# Cory's lawn



## Cory

Was told I should make one of these so here we go. But want to say thanks to everyone here before I do! Without all the info on this forum I doubt I would have our lawn as nice as it is currently!

So here's the rundown so far....

February 23. Scalped, applied Prodiamine 
Didnt get up as much of it as I would have liked to but knew I was gonna put sand down so wasn't worried about it. My wife thought it would be funny to make a meme :lol:









March 31. Applied 50lbs 16-4-8 front yard

April 11. Applied 100lbs 16-4-8 back yard 
Back yard is still a work in progress. I let crabgrass take over last year and think I had a grub problem late summer



April 20. Leveled front yard with 9 yards sand















Some progress pics...

April 27th







May 2





May 7 with a backyard







May 9





May 13









May 18, aerated, drug cores back in and light scalp 






May 27







May 30









June 2











June 16






Here is my notes on when and what I applied

April 11. Applied 100lbs 16-4-8 back yard 
April 20. Leveled front and fertilized 
April 29. Applied Bayer insect/grub killer
May 1. Applied 34-0-0 front and back
May 9. Applied AS and Iron
May 13. Applied 34-0-0 front
May 18. Aerated front and back
May 24. Applied 34-0-? And fungicide front 
May 27. Applied 34-0-? Backyard 
May 27. Applied FAS front yard. 
June 3. Applied Sedgehammer front 
June 8. Applied 16-4-8 150lbs front/back and RGS/AIR-8 front
June 22. Applied PGR

There was some weed killer apps in there too but guess I didn't mark them down. I don't have a current photo of the back yard so will have to do that tomorrow but it's not much better :lol:

:thumbup:


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## Cory

Mowed and aerated the backyard, 3rd time this year. And applied grub ex. Still looks really rough but after all the other thing I have bought this year there's not much left for the back so just have to wait it out.

Those are not stripes in the photo. Something is wrong with my rider and I can't figure it out. I think one of the blades is off balance but not sure. I have taken them off twice and sharpened them but still does that.


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## Cory

Mowed the front last night and applied PGR. Wasnt following the 1/3 rule, was cutting almost 1/2 so looks a little scalped. Crazy how fast it was growing in 2 days. Took a few pics this morning.


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## Cory

Afternoon mow. Have a little yellowing but not sure if it's fine having to cut off too much the other night or needs a little nitrogen.


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## Cory

Applied GreenTRX at 1lbs/N per 1k.


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## Cory

Getting some much needed rain.


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## steensn

:shock:  :shock:  :thumbup:


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## Amaxwell5

That's looking really good. Nice work.


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## Cory

@steensn and @Amaxwell5 thanks!


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## wiredawg

Looks Awesome...


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## Cory

wiredawg said:


> Looks Awesome...


Thanks


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## social port

It is amazing to see the progress over time. Really nice work; looks great


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## Colonel K0rn

T
H
I
C
C


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## Cory

Scalped it


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## ryeguy

What kinda sprinkler setup do you have there?


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## Cory

@ryeguy I do t have a system so have to drag hoses around. I have a few different things I use.

I have tractors for the back. Used them a couple of times and pretty happy with them. They are just super slow and can only drive on areas with grass, no bare spots.





And I made a few with pop up gear drive sprinkler heads.





A a couple with regular full circle adjustable heads. I like these better when it's windy because the gear drives put out too much mist. The only problem is I have to move them more because they only spray maybe 10' circle for each head but they put out a lot of water. The gear drives cover 50' and need to stay in one spot for a while in order to put enough water down .


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## Ral1121

if you want heads that perform well in wind, why not try some mp rotators. They are probably the best performing heads in the wind.


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## Cory

@Ral1121 I have to move them to so many different spots I need to be able to adjust from full circle to quarter circle and also distance. I don't think you can do that with the MP, I would need to make several different heads for them to work. The sleds have orbit 0-360° heads on them


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## Cory

@Ral1121 they probably do more like 15' diameter per head. I could probably put full circle MP heads on them though


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## Ral1121

You should be able to run more money heads then the regular fan nozzles. The only thing you have to watch out for is if you have enough pressure going to your furthest out heads.


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## Cory

12 days after scalping. Probably won't do a mid season scalp again just raise a notch. Taller won't hurt my soul as bad haha






The backyard is getting really thick and nice in some spots. Still a ways to go though. Applied about 1/2lb/N of GreenTRX on the 15th. Picture is from this morning.


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## Crabbychas

I love your backyard. I just wanna roll around on it.


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## Cory

@Crabbychas :lol:


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## Colonel K0rn

Are those bare spots from crabgrass damage, or grub damage? Your yard is looking great and recovering nicely. If you get the urge, you could roll the trimmer to the back and in my experience, it'll make it grow faster. It's almost as though the bermuda gets angry when you cut it.


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## Guest

Cory said:


> 12 days after scalping. Probably won't do a mid season scalp again just raise a notch. Taller won't hurt my soul as bad haha
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The backyard is getting really thick and nice in some spots. Still a ways to go though. Applied about 1/2lb/N of GreenTRX on the 15th. Picture is from this morning.


 Just once you should try the cal trimmer in the back and see how it does. 🤭 
Not supposed to be terribly hot the next couple of days haha


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## Cory

@Colonel K0rn I think it was a combination of a few things. The builder said they put seed down but didn't do anything to make sure it established during the year the house sat unsold till we bought it

Last summer I let the crabgrass take over because I just wanted green, it was practically dirt when we moved in and didn't have the funds to mess with it.

April 16, 2017 a couple weeks after we moved in


This was mid August 2017


This spring I finally got around to spreading out the pile of dirt that was from when they scraped to make the ground level before the pool was installed. There were 10 grubs that I saw while digging and who knows how many more in that pile. That reminded me of a few times we had a ton of birds on the lawn late the last summer. We were amazed by it while it was happening but it didn't click till I saw the grubs in the dirt pile that they were probably digging for them.

September 2017


The rundown.....

The builder did nothing to establish the lawn the season prior, my neglect to kill the crabgrass and weeds last summer, grubs in the early fall, and a rough winter where everything tried to come out of dormancy 2-3 times then snow or heavy frost after each time. All that combined made for a rough start this year. On top of that, I sprayed prodiamine to stop the crabgrass from growin not realizing how little Bermuda was actually there so couldn't seed when I saw that there wasn't really any Bermuda that was coming back in the spring.


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## Cory

@firefighter11 & @Colonel K0rn figured I would answer this one in a separate post haha

The ground back there is crazy rough. We have a septic tank and the entire center of the back yard is the drain feild. Between settling, driving on it to put up the fence, the pool install, and driving on it when I built the deck next to the pool it's is insanely bumpy. Lowest I can mow it without scalping in the middle is 2" but 2 1/2"looks better. The trimmer would probably be ok at the highest setting but that's 1 7/8" and requires me taking the roller off and adjusting it. There is 3 holes on the sides of the mower and depending on the hole you use gives you a range of heights. Since it's currently at its lowest setting for me to cut the front at 5/8" and I'm to lazy to mess with it adjusting it and walk 15k sqft on top of the 5k I already have to do every 2 days it ain't gonna happen till it's leveled next year :lol: I almost bought a fiskars push reel a couple weeks ago to use on the backyard but decided I could use that money somewhere else's


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## Cory

Backyard is almost there, so close yet so far haha

July 13


Today, July 25th


Front yard just blows my mind.

Some photos from this morning 




A close up



And a couple plugs I pulled with my new pro plugger


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## SGrabs33

I find it crazy how good that ditch looks! Sooooo smooth!

How many times have you backlapped this year?


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## Cory

@SGrabs33 I kinda botched it today. Didn't realize untill I was half way done with it that the front roller was loose allowing it to scalp a bit. It will come back quick but it's pretty ugly right now :nod:

I've only backlapped it once since I've had it and that was a couple weeks ago. The sand from leveling was hard on it, if it wasn't for that it probably could have went longer.


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## Cory

I did it, I mowed the back with the reel. Took me an hour. Had to reset the roller on the trimmer and set the hight of cut to 1.75". Definitely like the look of it better but readjusting the roller every mow to get the HOC back down to 5/8" for the front ain't gonna happen. I may need to raise the hoc on the front to 1" if I want to keep reel mowing the back. Gonna need to find a good deal on 27" tru-cut soon though. The trimmer is great for my front yard and my ditch but it's rough holding the throttle handle for an hour straight. Now I know why the commercial models have a self locking throttle handle, it's like cruise control haha

I mowed first with the rider so the left side of the photo was cut at 2" with the rider and the right side was cut with the reel


Needs to be mowed a little lower but I didn't want to scalp it so I'll probably mow again tomorrow night a couple notches lower



Also applied 1 lbs N/1k of 21-0-0 24% sulfur front and back


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## jayhawk

Yeah, you need a wider reel (channeling jaws). Having borrowed a 25 mclame ....more forgiving, wider stripe....all ++ over a 20

Wish I could land a personal aircraft in my backyard! Looks nice.


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## Cory

@jayhawk Thanks! I would love to have a toro 1600 but never gonna find a good deal on one around here. And if one pops up @SGrabs33 will probably snatch it up before I can get it :lol:


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## Lawn_newbie

@Cory Thanks for the post comment. I just read through your journal and everything looks good. You have serious domination going on in the front yard.

How do you like the GreenTRX product? I was thinking of using that to put down 1/2lb of N every week. I would mulch and throw down compost tea to really build the microbes up... At least that is what I am hoping will happen.

Did you use Bermuda seed in the back or plugs?


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## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> jayhawk Thanks! I would love to have a toro 1600 but never gonna find a good deal on one around here. And if one pops up SGrabs33 will probably snatch it up before I can get it :lol:


 :lol: I don't know if I can fit any more REEL mowers in my garage, but I'll try. Last time I talked to @Steverino he still had a number of the greensmowers he got from the WEEKs auction. I'm not sure if he is willing to let go of any yet or not.


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## Cory

@Lawn_newbie I haven't used the GreenTRX by itself really since I have been putting down so much N in the back. But it seems like pretty good stuff. Doesn't smell as bad as milo and the smell it does have doesn't hang around. It does need to be watered in thought. If you don't and walk on it the morning after with dew on the ground you'll have black stuff on your feet and anything else that touches it.

