# Topcat's Lawn Journal



## Topcat

I've not been very active in the forum (very busy lately) however the lawn remains an outlet and nurturing and cutting it is therapeutic. I overseeded with Rye a few months ago and it is looking great. My plan this year is to nuke it all and put down Tiftuf sod. I ordered the sod already and is set to have it delivered mid May. I will glyco it the last week of April. In the interim...


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## Topcat

T-minus 10 days before the first glyco application.


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## tcorbitt20

It looks amazing! What made you want to make the switch to Tiftuf?


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## Topcat

tcorbitt20 said:


> It looks amazing! What made you want to make the switch to Tiftuf?


I have an unknown cultivar that is mixed with a different Bermuda, and I think there is Common in there as well. At the peak of the season around July/August time frame the color and texture differences is very noticeable. It also causes issues when I use PGR with one cultivar taking an off color and is more sensitive than the other.

It looks great right now, but there are very slight differences in color that will be more pronounced later this summer.


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## Topcat

6 days after the first glyco application. I watered it heavy yesterday then hit it again with a ammonium and glyco mix this afternoon. My sod arrives mid May.


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## Topcat

Tomorrow I start the clean up prior to leveling with Soil3 compost and sod installation on Friday. I did a total of three rounds of glyco to get all of the different cultivars of Bermuda dead.


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## bp2878

What does the ammonium do? Are you mixing sand with your soil3 or using it alone. I was considering adding sand to mine, not sure why.


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## Topcat

The ammonium gives the glycosphate a boost, and kills it off a little faster. At least that is the theory. The label for the glyco gave instructions for mixing, and application with ammonium.

I am not doing sand for the sod installation. I want all organic for the sod to root. I leveled with sand last year and the year before, so I have a nice sand layer already. I know the soil3 will cause some leveling issues as it decomposes, but I'd rather have all organic for the sod to root, then level later as needed. I am pretty level already, so I do not think I will have much of an issue.


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## Topcat

Today was prep day, and I underestimated how much prep had to be done.

I started by mowing with my rotary mower on the lowest setting to get as much of the dead grass bagged as possible. Then I went over the lawn with my reel mower. Afterwards I used my Vonhaus dethatcher set on the lowest setting to get the stolons and rhizomes that the mower left behind. Then a lot of raking followed by leveling the lawn. At this point I thought I was done, however while taking a plug for a soil sample I noticed the soil was root packed with dead Bermuda roots. I am sure the new grass would be okay and would root well, but the OCD in me didn't like it, so I put the aerate blade on the VonHaus and set it at its lowest setting. The blades went a good half inch into the ground and tore the heck out of the roots. Afterwards I had another round of raking and leveling. Just as I was making the last pass with the VonHaus it smoked itself and stopped working.

Enough narrative. Pics: 
I took at least ten wheelbarrows of stolons and Rhizomes out of the lawn


And another 15 wheelbarrows of dead grass



One in progress pic (rest in peace VonHaus dethatcher. You served me well)



Ready for leveling with compost and sod installation


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## Topcat

The first 90 degree day of the year and what am I doing? Those rolls are heavy!


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## Topcat

Done with the majority of sod install. Tomorrow I will work on details, such as cutting around the irrigation heads, rolling it and working on edges (they are not straight). I plan on filling some of the seams with the little bit of leftover Soil3 compost as well.

Lastly I bought from SuperSod and not too thrilled with the quality of the sod. It seems to me that they cut this sod days, if not a week or more before they delivered. They stuff on top to halfway down the pallet was bone dry and yellowing. No doubt that it will rebound quickly since it is a Bermuda, but the instant gratification of a nice green lawn ain't happening today. My lawn is at least 5 shades of green right now. The stuff nearer the bottom of the pallet was the greenest.

Pics tomorrow afternoon.


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## bp2878

How many bags of the soil3 did you end up using?


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## Topcat

I only used one bag of Soil 3. Just to amend what was already there and to give a little more organic material for the new sod to root in. The day following install, ALL of the sod turned yellow/brown. As stated before, I am positive this was not fresh cut. The sod near the bottom of the pallet was in horrible shape... It is starting to rebound nicely though. I will start feedings of about 1 pound nitrogen biweekly tomorrow to give it the kick it needs to get the runners out.

I want to level it before the summer is over, so I am hoping for aggressive growth.

Edit: The sod farm apparently has a nutsedge problem. I had a LOT of nutsedge springing up in my sod. Anyone know how long before I can spray Celsius?

The sod was also infested with brown spiders. I will put some insecticide down early next week.

This is from the day I put it down.


This is today


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## Topcat

Today was the first cut since laying the sod last week. I used my rotary and cut it at about 1.25 inches. As anticipated there was some scalping. Afterwards I put down 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000'.


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## reidgarner

Good stuff. Enjoyed reading about the prep process. I have 419 with a few strips of Celebration and have contemplated nuking it and going with TifGrand or Latitude.


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## jayhawk

:thumbup: Looked good before.

Supersod sucks, we need a hashtag or something, your not the first on here to experience quality control issues. Soil3 and their leveling mix is ++. good thing it's Bermuda, fast repair.


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## Topcat

Haven't been on the internet much, but the lawn has been doing great. I've Reel cut it at least half dozen times since the first cut. I can't get lower than 1" as it is right now due to all the lumps that need to be leveled out. Since the growth has been great, I plan on a round of leveling next weekend, weather permitting.

On to pics
May 26th




Jun 1st


Jun 3rd



Jun 8th


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## Topcat

@reidgarner the hardest part of this entire renovation was killing my a perfectly great looking lawn. I had neighbors asking what happened to the lawn. When I explained I purposely killed it the disbelief was epic. No doubt that once o get it level and back to .5" HOC, it would have been well worth it. Just the uniform color and blade size makes it look better to me. Just be ready for the disbelief if you go this route.

BTW, the wife is pretty sure I am certifiably nuts.



reidgarner said:


> Good stuff. Enjoyed reading about the prep process. I have 419 with a few strips of Celebration and have contemplated nuking it and going with TifGrand or Latitude.


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## Topcat

Cut at 1" today. Put down FAS and insecticide yesterday. The brown spiders that came in the sod were getting out of control. I still need to put some Celsius down, but putting it off for a few more weeks while the sod establishes itself.

I also decided to wait another month before leveling.


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## Topcat

Mixed up a batch of Humic Acid, And Celsius for a blanket application. Time to start taking care of the nutsedge that came with the sod. It is growing in great. I decided to wait until August before leveling, so I think I will do PGR and FAS soon.


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## Topcat

When I first killed my old lawn, I was full of regret, but hopeful that the new lawn would look better.

The day after I put sod down I regretted it even more because there was no instant gratification.

Today the regret is starting to subside.

Cut at 1" HOC.


