# thundergunexpress 2022 lawn journal



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Starting a new journal for the 2022 season.

3/14 - Stick edged the driveway and plugged the St. Aug sprigs back into the yard before receiving about an inch and a half of rain.

3/16 - Used up the last of a generic 3-way RTU (0.146% 2, 4-D) and spot sprayed the front yard targeting broadleaf weeds - mostly oxalis, dayflower, and FL betony.

I've since graduated to a 4-gal backpack sprayer and plan on putting together the DFW wand this year before spraying with it.


----------



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Hope you post some pictures of your wand when you finish it!


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

3/23 - Applied granular 10-10-10 to the front and backyard and 8-0-10 to the side yard at a rate of .25 N.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

3/31 - Put down a preventative application of GrubEx at 1.5lbs/1000sqft. Should be getting rain for the next few days to work its way into the soil. Thanks @ionicatoms for the tip on rates.


----------



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Welcome! FYI I derived the rates from Sygenta's Sod Webworm program, which uses liquid Acelepryn (same a.i. as GrubEx).


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

4/7 - Applied granular isoxaben (.38%) to the front yard at a rate of 5lbs/1000sqft. Applied 16-0-8 granular fertilizer to the rear yard at a rate of .5 N/1000sqft.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

I've been itching for a new lawn toy so the other day I purchased a Fiskars Staysharp Max from Craigslist for $30. It's missing the height adjustment knob and has some wear/rust to it, but that's just considered character for an entry-level reel. I plan on using it exclusively for the backyard to help thicken up and maintain the common Bermuda. On another note, it's been dry and windy here lately and I'm now starting to realize why last year's water bill was so high for the month of April.


----------



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

I had one. It was great!

Re: water. OMG. Our local utility decided to charge us wastewater charges for every. single. gallon.

Check this out.


----------



## Katodude (Apr 22, 2021)

Our water utility does the same thing. Really annoying. So about 7 or 8 years ago, I put in a well. Saves me almost $100 per month. At $3500 it was a pretty good ROI. Dont know what they would cost these days.


----------



## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Ditto on the well. It pays for itself quickly... heck, even getting a second meter for the irrigation would save a lot.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Katodude said:


> Our water utility does the same thing. Really annoying. So about 7 or 8 years ago, I put in a well. Saves me almost $100 per month. At $3500 it was a pretty good ROI. Dont know what they would cost these days.


This sounds like something I might take on in the next couple of years. My back in already crying though. :lol:

@ionicatoms - Ours does the same and on the months I'm watering more I have to warn my loving, adoring breadwinner! LOL.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Applied the next round of preventative GrubEx today right before a quick thunderstorm. The GrubEx in the back yard was applied at the normal 1.5lb/1000sqft rate, but the front yard came up a little short when my bag ran out so it only received about 1.2lbs/1000sqft. Lots of humid, overcast days predicted for this week, but the rain chances are dwindling so I haven't pulled out the fungicide just yet.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

5/25 - Applied .5N with a 16-0-8 in the back yard.
5/26 - Applied .25N with a 10-10-10 in the front yard.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Finally built the wand! Have yet to test it out, but a big thanks to @vacantrush for the assistance!


----------



## vacantrush (Oct 14, 2021)

thundergunexpress said:


> Finally built the wand! Have yet to test it out, but a big thanks to @vacantrush for the assistance!


You picked one of those clearance Hart sprayers too? Looks solid.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

6/13 - Applied a granular imidacloprid (0.15%)/beta-cyfluthrin (0.05%) two-way at 3lbs/k in the back yard and 2lbs/k in the front yard and watered it in.

Note - The isoxaben application should have been put down earlier than 4/7, as I've pulled up half of a 5 gallon bucket of chamberbitter so far. I'm thinking late March is more of an optimal time frame for my area.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

6/19 - Found evidence of webworm damage in my front yard (notches on blades, almost slimy areas of grass when wet). Applied 1 lb of granular trichlorfon (9.3%) and spot-sprayed an RTS of gamma-cyhalothrin (.08%) on the affected areas. Seems unreal as I've been keeping up with an insecticide program this year, but this same thing happened to me in June of 2020 in the same area of the yard.


----------



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

At least you're on top of it! Good luck!


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Thanks, @ionicatoms!

I believe I have the webworm issue under control now, but I'm keeping an eye on it. I realize I probably made the situation worse by over-watering during the recent heatwave. Now that I've looked over the ET and Irrigation Guide, I've found my fine sandy soil can only hold roughly .5in of water. Therefore, I should be watering every other day with .25in of irrigation. Unfortunately, when I tried using the new method today I had an unexpected .5in more of rainfall in the morning. 

Maybe the rainy season is finally here?


----------



## CrazyJon (7 mo ago)

Thundergun: No hesitation. No surrender.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

Welcome to the club @CrazyJon! Looking forward to your lawn progress in your journal! :thumbup:

7/8 - Applied .25N with an 8-0-10 in the front yard and .25N with a 16-0-8 in the backyard.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

This month has been challenging and I'm having issues getting a clean cut with sharpened mower blades. The tips of the leaf blades keep shredding, sometimes turning brown, and I'm getting a yellow washed look on the St. Aug. I don't think it's the RPMs on my mower, and I don't think I'm over-watering. Something tells me the reason the cut is not as clean as it should be is because the lawn is dealing with fungus, and possibly bugs. For now, I applied 2lbs/M of bifenthrin last night and all the expected rain never showed, so I watered it in early this morning. I also put down granular azoxystrobin and SOP last month because of noticeable grey leaf spot, but it didn't seem to abate the issue much. Really hoping I get through this season without turf loss!


----------



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

thundergunexpress said:


> The tips of the leaf blades keep shredding, sometimes turning brown, and I'm getting a yellow washed look on the St. Aug. I don't think it's the RPMs on my mower, and I don't think I'm over-watering. Something tells me the reason the cut is not as clean as it should be is because the lawn is dealing with fungus, and possibly bugs.


I've got the same thing going on over here. I think I need to treat the blades/deck/tires with a 50/50 mixture of bleach/water. I'm pretty sure I'm spreading fungus with the mower.


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

@ionicatoms, I read your suggestion in another thread and I'm going to try that out before the next mow. I might also go pick up a bottle of myclobutanil. Humidity has been off the charts here and I've hardly had any decent rains for months now (the only part of FL it seems!), so I worry about stressing the grass any more than it already is. I'll keep an eye on your journal to see if you have any success with the variables! I know LCN had a video about ragged cuts in the summer and attributed it to a wet cut, but I wasn't sure if that was before or after he realized he had to flip his mower blade over. :lol:


----------



## 12620 (Oct 2, 2020)

I've come to the conclusion my yard has a really bad case of grey leaf spot. I applied 3lbs/M of granular propiconazole and expect rain today to wash it into the soil. I thought about using Eagle 20EW, but after complaining about no rain, it's practically rained every single day and it's hard to find a good time to let it dry on the leaf.


----------