The builder said they seeded the back. Spoke to the superintendent and he said it was a Bermuda/Rye mix, and the front was "Tif something", he wasn't much help haha. Pretty sure the front is 419 but makes me wonder if it's not something else like TifTuf or tifgrand since a lot of people can't believe how deep green it is. If they seeded the back they didn't do anything to help it grow and the sod in the front never got fertilized or watered for the year the house sat vacant until we bought it. I couldn't put any seed down after I saw how little Bermuda came back this year because of the Prodiamine. Knowing Bermuda spreads like crazy I decided to keep it heavily fertilized and see what happened. It's looking pretty good now, still a lot of bear spots but it will probably be completely filled by fall. Next spring I plan to level it.

It's a little stressed from being mowed lower last night with the reel


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## SGrabs33

@Cory Maybe plug some of the bald spots in the back and replace it with the good turf plugs. I have to imagine you could easily take it from the back of your property that you can't see from the deck. Throw away the bare plugs and then fill in their holes with sand.


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## Cory

Went ahead and scalped it last night, looks pretty rough. 


Front yard is looking kinda crappy too


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## Colonel K0rn

Cory said:


> Went ahead and scalped it last night, looks pretty rough.
> 
> 
> Front yard is looking kinda crappy too


Well there goes LOTM mister! J/K it looks awesome. I scalped my yard for the first time yesterday. It was partially scary, but then again, it wasn't.


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## Cory

@Colonel K0rn that's ok, don't really stand a chance anyway :lol:

I have scalped the front a few times but I havent done it to the back intentionally before. I am a little nervous about it only because I'm sure it's not a good bermuda and just a pasture grass. If it does kill it oh well. I think I want to re grade it, or at least really heavy leveling and plant Yukon back there next year anyway. I wanted to do it this year but the Prodiamine didn't wear off soon enough. I'm just now starting to see some crabgrass here and there.


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## Cory

Front yard is looking pretty rough. We got a ton of rain and wasn't able to apply PGR when I needed to so ended up scalping again. Then applied some 34-0-0 right before we were supposed to get rain but didn't so it burned every where. It's really looking bad in the front haha







The backyard is looking pretty good though.
The light brown/yellow spots are from spot spraying crabgrass and nutsedge.


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## Thor865

My front is the same from having to wait 5 days between cuts. Have to raise hoc or scalp down. Decisions decisions


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## Cory

@Thor865 it hurts to scalp, especially after I just did it last month but I didn't like the way it looked after I mowed it higher. And since everyone else's lawn in the neighborhood looks like crap mine fits in after I scalp it 😂 😂


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## Thor865

Cory said:


> @Thor865 it hurts to scalp, especially after I just did it last month but I didn't like the way it looked after I mowed it higher. And since everyone else's lawn in the neighborhood looks like crap mine fits in after I scalp it 😂 😂


Yeah I haven't decided what to do. I'm mowig today at .7 😩. If it looks fine like that with no scalp I may just leave it till spring. If not then scalp to .2 tomorrow


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## Cory

Looking pretty good after that last scalp and excessive dose of N. Cutting the front at 3/4" ish, haven't measured it. 






The backyard is really starting to look good! It's getting super thick in some spots, I believe from the T-Nex. I may not kill it off next year and plant something else after all. Cutting it at about 1" with the reel.


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## Cory

Needs a mow today and an app of t-nex. Looking pretty good though.


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## Jacob_S

Cory said:


>


That edge tho!


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## iFisch3224

Cory, what are your thoughts on Greentrx? It is cheaper, comparatively then Milo (under most circumstances) but I know you've used it, and of course I nominated you for LOTM, I HAD to ask! 

The nearest distributor is 29 miles away. I'm sure I can find more than a few things to make the trip worthwhile, but Ace down the street (5min) has Milo for $9.99/bag.

-Nick


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## Cory

@iFisch3224thanks, I appreciate that!

I have only used it once so don't have much of an opinion on how well it keeps the grass green. It seemed to do good, I couldn't tell the difference between it and my regular fert I use. The smell in my opinion is much more tolerable than milo and doesn't hang around long. I personally think it's a better option than milo because it has Ammonium Sulfate along with bio solids and also has potash. Even with Milo at $10 it's still probably 1/2 the cost per application and you get some potash. If you have a small lawn then cost may not be as big an issue but for my 20k it's $135 per app, I've never been able to find it less than $13, vs $50 for GreenTRX it's a no brainer. My last couple of fert apps this year is gonna be GreenTRX and it may be the only fert I use next year.


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## iFisch3224

You're welcome. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I'd like to switch to GreenTRX for my next app - how much are you putting down (# to N/1k) Are you putting it down at full rate, or modifying it for your lawn?

I went through every label, SDS, brochure - everything, couldn't really find any application rates at all - I BET they are on the bag, and I don't have a bag! lol :lol:

Yet!


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## Cory

@iFisch3224 I put It down at 1lbs N per 1k but that was end of June. September and if needed in October I will only put down 1/2lbs N per 1k, the Bermuda will start going dormant end of October early November here.

Here is a picture of the label. 

I would assume they don't put application rates on it because they probably figure if you are using their product then you probably already know how much you want to use :lol:


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## iFisch3224

Cory said:


> I would assume they don't put application rates on it because they probably figure if you are using their product then you probably already know how much you want to use :lol:


Thanks!

Yeah, the whole damn bag!! :thumbup: :nod: :lol: :lol: :lol:

(throw'er down!!)

And the weirdest thing is - Anuvia is about 10 miles from my house. Yet I have to go 3x that distance to pick up at a distributor. I left a message about local pickup.


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## Cory

The back yard is starting to really look good! Still some bare spots and don't mind those dead spots, that's what happenes when you use ortho weed be gone in the summer :nod:


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## Cory

Mowed it too. FYI it's really difficult to make straight stripes when the lawn is super bumpy.


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## iFisch3224

Gorgeous! :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> Mowed and aerated the backyard, 3rd time this year. And applied grub ex. Still looks really rough but after all the other thing I have bought this year there's not much left for the back so just have to wait it out.
> 
> Those are not stripes in the photo. Something is wrong with my rider and I can't figure it out. I think one of the blades is off balance but not sure. I have taken them off twice and sharpened them but still does that.


I have that same aerator...I got it from Tractor Supply and its a hit around my neighborhood! How often do you use it? Would you recommend twice a year? Lastly I read something the other day that said you should not do this on bermuda grass...Im so confused. Thanks and beautiful lawn!!


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## Cory

@ctrav I used it 4 times this year in my backyard. And twice on my front yard, spring and beginning of summer. I was gonna use it again in mid August on the front but couldn't find the time. Not sure why they would say not to use it on Bermuda, works great for me.


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> @ctrav I used it 4 times this year in my backyard. And twice on my front yard, spring and beginning of summer. I was gonna use it again in mid August on the front but couldn't find the time. Not sure why they would say not to use it on Bermuda, works great for me.


Thanks...I will continue to use it! from what I remember reading it promotes weeds...


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## Cory

Backlapped and mowed this morning.


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## JRS 9572

It's amazing how much better these reels work after backlapping. The clippings tell it all!

Are your neighbors on either side tired of you putting them to shame yet? The contrast is incredible.


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## Cory

@JRS 9572 one of them for sure hates it but he just can't seem to figure it out even though I've told him numerous times what to do.


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## iFisch3224

Typical. lol

You know HD has made videos on what a tape measure is, as well as how to use it? :lol:


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## ctrav

Guess I will have to look up "backlapping"... :?


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## Cory

Scalped the front again on the 25th, applied some 0-0-60 and GreenTRX. Looking pretty good after today's cut. Gonna have to really make sure to keep up with the PGR next year. 3 scalps in a year is too much, good thing it grows back quick :lol:







Also mowed the backyard today. Think I'm gonna go get some peat moss and spread it on the remaining bare spots, hopefully I can get them all filled in before it goes dormant. Also strapped 15lbs onto the front of the trimmer to help keep it straight. It's so bumpy back there it's really difficult to mow a straight line.


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> Scalped the front again on the 25th, applied some 0-0-60 and GreenTRX. Looking pretty good after today's cut. Gonna have to really make sure to keep up with the PGR next year. 3 scalps in a year is too much, good thing it grows back quick :lol:


Cory the pick of your yard being yellow and green is how my lawn has looked all summer! Im working on it now thanks to soil test and TLF guidance...just hope to get close to the green your lawn has sometime next year! Great job!


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## Cory

@ctrav thanks!

It looks like that when scalped. How offten are you mowing? I have to mow every other day no matter what. Can get 3 days between mows with PGR but really need to stick the every other days. What did your soil test say?


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> @ctrav thanks!
> 
> It looks like that when scalped. How offten are you mowing? I have to mow every other day no matter what. Can get 3 days between mows with PGR but really need to stick the every other days. What did your soil test say?


I mow 2 times a week. If I mow more than that my wife will most certainly loose it  she just doesn't get it... I have my lawn cut back to 2" but use to maintain at 3 to 3 1/2 before finding TLF.

Here is a link to my Soil Test page: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5506

I would be happy to share my plan for the rest of this year and next as any and all input is seriously appreciated!

Here is my Lawn Journal: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5639

Thanks so much!!!


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## Cory

Think I'm ready for some dormancy :lol:


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## Cory




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## ctrav

Cory said:


>


Nice...I hope to to get to 1.5" next year. Since you have a similar lawn as my yard may I ask...

Why does one half look like this...


And the other like this...


Any advice or suggestions is appreciated...


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## Cory

Not sure what's going on with yours but for me the ditch was the hardest to get the grass nice. It was heavily compacted (and still is) from the heavy equipment used to form it so any water it gets flows straight to the bottom of it. I have heavily aerated it and even used a bottle of dawn dish soap on it to get it to absorb water better.

Do you spread fertilizer in it when you do the rest of the yard? Kinda looks like you went around it


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> Not sure what's going on with yours but for me the ditch was the hardest to get the grass nice. It was heavily compacted (and still is) from the heavy equipment used to form it so any water it gets flows straight to the bottom of it. I have heavily aerated it and even used a bottle of dawn dish soap on it to get it to absorb water better.
> 
> Do you spread fertilizer in it when you do the rest of the yard? Kinda looks like you went around it


I do the entire yard exactly the same with fert. It almost seems like two different grasses. I will scalp and aerate this spring. I have considered the dish soap/baby shampoo as well but not sure if that really does anything ...


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## Cory

@ctrav I'm not sure it helped either but I haven't done anything there than that and manually aerate it so maybe it did. I have only used Air-8 and RGS on my back yard but because I also manually aerated I'm not sure those products have helped either.