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## Austinite

Im really trying to get stripes as wide as the swardman, but the overlap kills it for me everytime. Are you double passing the same direction to get it wide or just lining it up on the way back?

Loving the progress in your journal.


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## Topcat

The most recent pic is a single pass. I just line up and make sure I am not overlapping by more than an inch or two. When I double cut I will cut diagonally across the vertical cut seen here.


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## bp2878

Looks great!


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## Topcat

Going down with PGR today and 1lb Nitrogen today. The grow in is sufficient and it is fully rooted. I'd like to go a few days between mowing. I've been pounding the Nitrogen, and as a result have been cutting every day to every 2 days.


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## Topcat

Looks like the PGR is starting to kick in. Gave the lawn a double cut after work and barley took anything off.

We have some pretty hot weather coming so daily or every other day mowing can be pretty tough.

Evening pic, the sun is past the horizon so the pic is sort of dark.


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## Topcat

Double cut today and really impressed with the amount of suppression from the PGR. I haven't cut in three days and it barley took anything off. There are seed heads that are so small the mower didn't get them and they really ruin the look since they have a brown hue and are thicker than the grass blade.

The bottom catcher on the Swardman wasn't covered with clippings. Tomorrow I blanket spray Celsius and Prodiamine. The neighbors yard is nothing but weeds and I want to make sure none of it germinates in my yard.


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## Colonel K0rn

Topcat said:


> The neighbors yard is nothing but weeds and I want to make sure none of it germinates in my yard.


I'm a fan of a 3'-5' overlap of the property lines for this reason.


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## Topcat

:thumbup: Yep. The neighbor on the left side gets a free weed and feed treatment to the tune of about 2' when I spray. The other neighbor gets about 1' since her lawn is halfway decent.



Colonel K0rn said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> 
> The neighbors yard is nothing but weeds and I want to make sure none of it germinates in my yard.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a fan of a 3'-5' overlap of the property lines for this reason.
Click to expand...


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## Topcat

Double cut today, but took almost nothing off. The PGR is in full effect and two days growth netted about quarter of a 5 gallon bucket of clippings for my 1500 sq ft lawn. After mowing I put down 1lb Nitrogen and watered it in.

I have mixed emotions about PGR. It does relieve one from every other day cutting. In the same breath, enjoying the mow isn't the same when almost nothing comes off. On a side note the lawn is looking a lot thicker.

I also have a horrid bloom of seed heads. Since I am mowing at 1" the seed heads are not fully cut off when I mow. They are very small, but stand out against the thick green turf. They have a tan hue that really stands out.


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## Topcat

Came home today and found a literal fountain of water coming out of the meter box in my lawn. County water is on the way. I am sure they will have to dig my lawn up. Ugh!

I have a shovel standing by to save the sod where they will have to dig.

I am really ticked off right now.


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## Topcat

Lucked out. The meter in the ground had a cracked housing. The water company was able to replace it without digging.

My lawn is water soaked and can go a week or more with out water. There was at least a few hundred gallons of water that went down the drain via my lawn.


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## Topcat

Good news and bad news.

Good news is the water company was able to fix the busted meter in the ground without digging up my lawn.

Bad news is I broke my left foot Friday and on crutches since then, so mowing the lawn is not happening until I am off crutches. Hoping I can get put in a walking cast tomorrow during my follow up. The lawn is approaching the 2" mark.


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## Topcat

Got a walking cast and did a quick cut. The broken foot made me change plans. I had planned on leveling before the end of Jul. it might have to wait until next season if not able to walk without a cast before mid Aug.


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## Topcat

Welcome to 2020 and a new season of turf madness. I was sidelined last summer by the broken foot, so I did not get to do the first round of leveling that I'd hope to get done last year. I also had to give up on reel mowing and had to allow my lawn to grow as tall as nearly 2" before I had that cast off. My orthopedic Dr got slightly ticked at me when I had to get my cast replaced after only two weeks in the walking cast and told me to curb my activity, as I was stressing the fracture too much. So the plan this year is to level very early in the season.

The weather has been super crazy here, which resulted in a fast green up on the right side (facing house) of the lawn at nearly 100%, and the other side (main lawn) at about 75% green. Then we had a heavy frost last weekend, and it turned most of the lawn brown again. I did get my pre-emergent down a couple of weeks ago, and hoping it was able to get set before some of the heavier rains that might have caused a wash out. I will just keep my post emergents at the ready in the event I start seeing weeds pop up.

We did have an incident a few months back - right before Christmas when in the early morning hours our power surged, and blew all the breakers in the house along with most of the electronics that was plugged in with out the protection of a surge protector. The power company came out an found a shorted power cable that is underground, and try guessing where that power able was... the fix was they dug up my yard, and had to run a new power line to the transformer about three houses away, then place a mini-transformer in my yard because they could not make the turn that was required to get to my meter.

Not too happy about that but my solution was a fake rock used to cover such monstrosities, and a border around it. I will put flowers and perennials in it once the weather supports it. Once I get plants, flowers and mulch in there, it will look much better -I hope.



Not much to show in terms of pics, but just brushing my journal off and getting ready for 2020 growing season.


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## Topcat

Today was spring scalp day. Started by taking the lawn as low as possible with the Rotary, and bagged the clippings. Then set the reel mower to .5" and took it lower. Afterwards I put the scarifier reel on and did two passes and bagged the thatch. Then I did three passes with the aerate blade in horizontal, vertical then diagonal directions. Bagged the thatch. Then two more passes with the Swardman at about .25". Long and productive day of lawn work.









I will keep it at 5/8 for the next month. I ordered Level Mix from Supersod that will be delivered April 30th. When it arrives I will take the lawn back down to .25 prior to leveling. Then I will maintain between 1/2 and 5/8 for the summer.


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## Topcat

I wanted to core aerate this year. My backyard needed it more than the front. I found a guy that has a business where all he does is core aeration. He only charges $50.00. Since the machine rental is double that I thought I'd give him a shot. He did a double pass in both yards and pulled cores at approx 1.5" After he was done, I used my rotary to collect the cores from the front yard. The back I will allow to "compost" back into the soil since I keep the St Aug at about 4" at the peak of summer.

Now the wait for the greenup


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## Topcat

Did a quick cut at 1/2" today and took just a smidgen off in a few places. It is recovering from the severe scalp nicely


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## Topcat

Did another cut at 1/2". It is filling in nicely from the severe scalp.


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## Topcat

Double cut today. The catcher on my Swardman was about half full. Current HOC is .50". The lateral growth is filling in the thin spots nicely. T-Minus 14 days to my first level for the year. Also caught my first passerby stopping to touch the lawn on camera last night.


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## Redtwin

Topcat said:


> Also caught my first passerby stopping to touch the lawn on camera last night.


The ULTIMATE complement!!!


