# Synergy's Lawn Chronicle



## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I've been absorbing information from this wonderful forum for nearly a year now and figured the beginning of this season I'd start a journal to track my progress.

A little history of my lawn: Bought my first house 3 years ago in June, house built in 2010. The lawn and landscaping were struggling from the previous owner. Weeds throughout the lawn and the lawn was a crispy brown as I bought the house near the end of June and you could tell it was not being irrigated.

Pics from when I purchased the house, don't have any good ones of the back yard, but look past the deck in the one photo to the lawn:




I did what I could with it for the rest of that season and had to hire a company the next season as I was traveling all year for work to CA.

Fast forward to 2018 when I found TLF and had the time to take care of the lawn and the knowledge of this forum behind me. I discontinued my service with the company and took over myself.

Here is how I ended the 2018 season with the help of TLF.
Backyard (3300 ft²):

Front Yard (1800 ft²):


Coming out of winter when the snow finally melted:


I got some what I believe to be snowmold, but not nearly as bad as my neighbor:


And also some vole damage? This already appears to be recovering slightly on its own as I see a little green in the dirt today that I hadn't seen before.


For the 2019 season I had been planning this elaborate renovation and was going to kill off the NOMIX that I have, fallow a few weeks, and rent a dingo with a harley rake and try to level out my lawn as I have dreams of mowing lower with a reel mower. However, it now appears that I will not have the time for at least the next two years as I'm booked to travel almost weekly until spring of 2021.

Today I gave the lawn the first mow of 2019, it probably didn't need it, but I wanted to mow before I put down some Pre-M & Humic/Fulvic/Kelp. I plan to try out Air-8 tomorrow for the first time as well, as I have some minor drainage issues in the back yard that I'm going to try to mitigate now that I won't be leveling the lawn this year.

After today's mow:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Pulled soil sample cores that I plan to send out to the Waypoint Illinois location next week when I return home from Minnesota.
Applied K4L Extreme Blend @ .5 oz. dry weight/1000ft² today w/ Air-8 @ 9oz./1000ft²
Applied Prodiamine with backpack sprayer today @ .3oz/1000ft²
Watered these in with .5"/1000ft²

Picked up 50 lbs of each of these today from the local co-op/elevator: Urea for fall, AS for spring, & MOP for spring & fall. Tried my best to find SOP, must have called over 20 places and no one had any, still on the hunt for next year, but MOP will have to suffice for this year.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Waypoint IL is more expensive than the others. Send it to Iowa or Memphis instead.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Done deal @g-man. Thanks! I was curious about that as I think I saw IL was like $26.50 vs Iowa at $21 or something. I'm planning on doing the S3M and adding Soluble Salts and Texture, do you think that will be sufficient?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

More than enough.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

For Iowa the S3M test is $16.50 plus tax.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Gave the lawn it's second mow of the year @ 2". Got a little scalp from the rotary in the strip near the road this time mowing North/South.

I just flew back in to MI last night from MN and was surprised at how much growth there was since I last mowed on Friday. I was seeing 3" in most places and maybe a little over that near the sidewalks and driveway. We are supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow and a chance on Sunday. I travel again all next week so I figured if I didn't mow tonight I wouldn't have a chance until next Friday.





I need to talk to my neighbors and see if they mind if I mulch & plant something near the utility boxes on both sides of my driveway as I hate the look of these.

I've ordered 22 Hunter Pro Sprays with the regulated pressure and check valve bodies with the MP Rotators(scheduled to deliver this Friday) to replace my Toro 570 pop ups I currently have. Not sure when I will get around to replacing all these due to the weather, but I'm excited to do this ASAP and do a catch test to update my rachio settings so I'm ready for the summer when I need them.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Nice stripes. We had a spring flush grow in the last week in Indy. It is going to get stunned with some colder weather. I think you will like the MPs.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Thanks @g-man! Those fixed sprays put out way too much water way too fast even with cycle soaks of the rachio. I think I'm going to like the MPs even more than I can imagine right now.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I still use the cycle soak. If you set the slope to high in the rachio, it cycle soaks more. I have a high clay soil, so the cycle soaks helps.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Thanks for the tip, I may have to play with the slope a little more...currently I have it set as moderate.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Finally got around to sending out my soil sample to the Waypoint Iowa location today, they should have it by Monday. Hoping they'll have a chance to get to it by next Friday.

Had a thunderstorm last night that dumped over an inch of water in a couple hours so the lawn was extra soggy today.

Also received my Hunter Pro Sprays with the MP Rotators. Didn't think I'd have time to rip out the old Toro's and put these in for awhile, but I found myself making time late this afternoon. Honestly I thought this would be a whole day project but I was able to get it done today. Started shortly after 4 with replacing the 22 sprinklers and was done and dialing them in by 630. I plan on running an audit on these zones when it warms up and is not so windy.

The rachio flow meter is reporting bout 1/3 of the gpm I used to see, hoping this will help in these areas with the slower precipitation rates.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Got back from another work trip today. The lawn needs to be mowed, not sure when I will get a chance with the current weather forecast as of today. It's been raining all week and doesn't look like much of a break in the future.

Also got my soil test results back from Waypoint today:


I picked up AS with a good feeling my pH was going to be high and I could use some Sulfur. Was unable to source SOP locally and didn't feel like paying shipping costs to get it so I will be using MOP in light doses throughout the year and continuing my search for SOP for the future. I already sprayed FAS for my Iron last year so I will continue that again this year due to slightly high pH. Not too worried about micros but I do have some microgreene I will be using this summer as well.

Please feel free to comment on this soil test and my plans as I do not have a great understanding of how all these nutrients play together yet, I need to do more reading on this subject.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Your analysis is good. Advance turf solutions should also have SOP in Grand ledge, MI. I get it from them in Indy. Call before taking the trip, part number EC1999.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Thanks @g-man , I'm going to call tomorrow. That's a decent drive for me but if they have it I'll find an excuse to make the trip!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Google map search for seed feed stores or a coop near you. We live near farming communities and can find this stuff.

This came from a google map search. http://www.debruynseed.com/


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@g-man I checked with DeBruyn and Advanced Turf Solutions on Friday and neither had it, however ATS said they'd order it for me. Thanks again for the help!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Today I mowed the front yard and the sides. Back was still pretty soggy from all the rain last week so I hope I can get out there tomorrow, if not, Monday night t-storms are in the forecast and I think I can beat them.

Got out the trimmer and edger for the first time this year today as well and blew everything off when done.