Probably should have taken a more scientific approach to it all but hind sight is 20/20 I guess


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## ctrav

@Cory What did you use to manually aerate? How often have you aerated? I was going to do it with my tow behind but thought it best to wait until spring.


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## Reel Low Dad

I thought you were cutting shorter than you are until last night on LCN FB page.


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## Cory

Fistertondeluxe said:


> I thought you were cutting shorter than you are until last night on LCN FB page.


I was keeping it at 5/8" for most of the year. When I decided to use my reel on the backyard I had to adjust the roller to the top hole on my Cal Trimmer. Instead of changing it every time I mowed I just let the front get taller. The nut and bolt that hold the roller/wheels on the trimmer isn't the best quality, not really something that should be taken off every 2 days. Problem was that I didn't like it taller, I don't even like it at 1" but it will have to do for the rest of the year.



Mowing my backyard with the rider for the rest of the season. Think I finally got it adjusted to where it doesn't look too bad after being mowed. The trimmer isn't good for changing height front to back. Between the chain adjustment for the drum lift and being unbalanced at the heigest notches it's a pain to deal with. Really want to get a tru cut next year.


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## tcorbitt20

That's the main reason I went with a Trucut. I know I can't cut my back as low as the front, and the hand lever adjustment is simple. A 27" would probably save you a few hours over the course of a season.


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## Cory

It's easy to adjust on the trimmer too but the 1,2,6,and 7 are pretty useless, the holes may as well not even be there.


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## Cory




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## tcorbitt20

Can't imagine it looking much better. I wish I could get mine to stripe that well. What's the trick? Same path every time or what?


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## Cory

@tcorbitt20 it would look better if it were shorter :lol:

Im not really sure, sometimes they look great and sometimes they barely show at all. We got a ton of rain last night so that made everything soft, that probably helped. I typically go over the same lines since I can't really switch up my patter because of the ditch but every few of mows I go the opposite direction.


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## Cory

Not usually one for boasting but my post in the LCN group on Facebook has gotten 400 reactions. Crazy!


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## Zoysiaguy

Nice work cory


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## tcorbitt20

Not usually, but you'll make an exception this time. Haha. I'm still jealous of your yard, btw. It looks great!


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## Cory

Need to mow but Flo doesn't want to go


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## ctrav

I went just over a week before being able to cut. Grass was a little wet but not too bad and I was paranoid grass was going to be way to long since I normally cut twice a week. Turned out just fine but my lawn is no where near your beauty! BTW - what do you edge with??


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## Cory

@ctrav I have an Echo stick edger, PE-225


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## ctrav

Cory said:


> @ctrav I have an Echo stick edger, PE-225


Thanks...I have been using my Echo string trimmer but yours is cleaner. Looks like a XMAS list item


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## Cory

@ctrav got mine in the clearance section. Someone bought it and returned it, it was $80 off. But even at full price it's worth every penny.


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## adgattoni

Cory said:


> Need to mow but Flo doesn't want to go


That domination line!


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## LawnNeighborSam

Cory said:


> Getting some much needed rain.


Favs - great work @Cory


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## Cory

So after Florence gave my grass an STD that won't go away















And applying 200lbs of 5-0-31 with the anticipation of rain that didn't come









I give up.


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## Cory

Since it already F'ed I may as well seed what damage this will cause. 


I know I should use Perennial rye but green resource has been sold out and Lowe's had this $49 each when you buy 4. That's exactly how much I needed anyway so we'll see what happens.


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## Stellar P

:shock: 
Is all of that yellow dead/stressed spots? Is it burn from putting down the (5-0-3) w/o rain or the disease?
You need to get some samples of that black stuff and throw it into a petri dish to send off to some kind of lab. I think you and the other guy on the forum found a new kind of fungus.


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## Cory

@Stellar P the yellowing is from the 5-0-31. IT was supposed to rain that night but didn't. I really need to find a good liquid fert to use that's not crazy expensive

Pretty sure the black stuff is slime mold. I sprayed propiconazole but it didn't seem to do anything. It's gotten better but there is still some there. Apparently a product called Fore will kill it but I think I will just let it go since it will be going dormant soon anyway.


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## Iriasj2009

Cory said:


> Since it already F'ed I may as well seed what damage this will cause.
> 
> 
> I know I should use Perennial rye but green resource has been sold out and Lowe's had this $49 each when you buy 4. That's exactly how much I needed anyway so we'll see what happens.


Hey Cory, sorry about your lawn man. About the annual rye grass, I want to warn you, that 
Stuff grows fast and tends to be very wet. Curious to see how it turns out for you. :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@Iriasj2009 it's too late now, it's already down :lol: I stopped at green resource at 3 times to get perennial rye but they were out every time. So I figured I would try this out, if it's really bad I will just kill it off. Plus I don't think anyone here has used it so it should be an interesting experiment.


----------



## Iriasj2009

@Cory the main thing I didn't like about it was that it tends to stain the concrete (temporarily)and if you have periods of rain, you'll be cursing it lol. I hope it's not as bad as I'm describing it tho. I think you'll be able to manage it :bandit:


----------



## Cory

It's starting to get better, if it weren't for the fert burn it would probably look decent right right now. The neighbor scalped his yesterday so makes mine look better than it actually does :lol:


----------



## ctrav

On the road to recovery @Cory. Good to see that!


----------



## Cory

When I put the rye grass seed down the forecast showed low 80's and rain mid week, yesterday showed high 80's and no rain. I was afraid that I had just wasted $200 because I don't have irrigation and can't possibly water 20k sqft twice a day by hand.

Well this morning I walked out back, looked down at one of my bare spots, and guess what I saw! Some of it has sprouted! Maybe it will grow after all. Hopefully the heat later this week don't kill it.


----------



## N LA Hacker

Rye grass can grow on dozer tracks. Dont sweat it.


----------



## Cory

@N LA Hacker I'm really only worried about the heat killing what has started to sprout.


----------



## Cory

Starting to get some popping up in the front through the grass. Pulled one out of the crack between the driveway and grass


----------



## Cory

Haven't posted a picture of the backyard in a while


----------



## tcorbitt20

How's that rye grass coming along?


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> How's that rye grass coming along?


It's pretty ugly at the moment. It hasn't germinated evenly so some spots has grass popping up and others don't. What has germinateed has been growing about 1" a day. I'll try to get some better pictures later when the sun is out 




The backyard hasn't really germinated at all, just a few spots that get shade and spastically throughout the rest. Some of it that did sprout and was looking reaygood died from the heat and no rain. Looks like we are starting to get actual fall weather now it should get better over the next few days.


----------



## Cory

@tcorbitt20 Here's some mid day photos. The scalping was from mowing with my rider, wont do that again





Backyard looks great but It's tall, probably around 2.5-3". Couldn't keep up with the reel mowing every 2 days. Don't mind the leaves, Hurricane came through yesterday and haven't had a chance to clean it up yet


----------



## tcorbitt20

The back yard looks really good! I think I'd like to try overseeding one day, but I don't know if I can't handle 1" of growth per day.


----------



## Cory

@tcorbitt20 it's because it's annual rye, perennial rye doesn't grow as fast I don't think. I just couldn't find perennial anywhere that was in my budget. I needed 200lbs, best price I could find was $400 but was out of stock every time I checked. Found some for $800 but that's silly just to kill off in the spring.


----------



## Iriasj2009

Looking great! 
Annual ryegrass will dye off quick once temp are consistently above 85F which is a good thing for transition. Also, I bet your turf is so thick, which is why it is coming in unevenly. Hopefully with the cooler weather you will see more germination!


----------



## ttrain

@Cory I have been following your journal bc your yard caught my eye in some other post! Beautiful yard. I have a dumb question, when you put down the annual rye do you mow during winter?


----------



## Cory

@Iriasj2009 thanks! The front is super thick, fingers crossed. I put out some milo Wednesday, not sure if it will help but couldn't hurt I guess


----------



## Cory

@ttrain thanks! I'm not sure about mowing in the winter. This is my first time with it so not sure what's gonna happen. I would imagine when it's real cold it won't grow much but not sure


----------



## ttrain

@Cory cool man keep us updated. I'm rooting for your yard lol!


----------



## Cory

New toy to replace the crappy Poulan Pro


----------



## ctrav

Cory said:


> New toy to replace the crappy Poulan Pro


Nice toy and it's not even Xmas yet!!


----------



## TN Hawkeye

Cory said:


> @tcorbitt20 Here's some mid day photos. The scalping was from mowing with my rider, wont do that again
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Backyard looks great but It's tall, probably around 2.5-3". Couldn't keep up with the reel mowing every 2 days. Don't mind the leaves, Hurricane came through yesterday and haven't had a chance to clean it up yet


Man that backyard has really improved this season. Amazing how the barespots have filled in. Looking great.


----------



## Cory

Looking pretty rough! Lime green everywhere haha.


----------



## tcorbitt20

PRG next time?


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> PRG next time?


Probably won't be a next time if this doesn't turn out decent. PRG is too expensive for my entire lot just to kill off in the spring. I was willing to spend the $200 for green grass over the winter but $400-$500 isn't worth it. May as well just paint it at that cost.


----------



## Cory

The front is not looking too bad but the Bermuda hasn't went dormant yet. Probably look like crap when it does







Backyard looks like crap. Pretty sure a lot of it died after it germinated


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie

Can you reseed with more rye to fill in gaps? I've never overseeded in fall but plan to next year (or perhaps the following).


----------



## Cory

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Can you reseed with more rye to fill in gaps? I've never overseeded in fall but plan to next year (or perhaps the following).


I put some more out in the front last week but I dont think it will have time to establish before we get a hard freeze. There is just too much in the back to try and spread more. Also doesn't help that I don't have irrigation and haven't had time to keep it watered.


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie

Cory said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Can you reseed with more rye to fill in gaps? I've never overseeded in fall but plan to next year (or perhaps the following).
> 
> 
> 
> I put some more out in the front last week but I dont think it will have time to establish before we get a hard freeze. There is just too much in the back to try and spread more. Also doesn't help that I don't have irrigation and haven't had time to keep it watered.
Click to expand...

So there's a window when you put it down and then beyond that it won't work?


----------



## Cory

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Can you reseed with more rye to fill in gaps? I've never overseeded in fall but plan to next year (or perhaps the following).
> 
> 
> 
> I put some more out in the front last week but I dont think it will have time to establish before we get a hard freeze. There is just too much in the back to try and spread more. Also doesn't help that I don't have irrigation and haven't had time to keep it watered.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So there's a window when you put it down and then beyond that it won't work?
Click to expand...