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## JRS 9572

@Topcat awesome job. Lived in Summerville for years until 2014. Where area of Charleston are you located just out of curiosity?


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## Topcat

@JRS 9572 Unincorporated North Charleston. Dorchester county zip. Right on the border between Summerville and North Charleston.


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## Topcat

I cut the lawn at 1/2 yesterday, today I sprayed Fungicide, Insecticide, and a small dose of Chelated iron with micronutrients.


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## Topcat

Got a dose of therapy in with a double cut. 






Neighbor across the street and next doo have Magnolia trees. I hate those huge leaves that seems to always shed. Keeping the lawn tidy this time of year is a challenge.


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## JRS 9572

@Topcat yep the family business we sold down there across from Cathedral of Praise on Ashley Phosphate. I don't miss the hell on earth of commuting Ashley Phosphate, Dorchester Road to and from where we lived in Knightsville daily. But I miss the friends and the community though. Miss the flatest yard ever with great Celebration Bermuda too.


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## Topcat

JRS 9572 said:


> @Topcat yep the family business we sold down there across from Cathedral of Praise on Ashley Phosphate. I don't miss the hell on earth of commuting Ashley Phosphate, Dorchester Road to and from where we lived in Knightsville daily. But I miss the friends and the community though. Miss the flatest yard ever with great Celebration Bermuda too.


@JRS 9572 I've been in this area for 19 years now. The infrastructure is horrible and is lagging behind the growth. When we first moved here the one caveat I gave to my real estate agent was we would not look at any properties that involved driving down Dorchester Rd past Ashley Phosphate since that is were the grid lock was at the time. That was back then, and obsolete advice now. Dorchester becomes a gridlock as far back as International Blvd (Airport Rd) and the entire run of Ashley Phosphate is gridlocked at rush hour.

You'd not recognize this area now. Westcott is HUGE, now the newest development is Nextell, and makes Wescott look like a miniature village.

Then the manufacturers that moved in to include Volvo, Mercedes, Boeing - all clogged up the already in adequate infrastructure. The lure of small communities that kept me here is fading quickly.


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## Topcat

T-Minus 7 days to level project. Did a quick cut. Still keeping it at 1/2". It is starting to thicken up and fill in nicely.


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## Topcat

Level mix arrived. I bought this back in Feb timeframe when it was on sale for $50.00 (I think) off each bag. Will cut at around 1/4" tomorrow and level the lawn Saturday.

I gotta admit, I am slightly apprehensive about covering a perfectly good looking lawn with sand. But I gotta keep the bigger picture in mind.


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## Topcat

Test


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## stevenjmclark

Topcat said:


> JRS 9572 said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Topcat yep the family business we sold down there across from Cathedral of Praise on Ashley Phosphate. I don't miss the hell on earth of commuting Ashley Phosphate, Dorchester Road to and from where we lived in Knightsville daily. But I miss the friends and the community though. Miss the flatest yard ever with great Celebration Bermuda too.
> 
> 
> 
> @JRS 9572 I've been in this area for 19 years now. The infrastructure is horrible and is lagging behind the growth. When we first moved here the one caveat I gave to my real estate agent was we would not look at any properties that involved driving down Dorchester Rd past Ashley Phosphate since that is were the grid lock was at the time. That was back then, and obsolete advice now. Dorchester becomes a gridlock as far back as International Blvd (Airport Rd) and the entire run of Ashley Phosphate is gridlocked at rush hour.
> 
> You'd not recognize this area now. Westcott is HUGE, now the newest development is Nextell, and makes Wescott look like a miniature village.
> 
> Then the manufacturers that moved in to include Volvo, Mercedes, Boeing - all clogged up the already in adequate infrastructure. The lure of small communities that kept me here is fading quickly.
Click to expand...

I don't live in Charleston, but our warehouse is on Daniels Island and there's nothing worse than crossing the Don Holt bridge rushing to make it to a 5:00 meeting. Yard is looking great, can't wait to see how your leveling project goes!


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## Topcat

@stevenjmclark I avoid that bridge at all costs during rush hour!


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## JRS 9572

@Topcat Level mix is awesome stuff. Glad you bought on sale. Saw the other day it's almost $190.00 a pallet. I've used it twice since we bought our house 5 years ago.


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## Topcat

The last time I used sand, and got great results. I wanted a little more organic this time around... and for those that will opine that the organic will breakdown over time causing bumps or dips, yep. I am willing to risk it. Besides leveling a lawn seems to be a continual process over several years.


JRS 9572 said:


> @Topcat Level mix is awesome stuff. Glad you bought on sale. Saw the other day it's almost $190.00 a pallet. I've used it twice since we bought our house 5 years ago.


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## Topcat

Took the lawn down to 3/8" in preparation for tomorrow's leveling event. My original plan was to go down to 1/4, however I didn't want to take that much off and stress the lawn even more before covering it with level mix. I want a quick recovery and have the lawn at its best my Memorial Day. You can see where the truck that delivered my level mix drove over the edge of the lawn. It left a depression that was about 1.5" deep. I used a pitchfork and lifted the depressed area as best as I could. I am not concerned about that though since I am leveling the lawn anyway. I will get at it before the sun is directly overhead. Tomorrow is suppose to be mid to high 80s.


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## JRS 9572

@Topcat with level mix I never experienced the "lumps and bumps" from breakdown. 
I'd use this stuff every year if it weren't for the cost. It's screened awesome. I usually aerate right before applying. So a lot of it is going into the holes into the ground.

With being in "red clay" country i needed all the organic material I could find.Top couple of inches now is dark black with earthworms all over the place.


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## Topcat

Jury is out, I am not sure if the level mix I got was bad, but it is full of large clumps of compost that is wet and looks as if it's been sitting too long. The date on the bag is 12/19, so this has been sitting a while. The clumps will not work into the turf. I am hoping they "dissolve" when I water it in. I screened as much of it as I could with a light pull across the lawn with my level rake.





JRS 9572 said:


> @ topcat with level mix I never experienced the "lumps and bumps" from breakdown.
> I'd use this stuff every year if it weren't for the cost. It's screened awesome. I usually aerate right before applying. So a lot of it is going into the holes into the ground.
> 
> With being in "red clay" country i needed all the organic material I could find.Top couple of inches now is dark black with earthworms all over the place.


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## Topcat

Started leveling as soon as the sun came up and the dew started evaporating. The small strip already had the drag mat pulled across it. The main portion had about half of the lawn dragged in. The other half is sitting waiting for the sun to dry the level mix. It was very damp.


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## Topcat

I think I had the perfect storm for quick recovery. The day I put sand down was mid 80's. The following day about the same. And over 90 since then each day. I did put down 1 pound of potassium and 1.5 pounds of nitrogen after leveling then ran irrigation for about an hour. Today's grow in progress.


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## Topcat

Set the mower to 1/2" and gave it a quick cut. The sand is nearly gone. 