Pics for myself to look back on in the future:
Before mowing front:

Before mowing back:

Front after mow:


Up close and personal with the lawn:


Later in the evening I pulled up all the edging bricks and cut in a natural edge. I think this is going to take some more work to look the way I want it to as the mulch bed is built up fairly high and I need it to decompose more to look right.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed backyard today and gave my manual fiskars reel a backlap and hit the front with it. I got the bug and want a powered reel....reel bad. Just worried my yard isn't flat enough for it!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

It is flat enough. It looks more flat than mine.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@g-man Hard to see in the photos where everything is, but if you can't tell and I know you mow with a reel it sounds like life could get pricey! I like it. Thinking about going with the Electra, just don't know if I have the time/knowledge/skills to buy a greens mower such as a JD or Toro.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Blanket sprayed Tenacity w/ NIS @ .5 tsp/gal/M to light up some unwanted grasses so I can target them with follow up spot spray apps at a higher rate in the upcoming weeks. I'm not 100% certain as to what these grasses are but I know Tenacity will light them up from prior experience, but I never tried follow up apps in the past.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Took a 2 hour round trip drive to pick up SOP from Advanced Turf Solutions in Grand Ledge, MI this morning. Found out they will be moving to the Detroit area within the year so I stocked up as I can't seem to source it locally. Big thanks to @g-man for the help finding this!

Mowed, edged, trimmed, blow today. Fine fescue in the lawn is really showing right now in certain areas and the color differences are annoying. Really wishing work wasn't getting in the way of the Reno I wanted to do to convert to 100% KBG.
Front after today's mow:



Back after mow:

Girlfriend's Tulips are starting to open up along with a couple other bulbs she planted last fall that I'm not sure what they are.


Winter damage on the side yard is filling in slowly but surely:
3/21

4/26


Still haven't applied any fert to the lawn this year as it's still growing fast right now. Hoping to put down some AS and SOP next weekend maybe if the weather allows. Forecast for rain nearly every day the next week. Also, going to start PGR soon so it doesn't get out of control while I'm traveling for work.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed again today, more of a charity mow than anything, was taking off .5" in most areas.

Maybe too early for this but I sprayed PGR @ .5oz./M with FAS, rain in forecast for tomorrow so I won't run irrigation in the AM. Going to be busy with work for the next few weeks so I didn't want it getting away from me between work and the weather. Hoping I have time next weekend to put down some AS and SOP for the first time this season outside of spraying.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Today I spent nearly the entire afternoon enjoying the yard and got a lot done.


Mowed, Edged, Trimmed, Blow

[email protected]/1000

AS @ 2lbs/1000, plan on doing maybe 2.5lbs/1000 in two weeks

GrubEx

Mixed & sprayed Extreme Blend w/ Air8 @9oz./1000

Spot sprayed a few small patches of what I believe to be poa annua and one other weird lime green low growing grass(leaf kind of looks like KBG, but no way it is) that tenacity has turned white previously but I never did follow up apps like I plan on doing this time around


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

5/11 Mowed @ 2" still. Planning to keep it here until seed stalks are no longer showing their ugly heads. Might go up to 2.5" for summer, but I honestly prefer the look of it mowed lower.

5/15 Today I'm running the 3 zones I switched the Toro pop ups for MP Rotators for 30 minutes and gathering data to plug into the rachio for precipitation rate I'm seeing which isn't lining up with Hunters specs and I anticipated this. I'm seeing about .55"-.6" per hour. Anyone else close to these numbers by chance?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed today @ 2" again. Scrambled to put down AS before a quick rain shower hit, ended up finishing about 30 seconds before the rain began.

I was aiming to put down 2.5lbs/1000, but I'm struggling to find a setting on my spreader that will put this rate down without jamming in the gate. I ended up at 3.4lbs/M which puts me just over 1lb N/M for the year. I will probably try to get another lb/M down before it heats up here for summer.

Lawn is looking beat up from the seed stalks, like a few others on here I'm struggling to get a good cut even with my blades being freshly sharpened. I remember this last year as well so I know it will get better again.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed yesterday 5/21. Maintaining 2" for now. Might have broken the 1/3 rule by .25". Had to double cut and bag on the second one as I was leaving clippings and didn't like the look of that. Edged, trimmed, & blew as well. Busy with work, no time for pics to track progress as I'm rushing to get done before there's no sun light left.

Need to work in another PGR app in a few days following the GDD of greenskeeperapp. Also going to try and get dithiopyr down soon to carry me through summer. This Saturday will be a full 7 weeks since applying prodiamine and now that I won't be doing a Reno I'll put down dithiopyr and do my second app of prodiamine in August I think(weather dependant).

Currently on the lookout for a reel mower near me. Fall back plan is a Swardman Electra.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed the front last night with my push reel mower due to all the rain I didn't want to put the HRX on it. Back needs a mow, but is far too soggy at the moment, hopefully tomorrow.



It's been about a month so I snapped some more photos of the area with damage from winter. Amazing the progress in just 2 months. I've only provided some fertilizer to this, no seed or any other TLC. I've posted a couple of these photos before but for ease of comparison I'm posting them again so they're side by side.
3/21/19

4/26/19

5/24/19






On another note I am heading to the other side of the state to pick up a Toro GM1600 tonight for $500. It's a 2008 with a 9 blade reel according to the seller. He says it will run and cut grass and has about 70% reel life left on it. Owned by a golf course and maintained by them so I'm hoping this is a good deal for me. I asked about bearings and belts etc. and seller says they're in good shape, but I will of course check it out for myself and request he proves it starts and cuts before handing over the $. At this price I wouldn't mind having to put a little more $ into it to get it up to snuff.

If anyone reads this and has any suggestions on questions I should ask or things I should check before purchasing please let me know. I know very little about reel mowers, but I'm excited to get into this.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Bought the GM1600, turned out to be an 04, but still felt it was a decent deal. Got it home late Saturday night(5/25) and didn't waste any time trying it out before dark. 

Grass is definitely not used to being mowed this low. Didn't have a super accurate way of setting HOC but I believe I set to around 1.125" Saturday night (was set around .375" when bought).

Today I went and bought a new spark plug, some oil, and some grease for it per the Toro manual. Backlapped it with some compound I had here and ordered some pinhigh 120 & 180 grit for future. It was cutting quite well on the outsides, but not so great in the middle so this is why I backlapped it. Appears to be cutting excellent all the way across now. After backlapping I gave it a rinse and set the bedknife to reel followed by lowering HOC to 1" with my subpar measuring set up(ordered an Accu-Gage last night.) After that was done I greased everything per the manual and changed the oil and spark plug and cleaned the air filter best I could. Anyone know a good place to order a replacement air filter for the GM? It has the Kawi engine.