From what I understand it needs to be put out at least 30 days from the first frost or when the spread from high and low temps are 20° different. If it hasn't established by the time a hard frost hits it can die. For us the recommended overseed time is the first of October.


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie

Cory said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> I put some more out in the front last week but I dont think it will have time to establish before we get a hard freeze. There is just too much in the back to try and spread more. Also doesn't help that I don't have irrigation and haven't had time to keep it watered.
> 
> 
> 
> So there's a window when you put it down and then beyond that it won't work?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> From what I understand it needs to be put out at least 30 days from the first frost or when the spread from high and low temps are 20° different. If it hasn't established by the time a hard frost hits it can die. For us the recommended overseed time is the first of October.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. My one neighbor with bermuda overseeded about two weeks ago but I didn't know if this was standard or not. The local sod farm is overseeding this next week so there must be a little wiggle room. I wasn't sure if you were supposed to wait until the whole thing goes dormant or not. I'll file this away for next year.


----------



## Cory

Y'all were right, Annual rye is nasty and doesn't look very good. One of the neighbors seems to like it though, said "At least it's green, better than brown". My wife agreed but I still think it looks like sh!t haha





Taking back the John Deere E180 today, it's definitely not worth the $2,800 price tag.

It leaves two strips of clumped grass clippings between the center blade and outside blades. The motor shuts off sometimes when when the pto is disengaged. Cruise control is crap, it's either too fast or too slow and when you set it it slows down a bit from the speed you wanted to set. Safety switch to back up is a pain in the *** unless you want to complete the current with a fuse or something, easy hack but still a stupid feature. Same deal with the safety switch in the seat, I tried mowing down into my ditch and just the slightest off seat pressure shuts the mower, again it's an easy hack but stupid feature.

It uses about 1 gallon of gas per hour so have to fill up before mowing and if I double cut to remove all the clumped up grass clippings it needs refilled before I'm finished, I can mow several times with my Poulan Pro before it needs gas. The quick change oil is a cool idea but $40 for an oil change is stupid, I don't even pay that for the oil and filter for my V8 truck. Mulch kit cost $300 and bagger cost almost $900, you could buy a new riding mower just for the cost of those two items.

There are a bunch of deck hight options but only 4 options for the outside scalp wheels and only one hole for the center scalp wheel. Not sure why they think you only need 4 holes when there something like 12 different deck hights. Since there is only one hole for the center deck scalp wheel, so if you go over any hump (like my ditch) between the outside wheel the center will scalp. Not sure why they think someone wouldn't want to adjust that one as well, it may as well not even be there.

Needless to say, it's not worth the $3,109.18 OTD cost. Oh, and it spits out smoke when you start it but apparently that's normal, my Poulan Pro has never spit out smoke.


----------



## tcorbitt20

But Doc says it's the best for Bermuda...

Your California Trimmer seems to do just fine.


----------



## Cory

Rye grass looks like crap but it's better than brown. My Bermuda still hasn't went completely dormant in the front. 








Completely smoked my riders transmission. If anyone is wondering, the transmission is a General Transmissions RS 800 and it's junk! Don't buy a mower with this transmission unless you like to tinker. The pedals stick because the main pully get debris stuck under it so you have to remove it and clean it out so it works properly again. The other day I I started to mow and it just stopped moving. Pushed it to the garage and took the main pully our to find it sheared itself in half. 






Ordered a new one but starting to wish I didn't return that JD :lol:

Got my Christmas lights up the other day too, guess it's been a while since I posted anything here :lol:


----------



## Cory

Spread some 34-0-0 the other day, had rain all weekend, looks pretty good today


----------



## Bunnysarefat

@Cory, are you worried about that black slime mold, or whatever it was, coming back in the spring? I can still see it in my dormant bermuda. I still haven't bothered to do a bunch more research on it. I am hoping it was just a fluke and it won't be a problem again. We had 3 months with record rainfall in 2018, 2 at the end of the growing season. I'm hoping that's all it was but it was widespread in my yard. Are you worried at all?


----------



## Cory

@Bunnysarefat I'm not sure if it's the slime mold or something else but I was mowing the other day and saw lots of brown circles under the ryegrass so I decided to scalp the rye. There was still quite a bit of green Bermuda under and lots of what looks to me like fungus damage. I plant to kill of the rye when it gets warm enough to spray herbicide on it. We have had a record amount of rain this year too plus it hasn't been really cold. I don't have a good picture of the spots but this was a day after I scalped the rye. You can see some of the Bermuda is dark brown and you can kinda see the circles 


The annual rye was looking pretty good though before I scalped it


----------



## Bunnysarefat

@Cory do you have a plan if it comes back next year? I'd hate to spend $200 on a fungicide to have it not work.


----------



## Cory

@Bunnysarefat I don't have a plan for it, it didn't seem to hurt the Bermuda it was just really ugly for a few weeks. I will definitely spray fungicide before a tropical storm or hurricane comes through again though. I bought and applied propiconazole to the slime mold but not sure that it helped or if it just went away on its own.


----------



## Cory

Today would have been a good day to spray the ryegrass but couldn't find the time. It's looking pretty rough. :nod: Still some random blades of Bermuda hanging in there too, that's pretty crazy.


----------



## Cory

Scalped the rye again today, hoping the rest of it dies off with the cold weather coming tonight. Never gonna use that crap again :lol:


----------



## cglarsen

Good to know, I was thinking I'd have to do it to keep some green next winter (why do women not appreciate a clean dormant bermuda??). Scratch that plan.


----------



## Powhatan

Cory said:


>


Dormant LOTM :thumbup:


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie

Cory said:


> Scalped the rye again today, hoping the rest of it dies off with the cold weather coming tonight. Never gonna use that crap again :lol:


Cory what would you say was the biggest negative with the rye? I was thinking about doing it next year.


----------



## Cory

@cglarsen I'll probably overseed this fall but I won't be using Annual rye. I like the green and I like to be outside mowing occasionally, if I don't overseed then there is nothing to do outside. My wife also likes the green so I don't have to talk her into spending money on it haha

@Powhatan :thumbup:

@Bermuda_Newbie It was Annual Rye so not being able to mow it low enough is pretty annoying since I hate tall grass. The biggest issue I have with it aside from it being ugly is the giant mess it makes. You have to mow it tall so it can't be reel mowed, have to mow it with a rotary mower. It clumps up under the deck clogging it then leaving chunks of grass clumps all over the place. When the clippings land on the concrete they stick to it and don't come off unless it's hosed off or until they dry up. Because the grass is so "wet" (not sure what else to call it) the tires smash juice out of the grass blades and leave stains on any hard surface, I have had to pressure wash my driveway 4 times since November.

I was warned by several guys here not to use it but I did it anyway, I should have listened :lol:


----------



## dtillman5

Cory said:


> The back yard is starting to really look good! Still some bare spots and don't mind those dead spots, that's what happenes when you use ortho weed be gone in the summer :nod:
> 
> 
> 
> Looking Amazing!


----------



## Cory

@dtillman5 thanks!


----------



## sanders4617

Awesome! I'll be taking advice from this thread to push my lawn this year! Can't wait.


----------



## Cory

@sanders4617 :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

Mowed again tonight at the lowest setting on my trimmer. Not sure I want to deal with verticutting or not, I may just let it go, it's pretty spongy though



Have some Bermuda starting to green. It's not a lot but it's there.


----------



## SGrabs33

It looks pretty thick. The dethatcher would really help with that. I used one for the first time last year and will be doing it again this year.


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 it is really thick. I bought one of those electric Sun Joe dethatcher/scarifier last year but used it on a small section and quit. It rips up a lot of grass so I was a bit hesitant. I've been debating if I want to deal with it and all the debris that come with it, times like these I envy those with small lawns :lol:


----------



## SGrabs33

Yeah, now is the time to use it if your going to! I used a friends last year later in the season and it does pull out quite a bit of grass. Thin it out now so you can go lowwww. Atleast your front yard. Big, small I'd take either as long as it was flatter than my current yard :lol:


----------



## tcorbitt20

Do this to an old blade on your riding mower and go to town on it. Might have to use longer bolts if the deck doesn't go low enough.


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 I'm already as low as the reel will go. I can't mow lower than 5/8" anyway because of the ditch

@tcorbitt20 that looks dangerous haha.


----------



## tcorbitt20

Cory said:


> @tcorbitt20 that looks dangerous haha.


Nah, worked great for me.


----------



## Cory

I'm getting anxious :lol:


----------



## Cory

Mowed today. Getting some nice green, ready for it to be completely full. 








The backyard is a bit behind


----------



## stepper

Getting there!


----------



## ctrav

Looking forward to seeing your lawn this year!

Question on your ditch in the front...do you have a French drain or drain of some sort at the bottom? Reason I ask is my neighborhood has these ditches in front of almost every home and we are having serious issues with water. Here are a few pics to show from 4 different homes...


----------



## Cory

@ctrav that's a mess! Looks like it wasn't graded right. I don't have anything special in mine

Our street is on a small hill so it drains really well and my house is at the crest of it. It does hold a little water in it because I'm at the the top but I think mostly because my neighbors on both sides grass it a lot taller in the ditch than mine.


----------



## Cory

@ctrav looking at it closer it looks like the pipes are too high. The water is getting trapped in the ditch instead of flowing out through the pipes. The pipes shouldn't be above grade. If your houses are new I would make the builder come back and fix it. Otherwise I would fill it with sand so the bottom of the ditch is at the same level as the pipes


----------



## N LA Hacker

Yep. Culverts are definitely set above grade. Doesn't help that it's probably extremely flat and most developers aren't going to hire a civil engineer to plan out their neighborhoods and then the problem of hiring a construction crew that can actually understand elevation plans is a whole other story.


----------



## ctrav

Thanks for the reply @Cory and @N LA Hacker...builders and developers of this complex are being difficult to say the least. We have an HOA meeting soon and I want to address the issue.

BTW - I knew there was an official name (culvert) but I couldn't think what it was at the time so my go to is Texas talk (ditch)


----------



## wessneroo

Cory said:


>


What kind of edging border do you have around those front beds?


----------



## Cory

@wessneroo it's a rubber border, we got them at BJ's a couple years ago. Here's a better picture


----------



## Cory

Looking pretty good this morning after some storms rolled through last night. If I hadn't aerated over the weekend it would really be looking good. Still greener than anyone else's aside from their weeds so I'll take it :lol:


----------



## hefegrass

looking good! i had rivers running through my yard yesterday evening from those storms


----------



## Cory

hefegrass said:


> looking good! i had rivers running through my yard yesterday evening from those storms


Thanks! It was pretty intense for a few minutes here, had a few trees go down in the area.