Hard to get a decent picture, the sun's in the wrong place and the neighbor's tree shade the lawn this time of day. I am fully impressed with the quick recovery. I put an old reel on my Swardman since there is still sand visible in a few places.

Once it fills in everywhere I need to blanket spray for weeds. Looks like sedge is sporting in a few places.


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## Topcat

Cut at 1/2". There are still a few thin spots where sand is visible, however I am more than pleased with the progress. There is one bag of level mix left. Will spread some in the backyard, give some away, and store the rest for spot leveling in the future.


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## Topcat

Dropped the HOC to .450 in an attempt to get all the seed heads that bloomed. Did a double cut and it looks better. The seed head stems remain and give off a gray hue. I will just wait it out at this point. Going to spray for weeds soon, then the first PGR application of the Memorial Day weekend.


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## acegator

looking good!


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## Topcat

Double cut again today. Lots of seed heads still growing in. HOC is .450. Took a full catcher off.


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## Topcat

I am having a legit seed head explosion. I mowed two days ago and the catcher was full I mowed again today and got even more. All I see n this pic is a fistful of seed heads. Even after cutting the lawn, I still see the shorter ones that the mower can't get at the current HOC.

Afterwards I sprayed kelp and iron with micronutrients. I am hoping the bloom is done in the next week or so. The appearance is definitely not as it should be with the lighter specks of seed heads peppered thru the lawn.


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## Topcat

My seed head bloom seems to be subsiding. I've been cutting about every 2 days, with a quick cut every day a few times last week. Today I raised the HOC back to .50". There are a few seed I. The turf.


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## JRS 9572

The Level mix did a nice job. All that organic "stuff" in with the sand is awesome.


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## Topcat

Agreed. The first bag of level mix had so many clumps of hard compost that it was pretty much unusable since the level rake and drag mat pulled the clumps off the lawn. The second bag was much better and didn't have the clumps that would not breakup when pulled by the drag mat. The lawn's recovery had to have been helped by the organic material in the mix.


JRS 9572 said:


> The Level mix did a nice job. All that organic "stuff" in with the sand is awesome.


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## Topcat

Quick double cut at 5/8


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## Keepin It Reel

Lawn looks great and I think the color is better at 5/8'' than it was below 1/2''.


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## Topcat

Agreed, however the lawn's color has been off since the seed head bloom. I am on the tail end of it and think they are about all gone.


MeanDean said:


> Lawn looks great and I think the color is better at 5/8'' than it was below 1/2''.


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## Topcat

Did another double cut today at 5/8". Even after cutting yesterday I still took off about a half of a catcher of clippings. I need to slow the growth. So after cutting I went down with PGR at half rate on the low end. The plan is to slowly work up to the high end PGR application rate with the goal of cutting no more than twice per week.


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## Topcat

Double cut after work today. The PGR seems to have started kicking in. We had 3/4" of rain Sunday. I cut it today and took off just over a half of a catcher. The clippings were finer and there was less. Hoping for more suppression by Sunday. Will see and if not I will up the dose of PGR the next time I apply.


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## Topcat

Start of 2021 with a scalp down to dirt. I didn't measure the HOC I set the Swardman to. I simply lowered the bedknife until it rested on ground. So I scalped down to dirt. The following morning I sprayed Kelp, Potassium, insecticide and Feature (for micronutrients). 
My soil samples showed very low potassium and micronutrients. Of course Nitrogen is very low as well but I will hold off on Nitogen applications until I get more green up. My plan for this year is to hold the HOC at .5" so I will start with PGR earlier this year to really control growth. 
Before scalp


After scalp


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## Topcat

Pulled the Swardman out, put the verticut cartridge on and did three passes, then adjusted my six blade reel to .25" and did a double cut. Afterwards sprayed Kelp. Looks much tidier now. The scalp last week felt incomplete because I did not verticut. Now the wait for full green up begins.


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## Topcat

I bought this manual core aerator and will give it a try on my front lawn. My plan is to core aerate in a week or so, once I have more green up, then level the lawn. Last years level was successful however I can see room for improvement in a few areas.

The lawn is greening up nicely. I will raise the HOC to 3/8 and start maintaining it there until I am ready to level.

BTW I really dislike this time of year. The transition to green turf is trying my patience.


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## Topcat

Did a double cut after work. I have the HOC at 3/8 and really pushing lateral growth early this year. I did cut Sat and got about a quarter of a Swardman catcher off the top. Today I just covered the bottom of the catcher with clippings. We had about 1/2" rain last night and the warmer temps is really spurring green up. I have to be 80% green. I am still going to hold off another several weeks before putting N down. Lesson learned from last year. The growth from feeding is ridiculous, so I will not feed it until I am ready to put PGR down. The sun is in the wrong place and the neighbor's Magnolia shades the lawn making it hard to get a picture after 4:00ish. But this will do for now


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## Topcat

Today was cooler than the last few days where we had near 80 degree temps. It was also very windy today so there are lots of tree seed pods on the lawn today. I really had to resist doing a trim cut at 3/8" to clean it all and make the lawn look tidy. I will hold off til Sat. But I am very pleased with the amount of green and coverage after the severe scalp


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## SCGrassMan

Looks great bud!


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## Vintol

Beautiful lawn and journey! Following this year to see how it ends up!


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## Topcat

Did a quick clean up cut. Took off enough to fill the bottom of the catcher. Current HOC= 3/8". Freezing temps last night stunned the Tiftuf.


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## Topcat

Vintol said:


> Beautiful lawn and journey! Following this year to see how it ends up!


Thanks, I have hopes of this year having it look better than last year. I will level with Soil3 level mix again next month, or sooner if I see better recovery from being dormant all winter. I was quite please with the level mix results from last year. I am also going down with PGR earlier this year and will scale back on nitrogen this year. I am hoping to suppress seed head blooms with PGR this year.


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## Erichnagle

Did a drive by the other day and man does the lawn look good!! Planning on tilling the whole yard and throwing down 11-12 pallets of tiftuf by the end of the month or early may. Was only going to do the backyard but after seeing prices it makes sense to just do the whole thing and get everything fresh. Going to kill off everything in the next day or 2 and start the process to get everything leveled.


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## Topcat

Erichnagle said:


> Did a drive by the other day and man does the lawn look good!! Planning on tilling the whole yard and throwing down 11-12 pallets of tiftuf by the end of the month or early may. Was only going to do the backyard but after seeing prices it makes sense to just do the whole thing and get everything fresh. Going to kill off everything in the next day or 2 and start the process to get everything leveled.


