins, garbage, nails, and screws. Before long construction in the neighborhood will be over and we won't have to worry about big rigs coming through the neighborhood as often. Until then, I'm going to protect the corner as much as I can to limit the damage. Maybe I just need a Boulder instead of the reflective posts.

Then I trimmed everything outside of the fence to 1".


----------



## mowww

We got close to 2.5" of slow-release rain yesterday and overnight. I'll be interested to see if the grass blades have any pronounced browning or purpling as a result of the snow so soon after a mow.



I am also working on protecting the area beneath the deck from rain but I will stop short of saying waterproofing. The custom fit canopy (coversandall.com) arrived and I plan on installing it in conjunction with a gutter to keep the area dry. I am not sure if I am up to the task of installing the 18' of gutter and tying it into my existing downspout or if I should just let a professional handle it. We'll see if anyone responds to a request for an estimate or not.


----------



## mowww

The area under the deck is virtually uninhabitable with its clayey soil when any moisture is present. I have tried to amend with hydrated lime but the progress is slow. Here was the situation a week ago:


Then I added some gutter:


Let's install this waterproof canvas on a windy day solo. My shoulders hurt:


Here's the finished look after buying more turnbuckles than I ever knew existed in my zip code:


This is the overhead view where theoretically the canvas should dump water into the gutter. With 1.75" of rain forecasted for early this week it will get a good test.


Cross your fingers my friends


----------



## bernstem

What are you going to put there? It looks like the builder intended it to be a concrete or stone patio. I would then do a small garden under the stairs. The tarp looks like it will work well. I like.


----------



## mowww

@bernstem absolutely, when we built that's what we had in mind. There's about 180 sq ft under there inside the posts. I like the garden bed idea for otherwise wasted space, it would get sun all morning and shade all afternoon. At some point we'd like to put concrete or pavers down there with the eventual goal of screening in the area.


----------



## mowww

Plug aerated a few high traffic areas, removed the plugs and topdressed with mason sand. Also filled low spots and lingering sod seams with sand. Spread 108lbs of eCorganite (Nutripel 4-3-0) over my 10M. Looking to add to my OM and having the dark particles down might expedite soil warming.


----------



## mowww

Mowed the back down to 1.25" to take off the brown tips. Helped a neighbor pick rocks out of his soil/lawn the same as I did last June/July.


----------



## MNLawnGuy1980

I like the sneaky pic of the GM!

We had a neighbor in the back convert under his deck to a shed/workshop. This made sense and there are quite a few others doing it since we are not allowed to have sheds in our neighborhood. I thought that was a pretty good idea.


----------



## mowww

@MNLawnGuy1980 Haha nice execution by that guy. Finished interior or basically a shed? We have the same rules here.

Just sold the Broadmoor to a neighbor so back to all walk-behinds over here. The GM has been fun. At 260lbs it is saving me from breaking out the lawn roller this spring.


----------



## MNLawnGuy1980

@mowww, he finished it inside but I would just use it for storing mowers that I buy and never end up using!


----------



## mowww

@MNLawnGuy1980 Ha, we are creatures of habit!


----------



## mowww

Conveniently, the poa is greening up earlier than the rest of my lawn. Pulled about 2 gallons out today. Still plenty more to go.


----------



## mowww

Pulled another half gallon of poa today. Also filled low spots with mason sand. Used 550 lbs today.


----------



## mowww

Got a half inch of rain today. Played around with 0.1lb of ammonium sulfate over 500 sq feet to see if I get any response.


----------



## mowww

I cut under and filled in some very low areas with garden soil and topdressed other low spots with the same blend. Put out another 100# of mason sand in low places as well. 


This photo is the last remaining area of extreme thatch that I still need to rectify.



Calibrated the sprayer with new tips and put out 1.7# of ammonium sulfate over 7.5M for a whopping total of 0.047# N/M. That's all I had on hand and don't want to hammer soluble N too early.

Trimmed low hanging tree branches.


----------



## mowww

I brought things down to 0.5" for everything outside of the fence or tried to. One of the last vestiges of heavy thatch is on the NE portion of our property. I put the tine rake on the Swardman and ran it 2x at 0.25". Then I used the Masport to suck up all of the debris.

Still not significant growth, but we're starting to see some color.


----------



## mribbens

For your sanding, how are you applying it and how do you get it down into the soil? I am doing the exact same thing this week and next, I have about 150lbs of mason sand on hand.