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> hefegrass said:
> 
> 
> 
> looking good! i had rivers running through my yard yesterday evening from those storms
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! It was pretty intense for a few minutes here, had a few trees go down in the area.
Click to expand...

Yeah, those storms were nasty for sure. We will see if we get anymore tonight. I've got clipping lines from the rain all over my yard.

What % of your green do you think is the Bermuda vs. Rye?


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 I sprayed the rye with Celsius in February, pretty much all of died except the places I missed. Shoulda used marker die  Maybe only 5% of its rye, just some strips you can see them in these photos. This was before it was all dead but the garker green lines is where I missed


----------



## SGrabs33

Ah, got ya. Looking good!


----------



## wessneroo

Cory said:


> @wessneroo it's a rubber border, we got them at BJ's a couple years ago. Here's a better picture


Thanks! Looks great.


----------



## sanders4617

Amazing how green your bermuda is with the fact that you live in North Carolina. More green than any of the bermuda around here. You got some secrets to share? lol


----------



## Cory

@sanders4617 no secrets, everything I've done is posted here. I scalped to the lowest my California Trimmer could go (3/8" I think) early befor any green up so that probably helps, I didn't dethatch though. The 5-0-31 at the end of the season probably helps, NC state recommends a high potassium fertilizer for the end of season so I did 200lbs of 5-0-31 on my entire lot late September. I follow their Bermuda grass calendar https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/bermudagrass-lawn-maintenance-calendar


----------



## Cory

Forgot the picture of the backyard. It's kinda yellow, not sure why. I think maybe just because it's common Bermuda


----------



## jjepeto

Looks good Cory! I wish mine was this green so soon. I sprayed glyphosate on winter weeds so get the whole thing brown and my neighbors have been asking lots of questions since theirs are all very green with weeds (for some reason they think that's good). I also had major low spots that I put topsoil in and dragged it all fairly smooth. I plan on showing people the photos of your backyard from early before it spread. I'm also going to follow closely your summer plan this year to get mine to fill in.


----------



## Cory

@jjepeto thanks! Keep feeding it and mow it often it will fill in.

Said I wasn't gonna reel mow the back this year but couldn't help myself :lol: 


Also took a screenshot from the security cameras this morning, early morning always looks nice!


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> Also took a screenshot from the security cameras this morning, early morning always looks nice!


Totally agree. It's looking great!


----------



## ctrav

Awesome @Cory...


----------



## LA Basshole03

What engine do you have on the California Trimmer?


----------



## Cory

LA Basshole03 said:


> What engine do you have on the California Trimmer?


The Honda gx120


----------



## Cory

Mowed the front yard last night at 1/2". The Trimmer doesn't do well at 1/2, the bedknife drags anywhere the grass it thick and it stops the mower completely on the crest of my ditch. I'm gonna have to keep it at 5/8". 
Still looking at all the dead spots, but considering that most lawns here are around 50% I cant complain too much. I think it's been too cold for the Bermuda to start sending out stolons.





The backyard is looking ok. Same deal, bermuda not really sending out stolons. I've been mowing it at 7/8" with the reel. I have 20 yards of sand coming next week to dump on it so that'll be fun.


----------



## SGrabs33

Everything is looking good! I can't remember if I've asked before. Where do you get your sand?


----------



## tcorbitt20

:thumbup:


----------



## jjepeto

Looking good Cory. Good luck moving that much sand! I hope you have some equipment so you don't have to move it by hand. Can't wait to see how the back looks after it gets the sand. How long does it take you to mow the back with the reel?


----------



## Cory

SGrabs33 said:


> Everything is looking good! I can't remember if I've asked before. Where do you get your sand?


I got it from a local landscape supply that has mulch and topsoil. But I won't get it from him again. It was $35 a yard last year but he charged me $40 this year plus $100 for delivery. Last year he told me if I wanted it delivered it was $85 but I picked it up by the truck load. It's my fault for not asking what the price was and just assuming but it would have been cheaper to buy it from Lowe's and the would have delivered it in 1 yard bags. Next time I'll go somewhere else.


----------



## Cory

jjepeto said:


> Looking good Cory. Good luck moving that much sand! I hope you have some equipment so you don't have to move it by hand. Can't wait to see how the back looks after it gets the sand. How long does it take you to mow the back with the reel?


I have a riding mower, a gorilla cart, landscaping rake, drag mat, and a shovel. It will be fun I'm sure.

Takes 45 minutes to mow with the reel, no trimming. I would rather mow it with my rider but it's so bumpy it scalps everywhere. I'm hoping that after leveling I will be able to get a decent cut with my rider. I would like to have a triplex but I don't want the cost associated with it.


----------



## SGrabs33

Wow @Cory you buy 20 yards and they can't give you free delivery. That's rough. Hope the project goes well. Looking forward to the pictures!


----------



## ctrav

Looking forward to seeing the results of this project! BTW- what do you use to edge the lawn with? Im considering the lawn scissors...


----------



## Cory

SGrabs33 said:


> Wow @Cory you buy 20 yards and they can't give you free delivery. That's rough. Hope the project goes well. Looking forward to the pictures!


Yeah, I though it would at least be the same price as last year considering the 1 yard bags at Lowe's is $36. There are plenty of other places around here to do business with so I'll go elsewhere. I'm also gonna need around 10 yards mulch eventually.



ctrav said:


> Looking forward to seeing the results of this project! BTW- what do you use to edge the lawn with? Im considering the lawn scissors...


I have an Echo SRM-225 string trimmer and and Echo PE-225 edger. I don't think the scissors will do good with all my fence post.


----------



## Cory

Got a new toy today :thumbup:


----------



## LA Basshole03

Nice. How low does she go?


----------



## Redtwin

Wow! That is awesome!


----------



## ctrav

Very nice @Cory!


----------



## Cory

@LA Basshole03 1". But I'm not sure it can really mow nicely that low.

@Redtwin @ctrav Thanks! It's pretty sweet!


----------



## Cory

Dethatched/scarified today to get ready for sand tomorrow. Pretty surprised how much grass came up even though I was already mowing at the lowest notch I can mow on my trimmer. Ended up with 8 bags of grass plus a bunch I just blew into the ditch and only did one pass on the big section. Guess the reel was just floating on top.


----------



## ctrav

Putting work :thumbup:


----------



## SGrabs33

Looks like that electric guy did a great job for you! Looking forward to seeing all the sand. You going to drag it with your new rig? Or would that get it too dirty :lol:


----------



## Cory

@ctrav :thumbup:

@SGrabs33 yeah it worked out pretty good. I've done the side a couple times but never used it on the big section. It already got pretty dusty, I mowed the back at 1" with it yesterday which kicked up a ton of dust then used it to blow most of the grass towards the ditch today. Already needs a bath :lol: But I won't use it to drag the sand around unless my poulan pro gives me problems. I took the deck off of it last week so it's much lighter now and feels a lot faster than the zero turn. May as well burn up the transmission in it instead of the new one :lol:


----------



## SGrabs33

Haha nice, I forgot you had another rider.


----------



## Cory

It has begun...


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> It has begun...


Looks like nice sand!

Great idea to do it on the hottest day of the year so far! I'm sure you planned that :lol:


----------



## Cory

:lol: @SGrabs33 I wanted to do it last week but he couldn't deliver it till this week. I should have just picked it up by the truck load last week, would have been a better week for it and a lot less shoveling. I won't have it delivered any more, it's much easier to shovel it out of the truck then off the ground. Plus I can drive the truck on the lawn where it needs to go instead of using the dump cart.


----------



## jjepeto

Oh yeah, I've been waiting to see this go down. Hopefully you get it before the weekend rain! What are you dragging it with, drag mat?


----------



## ctrav

Lets go Cory...that sand aint gonna spread itself :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Cory

@jjepeto yeah just the drag mat. I folded it in half the help the front have a little more weight to push the sand.

@ctrav I did about 1/3-/12 of the first 10 yards, I'm freaking exhausted but the front is done.


----------



## Alex_18

I am amazed at your ability to keep the front yard basically weed free. Maybe I missed it in the past 10 pages &#129315; but what do you use to combat weeds? I've only seen you mention sedge hammer by name in your OP


----------



## Cory

@Alex I use Prodiamine, I applied it February 7 with Celsius to kill the annual ryegrass I seeded.


----------



## Alex_18

But what do you do throughout the year to keep them at bay? Surely that one app of prodiamine doesnt knock down every single weed in your lawn for the entire year right?


----------



## Cory

@Alex_18 I didn't do anything other than Prodiamine until late August when it wore off and crabgrass started to grow in the backyard. The front has been mostly weed free since my first application February 2018 aside from Nutsedge. I had a few poa plants this year in the front but I think that was in the bag with the annual ryegrass.


----------



## Alex_18

@Cory Wow. Pretty impressive. What prodiamine product are you using? Im in the process of a renovation from SA to P77. Ive always admired your lawn from the LCN FB Page. I know i wont be able to get mine as good as yours this year, maybe ever, but hopefully spring of 2020 i can start taking steps in that direction. Keep up the good work man


----------



## Cory

@Alex_18 thanks! I use Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG


----------



## Cory

Didn't want to rake out all the piles of sand so this is what I came up with. A pallet turned sideways with another board nailed to it and my drag mat screwed to the top


It's working out pretty well! 


The pile doesn't seem to be getting much smaller even though I've been at it for around 3 hrs :lol:


----------



## ctrav

Cory said:


> Didn't want to rake out all the piles of sand so this is what I came up with. A pallet turned sideways with another board nailed to it and my drag mat screwed to the top
> 
> 
> It's working out pretty well!
> 
> 
> The pile doesn't seem to be getting much smaller even though I've been at it for around 3 hrs :lol:


Nice rig up! Are you juts dragging in one direction or something like north/south the east west? Just curious...
Looking forward to final pics of your hard work :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@ctrav I've been making two rows of piles then doing a figure 8 pattern around them till they are knocked down then dragging from the house to the back fence. Since my drain field runs the same direction that seems to be filling the holes the best. The sand is really wet so I'm just trying to get it spread out well enough it can dry then I'll go back over all of it without the pallet to smooth it out the best


----------



## ctrav

A most excellent plan Cory! Your posts on this will have me ready for my next sanding job for sure. Im going to come up with a drag mat plan that I can make or I will just bite the bullet and buy one...