 Thanks, but it has a way to go to get there. I am keeping it at 3/8 til full green up and level/top dress. Then I will go up to 1/2", and maybe 5/8". It looked the best at 5/8" last year. I am hoping a more level surface wil make it shine at 1/2 " this year. I'd steer away from a full till. Spray glyco, then use a verticut to get rid of dead roots and grass, then put sod down. A full till creates an environment for weed seeds to germinate. There are lots of schools of thought and there is no wrong answer. I simply think the work involved in a full til is not value added at the end of the day. Unless the surface is just wrecked and that is the only way to get close to level.


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## Topcat

Quick clean up cut after work today. Sprayed kelp, Humic, and Feature. Will run irrigation to water it in in the AM. 2 days of 30 degree weather set it back slightly. 80s plus forecast for the rest of the week is promising recovery.


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## Erichnagle

Topcat said:


> Erichnagle said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did a drive by the other day and man does the lawn look good!! Planning on tilling the whole yard and throwing down 11-12 pallets of tiftuf by the end of the month or early may. Was only going to do the backyard but after seeing prices it makes sense to just do the whole thing and get everything fresh. Going to kill off everything in the next day or 2 and start the process to get everything leveled.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, but it has a way to go to get there. I am keeping it at 3/8 til full green up and level/top dress. Then I will go up to 1/2", and maybe 5/8". It looked the best at 5/8" last year. I am hoping a more level surface wil make it shine at 1/2 " this year. I'd steer away from a full till. Spray glyco, then use a verticut to get rid of dead roots and grass, then put sod down. A full till creates an environment for weed seeds to germinate. There are lots of schools of thought and there is no wrong answer. I simply think the work involved in a full til is not value added at the end of the day. Unless the surface is just wrecked and that is the only way to get close to level.
Click to expand...

The front yard isn't bad and probably wouldn't need to be tiller based on what you're saying, but I feel like the backyard should probably be re graded to let the raid water run away from the house better and towards the French drain. I'd love for your advice if you could stop by sometime?


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## Topcat

I put the brush attachment on the Swardman and did a pass over the lawn to pick up the seemingly thousands of tree seed pods n the lawn. Then put my 10 blade on and did a single pass at 3/8". Will spray quinchlorac next week when the lawn wakes up a little more. Need to start dealing with weeds from my neighbors that are creeping into my yard. 


Then adjusted irrigation heads in the backyard. I scalped my St Aug three weeks ago at approx 3/4". It's recovering nicely. I am letting it grow out to 2" before I cut it again, and will keep it between 2-4" letting it get taller as the summer heats up.


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## Topcat

Erichnagle said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Erichnagle said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did a drive by the other day and man does the lawn look good!! Planning on tilling the whole yard and throwing down 11-12 pallets of tiftuf by the end of the month or early may. Was only going to do the backyard but after seeing prices it makes sense to just do the whole thing and get everything fresh. Going to kill off everything in the next day or 2 and start the process to get everything leveled.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, but it has a way to go to get there. I am keeping it at 3/8 til full green up and level/top dress. Then I will go up to 1/2", and maybe 5/8". It looked the best at 5/8" last year. I am hoping a more level surface wil make it shine at 1/2 " this year. I'd steer away from a full till. Spray glyco, then use a verticut to get rid of dead roots and grass, then put sod down. A full till creates an environment for weed seeds to germinate. There are lots of schools of thought and there is no wrong answer. I simply think the work involved in a full til is not value added at the end of the day. Unless the surface is just wrecked and that is the only way to get close to level.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The front yard isn't bad and probably wouldn't need to be tiller based on what you're saying, but I feel like the backyard should probably be re graded to let the raid water run away from the house better and towards the French drain. I'd love for your advice if you could stop by sometime?
Click to expand...

Agree that tilling the back will allow you to regrade and direct water towards the pond. PM me you address, based on the pics from your post I am pretty sure I know where you are. I ride my bike past that pond on a regular basis. Maybe we can tag up next Saturday.


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## Topcat

Put down approx .5lb 30-0-10 Lesco fertilizer after work. Will run irrigation in the morning to water it in.



I still have a lot of thin areas to fill in after the scalp and verticut, but will go down with the first dose of PGR in the next couple of weeks.

I will not repeat the mistake of too much nitrogen and not enough PGR early enough this year. 🥴


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## GoDawgs

Looking really nice man!


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## kc8qpu092200

Man that looks good.


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## Topcat

Did a quick double cut after work today. Still keeping the HOC at 3/8 and plan on going up to 1/2" once it fills in completely. There are still bare spots visible from the scalp and verticut.


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## Sbcgenii

That is looking awesome.


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## Topcat

Sbcgenii said:


> That is looking awesome.


Thanks, but it seems to never be "quite" there. I keep having to remind myself that it is only April and we are still seeing temps as low as 50's at night here.


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## Sbcgenii

Topcat said:


> Sbcgenii said:
> 
> 
> 
> That is looking awesome.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, but it seems to never be "quite" there. I keep having to remind myself that it is only April and we are still seeing temps as low as 50's at night here.
Click to expand...

 I am experiencing the same thing. It snowed today in NE Ok. Before we know it we will be tired of mowing again.


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## Topcat

The lawn took on a nicer and deeper shade of green over the last several days with daytime highs near 80. But overnight had been between 50-60. Imagine my disgust when this message popped up on my phone this evening.



Of course 45 is not freezing, but it is cold enough. The low temps WILL stun the grass-again, and set it back a little. Oh well. 🥴😡🥴


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## Topcat

Did a double cut at 3/8". Then put down 20lb/1000sq ft Essential G that I picked up from Ron Henry's online store. I was not ready for the smell.


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## Topcat

The lawn has taken on a very nice shade of green and thickened up nicely. Very few spots where dirt is visible and green up is practically complete. The sun is in the wrong place for pics this time of evening. My plan is to start PGR as early as this weekend. I really want to keep it at .5" this year so I will forgo cutting til Saturday to allow it to grow then take it down to my max HOC target and then put down PGR Sunday.

BTW, I really like the Essential G product. I am definitely seeing early results post application


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## ENC_Lawn

@Topcat Lawn is looking awesome!


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## Topcat

I cut the lawn Thursday, maintaining the 3/8 HOC. Today I sprayed a concoction containing Tide Paclo, Feature, Humic and Kelp. I will cut it again Monday and raise the HOC to .5"
The second best thing I've obtained to manicure my lawn is the DYI sprayer. That thing makes spraying so much easier than the backpack.


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## Topcat

Raised the HOC to 1/2" and did a single pass. Took enough off to cover the bottom of the catcher. The dreaded seed heads are back. Hoping they will not be as bad as last year.


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## Topcat

Did a blanket application of Quinchlorac. Wanted to mow today, but decided to spray instead since dollar weed from the neighbor is creeping into my lawn. The PGR has kicked in so I will hold off until Monday to mow to allow the quinchlorac time to do its thing.


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## CJK

Yard looks amazing! Two questions: what humic product do you use and do you have any tips for making the DIY sprayer? I want to build one just like that!