----------



## mowww

@mribbens Hi, usually I fill a tote or bucket with sand so it's easier to handle. Then I locate low spots by either seeing the spots or walking until I feel one. Then I either mark them with a flag or have the bucket right there where I use a pint glass to pour the sand into any low spots. Using my hand or a small brush (like one the accompanies a dust pan) I brush the material into the canopy. Finally, I check with my feet for its general level. The shorter the grass, the easier the process for the most part but can be done successfully at nearly any height. If a spot is extra low I will cut the sod out with a knife, fill it in so it's level, and replace the turf. The goal is to have grass blades showing above what I filled so it can continue growth efficiently.


----------



## mribbens

mowww said:


> @mribbens Hi, usually I fill a tote or bucket with sand so it's easier to handle. Then I locate low spots by either seeing the spots or walking until I feel one. Then I either mark them with a flag or have the bucket right there where I use a pint glass to pour the sand into any low spots. Using my hand or a small brush (like one the accompanies a dust pan) I brush the material into the canopy. Finally, I check with my feet for its general level. The shorter the grass, the easier the process for the most part but can be done successfully at nearly any height. If a spot is extra low I will cut the sod out with a knife, fill it in so it's level, and replace the turf. The goal is to have grass blades showing above what I filled so it can continue growth efficiently.


Awesome, thank you! I am doing the same, taking it easy and brooming the sand down low, making sure I can see grass blades. Should I give it an extra day or two before mowing with the reel?


----------



## mowww

@mribbens If you have quite a bit of material still sitting high you may want to wait til it settles to take it easier on the reel and bedknife; however, hitting it with a little water, hitting with a leaf blower, or brushing it in well should be enough. If you have a groomer, you can turn it off when mowing the first time. If the material is pebble-free, I wouldn't be too worried with 150 # of sand.


----------



## steffen707

mowww said:


> If a spot is extra low I will cut the sod out with a knife, fill it in so it's level, and replace the turf. The goal is to have grass blades showing above what I filled so it can continue growth efficiently.


i did this on 2 big divits last year. Helped tremendously, this year i'm going to start slowly filling in now.


----------



## mowww

Moved the rock from the sides of the house to beneath the deck. Tore out plastic edging. Added natural edge and mulch. Straightened edges. Also replaced the dead dwarf cranberry bush with a dwarf ninebark.

Before


During


After


----------



## mowww

Hopefully the last frost of the season for us today. Height is currently at 0.75", going to 1" next time I cut and plan to leave it there.

I put down 2.6# N/M of 35-0-10 Spread It and Forget It (SiFi) last night. It's a blend of 10% urea, 90% of Duration 45, 90, 120, and 180 to take care of the majority of my fertility needs for the year. Depending on how things look, I may spike 0.1 # N into a fungicide spray throughout the year but we'll see how the lawn responds without it first.


----------



## mowww

It is responding. Pee spot replacement this weekend. Cut at 0.92".


----------



## jskierko

The shadow of the rotary scissors completes that picture, looking clean!


----------



## Green

mowww said:


> Pee spot replacement this weekend.


Is that what that huge brown area is?!


----------



## mowww

@Green Yes, our dog has been injured since January so couldn't do many steps or go on walks. That led to us taking him out to the closest patch of grass all winter.

@jskierko haha thank you good catch.


----------



## mowww

It has been a few weeks since I posted so I'll give you the grand tour. One of the first things I did once things got growing again was to cut the sod from my injured pup's winter pee spot. After cutting the sod I leveled the area and applied gypsum. I used sod that I had cut from the backyard's corners. In those areas, I planted a wildflower mix to attract some pollinators and some PennMulch to get it started. About 10 days later, we got some germination in the wildflower areas and they are starting to fill out.







After replacing the turf the next project was edging all mulch areas. Here is an example of a tree ring recut to 30":
Before


After


A portion of the lawn (the North-facing area) was still very thatchy so I verticut it in 3 directions and removed about 300 gallons of material:


The weigela in the front of the house did not make it through winter so it was as good of a time as any to address our landscape beds and their lack of character. 




I added 10 boxwoods, 6 perennial flowers. 82 annuals, 7 clumps of grass (Karl Forester and Flame grass alternating), 2 butterfly bushes in the wildflower area, and 3 blue rush(es?). Many of the annuals are of a creeping variety. I chose those because I wanted to create a flowing blanket of flowers to break up the green of the boxwoods, evergreens, and the lawn. I am also trying a clematis near the house number stone with Irish moss at its base to flow onto the sidewalk. You'll also see my Eley reel with 3/4" hose that is hooked up to the 3/4" irrigation line as the regular hose bibs were plumbed with 1/2" and greatly restricted flow.







I have applied two applications of Tenacity thus far this spring to combat poa annua, or just make it easier to spot and pull. You can see the lime-green areas that have the highest poa annua populations.