Once again great job buddy...


----------



## Cory

Finally! 
 


It's not perfect but it's 965.25 times better :thumbup:


----------



## jjepeto

Way to go! Looks good!


----------



## ctrav

Great job Cory :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

1 week update.


----------



## ctrav

Nice recovery after a week! :thumbup:


----------



## Brackin4au

Any specific fert or method to get that much recovery that quick?


----------



## Cory

@Brackin4au I haven't done anything special. March 19th I applied 34-0-0 and 0-0-60, April 6th I aerated, April 12th I applied 34-0-0. The day before I put the sand down I dethached and scalped.

That's all I've done this year aside from Prodiamine in February and my monthly insect treatments.


----------



## Brackin4au

Cory said:


> @Brackin4au I haven't done anything special. March 19th I applied 34-0-0 and 0-0-60, April 6th I aerated, April 12th I applied 34-0-0. The day before I put the sand down I dethached and scalped.
> 
> That's all I've done this year aside from Prodiamine in February and my monthly insect treatments.


 :thumbup: hoping to try my first sand project this year...


----------



## Cory

Tore into the poulan pro last night. This is the 2 year old belt that General Transmission says it's "lifetime never needs replaced" 


It snapped while I was driving the mower back to the garage within 5' of moving it. Had to push it 200' or so the rest of the way. :roll:


----------



## Cory

The ditch still needs to fill in and the dead spots from winter but overall it's not looking too bad. There's a few dry spots because we haven't had rain in 2 weeks or so and Seed heads everywhere making it ugly. Currently mowing at 5/8" but think I'm gonna go to 3/4", that's where it has the best color I think.


----------



## ctrav

Nicely done Cory...


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory

Lawn looks great!

Quick question I just got my California trimmer and I'm in the middle of total lawn Reno so I haven't had chance to use it but once on the old lawn.

When adjusting the HOC with the manual lever are all cal trimmer the same HOC using same HOC holes on the trimmer.

Hopefully I'm making sense but when you cut at say .5 inches or 1 inch. Which hole are you using on your trimmer?


----------



## SGrabs33

ENC_Lawn said:


> When adjusting the HOC with the manual lever are all cal trimmer the same HOC using same HOC holes on the trimmer.


Should be the same.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@SGrabs33

Thanks!


----------



## CenlaLowell

What's up with your neighbors lawn? Looks like they could use some help, lol


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory
> 
> Lawn looks great!
> 
> Quick question I just got my California trimmer and I'm in the middle of total lawn Reno so I haven't had chance to use it but once on the old lawn.
> 
> When adjusting the HOC with the manual lever are all cal trimmer the same HOC using same HOC holes on the trimmer.
> 
> Hopefully I'm making sense but when you cut at say .5 inches or 1 inch. Which hole are you using on your trimmer?


Thanks!

The measurements on that chart are based on having the caster wheels on the mower instead of the roller. If you have the roller on it's gonna change drastically from those measurements because the wheels are a much larger diameter than the roller. I have my roller installed in the top hole, the usable measurements I get are 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 7/8". I can't go lower than 1/2" because the bedknife drags on the ground. I don't have a fancy HOC measuring tool, i use my floor jack to prop the mower up and I just use a straight edge and a tape measure so my measurements aren't super accurate.


----------



## Cory

CenlaLowell said:


> What's up with your neighbors lawn? Looks like they could use some help, lol


The builder didn't install irrigation in our houses, we are going on 3 weeks or more with no rain. Also they have 2 dogs that stay outside, that area is their bathroom. So that's what happens when you have no rain, too much dog pee, no irrigation, and don't give a damn :lol:


----------



## joerob2211

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory
> 
> Lawn looks great!
> 
> Quick question I just got my California trimmer and I'm in the middle of total lawn Reno so I haven't had chance to use it but once on the old lawn.
> 
> When adjusting the HOC with the manual lever are all cal trimmer the same HOC using same HOC holes on the trimmer.
> 
> Hopefully I'm making sense but when you cut at say .5 inches or 1 inch. Which hole are you using on your trimmer?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> The measurements on that chart are based on having the caster wheels on the mower instead of the roller. If you have the roller on it's gonna change drastically from those measurements because the wheels are a much larger diameter than the roller. I have my roller installed in the top hole, the usable measurements I get are 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 7/8". I can't go lower than 1/2" because the bedknife drags on the ground. I don't have a fancy HOC measuring tool, i use my floor jack to prop the mower up and I just use a straight edge and a tape measure so my measurements aren't super accurate.
Click to expand...

I recently purchased a Cal Trimmer with the roller. I have it in the middle hole and I was thinking the whole time this looks alot shorter than 1". Good to know the difference.


----------



## Cory

ctrav said:


> Nicely done Cory...


Thanks!

@joerob2211 yeah, the roller changes everything. And the newer mowers look like they have a different roller than what mine came with. All the new ones I see are shiny and the brackets are painted green. Mine was never shiny and the brackets are black. Here's a photo of it new still on the pallet


----------



## SGrabs33

The rollers are the same size. Just a different coating on the parts.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

I have the roller as well...I think its in the middle hole as well...but will have to double check.


----------



## SGrabs33

Hope you got the rain that we did today!


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 it sprinkled for maybe 5 minutes. Did you get a lot?


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> SGrabs33 it sprinkled for maybe 5 minutes. Did you get a lot?


Yeah, we got fairly steady rain for about an hour or so.


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 that's about right. Same deal last year, JOCO was in a severe drought but your area kept getting rain. Most of the corn fields out here ended up dying last year and the tobacco was really week then destroyed by Florence.


----------



## jstephens

Been following for a while but am just now getting registered to comment! How's the back yard looking this year? I have a similar reno going in my back yard with a lot of bare spots just curious as to how yours is filling in


----------



## Cory

jstephens said:


> Been following for a while but am just now getting registered to comment! How's the back yard looking this year? I have a similar reno going in my back yard with a lot of bare spots just curious as to how yours is filling in


It hasn't been warm enough for it to really start spreading yet here. Plus we are over 3 weeks without rain now I think. I've only watered it once, it gets expensive real quick to keep it watered so I'm just keeping it alive at this point. It doesn't look too bad though, this photo was from this morning.


----------



## jstephens

Looks good thanks for the reply. We could definitely use some rain also!


----------



## Cory

jstephens said:


> Looks good thanks for the reply. We could definitely use some rain also!


Thanks, No problem! Welcome to the forum!


----------



## Cory

Some updated pictures. Front is mowed at 3/4", back at 1.5". I figured out the dry spots is actually from the sun reflecting off the windows onto the ground in those areas. Not really sure what to do about that other than give those areas more water. Still haven't had any rain so I'm surprised at how well it still looks


----------



## socerplaye

Lawn goals! Looks great, Cory!


----------



## ctrav

Always rocken the lawn Cory!!


----------



## Cory

@socerplaye @ctrav Thanks! 👍🏼


----------



## reidgarner

Cory said:


> I figured out the dry spots is actually from the sun reflecting off the windows onto the ground in those areas. Not really sure what to do about that other than give those areas more water. Still haven't had any rain so I'm surprised at how well it still looks


I have the same issue in one spot. I have a frosted glass window in our master bath and the sun reflects off of it onto the grass hot enough to burn an ant. Leaves a dead streak about 2' long and 6" wide in my zoysia on the side. No matter how much I water it doesn't make a difference. I think it's the heat and not the light.


----------



## hefegrass

how much have you been watering lately with this weather?


----------



## Cory

hefegrass said:


> how much have you been watering lately with this weather?


Once a week on Saturday. I don't have irrigation so I have to move sprinklers around in the front, takes about 5 hrs or so. I have traveling tractors for the back, they take forever to water the whole yard but they work well.


----------



## Cory

reidgarner said:


> I think it's the heat and not the light.


Yeah, those spots get pretty hot. When I noticed the reflection on the grass I stood there with bare feet to see if that was the problem, gets hot reel quick haha.


----------



## BlackOut

I read the entire thread yesterday. Job well done seeing where you started, especially w/o irrigation. I am sure irrigation has to be on the top of you list to do. My last house had a smaller yard than yours w/o irrigation and I hated the chore of watering. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Cory

BlackOut said:


> I read the entire thread yesterday. Job well done seeing where you started, especially w/o irrigation. I am sure irrigation has to be on the top of you list to do. My last house had a smaller yard than yours w/o irrigation and I hated the chore of watering. Keep up the good work.


Thanks! I would like to get a well dug and have irrigation run off that, buying water from the county gets pretty pricey. Not sure it will ever happen though. I've been contemplating just letting the backyard go dormant, This months water bill between irrigation and keeping the pool full is gonna be crazy I'm sure.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> Some updated pictures. Front is mowed at 3/4", back at 1.5". I figured out the dry spots is actually from the sun reflecting off the windows onto the ground in those areas. Not really sure what to do about that other than give those areas more water. Still haven't had any rain so I'm surprised at how well it still looks


There a lot of fancy, expensive awesome cultivars of Bermuda as well as Zoysia.

But its hard to beat the look of your 419.

I honestly don't know that I have ever seen a greener looking lawn!

Im going to guess you have clay soil?


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> Some updated pictures. Front is mowed at 3/4", back at 1.5". I figured out the dry spots is actually from the sun reflecting off the windows onto the ground in those areas. Not really sure what to do about that other than give those areas more water. Still haven't had any rain so I'm surprised at how well it still looks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There a lot of fancy, expensive awesome cultivars of Bermuda as well as Zoysia.
> 
> But its hard to beat the look of your 419.
> 
> I honestly don't know that I have ever seen a greener looking lawn!
> 
> Im going to guess you have clay soil?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I only think it's because I'm mowing higher than others with 419 here. When I was mowing it lower the color wasn't as deep green. When you look at a golf course the greens are no where near as deep green as the rough, my yard is the rough 😂

I have sandy/loam clay soil, a little of everything haha. Our neighborhood was a farm field for decades, mostly tobacco or cotton was grown here. I'm pretty sure it was sandy/loam forever but the builder brought it a ton of clay fill dirt. This photo of some plugs are from a few different areas of my front yard, the top white layer is the sand from leveling last year.


----------



## dslab

@Cory your lawn looks fantastic! I have checked on your lawn journal every so often over the past year, well-done sir! I have about 18,000 st of Bermuda now, so I'm in similar situations as yourself.