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## Topcat

Another forum member gave me a 2 gallon container that he had too much of. It is a kelp/Humic combo. I'll hVe to take a look at the label tomorrow afternoon.

The DYI sprayer was made using a Lesco spreader frame. I found the spreader on Craigslist and it was pretty banged up so I got it pretty cheap. I used Reel Low Dad concept and his YouTube video as a springboard for mine. Mine is slightly different but his video answered all the questions I had on fittings and hoses. I did use a larger higher output pump and added a spray wand so I could spot spray areas the sprayer would not fit and shrubs when needed.

My build thread https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=17096

Reel low dad YouTube video 
https://youtu.be/HT5oKdmop60


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## SCGrassMan

I've been using Speedzone and Celsius mixed together and that has done pretty well with Dollarweed... but I ran out of speedzone, and got a new one that instead of 3 chemicals it has 4, and one of those is Quinclorac. Pretty excited to see how it works, but I didn't know you could kill dollarweed with Quinclorac exclusively. That's pretty cool!


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## Topcat

Double cut after work.


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## Topcat

I've been out of town for the last week. A couple of days prior to leaving I sprayed Paclo to make sure it did not come out of suppression while I was away. Returned today to find very little growth. The lawn looks like it needs feeding so I will put down 30-0-10 tomorrow and spike it with a little iron for a quick green spurt.

I also found this note in my mailbox when I got in.

Front of card


Back of card


The work that goes into it is rewarding without complement - but it is nice to have the work validated with things like this from time to time.


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## Topcat

Double cut, spread 30-0-10, then watered it in. Current HOC is .5". The Paclo is doing a good job. I did order Primo Maxx that I hope arrives in the next two weeks. I'd like to keep it suppressed but want to use a mix of the two alternating every four weeks. I am also finally seeing the end of the seed head bloom. There are a few remaining that are too short for the current HOC. Hopefully they will all be gone in the next week or so.


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## Topcat

Put the dethatch reel on and went across the lawn in 2 directions. Took 3 full catchers of thatch out. 


Then I double cut at 1/2". Going to raise the HOC to 5/8" for the next cut.



Then gave the backyard St Aug a little love.

Before cut



Who says St Aug can't hold stripes? Looks better in person. Current HOC is 2.5"



Now to enjoy the yard for the holiday weekend.


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## Topcat

Mowed yesterday at .6" - just shy of 5/8". Took about half a catcher off, so it is starting to show signs of coming out of suppression. We did get 1.5" of rain the night before. 
I just mixed a tank of T-Nex, Feature, azoxy And propiconazole and will spray this evening.


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## SCGrassMan

Updates!


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## ionicatoms

I second the motion.


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## Topcat

Work and life kept me pretty busy last summer, so I didn't spend much time on the internet at all… but I did keep the lawn at 5/8" thru the summer and into the winter. I bought a new to me Greensmaster 1000 to use as my primary mower this year and will use the Swardman as a backup. The Swardman has been too unreliable over the last 3-4 years.

Those that ask about TifTuf? I love it. It is an aggressive grower, drought resistant ( I cut way back on watering and nitrogen last year and the grass thrived. And it held color right up to Thanksgiving last year

The year started last month. The grass greener up early so I scalped, scarified and dethatched with the Swardman about three weeks ago. I set the HOC to 1/4" which is dirt.

Enough narrative. Pics.
This is from Sept last year at about 5/8"


And this is Oct last year and about when I stopped reel cutting and let the grass grow out to about 1.5" for the winter. The grass held its color thru Nov! Which was very surprising.



This is scalp day.



[/url]https://postimg.cc/kV344WPv]







[/url]

And this is the first cut post scalp at 3/8"





Plan for this year is to keep it at 1/2". I will have a very regimented PGR routine this year to maintain the HOC. I will level around the first week of May. May is when I think the lawn will be fully recovered from the spring scalp. I planned on Micro and insecticide today but I might hold off. We had a pretty cold night last night (freakishly got down to 34 degrees😠)

So stay tuned for further developments


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## Topcat

Spring scalp is always a scary time for me. I tend to go very aggressive then have regrets after. But it always rebound. I didn't take any pics of the lawn post scarifier and dethatch because I couldn't stand looking at how I "ruined" my lawn. Just believe me when I say dirt with stubbles of dead grass. My wife pokes at me and asks "why you keep killing the grass?" &#128514;&#128514;.

Those that ask about TifTuf? I love it. It is an aggressive grower, drought resistant. I cut way back on watering and nitrogen last year and the grass thrived. And it held color right up to Thanksgiving last year. I think I did a real fert application twice last year. Other than that I did use FAS and micro on it about once a month, but the N content in FAS was very low.

The two best things that I've spent money on for lawn care is the reel mower and my DYI spray rig. I love the sprayer as it covers a lot of area, keeps the mix agitated and is just smooth and easy. The lawn seems to respond to liquid applications better.

I am excited for what's to come on the Topcat TifTuf journey this year. Between the GM1000 and Swardman I think we are going to a new level this year.

Stay tuned!


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## Topcat

Double cut with the Swardman at 3/8" and edge the driveway and sidewalk. Then went around the flower beds with the rotary scissors.


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## Topcat

I planned on 1lb/k application of 30-0-10 today then put flowers in the flowerbeds, but got rained out. I spent the morning replacing fence post for my backyard privacy fence. Then right after that I had a freakish accident which resulted in a fractured middle finger so I spent the afternoon in Urgent care.

If the finger pain has subsided by rhe AM the plan will be to cut it then do the fert app.

Oh, I used the GM1000 for the first time yesterday. That thing is a beast. It will take getting use to the heavy and less maneuverable mower. But the cut quality is so much better than the Swardman!


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## Topcat

Got a quick cut in before rain starts. Ignore the bags of mulch in the flowerbed… that will be a few more days waiting while my finger heals. 🤬

HOC remains at 3/8". Hoping the warm temps spur more fill in. There are still a LOT of thin spots.


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## Topcat

Filling in nicely. The spring scalp was pretty aggressive and was down to dirt with Bermuda stubble. I got 1.25" of rain over the last 24 hours. I did get 1/2lb 30-0-10 down right before the rain. Planning on cutting again at 3/8" tomorrow.


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## Topcat

Double cut at 3/8". Sun is low over the horizon behind the house so the stripes aren't showing. The GM 1000 cut quality is so much better than my Swardman.


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## Topcat

Double cut. HOC = 3/8"


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## Topcat

Sprayed FAS, Insecticide and micronutrients this morning and watered it in this afternoon.


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## Topcat

Double cut. HOC remains at 3/8". Still pretty thin. Temps are supposed to stabilize around 80s in the day and 60s at night, so I am hoping for growth and fill in. Over the next week or so.