They aren't quite @MNLawnGuy1980 's double-wides but I am pleased with how far things have come over the past 10 months. It has been great having neighbors stop by and ask questions and get to know them better through our shared enjoyment of lawn care.


----------



## mowww

First app of Primo went out tonight at 0.35oz/M with Lexicon at 0.47oz/M, Manniplex Ultra at 3oz/M, and Essentria IC3 to repel mosquitos.


----------



## occamsrzr

mowww said:


> They aren't quite @MNLawnGuy1980 's double-wides but I am pleased with how far things have come over the past 10 months. It has been great having neighbors stop by and ask questions and get to know them better through our shared enjoyment of lawn care.


Look at these friggin' lasers. Awesome stripes!

I agree that this hobby has been great to get to know the neighbors and their backgrounds in lawn care.


----------



## mowww

occamsrzr said:


> Look at these friggin' lasers. Awesome stripes!
> 
> I agree that this hobby has been great to get to know the neighbors and their backgrounds in lawn care.


Thanks!


----------



## MNLawnGuy1980

Great work on the front yard recovery @mowww, it looks phenomenal!

Love the side yard too, I wish that I would be able to do something like that on the side. One is too narrow and the other is a large incline that the Jake struggles with. Of course, my old GM1000 had no problem with it as it was a tank.


----------



## mowww

@MNLawnGuy1980 thank you! Hah of course it could. Is the Jake drum dimpled?

Got another mow in at 1.025" tonight and trimmed bed edges.


----------



## mowww

I've never gotten many photos from the back of the house so took a few while walking the dog this morning. Between Tenacity and hand pulling, I am starting to have trouble finding poa annua, finally. Had just over an inch of rain in the past 36 hours.


----------



## mowww




----------



## Stuofsci02

Looks Awesome!


----------



## mowww

@Stuofsci02 thank you! Seeing the sheer volume of mulch you laid down last year made me believe I could give my conversion from rock to mulch a try this year, and I'm glad I did.


----------



## mowww

Roughly 10 days without water. Watering ban in our town and it sounds like it will remain in place even after we have had some rain due to the strain new homes have placed on the pumping systems. We can still water flowers, shrubs, and trees manually. Getting crispy.

Many neighbors are not adhering to the guidelines or have gotten "new seed/sod exemptions". It's about 2/3 adherence.

Here it is 10 days ago:



And today:


----------



## Chris LI

Hang in there!


----------



## steffen707

mowww said:


> Roughly 10 days without water. Watering ban in our town and it sounds like it will remain in place even after we have had some rain due to the strain new homes have placed on the pumping systems. We can still water flowers, shrubs, and trees manually. Getting crispy.
> 
> Many neighbors are not adhering to the guidelines or have gotten "new seed/sod exemptions". It's about 2/3 adherence.
> 
> Here it is 10 days ago:
> 
> 
> 
> And today:


we got a big storm tonight in Central Wisconsin, hopefully you got some of that.


----------



## Green

So, did you stop mowing? Do you anticipate losing anything you seeded last year?


----------



## mowww

@Chris LI Thanks, it oughta pull through just fine.

@steffen707 glad to hear that! We got a few sprinkles but nothing measurable.

@Green yes, haven't mowed for about 14 days. I'm not too worried, the kbg is doing what it does best, going dormant. It gives a good opportunity to identify any non-kbg to pull to clean up the stand a little more.


----------



## MNLawnGuy1980

Sorry to see the lawn like that @mowww, looking forward to seeing it bounce back after a little rain.

I was getting notifications on my phone yesterday that the storm of the century was heading our way, ended up getting about 19 seconds worth of rain in Otsego.


----------



## steffen707

mowww said:


> @Green yes, haven't mowed for about 14 days. I'm not too worried, the kbg is doing what it does best, going dormant. It gives a good opportunity to identify any non-kbg to pull to clean up the stand a little more.


When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.


----------



## Green

@mowww maybe slightly off topic, but do you think seeded first year KBG can survive semi dormancy? Since you have a lot of experience...


----------



## mowww

@Green I think so. Once it has hit 10-12 weeks I believe most metabolic pathways are operating as they would in a mature stand but that only comes from looking at TTTF freeze tolerance in a lab so it could vary with a hybrid kbg.


----------



## mowww

We have made it through. We can water again beginning at midnight tonight. It should equate to 16 days and 0.61" of precipitation/irrigation. Shaded areas and areas around landscaping that got overspray are doing alright. Now we'll see how long it takes to break dormancy.


----------



## Green

Looks like about 5 yards have just soil...just built?


----------



## mowww

@Green yes, anyone who closed since December is still waiting on sod. Last year they installed in mid July, this year it could be sooner.