My question is about your pool's solar cover reel! I have an above ground pool just like yours and I have trying to figure out what I should do in regards to getting a reel for the solar cover. What reel did you buy? Or did you custom make the reel? I see the post look like just 4" x 4"s. Any other advice, or a close-up shot of that?


----------



## adgattoni

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> Some updated pictures. Front is mowed at 3/4", back at 1.5". I figured out the dry spots is actually from the sun reflecting off the windows onto the ground in those areas. Not really sure what to do about that other than give those areas more water. Still haven't had any rain so I'm surprised at how well it still looks
> 
> 
> 
> There a lot of fancy, expensive awesome cultivars of Bermuda as well as Zoysia.
> 
> But its hard to beat the look of your 419.
> 
> I honestly don't know that I have ever seen a greener looking lawn!
> 
> Im going to guess you have clay soil?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks! I only think it's because I'm mowing higher than others with 419 here. When I was mowing it lower the color wasn't as deep green. When you look at a golf course the greens are no where near as deep green as the rough, my yard is the rough 😂
> 
> I have sandy/loam clay soil, a little of everything haha. Our neighborhood was a farm field for decades, mostly tobacco or cotton was grown here. I'm pretty sure it was sandy/loam forever but the builder brought it a ton of clay fill dirt. This photo of some plugs are from a few different areas of my front yard, the top white layer is the sand from leveling last year.
Click to expand...

That is a very interesting soil profile. Well draining sand/loam just underneath a topcoat of water retaining clay. Punch a bunch of holes through the clay via aeration, fill them with sand, and voila, a well-draining lawn covered by a water retentive blanket on top.


----------



## Cory

dslab said:


> @Cory your lawn looks fantastic! I have checked on your lawn journal every so often over the past year, well-done sir! I have about 18,000 st of Bermuda now, so I'm in similar situations as yourself.
> 
> My question is about your pool's solar cover reel! I have an above ground pool just like yours and I have trying to figure out what I should do in regards to getting a reel for the solar cover. What reel did you buy? Or did you custom make the reel? I see the post look like just 4" x 4"s. Any other advice, or a close-up shot of that?


Thanks! Still a work in progress, Mother Nature hasn't been much help this year so far.

The reel is from Doheny here's the link https://www.doheny.com/doheny-deluxe-above-ground-solar-pool-cover-reel-system-18-ft it comes with all the parts to assemble it. Its supposed to be mounted to the rail of the pool then you can swing it away when the cover is off. But that would mean I would need a 4x4 in the middle of the yard 18' away from the pool, it would have looked stupid haha. I stuck two 4x4's in the ground, screwed a scrap piece of decking to the top of it and mounted it to that. It helps to have two people roll and unroll it but I can manage by myself just have to walk from one side to the other a few times. Works great, wish we would have did it from the beginning.


----------



## dslab

Cory said:


> dslab said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory your lawn looks fantastic! I have checked on your lawn journal every so often over the past year, well-done sir! I have about 18,000 st of Bermuda now, so I'm in similar situations as yourself.
> 
> My question is about your pool's solar cover reel! I have an above ground pool just like yours and I have trying to figure out what I should do in regards to getting a reel for the solar cover. What reel did you buy? Or did you custom make the reel? I see the post look like just 4" x 4"s. Any other advice, or a close-up shot of that?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Still a work in progress, Mother Nature hasn't been much help this year so far.
> 
> The reel is from Doheny here's the link https://www.doheny.com/doheny-deluxe-above-ground-solar-pool-cover-reel-system-18-ft it comes with all the parts to assemble it. Its supposed to be mounted to the rail of the pool then you can swing it away when the cover is off. But that would mean I would need a 4x4 in the middle of the yard 18' away from the pool, it would have looked stupid haha. I stuck two 4x4's in the ground, screwed a scrap piece of decking to the top of it and mounted it to that. It helps to have two people roll and unroll it but I can manage by myself just have to walk from one side to the other a few times. Works great, wish we would have did it from the beginning.
Click to expand...

Cory, thank you so much for taking some time to snap some pictures for me, this is extremely helpful! Hmm, I see what you saying regarding the "swing design" they have. Looks like I'm getting a solar cover reel!!! Thanks.


----------



## Cory

@dslab no problem!


----------



## claydus

Love the yard! Curious if the drainage ditch modifications have been brought up in the thread... could you install of culvert of some type?


----------



## Cory

claydus said:


> Love the yard! Curious if the drainage ditch modifications have been brought up in the thread... could you install of culvert of some type?


Thanks! Sorry I didn't answer sooner, saw the question but couldn't answer then forgot.

I would have to get approval from the HOA, the county, and the DOT, I'm pretty sure one of them would not approve it.


----------



## claydus

Cory said:


> claydus said:
> 
> 
> 
> Love the yard! Curious if the drainage ditch modifications have been brought up in the thread... could you install of culvert of some type?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! Sorry I didn't answer sooner, saw the question but couldn't answer then forgot.
> 
> I would have to get approval from the HOA, the county, and the DOT, I'm pretty sure one of them would not approve it.
Click to expand...

Oh wow! Looks great as is then! :mrgreen:


----------



## Cory

Traded @SGrabs33 my California Trimmer for a Toro 1600. Mowing the front at 3/4" and scalped the back to 3/5". Probably still gonna rotary mow the back though.


----------



## ctrav

Cory said:


> Traded @SGrabs33 my California Trimmer for a Toro 1600. Mowing the front at 3/4" and scalped the back to 3/5". Probably still gonna rotary mow the back though.


Looks like a sweet trade as the 1600 is super clean! Plus no transport wheel rods sticking out👍🏾


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> Traded SGrabs33 my California Trimmer for a Toro 1600. Mowing the front at 3/4" and scalped the back to 3/5". Probably still gonna rotary mow the back though.


You said there was a week return policy if I changed my mind, right?

Ha, it looks better in your yard than it does sitting in my garage. I knew you had been searching for a while and I'm sure I can find a great home for your Trimmer :thumbup:

I see you already got the transport axels off. Any problem doing that?


----------



## tcorbitt20

Nice :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@ctrav I had to remove them. With them on I had to mow way to far away from a lot of stuff.

@SGrabs33 😂no take backs😂 I had to cut the axles off. I tried to unscrew them but they wouldn't budge. Like a lot of other stuff on it they were pretty rusty. I did a quick paint job on all the black parts, pounded the kick stand a little straighter and painted it too. 


I may actually keep the back mowed with it for a little while, can't make up my mind 😂


----------



## SGrabs33

The paint job looks great. Come back and do my GM1k. What paint did you use?


----------



## Cory

SGrabs33 said:


> The paint job looks great. Come back and do my GM1k. What paint did you use?




Probably should have used something else but I already has it. It was a spur of the moment deal I was thinking about while I was chopping off the axles


----------



## ctrav

What did you use to cut them off? Im so tempted to do so because they are a serious pain...


----------



## Cory

ctrav said:


> What did you use to cut them off? Im so tempted to do so because they are a serious pain...


Grinder with a cutoff wheel. The are supposed to unscrew but I couldn't get them to budge. There's a spot on the inner axle next to the drum to put a wrench


----------



## ctrav

Cory said:


> ctrav said:
> 
> 
> 
> What did you use to cut them off? Im so tempted to do so because they are a serious pain...
> 
> 
> 
> Grinder with a cutoff wheel. The are supposed to unscrew but I couldn't get them to budge. There's a spot on the inner axle next to the drum to put a wrench
Click to expand...

Thanks...


----------



## JDM83

nice to see you got a greensmaster, welcome to the toro club. i also am noticing i have to cut far away from obstacles due to the transport axles sticking out. ive seen they can be a pain in the *** to remove so i havent removed mine yet, my other big hold up is how do you get it from the garage to the lawn without tearing up the drums?


----------



## ctrav

JDM83 said:


> nice to see you got a greensmaster, welcome to the toro club. i also am noticing i have to cut far away from obstacles due to the transport axles sticking out. ive seen they can be a pain in the @ss to remove so i havent removed mine yet, my other big hold up is how do you get it from the garage to the lawn without tearing up the drums?


I want to remove the rods as well and I just start mine up and roll from garage to the lawn which is less than 50' so I don't think its hurting anything...


----------



## Cory

JDM83 said:


> nice to see you got a greensmaster, welcome to the toro club. i also am noticing i have to cut far away from obstacles due to the transport axles sticking out. ive seen they can be a pain in the @ss to remove so i havent removed mine yet, my other big hold up is how do you get it from the garage to the lawn without tearing up the drums?


They didn't want to unscrew for me but my grinder and cutoff wheel had no problems :lol: There was a post about rolling it on concrete the other day here https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=170776#p170776

@J_nick and @Mightyquinn's answers was all the convincing I needed.


----------



## JDM83

@Cory thanks for the link. good info, mine may be coming off soon after that read through.


----------



## Redtwin

I tried to unscrew mine but it broke off. I haven't worked up the nerve to try the other side. I have just been mowing close to obstacles passing on the right side. I will probably work on the other side this weekend. It can't be any worse than cutting them off. They have to go though, one way or another.


----------



## Cory

Redtwin said:


> I tried to unscrew mine but it broke off. I haven't worked up the nerve to try the other side. I have just been mowing close to obstacles passing on the right side. I will probably work on the other side this weekend. It can't be any worse than cutting them off. They have to go though, one way or another.


Yeah, not being able to mow close the the wall, fence and mulch bed borders is something I really don't like about the greens mower vs the California Trimmer. But not having tire tracks in the stripes makes up for it :lol:


----------



## todthames

Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.


----------



## Cory

todthames said:


> Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.


I live next to the Archer Lodge fire station in the Heritage neighborhood. Not sure why you can't see the pictures, maybe try from a decent device. I commented on your original post but I don't know anything about McLane, the California Trimmer I had had no issues in my ditch. I don't have it anymore or I would let you try it out but I'm sure @SGrabs33 would like to sell it to you


----------



## Cory

Some current photos. It's getting there, a lot slower than I would like, had to apply T-nex a few days ago because all of the rain we had been getting. Mowing the front at 0.70" and have been mowing the back at 1".


----------



## tcorbitt20

Looking good!


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> Looking good!


Thanks!


----------



## smurg

todthames said:


> Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.


I think it's more of a home-owner brand versus greens mower thing. The 3 main brands: Tru-cut, Cal Trimmer, and McLane use back rubber tires that grip better and sustain hills horizontally. Greens mowers are meant for greens and use a smooth drum instead of back tires so you can't burn-out on a green and they distribute the pressure more evenly. Since greens mowers usually heavier, they tend to slide on steep slopes.