Mowed with it today in every direction I could think of trying to get an even appearance as I do not have a level lawn, pics are deceiving. Grass is looking like it lost a bar fight, which I imagine is normal as the lowest it's been to this point was 2". I'm assuming this is normal as it looks about the same as when I took it down to 2" originally from the 3.5-4" I had been cutting with the rotary last season. Anyone who has made the switch to reel before able to confirm my thoughts?

I had planned to spray PGR+FAS this weekend, but now I'm not so sure. I think I should hold off on the PGR until the grass recovers a bit. Modified plans are to spray Microgreene that I have sitting around and have been waiting to use. Also planning an app of maybe .5lb/M of Nitrogen, I have the Screamin Green sample still from last fall I was thinking of throwing on the back and some AS out front and on the sides. Noticing more and more insects while tooling around the yard lately so I think it's time to start my Talstar regimen, don't have much for flowers left so I'm not worried about harming any bees.

When is a good time to start a preventative Fungicide regimen? I've always been reactive and this year I'd like to be proactive, but haven't had a ton of time on my hands lately to put in the research to inform myself on this matter. I've got azoxy and propiconazole here at the house.

I now see the need for a landscape blade. There is a decent amount I'm unable to cut due to the transport wheel axles. The LB is on my radar to purchase this week hopefully.

Here are some pics after today's beating I put on the lawn, some of the discoloration in the back is due to the muddy, soggy conditions back there from the near nonstop rain we've been having during May. The rest I believe is from taking it lower than ever before.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Feed it nitrogen first and if you can some foliar iron. Make it recover before pgr. In a week it should look great.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Thanks for the response @g-man! Exactly what I wanted to hear. Going to fert and use the microgreene I have instead of FAS this time.

I used to use .5-.6oz of PGR but now that I'll be mowing lower would you recommend something similar to what you're using? I believe I've seen you use 10ml or something. Also another question, do you think all of my grass types will survive this beating or just the KBG? I have KBG, TTTF, and FF. Wouldn't mind if the FF died....


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I use 10mL/ksqft for 1in hoc. My no mix survived 3/4in hoc last year.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Put down 6oz of Microgreene and Air-8 per M. Held off on Talstar as I believe I read on the label that 24 hours without rain is recommended and storms were on the way(raining currently). Also held off on preventative Fungicide and Dithiopyr, will probably try to get all three down next weekend, maybe continue to hold off on fungicide still.

Put down the 10lb free sample of Screamin' Green I got last year thanks to TLF. This went down on the 3k backyard for about .5lb N/M. Front Yard got 3lbs AS/M. Hoping to see a full recovery from the beating I gave the lawn this weekend in 2 weeks or less.

Absolutely loving the GM1600, can't believe I waited this long. Thanks @g-man for the extra push I needed as I didn't think my lawn was level enough for a greensmower!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed entire yard @ 1" on 5/29 & 5/31. Trying not to let it get away from me as I haven't sprayed PGR since beginning to use the GM1600. Probably shouldn't have mowed the back yard on the 31 due to how mushy the backyard is when we get constant rain.

This weekend(starting Friday 5/31 after the mow) I tore down my old deck and built it back up replacing the old wood with new wood for the framing and changing to composite from the deck boards up. The main reason I decided to make this change is I got sick of staining the deck every year and some of the boards were rotting out from neglect before I purchased the house. Tore down 5/31 and began replacing joists, called it a day at 9pm. Started Saturday morning, 6/1 @ 9am hoping not to upset the neighbors. Worked through the rain on and off all day and finished the joists and deck boards. Began today, 6/2, around 9am again and did the railing and finished today around 3pm. Lawn was super muddy and took a beating from all the foot traffic Friday night and Saturday.

Deck is small, thought about going bigger and adding stairs, but this works for me so I decided to save money for now and keep it the same size. This way I didn't have to pull a building permit or get the HOA's blessing as this was kind of a last minute decision me and a buddy made on 5/27.

Before pics(hard to get good angles up top due to small size):










After pics:










Going to let the new wood dry out a bit this summer and then stain the outer 2x8s a dark brown to match the railings and beam.

Tonight 6/2 is 1 week since I began reel mowing with my GM1600 @ 1". Mowed just the front yard tonight as back is still muddy and will be for another day or two I imagine.







Still not looking great, but it's recovering. I think we just need more sunny days without all this rain we've been having and it will begin to look better....not positive though, maybe I'm doing something wrong.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 3 times this week. 6/3, 6/6, and 6/8. I wasn't getting the results I had hoped for with the brown spots greening back up so I decided to pick up my SunJoe from my buddy's house and power raked the entire lawn and filled up my yard waste bin with debris. I also decided to try lowering HOC on 6/8 to .75" which I knew would make it look worse, but my plan is to go back up to 1" from there hoping the green will hide some of the brown which I believe to be seed stalks in most areas at this point. There is some nice green in those spots.

On 6/8 I applied AS @ .46lbs/M and SOP @ 1lb/M after the raking and mow. I followed up the fert with K4L Humic/Fulvic/Kelp(decided to switch to this from Extreme Blend for the warmer summer months) @ 20g/M. With the K4L I mixed Next D-Thatch(hoping this helps the microbes break down some of the brown dead material left after power raking with the higher temps), PGR, FAS, and Citric Acid to get my spray pH down around 5.

Just a note to myself: Air-8 doesn't seem to be doing much for me and may actually be making things worse in the backyard. After a week of no rain and withholding irrigation we got .25" this morning and I was cutting out the grass around my pop-up emitters and the it was squishy like the back yard was saturated and I was expecting the exact opposite after a dry week and only getting .25" of rainfall. I'm going to stop applying for the summer and resume this fall and use up the 2 gallons I bought, but at this point I don't think I'll be buying more. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the product too fast.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed Tuesday 6/11 @ .875" and today 6/14 @ 1". Not taking off too much thanks to the PGR and raising HOC back to 1" from .75" last weekend. Lawn is starting to look a little better now. Still getting a lot of rain and not much sun. I'm thinking by the 4th of July most of the brown will be hidden or decayed. After taking the lawn lower I realized my lawn wasn't nearly as thick as I had thought. Couple pics from today's mow @ 1"
Front:

Back:


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## jabopy (Nov 24, 2018)

Looking good, :thumbup: I think it would take a while for me to get used to mowing with a reel. Mind you my lawn is quite bumpy,!! :nod:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

jabopy said:


> Looking good, :thumbup: I think it would take a while for me to get used to mowing with a reel. Mind you my lawn is quite bumpy,!! :nod:


Thank you @jabopy. It was quite easy for me to make the transition to the reel mower, maybe 2-3 mows. I thought my lawn was wayyy to uneven to use a reel, but was pleasantly surprised after using it. The pictures don't show it well but I have quite a few low spots and high spots.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 6/16 @ 1". First time doing single doubles with the reel mower, still need to work on wrangling this beast to straighten my stripes.