----------



## g-man

@mowww how is the drought recovery going?


----------



## mowww

@g-man we're most of the way back. Definitely lost a little turf where you see the brown in the panorama that I have now overseeded lightly. That area still had some poa annua hanging out in in, not sure how much of what died was kbg.


----------



## mowww

The wildflowers came in nicely too


----------



## steffen707

mowww said:


> The wildflowers came in nicely too


Those are pretty. Do wildflowers like that spread or only come up where you planted em?


----------



## mowww

@steffen707 thats a good question. I've got about 3/4 of the seed left but I think the coreopsis, the buckwheat, and clover should be back next year so long as the clover doesn't take over too much space. The butterfly bush is new to me so we'll see how it overwinters.


----------



## mowww

Primo app is almost out of gas after a week on vacation this is what we were looking at before and after the mow. Might as well be a 2/3 rule today.


----------



## Jeff_MI84

That is some mighty fine recovery.


----------



## Green

Looks like it's back. Any idea how much of the seeded stuff made it?


----------



## mowww

Thank you, @Jeff_MI84. I appreciate it, been a process.

@Green It is tough to say in the mixed portions of the stand. The areas where it is only MHL are about 100% intact from what I can tell. There isn't enough variation in color from MHL to the northern mix to know what is what when in the overseeded areas.


----------



## Green

mowww said:


> @Green It is tough to say in the mixed portions of the stand. The areas where it is only MHL are about 100% intact from what I can tell. There isn't enough variation in color from MHL to the northern mix to know what is what when in the overseeded areas.


That's good. I'm finding the MHL to be fine-bladed, sparse so far, and thin/whispy when mowed infrequently (in a shady area, though, so it might be the shade doing it). They encouraged a lot of mowing in the first year, but I used it precisely because the area can't be mowed often. Hopefully it tolerates the shade and flooding ok over the long term. It's been less than one year so far. Pretty sure I've mowed it less than 5 times so far this year. It's getting kind of long again, though.

Did you overseed some areas with a Northern mix??


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## mowww

Green said:


> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Green It is tough to say in the mixed portions of the stand. The areas where it is only MHL are about 100% intact from what I can tell. There isn't enough variation in color from MHL to the northern mix to know what is what when in the overseeded areas.
> 
> 
> 
> That's good. I'm finding the MHL to be fine-bladed, sparse so far, and thin/whispy when mowed infrequently (in a shady area, though, so it might be the shade doing it). They encouraged a lot of mowing in the first year, but I used it precisely because the area can't be mowed often. Hopefully it tolerates the shade and flooding ok over the long term. It's been less than one year so far. Pretty sure I've mowed it less than 5 times so far this year. It's getting kind of long again, though.
> 
> Did you overseed some areas with a Northern mix??
Click to expand...

Is this what your areas look like? No overseed with northern mix, just the sod that was installed.


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## Green

mowww said:


> Is this what your areas look like?


It looks different, but mine isn't established yet. I've broken a bunch of good practice rules, and essentially neglected it this whole time (the only fertilizer so far has been a single full rate K app), but allowed it to start filling in, which it has started to do. I do plan to overseed the area soon, and take care of it better this Fall. I'll be renovating an adjacent area as part of the mono shortly after that. I should have a better idea of how it looks about 3 months from now. And of course it's in shade, and almost unmowed, so that might make it grow differently. Right now I'm taking advantage of the thin, patchy establishment by easily spotting and pulling up nasties like Poa Triv. It will be impossible once I overseed and can't walk on it.

That said, there are some similarities in the color of yours and mine, and maybe blade width.



mowww said:


> There isn't enough variation in color from MHL to the northern mix to know what is what when in the overseeded areas.


This is where the northern mix thing came from. Still not sure what you meant by it.


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## mowww

@Green Sorry for the unclear explanation. What I meant was that the sod that was brought in was a northern mix but the only thing I have overseeded with has been MHL. There were a few formerly bare areas, such as the one pictured in the last post that I seeded with MHL and they do have a finer texture than the SPF 30, Shannon, Avalanche, Hampton, poa annua, random tall fescue mix that was brought in.


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## mowww

Slowly but surely. Got some iron and PGR last night.


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## Green

@mowww, I see. Was that northern mix sod the original builder sod you said was sourced from a "poa-farm"? I didn't realize you had any sections of mixed lawn...I thought the builder sod was supposed to have been all KBG (and your profile says KBG). So, is it basically a KBG and Tall Fescue mix with Poa annua included as a "bonus"? Or were there other things in it as well (either intended to be in it or not)?