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## Topcat

Decided to spray fungicide this morning. I am
Seeing the web looking fungus in several spots in the morning. I have dew on the lawn each morning. I have at least 2 small bare spots that look like fungus infection.

I will double cut tomorrow afternoon. Overall, the lawn is looking pretty good.


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## Topcat

Double cut


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## Topcat

I sprayed 901C Biostimulant from Mirimachi Green yesterday, and did a double cut after work today.


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## Topcat

I've been very conservative with nitrogen as to not cause rapid growth. But the thin spots are making me think twice. I've not have any substantial rain, and that's what I think is needed for it to really spread. I will start watering next week and give it another few weeks to fill in thin spots.


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## Topcat

We REALLY need a good soil soaking rain in my neighborhood. I turned my sprinkler system on last week and started an inch per week. Did a double cut this afternoon. Seed heads are in full bloom, so the color isn't as good as it could be.


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## Topcat

Seedheads are in FULL bloom. Did a double cut and took about a third of a catcher full of stems and seed heads. Color isn't very vivid due to the grey/white color of the stems left after cutting seed heads. Also very hard to see the stripes with the evening sun. I typically cut in the evening after work during the work week. HOC remains at 3/8".


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## Topcat

Just completed a double cut. I am debating whether or not doing the first application of PGR with FAS tomorrow morning. I will sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow. If I do not spray PGR I will do an application of FAS to give the lawn a color kick. I think I am near the end of the seed head bloom, and still have the lighter colored stalks giving the lawn a lighter shade of green than typical.


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## Topcat

Sprayed PGR with FAS early this morning then watered it in after the sun went down.


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## Topcat

Didn't do anything to the lawn today. The FAS seems to improved the color. Still have seed heads that doesn't show very well in the picture


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## Topcat

2 days post PGR. I applied .25oz/k, and will work to get up to .38oz/k over the summer.

There are a few thin spots, primarily between my hose and the neighbors's house but overall it is thick enough to encourage lateral growth. I've been mowing every 3 days and taking off approx 1/4 basket full each time. This time I did not catch the clippings, but there was definitely less. Tomorrow will be a blanket application of Celsius and Bifen.

I will likely put down a generous .5lb/k application of 30-0-10 next weekend to feed it. I've been very conservative on nitrogen as to not push rapid growth. I made that mistake a couple of years ago. 🤯


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## Topcat

First double cut since Monday. The PGR has it fully suppressed. I took off about 1/4 of the catcher which isn't a lot. I lowered the groomer for the first pass in an attempt to go after seedheads that grew so short and close to the turf that the reel wasn't getting them.

HOC is still 3/8". This will be the last cut at that HOC. I will raise it to 1/2" for the next cut.


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## DFW245

Following. Having the same issue as you. Seedheads galore even though mine came post PGR. The light colored stalks actually worsen the look of my lawn because the variety is so naturally dark that they stand out more. If you find a way to deal with the seedheads/stalks, please post it. I'm watching this like a hawk.


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## Topcat

Did a "pity cut" this evening. The PGR has it suppressed. This is the first cut in 5 days and I barely took anything off; the bottom of the catcher is barely covered in clippings. But it is much thicker, yay lateral growth. I need to find a grooved roller for my Greensmaster. I can feel it sliding sideways while trying to hold a straight line. HOC is 1/2".


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## Topcat

I used the groomer for the first time last week and I set it pretty deep with the goal of using the groomer to slice into and stand the seed heads up to give the reel a shot at clipping them, and It did get a LOT of them, but some stalks remained. Todays cut looks much better in terms of seed heads, but some of the short thick stalks are still there and at this point I think it is a game of allowing them to grow out. There were no new seed heads when I cut today so I think I am past the bloom. I plan on another round of PGR and FAS this weekend 


DFW245 said:


> Following. Having the same issue as you. Seedheads galore even though mine came post PGR. The light colored stalks actually worsen the look of my lawn because the variety is so naturally dark that they stand out more. If you find a way to deal with the seedheads/stalks, please post it. I'm watching this like a hawk.


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## Topcat

I got the ultimate compliment today. Someone walking past the house and asked "is that real grass?" The evening sun makes it hard to get a decent picture, and I am not a photographer. The lawn looks much better in real life.


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## DFW245

Topcat said:


> I used the groomer for the first time last week and I set it pretty deep with the goal of using the groomer to slice into and stand the seed heads up to give the reel a shot at clipping them, and It did get a LOT of them, but some stalks remained. Todays cut looks much better in terms of seed heads, but some of the short thick stalks are still there and at this point I think it is a game of allowing them to grow out. There were no new seed heads when I cut today so I think I am past the bloom. I plan on another round of PGR and FAS this weekend
> 
> 
> DFW245 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Following. Having the same issue as you. Seedheads galore even though mine came post PGR. The light colored stalks actually worsen the look of my lawn because the variety is so naturally dark that they stand out more. If you find a way to deal with the seedheads/stalks, please post it. I'm watching this like a hawk.
Click to expand...

Hmm alright. Well I'll keep watching mine and see if it's in the latter stages. I just like how even your lawn looks. Grass color wise. Mine has splotchiness that I'm sure only my eyes see. I get compliments but I'm still striving for that clean look!! Props to you. Your lawn looks great


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## Topcat

@DFW245 I wish I had the magic bullet to stop seed heads. I've read that stress causes them. The first two years with TifTuf was great in that I had no seed heads. The last two have been horrific. I think I will try watering a lot earlier next season as the lawn comes out of dormancy, restrict nitrogen and see if that makes a difference. We had very dry springs here and that could be a factor. I've also read that PGR helps prevent them, but my seed heads appeared before the lawn was fully recovered from the severe scalp this spring. Maybe I will not be as aggressive with the scalp next year to see if that helps and allows earlier PGR application

As far as splotchiness, the stalks play a role. You can see some in the bottom of the pic from my last mow. As the stalks grow out, the lawn evens out nicely. I'll give mine a couple more weeks. My lawn typically looks at its peak around 4 July. 


> Hmm alright. Well I'll keep watching mine and see if it's in the latter stages. I just like how even your lawn looks. Grass color wise. Mine has splotchiness that I'm sure only my eyes see. I get compliments but I'm still striving for that clean look!! Props to you. Your lawn looks great


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## DFW245

Topcat said:


> @DFW245 I wish I had the magic bullet to stop seed heads. I've read that stress causes them. The first two years with TifTuf was great in that I had no seed heads. The last two have been horrific. I think I will try watering a lot earlier next season as the lawn comes out of dormancy, restrict nitrogen and see if that makes a difference. We had very dry springs here and that could be a factor. I've also read that PGR helps prevent them, but my seed heads appeared before the lawn was fully recovered from the severe scalp this spring. Maybe I will not be as aggressive with the scalp next year to see if that helps and allows earlier PGR application
> 
> As far as splotchiness, the stalks play a role. You can see some in the bottom of the pic from my last mow. As the stalks grow out, the lawn evens out nicely. I'll give mine a couple more weeks. My lawn typically looks at its peak around 4 July.
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm alright. Well I'll keep watching mine and see if it's in the latter stages. I just like how even your lawn looks. Grass color wise. Mine has splotchiness that I'm sure only my eyes see. I get compliments but I'm still striving for that clean look!! Props to you. Your lawn looks great
Click to expand...