6/17 applied Talstar @ 1oz/M as I was sick of getting bugs in the face when mowing on 6/16.

Dollar spot looks like it will increase in my area this weekend so I went ahead and sprayed Azoxystrobin 2SC at .4oz/M.

As I'm typing this I realized that Azoxy does not control dollar spot and it looks clear with low winds tomorrow so I'm thinking I may spray Propiconazole @ .5-1oz./M tomorrow after work. I should have realized this earlier and mixed the two together. Anyone have thoughts on this?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 6/21 @1". Took a couple pics afterwards from a distance while taking a walk around the neighborhood. Starting to look decent again...from a distance anyways, still not where I want it to be from up close.
Back:

Front:


6/23 Applied PGR+FAS as well as some K4L Humic/Fulvic/Kelp and some GCF D-Thatch. Heading out of town for work this week, hoping it doesnt get out of control before I return.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Out of town for the week, got home yesterday and front had grown quite a bit, back not so much. We had the first consistent week in the 80's here while I was traveling for work, sprinklers ran for first time on their own this year(I triggered a run for Prodiamine this spring.) Double cut last night(6/29) to try and get some stragglers from the first pass. Today I gave it a charity mow barely took off anything, but got more stragglers! Also took my drone up for the first time in 2+ years, need new batteries these ones only lasted maybe 25% as long as I remembered. Pics below after today's charity mow.

Back:



Front:






Probably shouldn't have considering the season, but I put down 2 bags of Milorganite today as my dad brings me a ton when he comes to visit from WI for cheap and I haven't used any at all this year and it's sitting in the garage taking up precious space!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That area near the shadow of the drone in the second image looks pretty bad. It might have a fungus. Your neighbors yard looks pretty good.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@g-man in the second photo the the drone shadow is in my neighbor's yard and she definitely has/had fungus(red thread I believe just looking from a distance). I tried to inform her that watering every night isn't good and if she wanted to buy a smart controller I'd install it for her and set it up for free.

I haven't noticed any fungus in my yard yet, but I am due for another preventative fungicide app this weekend thanks for the reminder. Could you point out where you think the fungus may be and I can take a closer look/pic. In the first photo the drone shadow is barely in my yard, is that where you were thinking? Thanks for the heads up.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

it was a joke. I was pretending your yard was the struggling one.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Ooooo you got me good! Hard to get that via reading text!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed the lawn on Tuesday 7/2.
On 7/3 I spread some sand in some low spots where the grass is much darker and annoying me and also where I get standing water after a rain...I will have to do this a few times so I don't smother the grass doing it all at once.

Mowed again today 7/5, currently mowing at .75" on this no-mix. Trimmed, edged, blew. While I was mowing I noticed a large patch of the area I seeded last fall had been decimated by fungus overnight it seems(didn't see anything on 7/3 when sanding, I believe it's brown patch). I've been watching dollar spot hit the front yard for a couple days now hoping for better weather, but tonight i'd seen enough. It's not terrible by most people's standards, but I'm a little crazy.

Today I sprayed [email protected]/M +FAS, Azoxy @.75oz/M and threw in some tenacity at the lower 4oz/acre rate as the nutsedge has been plentiful lately and I didn't want to run to get another AI. I've had good luck with tenacity on nutsedge in the past.

The struggle is real here in West MI right now with daytime highs around 90°F and humidity around 60-80%. At night the lows have been around 70 and humidity near 100%.

I know some wouldn't have sprayed PGR in times like this hoping to grow out the fungus, but I will come home to a mess when I get back from my weekly work trips and this is the lesser of two evils to me at the moment.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed the lawn @.75" on 7/12 after returning home from being in MN all week for work. Most of the grass was 1.5-1.75" in height so I did a double cut.

Today, 7/14, I mowed again @ .75" as I will be heading back to MN for another week. Didn't need a mow, but I enjoy it and don't want it getting away from me. The lawn is struggling with the heat and humidity as of late and it doesn't look like relief is in the near future. Taking a break currently and will head back out to spray some Propiconazole later this evening and I think I may spray some K4L Humic/Fulvic/Kelp along with some Microgreene hoping to help with the stress. Fine fescue got lit up by the tenacity I sprayed when I was after the nutsedge last weekend so the lawn looks a little funky from that...nutsedge is crispy though.

Couple photos to look back on in the future. First one is from Friday, rest are from today. Dollar spot and brown patch no longer seem to be active, but the damage remains.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Got home from work trip on Friday and waited to mow until Saturday morning before the forecasted storms rolled through. Double cut at .75" Saturday morning and today I mowed at .625" and then sprayed PGR @ .5oz/M. I've used less and wasn't getting the results I was hoping for. I'm 3-4 days late on reapplication, but between traveling for work and mother nature I had no choice. Mixed in some Feature to see what all the fuss is about, previously been mixing FAS to spray with PGR.

Saturday pics @.75"




Sunday pics at .625"




Previous area decimated by fungus appears to be recovering by itself without any overseeding. I was planning on waiting until the heat broke to reseed, but now I may just hold off this year and get another round of pre-M down in a couple weeks and see how it looks next year. Thoughts on this are appreciated. Previous post should show pics of how bad it got.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed @ .75" on 7/26.

Mowed again today, 7/28, sprayed some K4L FHK @ 20g/M with some ammonium sulfate I dissolved to give me approximately .15 lbs N/M. Sprayed Talstar @ 1oz./M, no longer getting the results I expect going to try Cyzmic when I run out of Talstar. Also sprayed Clearys 3336 @ 2oz./M to help prevent DS, pressure isn't forecasted to be too bad, but there are a few days the next week where it's higher than I like to see.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed @ .75" on 8/2 and sprayed prodiamine @ .25oz./M.

Mowed @ .75" on 8/4 and sprayed PGR + Feature @ 1oz./M.

Pics from tonight, 8/4. In the photo of the back yard you can see the patch of tall fescue recovering quite well from the beat down the fungus gave it about one month ago to the day.






I think this is about as good as I can get the no-mix to look. Hoping to renovate to an elite KBG next season....we shall see.