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## mowww

@Green it was supposed to be the kbg mix but tall fescue and poa came along for the ride. If you took a 3'x3' square you might find anywhere from 1-3 tall fescue plants (not big enough to call clumps) but I do not think those are going to be competitive at 0.75" and will eventually get outcompeted by kbg.


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## Green

mowww said:


> @Green it was supposed to be the kbg mix but tall fescue and poa came along for the ride. If you took a 3'x3' square you might find anywhere from 1-3 tall fescue plants (not big enough to call clumps) but I do not think those are going to be competitive at 0.75" and will eventually get outcompeted by kbg.


Got it. I wonder if there's any Ryegrass or fine fescue invaders as well...or even Triv hiding. Ryan Knorr has a video recently showing the ryegrass gaining a little ground in his low mow KBG section, even if he didn't know it was there at the start. It's forming small dark patches.

G-man had a lot of Tall Fescue in his front sod; he has said it has pretty much hung on through the reel mowing, but not spread further at all...maybe got suppressed a bit if anything.


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## g-man

I still have plenty of TTTF in my front yard after 3 years of reel mowing at 0.75in. If any of it died, it was because of heat/drought.


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## mowww

@g-man Thanks for the heads up. Most of mine is not a TTTF but closer to a K31 which makes it easy to identify but getting it pulled out requires a knife.

I dug up a few poorly performing areas and laid better soil down with MHL seed. The areas had very little rooting 1-year post sodding. Photo below (top is the turf cut out with virtually no roots pushing beneath the OG sod, below that is the clay soil that was as hard as a rock):


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## mowww

@g-man I've been enjoying the use of GDD tracking on google sheets since GreenKeeper went away from a free version. Thanks again.


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## Green

That's a bit of work. I guess sod comes with its own set of challenges.


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## mowww

@Green it certainly does. Lazy installation will be a challenge for some time.


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## mowww

I finally tackled the rocky soil along the driveway edge or at least part of it. The sod along the edges pulled up by hand after a whole year. The soil below was comprised mostly of clay and driveway gravel. My thought was "if I can pull it away from the soil by hand, then the soil needs remediation." I did so with some garden soil, sand, and peat moss.



Here you can see all of the rock I removed:



Final grade before laying back down, rolling, and watering. I also added some Humic and some 17-18-28 soluble fert in a watering can to kick the rooting into action.



9 days since planting My Holiday Lawn in the bare spots and remediating the soil below:



I ordered the "heavy duty handle" from Swardman as my handle holes have enlarged over time making the handling of the Electra a little loose. 


Sod is going into the rest of the neighborhood today and this week so at least things will be less dusty outside and folks will be able to enjoy their properties.


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## mowww

I finally got around to auditing my irrigation. This is based on 1 hour of irrigation for rotor zones and 30 minutes for spray zones.



I am getting much less than I thought in a few areas and much more than I expected in others. I have yet to do the back yard but it's a good start.


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## MNLawnGuy1980

Look at you go, good for you getting all of that stuff done. I have collection cups sitting in my office now for about 2 months and they are still in the package! Nice work also on getting those rocks out of there, probably feels good to get that out of the way instead of fighting it for years, thinking about doing it!


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## steffen707

mowww said:


>


I use that same coors bucket for yardwork too!


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## mowww

@MNLawnGuy1980 it certainly does feel good to get those items off my list. The lawn was maybe a touch over-regulated so there wasn't much else to do.

@steffen707 hah, neighbors are always asking if I've got a cold one for them too.


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## mowww

1 year and a few days since we got sloppy steaks err I mean sod. Did a little leveling and then a full mow, trim, and edge.

It has been fun, frustrating, and a lot of work but there's not a whole lot else I'd rather do.


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## mowww

It had been three weeks since cutting the back yard. Everything is coming out of regulation now. I will reapply and see if I can get a few apps of poa-dinging products down to close out the season.


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## Chris LI

Nice effect, of the before/after photos. What a transformation!


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## mowww

Thanks @Chris LI! I think I used ezgif.com to make that.


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## steffen707

Where did you buy prograss, and for how much? How does it compare to tenacity for pre-emergece?


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## Green

mowww said:


> It had been three weeks since cutting the back yard. Everything is coming out of regulation now and I think I'm going to hold off on pgr so I can get a few apps Prograss down to close out the season (needs 8 weeks post-pgr according to label).


Good luck. Restricted use here, but I guess there are enough other options around (Tenacity, Pylex, and even Sulfosulfuron).


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## mowww

@steffen707 ans @Green I misspoke. As much as I'd like to be able to use prgrass, I will use some barricade early and tenacity to lighten it up and pull from there.