Makes sense. I'll check around then. And now that you mention it, I believe the AS/Nitrogen is what caused my seedheads. It was fine before, put that down and then boom days later it was FULL of seedheads. Maybe it had been growing slow because of the cooler weather this year and sprung up with the AS. I was hoping my lawn would be in peak form around mid June lol I guess I'm just impatient. Also, I water mine alot, so I don't think irrigation has anything to do with it. It's been rainy and I water alot. It literally didn't start until after the AS and right before the second app of PGR. But from what I hear it's just as natural as trees losing their leaves....it happens everywhere


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## Topcat

Use my landscape rake and cleared the dew from the turf a 7 am, then sprayed a mix of PGR, bio-stimulants and iron at 9 am. Goal was to spray at least 6 hours before rain. Rain started at 3 pm. The lawn is looking pretty good. Will cut at 1/2" tomorrow.


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## Topcat

Sunday morning double cut. More of a manicure cut. Hardly anything came off, but the stripes are popping. Seed head stalks are nearly gone. Maybe another week and they'll be gone.


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## Topcat

5 days between cuts. Was out of town and the PGR did it's job. HOC =1/2". Very few seedhead stalks left in the area closest to the curb. Should be eradicated in the next week or so.


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## Topcat

Thank God for PGR. I have a pinched nerve and haven't been able to cut the lawn for an entire week+. The leg is still not fully cooperating but I grabbed the Swardman since it is lighter and easier to maneuver set the HOC to .6" (was at .5") and did a double cut. I raised the HOC out of caution since I was not sure how much the .5" would take off and I do not want a scalped looking lawn going into the holiday. The pics speaks for themselves 😀.

The cut quality between the Greensmaster and Swardman are no way comparable. The Swardman does a decent job but the toro leaves a much cleaner looking cut.

And as always this time of day doesn't lend itself to decent pics. The sun is in the wrong place. The stripes are actually pretty tight. Just can't see them from the angles the pics were taken.

Tomorrow I spray PGR with potassium and iron.

Has anyone ever mixed Celsius in with PGR?


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## Topcat

BTW, the Crepe Myrtle tree is a love hate thing. It has pretty and fragrant flowers. But the wind blows the petals all over the lawn, in big heaps. And if allowed to sit, they will smother the lawn. Ugh!


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## Topcat

Did nothing with the lawn today. Just reviewing progress and deciding next steps. I think I will keep it at 5/8" for the summer. Friday evening will be Celsius with insecticide application day. I will cut, and leave clippings on the lawn Saturday, and take care of edges and scissoring around the flowerbed. I neglected that for the last couple of weeks due to the pinched nerve, but the meds are remarkable and i am at nearly 100% now. I am out of town a few days next week, but the latest application of PGR should hold until my return.


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## Topcat

Pulled the Greensmaster out adjusted HOC to just shy of 5/8". Double cut, edged, pruned some of the larger heavy flowers from the Myrtle.


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## Topcat

I've had a solid week of rain so I've not been able to cut in the last 7 days. Until this afternoon. I got a quick double cut in between showers. The PGR is doing great at slowing verticals growth. The double cut netted about half a basket of clippings.


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## Twodollarblue

@Topcat looks fantastic. Gotta love PGR for times like that.


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## Topcat

Thanks, I didn't use PGR last year and was cutting 3-4 time per week to keep it in check. Several times I had to reset because of "life" getting in the way and weather preventing me from cutting regularly. I am doing PGR about every 2-3 weeks. It is a life saver!



Twodollarblue said:


> @Topcat looks fantastic. Gotta love PGR for times like that.


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## Topcat

Got an early start by using a level rake to clear dew from the lawn. Then sprayed FAS. We are expecting g more rain around 1pm. I wanted to get at least 4 hours dry time on the leaf before the rain.


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## Topcat

Sprayed PGR this evening.


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## Topcat

Double cut between rain showers.


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## Topcat

I've had over 12" of rain over the last 6 days and the ground is a soppy mess. The rain has come everyday after work when I planned on yard work, so the front has gone all week without a cut and the back is going on 2 weeks. The PGR has helped control growth but it is probably close to 3/4 right now. I'll likely have to reset HOC. The backyard is about 7". I have St Aug there and keep it at about 4". It's suppose to rain again today.

I dug up an irrigation valve between rain last week to find and fix a leak. That hole has been full of water since I dug it since the ground is so saturated. I'll be digging in mud today because I will get it fixed and the hole filled today come hell or high water.


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## Topcat

Today was HOC reset day. I was close to 3/4", and took it down to 3/8". The constant rain made it very hard to maintain the 1/2" - 5/8" that my lawn looks best at… even with PGR. I allowed the lawn to come out of regulation. I will probably put down PGR next weekend; depending on recovery.

Tomorrow I will spray 21-0-10 fert along with micronutrients.


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## Topcat

So I scalped my yard with my Swardman Sunday, and set the HOC to .4". Today I set my HOC to .5" on my Greensmaster and cut it. To my dismay the Greensmaster took off about 6 full catchers of grass. So the Swardman didn't cut at the HOC I set the mower at. My guess is the Swardman float on the lawn since it is so light. The Greensmaster is a tank so it cut at the HOC I set it at.

Therefore my Swardman is dead to me. 😂 It's good for using after leveling and a quick cut.


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## Topcat

Raised the HOC up to .570 and double cut. Plan is to put down .5lb Nitorgen spiked with Iron sulfate tomorrow. I will also spot spray Quinchlorac. There are a couple of small trouble spots with weeds starting to germinate.


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## Topcat

Been spoon feeding the lawn to spur recovery. Just as it starts to recover ATT decided to dig for fiber optic install 

They did a decent job of putting the plug back in place and making the trench pretty small. But it sunk in approx 5" after a heavy rainfall so I pulled the plug and tamped in topsoil, then put the plug back and leveled with sand.

I'll spray 1/4lb nitrogen this evening.


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## Topcat

Double cut. The plug that I leveled with sand is starting to grow in. It will need another round of sand. It settled about 1/4" over the last week it is still growing in from the HOC scalp/reset.


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## Topcat

Double cut. Raised the HOC to 5/8"


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## Topcat

Double cut the lawn this afternoon. Starting to look pretty good after the reset and ATT digging incident


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## Topcat

Sprayed Paclo PGR Thursday and gave it a double cut today.


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