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## JP900++ (Aug 24, 2018)

I think a lot of folks would settle for those results.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@jp@JP900++ Call me crazy! It drives me nuts with the different growth rates and reactions to pgr amongst many other things. :|


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## JP900++ (Aug 24, 2018)

synergy0852 said:


> @[email protected]++ Call me crazy! It drives me nuts with the different growth rates and reactions to pgr amongst many other things. :|


Yeah I agree. I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat. Mine looks uniform for a day or two after mowing. That's the price of genetic diversity I guess.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed @ .75" on 8/9, trimmed, edged, blow.

On 8/10 put about half a yard of sand in some low spots around the yard. Probably won't do anymore sand as I really just need to do a reno instead, but this will help me get a bit better cut with the GM1600 until then.

Mowed @ .75" on 8/11. Put down 20lbs Humic DG with a bag of Milo and sprayed Air-8, D-Thatch, & K4L Fulvic/Humic/Kelp. Ran irrigation for a bit to wash off the leaves down to the soil and set a deeper irrigation cycle for the morning.

Weather looks good this week and I'm finally home to enjoy the lawn a bit before traveling for work again next week!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 8/16 & 8/18. Sprayed PGR 8/18 @.4oz/M. Used the last of my Ferrous Sulfate just shy of 2oz./M. Love the results with Feature and will be switching to that from here on out. Spiked in the remainder of the Crossbow I had left which put me just under 2oz./M to go after the spurge and clover I had been seeing mostly near the property lines with neighbors. Didn't do my second(split) app of Pre-M this spring as I was unsure if I'd be doing a Reno and it has caught up with me.

Mowed 8/23 and then threw down the rest of the Humic DG I had...around 4lbs./M. Threw down [email protected] lbs./M and Urea at 1lb./M to kick off my fall blitz with temps in the 70s for the 10 day forecast. Crossbow appears to have gotten rid of the problem weeds as I didn't see any during the mow.

Mowed 8/25, grass didn't really need it but with rain in the forecast for the next 2 days I decided to play it safe and cut.

While I was out of town in MN the fungal pressure increased and I knew it would, but decided not to spray a preventative this time around as it'd only be a few days with high pressure. Got dollar spot mostly in the JG BBU areas I seeded last fall. Not impressed at all with that seed as most of my other grass hasn't been affected all year but the JG seems to get crushed by fungus every time pressure increases.

Photos after today's mow...losing light so fast it seems. I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year. I love the fall scenery, temps, how amazing our cool season grasses look, but it's a sad time of the year knowing the season will be over before we know it.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Been mowing 2-3x/week lately for two reasons.....first being I'm actually at home and not traveling for work and second being the grass has been growing like crazy with these cooler temps and the N I fed it.

Mowed tonight at 11/16" then I sprayed PGR @ .4oz/M, Feature @ 2oz./M(up from 1oz, seemed to need a little more for some of the grass types giving a splotchy appearance, if this doesn't make it more uniform I'll go back to 1oz again)

Been seeing a lot of fungus lately and not sure why as temps and humidity don't seem to be terrible, but I hit it with Azoxy+Propiconazole tonight to stop it in its tracks and hopefully prevent any further damage. Used last of the liquid azoxy I had at around .5oz/M and prop was 1oz/M.

In the course of the last two weeks I had enough of the Milwaukee sprayer and returned it and treated myself to a Lesco 80lb spreader and a Spreader mate B. Overkill for my lawn, but convenience and time are worth something to me. Eventually I'll move and will need it and for now I can spray my lawn in no time. Tonight was first use(other than just water to calibrate my walk speed) and I've never felt better about how even my coverage was. Didn't like the yellow teejet TTI nozzles it came with so I replaced with blue TT nozzles hoping I can do contact and systemic without changing nozzles anymore. My plan is to run 40psi for all my foliar apps and 30psi or so for anything I want to penetrate the canopy. Extremely happy with my purchase!

Been enjoying double doubles with my mows lately:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Started mowing at 5/8" bench HOC on 9/7. Mowed again 9/9 & 9/11 @ same HOC. Mowed again today after 3.25" of rain these last 3 days @ 5/8" again.

Sprayed K4L Extreme Blend @ 16grams/M with Air-8 @ 6oz./M and D-Thatch @ 6oz./M. Tossed in .8oz./M of Simple Lawn Solutions Soil Loosener as I'm trying to use it up and it's rainy season again.

I am going to try to spray urea tomorrow as I've been lazy with my N-Blitz this year and really need to get on that. 8/23 was last spread and I sprayed a neglible amount of AS on 9/4.

New member of the family as of yesterday:

And..... obligatory lawn pics:


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

Congrats on the pup....lawn is lookin good. I really like the last pic. The second to last pic the drones shadow kinda looks like a big spider in the lawn lol


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@JDgreen18 Thank you! She's a doll! It's very hard to get the stripes to pop without the drone shadow! If I saw a spider that big I'd be headed for the hills right quick!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Watched the Packer/Vikings game this afternoon and then dissolved 35oz. of urea and sprayed it. If my math is correct that should give me .20125 lbs 
N/M. Mixed in 1oz./M of Talstar(Bifenthrin)to keep the critters at bay as I've seen an increase in activity as of late.

Not planning to water this in...I believe the Talstar states not to spray within 24 hrs of rain. Temps will be high 70s to low 80s this week so I think I should be ok. I can always turn on the irrigation Tuesday morning if the forecast changes and creeps higher close to 85.


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## andrew_suff (Sep 11, 2019)

synergy0852 said:


> Watched the Packer/Vikings game this afternoon and then dissolved 35oz. of urea and sprayed it. If my math is correct that should give me .20125 lbs
> N/M. Mixed in 1oz./M of Talstar(Bifenthrin)to keep the critters at bay as I've seen an increase in activity as of late.
> 
> Not planning to water this in...I believe the Talstar states not to spray within 24 hrs of rain. Temps will be high 70s to low 80s this week so I think I should be ok. I can always turn on the irrigation Tuesday morning if the forecast changes and creeps higher close to 85.


How do you dissolve / melt down urea? I Just got a tow behind sprayer and want to start using urea as a fertilizer. So far I've been told to mix in a 5 gallon bucket of warm water and then add rest of water to tank. I would think that warm water would help it dissolve quicker than plain tap water. Thanks!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@andrew_suff I just used water out of the outside faucet. Dissolved without issue in that cold water. Did 2.5 gallons and added urea then added another 2.5 gallons to the tank after and mixed it well again.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed tonight at 5/8" bench hoc again. Someone posted this image the other night and got me thinking....