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## mowww

Had some slime mold pop up the other day after 5.5" of rain:



The neighbors finally got sod:



The MHL patches are progressing nicely:


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## mowww

After seeing @weirj55 's meticulous documentation it got me thinking "how many times have I mowed this year?" I have mowed the front/side 29 times and the back 11 times. All activities in the lawn have added up to 92.1 hours worth of time.


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## mowww

Oh honey, we back. Feels nearly fully recovered from the drought. Cut at 0.75".


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## rob13psu

mowww said:


> Oh honey, we back. Feels nearly fully recovered from the drought. Cut at 0.75".


I'll say. That's looking great.


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## Robs92k

Wow…very nice!!


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## mowww

@rob13psu @Robs92k thanks guys!


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## Liquidstone

mowww said:


> Oh honey, we back. Feels nearly fully recovered from the drought. Cut at 0.75".


She is looking absolutely beaut!


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## mowww

Thanks @Liquidstone ! Going through the drought makes me appreciate it that much more.


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## weirj55

mowww said:


> After seeing @weirj55 's meticulous documentation it got me thinking "how many times have I mowed this year?" I have mowed the front/side 29 times and the back 11 times. All activities in the lawn have added up to 92.1 hours worth of time.


Glad I have inspired someone. I keep spreadsheet with all my lawn data. It is fun to compare previous seasons. It should give me some good... Feed by... Intel for the future.

You have a beautiful lawn!


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## mribbens

Looking great!!!


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## MNLawnGuy1980

Right on @mowww, good stuff! Let's get that hoc lower, push it! Kidding, after what you went through I am sure you are being pretty gentle with it!


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## Chris LI

One thing that I just noticed...both of your properties had a decent slope to them (especially the new house). Was that intentional, to get the most impact of striping, or just a coincidence? Well, it sure does make a difference, and make the lawn pop! Driving by, all motorists must get smacked in the face with those stripes! :lol: :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

PS: I like higher ground, too.


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## mowww

@weirj55 haha yeah let's call it intel. This is my first year tracking time along with activities. We've got a baby on the way and I will invariably have to scale back some activities. This oughta give me a chance to weigh cost vs benefits of particular management practices throughout the season. Fun following your journal.

@mribbens thank you!

@MNLawnGuy1980 hah well I'd have to follow your lead and level if I wanted to do that. I've gotten down to 0.5" and I have too much undulation and bumps to have smooth transitions from pass to pass with either reel. You're right, I am just happy to have something green to cut at this point.

@Chris LI you know what? I never realized those similarities in our homes until you mentioned it. My wife would probably say that you're right, that subconsciously I had the angle for presentation of the turf all along. In reality it's just a coincidence but I was excited to move to a corner lot and have more viewable angles to present. I love being perched up a bit, the views are great from the third floor and it's great not having to worry too much about drainage towards the house. 
I hope you're making it through the muggy August alright out there!


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## mowww

Dug up some debris in areas that failed the screwdriver test and had thin turf. I have reseeded or overseed those areas and have germination today (8 DAP) with the my holiday lawn variety of kbg.

Mowed at 0.92".


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## steffen707

Is that a white Gladiator I see? Shoot, that's the neighbor's isn't it?

BTW, I prefer 0.92" personally. :lol:


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## mowww

@steffen707 good eye! Yeah it is my neighbor's. He works for a dealership and that's the latest. Tons of fun to drive compared to my Santa Fe.

Haha it's where it ended up according to the gauge and I've left it there. 0.92 because 0.93 is too much Gilbert Brown and not enough Reggie White.


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## steffen707

mowww said:


> @steffen707 good eye! Yeah it is my neighbor's. He works for a dealership and that's the latest. Tons of fun to drive compared to my Santa Fe.
> 
> Haha it's where it ended up according to the gauge and I've left it there. 0.92 because 0.93 is too much Gilbert Brown and not enough Reggie White.


You know your packer history. Ever have a Gilbert berger? 

Here is my Gladys crossing the little cedar river in Upper Michigan.


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## mowww

@steffen707 haha that poster. No, I can't say I ever had one.

Great photo. We travel up there every summer to get to Black Lake. You guys go regularly?


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## steffen707

mowww said:


> @steffen707 haha that poster. No, I can't say I ever had one.
> 
> Great photo. We travel up there every summer to get to Black Lake. You guys go regularly?


My childhood neighbors have 200 acres about 35 min southwest of Escanaba. As a kid we would go up every Labor Day and Memorial Day. Now I hunt deer every November there, and we have a "friends weekend" with 3 families and like 7-10 kids. It's a wonderful getaway.


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## SumBeach35

Great read through your journal, you've put in hard work and its paying off. I wish you luck on the LOTM nomination.