I cut the back where it was already, on the middle setting. When I went up front I decided to give the third position a go. I swear the cut quality increased 3 fold. Can't wait to mow the back like this as well. The photos don't show all the bumps and humps in the yard, they really show at night when pulling into the driveway and the headlights hit it. I will most likely go back to the middle position when I do my reno next year and flatten everything out.


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## andrew_suff (Sep 11, 2019)

synergy0852 said:


> @andrew_suff I just used water out of the outside faucet. Dissolved without issue in that cold water. Did 2.5 gallons and added urea then added another 2.5 gallons to the tank after and mixed it well again.


Any recommendations as to which brand of Urea to use? or as long as it's 46-0-0, I should be good to go? Thanks for your help!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

My experience with urea is that it dissolves pretty easily. I just picked up a 50lb bag from a co-op near me and use that. I think it's the Anderson's brand but I'm not at home to verify that. When I used to spread it I noticed it melting even before I turned the irrigation on. I think you'd be fine with whatever you choose @andrew_suff


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed yesterday, today sprayed Urea @ .2oz/M with .4oz/M of PGR and 1oz/M of Feature


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Been mowing 1-2x a week as needed since last update. Haven't been able to keep up with spray fert apps every week. Just did AS @ .21lbs N/M tonight with my last PGR app of the year at a reduced rate from my normal. Sprayed .25oz/M of PGR and 1oz./M of Feature. No sign of grass slowing down yet this fall even with the high 30s we've had in the morning.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I went back through your journal. You're really setting the benchmark for "reel low" nomixes.:thumbup:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@Chris LI Thanks for the kind words. Can't wait to kill it all in the pursuit of a KBG mono. My biggest pet peeve with the nomix is the uneven growth!


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed on 10/13 @ .625" bench HOC. Mowed on 10/19 and 10/25 @ .7" bench HOC. Sprayed Urea @ .23 lbs. N/M on 10/20 and again today, 10/26, @ .184 lbs. N/M with Feature @ 1oz./M bringing my total for today to .18775 lbs. N/M if my math serves me correctly.

From mow on 10/20 @ .7", don't mind the paint. Finally had fiber services installed :thumbup: 




Pics from yesterday's mow @ .7"


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Got my GM1600 back from getting a new bedknife and grind today. Raked some mulch out of the lawn as well as rocks from the lawn near the road. I didn't need to mow, but I couldn't resist the urge. Minimal clippings in the grass catcher. Took soil temps at 2" and 4" and they were 50° and 47° respectively. I was a bit surprised at these readings considering the temps we've had. I will closely monitor the temps and prepare to put down prodiamine within the next couple weeks.

First pic of the 2020 season:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

No lawn work today with the cold snap, but decided to cut down the tree and remove a bush from the flower bed out front. Will probably remove everything from the bed shortly and start fresh. We inherited all the bushes and trees with the house and I've never really liked them.

May 2018:


After today:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Got second mow of the season in on Wednesday, 3/25. Not everything is awake yet so I just knocked down the areas that are growing.



Today, 3/27, I pulled soil samples from the front and the back to dry a bit and send out next week hopefully. I also dug the tree stump out and need to dispose of it now. I think we are going to dig the other 4 bushes out and totally redo the bed up front and add at least one more bed in the back.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Yesterday, 4/1, I cut a circular bed around the bird feeder out back so I don't have to deal with all the bird seed on the lawn anymore. I used the sod to repair some other areas of unwanted poa and a dead spot from fungal damage last year.



Found some roots around the 10" mark in length which blew my mind. I had to have the girlfriend hold it so I could get a picture.



Today, 4/2, I removed the rest of the bushes/plants from the front flower bed so I can start fresh. The girlfriend took tulips from the front and put them in the new bed out back by the bird feeder.





Tomorrow I am going to get some mulch for the beds and purchase some new plants. I'm going to cut that square of grass under the bird feeder out and push the hook deeper so it looks right once the mulch is done. With everything that's going on right now I probably won't be able to get everything I want at the moment but that's fine I'll just add more later. For now I just want to get something in there. I also have to mow as the grass is longer than I'd like to see it and I will spray prodiamine, air-8, and extreme blend tomorrow as well.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You manage to get the girlfriend to hold a block of dirt for a picture? She is a keeper. When is the wedding?


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

g-man said:


> You manage to get the girlfriend to hold a block of dirt for a picture? She is a keeper. When is the wedding?


^^ this 🤣💍


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@g-man it was surprisingly easy to get her to do it since she was already out back playing with the dog! She just had to slip the gloves on quick. Are jewelry stores deemed essential? 

Mulched the beds today and got a few plants to get the front started for now so the HOA doesn't complain.





Mowed @ .7" bench hoc, Trimmed, edged, blew.
Sprayed prodiamine, air-8, and some extreme blend today..will wait a few days to see if I can get a light steady rain, if not I will turn on the irrigation for the season. These last few days have really woken up the lawn in a hurry.

Images cropped to not distract as I have to take these shots from the sidewalk a lot away. Will get the drone up soon I hope.


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## downriverlawn (May 14, 2019)

Lawn is looking like it's off to a great start this season! What SOP did they end up ordering for you over in Grand Ledge? I'm in the Detroit area trying to hurt some down again this year too. It looks like they haven't moved yet according to the site, but I'm trying to call around the area here.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

synergy0852 said:


> Mulched the beds today and got a few plants to get the front started for now so the HOA doesn't complain.


Really? How could the HOA complain? You have the most manicured property in the neighborhood (evidenced by your photos). Are they nuts? Don't answer the last one. I'm pretty sure that I already know that answer. :roll:


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@downriverlawn I'm out of the state working right now, but if I remember I'll try to snap a pic when I get home. I'm not sure of the brand name of it but it's the standard SOP 0-0-50. I believe they have locations closer to you, the guy in Grand Ledge said they were moving to your side of the state too.

@Chris LI They sent out a letter earlier this year about having any landscaping changes approved by them and provided a form to fill out. I decided I'd rather ask for forgiveness than permission and I'd just pay the damn fine if they ended up choosing to take that route. My neighbor to the east usually let's his grass get to 12-14" before mowing and they don't seem to mind. I actually looked at the by-laws out of curiosity and it says grass can be no longer than 12", that blew my mind!


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

It sounds like they're more bark than bite. Hopefully, they won't give you too hard of a time on anything you do. I'm holding back on suggestions to combat them, because it burns my butt, just hearing about "the letter". Good luck!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

synergy0852 said:


> Are jewelry stores deemed essential?