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## mowww

Thank you @SumBeach35 , I appreciate it.


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## mowww




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## jskierko

For as sloped as your yard is, I give you mad props for putting down those stripes! Gotta be a workout keeping that mower on course.


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## Robs92k

jskierko said:


> For as sloped as your yard is, I give you mad props for putting down those stripes! Gotta be a workout keeping that mower on course.


^+1

Every time you post a pic I think the same thing…but damn that looks nice…def my vote for LOTM.

Also love the pack references…that whopper sucked, but looked good.


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## mowww

@jskierko @Robs92k Haha it can be a bear at times keeping a straight line especially since I'll often mow in the evenings and most of the long/efficient patterns stare right into the sun every other pass while trying to hold the hill. Thanks for the kind words. Good luck in LOTM @jskierko.


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## mowww

Clouds and overall weather today was gorgeous. Usually I am not one to repeat a pattern two mows in a row but I went for it.


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## steffen707

How do I vote LOTM?


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## Green

steffen707 said:


> How do I vote LOTM?


There is a section dedicated to it.


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## kk07

steffen707 said:


> How do I vote LOTM?


Vote here: 
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=32397&p=444664&hilit=LOTM#p444664

@mowww you got my vote, bud. Your lawn looks the best among them.


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## mowww

@steffen707 @kk07 thank you, I appreciate it!

Getting 8 tons of topdressing sand tomorrow to level things out. Backtrack mowed tonight to make the turf as evenly cut as possible for the topdress.


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## steffen707

mowww said:


> @steffen707 @kk07 thank you, I appreciate it!
> 
> Getting 8 tons of topdressing sand tomorrow to level things out. Backtrack mowed tonight to make the turf as evenly cut as possible for the topdress.


Is Back cutting when you cut against a previous stripe to stand the blades up?


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## mowww

@steffen707 yes exactly.


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## mowww

8.55 tons of topdressing sand were delivered this morning. I got through about 2/3 of it tonight after work. I clamped a 30" broom to the footplate of my Turfco and it did a decent job brushing in the sand as I drove and spread.


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## lbb091919

Two birds with one stone. That broom is a great idea!

Were you just using the bucket to dump into the Turfco?


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## mowww

lbb091919 said:


> Two birds with one stone. That broom is a great idea!
> 
> Were you just using the bucket to dump into the Turfco?


Yep, correct. As my wife likes to say "get two birds stoned at the same time." It was easier on me than the scoop shovel with the height of the hopper. My forearms are DED.


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## mowww

Before 0.3" of topdressing:


After:


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## MNLawnGuy1980

mowww said:


> 8.55 tons of topdressing sand were delivered this morning. I got through about 2/3 of it tonight after work. I clamped a 30" broom to the footplate of my Turfco and it did a decent job brushing in the sand as I drove and spread.


Ooh, that elusive top dressing machine that no rental company in MN has that I have seen. Hope the leveling goes well.


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## Eavee

Where'd you get your sand from? I'll be looking to maybe get started topdressing next year. I haven't found a great source yet.


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## mowww

@Eavee Plaisted. About $40/ton dried. Delivery was as much as the sand as you might expect.

@MNLawnGuy1980 haha topdressing machine might be an overstatement but it sure helped. Broken hopper screen but did alright.


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## lawn-wolverine

steffen707 said:


> mowww said:
> 
> 
> 
> @steffen707 haha that poster. No, I can't say I ever had one.
> 
> Great photo. We travel up there every summer to get to Black Lake. You guys go regularly?
> 
> 
> 
> My childhood neighbors have 200 acres about 35 min southwest of Escanaba. As a kid we would go up every Labor Day and Memorial Day. Now I hunt deer every November there, and we have a "friends weekend" with 3 families and like 7-10 kids. It's a wonderful getaway.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, 35 minutes SW of Escanaba…that sounds like Cedar River.


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## lawn-wolverine

mowww said:


> 1 year and a few days since we got sloppy steaks err I mean sod. Did a little leveling and then a full mow, trim, and edge.
> 
> It has been fun, frustrating, and a lot of work but there's not a whole lot else I'd rather do.


What a fantastic demonstration of progress. Never saw a before/after demo flash like this- you are "multi-talented" for sure !
Please remind me of your KBG variety(ies)?


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## lawn-wolverine

mowww said:


> Thanks, @ctrav!
> 
> Happy Easter, everyone!


🤩 WOW ! This has to be "THEE best" hell strip ever ! Need to re-phrase yours to "Heaven strip."👍
Gotta find out what specific varieties it contains though…thanks!!


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## mowww

@lawn-wolverine Thank you. The old place in Omaha was a blend of tttf and kbg that I overseeded with perennial rye.