I'm sure you can buy it online and then do a zoom wedding.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed yesterday @ .7"

Got soil tests back today. I wasn't thrilled with the results compared to last year especially considering the inputs I made. However, I know my goals won't happen overnight.

Here are my results:




Slightly surprised how similar the front and back are as they feel much different to me. After seeing the results I will be treating the two slightly different this year.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Decided to backlap my GM1600 today as I wasn't impressed with the shops work. Ever since I got it back I was able to cut paper on the outer edges but the middle I couldn't get, seemed to mow alright so I let it slide until today. After backlapping and mating the reel to bedknife I got it to cut paper with no contact how I wanted, win for me!

Mowed today @ .65" as it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow and I'm heading out of town for work Monday morning. Weather looks cool for the week so I'm hoping the grass slows down a bit as I'm not quite ready to start the pgr regimen yet. Plan is to fertilize and start pgr in a couple weeks as I'm already having to mow twice a week to keep it looking tidy.

Took the drone up for the first flight of 2020, here's some pics:












Just started training the dog to do it's business on the one side of the patio out back, as you can see she did a number on the back yard last fall and through the winter in front of the patio. Sacrificing a little chunk of grass on that one side of the patio seems like a fair trade.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Looks great! :thumbsup: 
I really like this pic.. like an oversized tee box surrounded by rough.



synergy0852 said:


>


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed on 4/18 @ .65" and spread 2 lbs SOP/M for total of 1 lb K/M.

Mowed on 4/20 @ .65" and double cut, giving me the best looking cut of the year.

The grass has taken a beating from last week's overnight freezes and again this week there were a couple nights. Hoping to get out tomorrow and spray AMS + Feature now that the winds are dying down for the first time in two weeks and we are supposed to get a nice light rain tomorrow evening through Thursday to help wash the leftover AMS off the leaves and get that SOP into the soil. Going to hold off on the PGR until the back fully wakes up. Need to get to the co-op to purchase some MAP or something similar for the backyard since I need P there. I have 2 bags of Milo left but they don't really fit my needs for this year.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Finally got around to spraying that AMS+Feature today. I also decided to try out these peptides I keep hearing about and since I'm spraying this year I went with Depth 10+. Planning on adding that to my ams/feature/pgr spray every couple weeks this year @.75oz/M until I hit the yearly max.

Not a very nice day outside weather wise, but the winds were non existent I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Weather is supposed to get better from here on out it looks like! Hoping to mow again Sunday.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed @ .65" on 4/26 & again on 4/28 before a few days of rain forecasted. Ended up getting 2.66" over the last 3 days with most of it coming the night of 4/28 and morning of 4/29. Excellent forecast for the weekend and I need to mow again.

Plan for weekend, mow, spray AMS or Urea, some more feature, still thinking of holding off on PGR but may start that, haven't decided. Also debating adding some tenacity to the tank to light up the POA so I can attack it manually as I know there's some hiding that I can't see. I need to head to co-op and get some MAP or phos fert of sorts for the back yard.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 5/1 @ .625" and spread .84 lbs of 0-45-0.

Mowed today @ .625". Spread my bag of Grub Ex then sprayed two mixes. First one was K4L Extreme Blend @ 20 g/M, Depth10+ @ .8 oz/M, and Air-8 @ 6 oz/M. Second Spray was Urea @ .5 lb/M(.23 lb N/M), T-Nex @ .2 oz/M, Feature @ 1 oz/M, Tenacity @ 5 oz/A rate, Crossbow(for the Triclopyr) @ 1.5 oz/M.

Targeting POA mostly with the Tenacity and using Triclopyr to reduce whitening of other grasses, also had a couple clover plants trying to creep in from the neighbors lawns. Went with a low rate of PGR to start the season, I am planning on going with a lower rate this season as well compared to last season because I enjoy mowing, but also like to do other things so I can't be mowing daily. I realize spraying tenacity and regulating the grass with PGR will take longer for the whitening effects to go away, but it had to be done.

Spent a little time trying to calculate the tenacity rate in my head before mixing and think I got it right, but if someone is bored and wants to double check me I would appreciate it. I used 3.5 tsp for my 5M which should be just a touch over 5 oz/Acre I think. I think it's 6 tsp/1 oz. So 5 oz/Acre is .115 oz/M times my 5M is .575 oz. After this i did 6 tsp/oz * .575oz = 3.45 tsp which I rounded to 3.5 tsp for my 5M.

Haven't posted a pic in awhile and I remembered to snap one quick before running over the lawn 3 times with the lesco which tends to ruin the appearance. Didn't get a pic of the backyard.


Was going to run my special irrigation program tomorrow morning, but Rachio Flex was already set to run so that was nice. Also thinking about raising my bench HOC to .75" in the future as the color has just been drained from the grass at .625" but I love the cut quality and carpet-like appearance at .625" so this is a tough one!


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## rob13psu (May 20, 2018)

Looks great. I admire those tight edges.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@rob13psu Thanks for the compliment! Snapped this right after the mow before I did edges, trimming, blow which I usually do every other mow.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed @ .625" on 5/6 and again today @ .75". The color is nice now at .75" but I hate the appearance, hard to believe 1/8" can make that much of a difference.

Had cold/nasty weather lately. Supposed to warm up towards the end of this week and doesn't look like anymore cold in the forecast. Hopefully this holds true!


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

synergy0852 said:


> Mowed @ .625" on 5/6 and again today @ .75". The color is nice now at .75" but I hate the appearance, hard to believe 1/8" can make that much of a difference.
> 
> Had cold/nasty weather lately. Supposed to warm up towards the end of this week and doesn't look like anymore cold in the forecast. Hopefully this holds true!


I'm curious to hear if your opinion changes after the turf adjusts to the new HOC after a few mows.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@Chris LI I've had it @ .75" before and always preferred .625" to be honest. I feel like the lower I go the better the mower cuts. The color just hasn't been there this year and I'm thinking it's the weather, but I've changed other things with my program for this year so I can't be sure.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Thanks! I'm a color junkie, but have really begun to appreciate density over the last couple of years, so I'm still trying to find a balance. I'm always interested in hearing opinions on the subject.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I bought Mazama seed last week and if all goes as planned I will be renovating this summer/fall in hopes of consistent growth and more even color having a monostand. This may end up allowing me that lower/tighter cut and the color I'm after.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 5/13 took it back down to .625" and mowed again yesterday before 3 forecasted days of rain. Currently a little over 1" of rain.

Lawn is looking pretty rough from the tenacity app a couple weeks back. Every year I use tenacity to go after the POA annua I am reminded how much fine fescue I have and my hatred for it. Very little annua has been bleached maybe 5 spots total, most of the bleaching is on the FF. Sadly I don't have any pics to show of the lawn as I keep forgetting to take some as I rush off to the next chore.

However, I do have a couple pics of the Mazama I planted in a pot indoors. Had germination at 6 days and more with each passing day. Currently this is day 9 since seeding and 3 days since first germination. I am watching this closely to see the phases of growth (germination, pout and sprout,etc) and know what to expect for the Reno I plan to do this summer. Obviously indoor and outdoor are two different animals, but this should give me an idea.

Pic from today:


The sod I tore out for the new flower bed in the back is going strong where I tossed it in the woods behind my buddies house. Everytime I go there I'm caught off guard that it's still alive and well as I left it for dead.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 3 times since last post, grass got away from me a little bit and I've raised height to .7" to accommodate. Tenacity bleaching is finally wearing off and seed heads are here, although cutting shorter I don't see as many as years prior. Seed head stalks are beginning to brown and are uncomfortable to walk on. I had some early signs of dollar spot and most likely some leaf spot in a few areas that seem to be doing much better since fungicide app.

Did another app of SOP @ 2lbs/M and have sprayed .2lbs/M AMS, .3oz/M PGR, 1oz/M Main Event, 1oz/M Talstar, 2oz/M PPZ, .4oz/M Azoxy. These weren't all in the same spray, they were split into two separate sprays.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed front on 5/27 before PGR kicked in, back was too wet to mow. Was able to get out back yesterday, 5/30, and had to go up to .75". Mowed whole yard again today at .7" so its back where I was now before the nearly daily rain last week. Today's mow could have waited, it appears it's finally under regulation.

After the mow today I decided to spread a bag of Milo on a whim. It was the old analysis of 5-4-0, I ended up spreading more in the back than the front as soil test showed more P was needed back there than the front. Used 1 bag, have 1 bag left. Front got around .225 lbs N/M, P would be .18 lbs/M. Back got around .45 lbs N/M, and .36 lbs/M of P.

I've been struggling to get the cut I want with the GM1600 this year after having a spin grind over the winter and new bed knife put on. I've been running the reel with no contact, close enough to cut paper, but maybe not the grass. I've been observing bruising and some frayed tips. So I busted out the feeler gauges and followed the manual for light contact of the reel and bedknife(.0001" if I'm not mistaken.) I think I may have it dialed in now, time will tell.

I really need to get pics, been slacking on that this year. I do however have a picture of my test pot of Mazama that I planted 5/8. As of now I'm planning on moving forward with a full reno, kill in July, seed down beginning of August tentatively.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 6/2 and decided to catch the clippings. Didn't even get a full basket over the entire lawn. What a wonderful thing PGR is!

6/3 I realized I was close to overdue for my monthly soil app so I got down 20g/M K4L EB, .75 oz/M D10+, and 6 oz/M Air-8.

Finally had time/remembered to grab a couple pics to look back on in the future. Between the seed stalks and recovering from fungus its looking rough. Most people say the camera doesn't do it justice, but I think the camera makes it look better than it does to my eye.
Front:

Back:


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## jrubb42 (Jun 20, 2019)

Looking good man. I really need to get a 1600. I love the wide stripes! Glad it's recovering well from the fungus.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed on 6/4 @ .7" and again today now @ .75". Only one basket of clippings again. Raised hoc, but still thought I'd have more clippings in 4 days.

PGR app was up today so I sprayed .5lbs AMS/M, .3oz PGR/M, 1.5oz Main Event/M...and the nutsedge has arrived nearly two months sooner this year than prior years so I will be spraying that with sedgemaster at .9oz/M w/ 2tsp surfactant/M as soon as they put on some growth from today's mow. Believe the label says 2 days after and 2 days before mowing again for best results.

Pic from front after mow tonight. Had to stop mid mow as the lighting must have been just right for the stripes.


Need to fly the drone again as well as update with some pics of the front bed we gutted earlier this year and planted new.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 6/11 and 6/14 same hoc. Today I spread 2lbs/M SOP, 2lbs/M Triple Phos. Today I also sprayed the last of the Air-8 I had, turned out to be 6.4oz/M, 20g K4L EB/M, .75oz/M D10+.

Lawn is still struggling a bit in the back, but the front is coming around nicely. Trying to get it as healthy as I can and the nutrients down into the soil that I need(from soil test) for the kill less than a month away. I can't decide if I want to kill the weekend of the 4th or the following weekend. Shooting for seed down the first weekend in August and kind of leaning towards killing the second weekend in July, which gives me 3 weeks to kill and try to get any weeds to show and kill before seeding. Called on Dingo w/ Harley Rake attachment and they have it just down the road so I should be good to go with everything falling into place.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 6/21 at same HOC, really not a ton of growth after a week which was surprising. I've been doing a lot of fishing as of late so it's good to know I can let it go longer than I used to and do other things I enjoy. Mowed again tonight as it was so nice out and I couldn't resist tightening things up a bit after a walk with the pup.

After not mowing for a week and not seeing much growth I figured it probably needed some food. I was due to reapply PGR on 6/22 according to GKA. I also needed to do another round of fungicide as pressure is on the rise, currently at 33% on the DS model and predicted to rise to 55%+ within the next week. So on 6/21 I went out with .23 lbs N/M of Urea, .2 oz/M of T-Nex, .2oz/M Azoxy, 1oz/M Prop, 1oz/M Talstar. I reduced my PGR rate due to pairing with prop to hopefully not oversupress.

Anyways, here's some cropped pics from tonight after my late evening mow.




In a couple weeks this will all be smoked in preparation for the reno.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed again today at .75" on my lunch break and decided to take the drone up for what I imagine will be the last time for this grass.









I don't think the seed stalks will have decomposed by the time I kill everything, hopefully they won't last as long next year with a new cultivar.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed 7/1 @ .7" and again 7/3. I'm due for another pgr app already and the fungicide is almost due, but I will not be applying anything else to the lawn at this point. It's looking pretty healthy even with the mid 90 degree weather we've been having and will continue to have. Next weekend I plan to spray round one of glyphosate.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This looks awesome and ready for gly.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mowed on 7/5 & 7/7 @ .7" as the pgr is wearing off and grass is growing pretty quickly. 


This will most likely be my last entry in this journal as I moved up my glyphosate spray from Saturday to tonight. The weather on Saturday is supposed to be slightly cooler than today but the winds are predicted in the teens and tonight was less than 5mph, but over 90°. I will be starting a new journal to document my reno and will edit this post to include a link to that.

EDIT:  Renovation Journal


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