The seed tag for what I have now is below. I have also overseeded everything with My Holiday Lawn.


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## lawn-wolverine

Okay, great. Thanks ! Well it looks classily uniform, so you hit a proverbial home run.
I wonder what you attribute the dark color?, e.g. genetic color, iron, N, ?


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## steffen707

did you do all the spreading with a drag, by hand?


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## mowww

@lawn-wolverine primarily sufficient N and micros.

@steffen707 I spread it with the broadcast spreader and had a brush on the footplate to brush the sand in. Lots and lots of hopper refills.


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## steffen707

mowww said:


> @lawn-wolverine primarily sufficient N and micros.
> 
> @steffen707 I spread it with the broadcast spreader and had a brush on the footplate to brush the sand in. Lots and lots of hopper refills.


what model braodcast spreader? just need to make sure the sand is all dry, right?


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## mowww

@steffen707 I used an old turfco T3000. Yes, paid for pre-dried sand. It was actually still warm from the dryer when it arrived.


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## steffen707

mowww said:


> @steffen707 I used an old turfco T3000. Yes, paid for pre-dried sand. It was actually still warm from the dryer when it arrived.


Good to know you can get it pre-dried. That turfco T3000 looks pretty sweet, forgot you discussed that in page 13. 16,000lbs of sand at 175lbs of sand per hopper is only 91 hoppers.........Now i know why you did the bucket.


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## mowww

Still working through some warranty issues on the Electra, been about 60 days since I last used it.

Topdressing has settled nicely in most spots. Usually the Masport bottomed out at the middle setting in a few spots but didn't this time. I'd chalk that up to being quite a bit smoother/fewer dips.

Mowed with the Masport to clean things up the other day and then came back around 1" with the GM1600 today.







Also running an SOP test plot (no replications, sorry science) at 0, 1, 2, and 3lb/1000 rates starting in top left and going LR then bottom row LR respectively so bottom right is 3#. I know the back is still low on K but also interested in seeing if I get any additional winter damage at higher rates.


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## g-man

0, 1, 2, 3 lb now or thru the year? I think soldat did something similar. I think he was 0, 1lb prior to fall, 1lb at fall and (1lb prior + 1lb at fall).


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## mowww

@g-man Rates of SOP applied now. So 0.5, 1, and 1.5 of actual K. Do you recall his HOC and turf type? My memory says fairway height bent but I am not sure.


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## g-man

I'm pretty sure it was bent. I always wonder what happens to other grasses.


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## mowww

@g-man you are correct. A4 bent greens height. I'll keep you posted on visual progress.

https://advancegrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Potassium-microdochium-2.pdf


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## mowww

Got a rotary mow in today to clean up leaves and samaras. Might be the last of the season with cooler temps on the way.



Had some fun with friends and neighbors while hosting Oktoberfest. Five holes of putt-putt that turned into quite a tournament til nearly 11pm. We had a lot of fun and they rolled better than I expected just below 0.2".











The SOP test plots are not exhibiting any visual differences yet.



Got annuals torn out. Got corner pollinator areas mowed down. Snow mold app coming up on Tuesday.


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## lawn-wolverine

^^^^ Absolutely fantastic way to "celebrate" a GREAT lawn !


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## Green

I like your SOP test. I still want to publish my N winterization experiment from 2020/21 on here one of these days, but have been too busy.

I pushed K later in the Fall than usual this year, but my soil was barely sufficient in 2019 and 2020 and I paid for it with poor Winter performance, more disease, worse Summer performance, etc...starting in 2018 as K-levels began to slip, and worsening until Fall of 2020 as they got lower. The lawn used to stay pretty green into Winter back when K levels were comfortably above sufficient. Now, after lots of SOP in 2021, the Fall performance is good to very good, even excellent dare I say it. Several times better than last year. I think it will help Winter performance, too. But hopefully it wasn't applied so late that it'll increase late-Winter issues. Will watch your test closely.


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## mowww

@lawn-wolverine thank you. We had a wonderful time and I bought a cup cutter for future events. I had borrowed one from a buddy at a GC for this year.


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## lawn-wolverine

mowww said:


> @lawn-wolverine thank you. We had a wonderful time and I bought a cup cutter for future events. I had borrowed one from a buddy at a GC for this year.


Alright ! Fantastic. Good to hear!


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## steffen707

@mowww Even had a sandtrap? This is awesome! I had not thought about doing this, but that could be a damn fun annual thing. My last name is Steffen and my dad use to host the Steffen Classic, a traditional 9-18 hole golf tourney every year. These put-put photos have the gears turning!


----------