----------



## Cory

smurg said:


> todthames said:
> 
> 
> 
> Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.
> 
> 
> 
> I think it's more of a home-owner brand versus greens mower thing. The 3 main brands: Tru-cut, Cal Trimmer, and McLane use back rubber tires that grip better and sustain hills horizontally. Greens mowers are meant for greens and use a smooth drum instead of back tires so you can't burn-out on a green and distribute the pressure. Since they're usually heavier as well, they tend to slide on steep slopes.
Click to expand...

Reel mowers in Europe and Australia are made with solid drums, some even have rubber treaded drums. Not sure why the American companies decided to put tires on their mowers instead of full drums, my guess would be because of cost. But it's annoying to me to see the tire tracks in the stripes.


----------



## smurg

Cory said:


> smurg said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> todthames said:
> 
> 
> 
> Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.
> 
> 
> 
> I think it's more of a home-owner brand versus greens mower thing. The 3 main brands: Tru-cut, Cal Trimmer, and McLane use back rubber tires that grip better and sustain hills horizontally. Greens mowers are meant for greens and use a smooth drum instead of back tires so you can't burn-out on a green and distribute the pressure. Since they're usually heavier as well, they tend to slide on steep slopes.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Reel mowers in Europe and Australia are made with solid drums, some even have rubber treaded drums. Not sure why the American companies decided to put tires on their mowers instead of full drums, my guess would be because of cost. But it's annoying to me to see the tire tracks in the stripes.
Click to expand...

I was intrigued when Swardman coated a drum for one of our members. If I remember right, it ended up peeling off since they didn't have experience in doing that process, but that sounds like a perfect solution to me. You get the better weight distribution and traction for hills.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Have you done any sanding ,landscaping....etc...to your ditch?

Take a look at my lawn journal and your ditch looks very similar to my ditch...except your ditch bank looks way smoother?

Just curious...since getting a ditch bank to be smooth with the constant erosion issues...is a challenge.


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawnthe sod was laid by the builder, all I've done is lots of sand. The first page has last years leveling job. This year I didn't put as much on it. I haven't had to deal with any erosion.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawnthe sod was laid by the builder, all I've done is lots of sand. The first page has last years leveling job. This year I didn't put as much on it. I haven't had to deal with any erosion.


 :thumbup:


----------



## mrbradg

Looks good man. Been following.


----------



## Cory

mrbradg said:


> Looks good man. Been following.


Thanks!


----------



## Cory

Got the front down to 0.50", looks pretty good except for the seed heads and the scalp marks on the ditch from trying to mow it with the rotary.





Mowing the backyard at 1.5". It still has a lot of filling in to do but we haven't had much rain so far this season so guess it's gonna be a slow ride.


----------



## ctrav

Every time I see your lawn and how good it looks with the challenges of the ditch I am always amazed at how good it looks on a consistent basis. This fact alone gets my vote for LOM! Keep up the good work buddy...


----------



## Cory

Thanks @ctrav! It's so frustrating dealing with it. It's definitely made me think about giving up on multiple occasions so it's nice when people complement it.


----------



## Colonel K0rn

Lawn looks great Cory. I was intrigued by your solar cover, as someone mentioned earlier in the thread. I got a really nice cover last season after fighting with the POS cover (which came with the pool)and pillows that didn't work and wound up one one side and bunched up, I tossed it. I wound up buying anEliminator Xtreme Cover. After installing this, it was a snap and kept all of the debris out of the pool, so all I had to do was vacuum up all of the pollen that was stuck and clumped together (can't avoid that crap). I would love to have some sort of roller to put that cover on. That would be sweet.


----------



## Cory

@Colonel K0rn the reel for the solar cover is awesome! My only regret is not buying it sooner. The end wheels and pole comes of the base easily without doing anything to it. You could buy two of the reels, one for your solar cover and one for your winter cover and just keep them rolled up on the reel when not in use. I didnt cover our pool last winter. We don't have any trees around the pool so not much stuff ends up in the pool that the robot can't clean once a week. But the reel will make for easy storage of the solar cover this winter.


----------



## The_iHenry

Awesome job. Beautiful carpet.


----------



## JTCJC

Cory said:


> @ryeguy I do t have a system so have to drag hoses around. I have a few different things I use.
> 
> I have tractors for the back. Used them a couple of times and pretty happy with them. They are just super slow and can only drive on areas with grass, no bare spots.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And I made a few with pop up gear drive sprinkler heads.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A a couple with regular full circle adjustable heads. I like these better when it's windy because the gear drives put out too much mist. The only problem is I have to move them more because they only spray maybe 10' circle for each head but they put out a lot of water. The gear drives cover 50' and need to stay in one spot for a while in order to put enough water down .


Great looking lawn and great posts! After seeing your post I am not so scared to put so much nitrogen down. I don't have in-ground irrigation either.

Question about the pop up sprinklers you made as I was looking to make some as well. I am assuming all of the white PVC is filled with water for weight. Correct? Also did you find any reason for using this much tubing (increased flow to second head, better head pressure) to make the stand or is it for stability? Lastly it appears to be 3/4" PVC or please correct me.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Austinite

Do you have any footage of you cutting that slope? Curious what that looks like. Im having a hard time with mine especially since there is a dang tree right where it slopes.


----------



## Cory

@JTCJC Thanks! Yes, the pipe is 3/4" and the base is for weight, without it the force of the spray will push it over. I can't run two of them from one hose, I have them setup to run from both house hoses bibs in that photo. I don't use them anymore though, it's always too windy when I water and blows too much mist away. I'm currently using the fan type Melnor from Walmart, they work pretty good. 

@Austinite I don't have any footage, maybe could take a clip from my security cameras though.


----------



## JTCJC

@Cory Have you tried MP Rotators by Hunter? I had them as my in-ground irrigation from my previous home and they held up well in wind. This is what I was thinking about doing with your PVC design.


----------



## Cory

@JTCJC I haven't tried them. I bought these because one of the neighbors down the street had one, it covered most of his front yard so I thought I'd give them a shot. The two of them cover the whole big section without having to move them they just have to run longer.


----------



## Cory

Watering today. Decided to pull out The rotary sprinklers since 
@JTCJC mentioned them. I put them on metal impact sprinkler bases.


----------



## JTCJC

Looking awesome!


----------



## SNOWBOB11

Wow. That lawn looks amazing.


----------



## Cory

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Wow. That lawn looks amazing.


Thanks!


----------



## tcorbitt20

It's about time! Congratulations on LOTM!


----------



## ctrav

Congrats on a well deserved win! Keep up the hard work buddy...&#128077;&#127998;


----------



## JTCJC

Nice! Congrats on you awesome lawn. Well deserved!


----------



## Cory

@tcorbitt20 thanks! Wasn't sure it was ever gonna happen.

@ctrav @JTCJC Thanks y'all!


----------



## Cory

Looking good. Just wish I could figure out a way to make the bottom of the ditch nice.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory

Looks great!

It seems you have found the nice ballance of deep green color and the "tight fairway golf course look"....without going too low in HOC?


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Are you cutting every 2 days...or 3 days with PGR?


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn thanks! I'm kinda surprised it looks as good as it does at 1/2". I've only done one app of T-Nex this year so far. I was mowing every 2 days but I was dropping the hight 0.10 for a few mows when I got the Toro. I went about 7 days or so between 0.40" and 0.50". My last mow before today was 4 days ago, the Greenskeeper app says my T-nex app is at 164%. But I was also at the end of fertilization, I just fertilized Saturday the 27th, before that was around 3/4lbs N/M June 4th.


----------



## Cory

Got a pretty awesome package today! Thanks @Ware! 


Now to find a spot for all of it


----------



## AZChemist

Fantastic color of green!


----------



## ctrav

From what I observe on TLF that bottom sticker is highly coveted  :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@AZChemist :thumbup:

@ctrav The only one that can't be bought :thumbup:


----------



## Ware

@Cory the shiny one is a static cling. The rest are regular stickers.


----------



## Cory

Happy 4th of July!


----------



## Cory

3/4" is my favorite


----------



## ctrav

Seems like you have a good sweet spot... How low did you go before settling on 3/4"?


----------



## Cory

ctrav said:


> Seems like you have a good sweet spot... How low did you go before settling on 3/4"?


I went down to 0.35" then maintained at 0.50" for a while.


----------



## Redtwin

That front yard is straight up STUNNING! WOW!!!


----------



## tcorbitt20

Earning that LOTM. Looks really good!


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Back when you had the Cal Trimmer what notch was 3/4 if you remember?

I have the same setup on my Cal Trimmer that you use to have.

I cut on hole "notch" 4 with Cal Trimmer which is about .5 inches I believe give or take.

When I got to notch 3 which is lower setting it cuts too low.

When I got to notch 5 its seems to the grass looks shaggy to me.

I'm wondering if I have to let it "grow out" a bit and look shaggy and then cut it on notch 5 to get the desired look....if that makes sense?

Almost like it has to look bad for a while to get back to looking good.

I'm impressed with all of these REEL Low HOC but a lot of Bermuda to me looks great at 1 inch ....it seems you have found that sweet spot with your lawn!


----------



## Cory

Thanks @Redtwin & @tcorbitt20!

@ENC_Lawn I can't remember which notch. But I had my roller installed in the top hole. 1/2" and lower looks good but I like the color better at 3/4" and up. In the picture I think it was at 5/8"


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory If I move the Roller to my top pin that allows a lower HOC?

Thanks


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory If I move the Roller to my top pin that allows a lower HOC?
> 
> Thanks


Yes. The bottom hole is for the higher heights.


----------



## AZChemist

Looks like velvet carpet.


----------



## tcorbitt20

Any updates lately?


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> Any updates lately?


Bearings in the Toro are shot so I've been mowing with my zero turn. Spent too much money on lawn stuff this year so gonna wait till next year to fix up the toro. Been mowing at 1.5-2" in the front 3" in the back. It's definitely not at its best but still the best in the neighborhood 😂


----------



## tcorbitt20

Well, that stinks about your mower. How bad is that gonna hurt?


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> Well, that stinks about your mower. How bad is that gonna hurt?


I'm gonna replace the reel with an 8 blade reel when I do it so probably be around $500 for everything


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> tcorbitt20 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Any updates lately?
> 
> 
> 
> Bearings in the Toro are shot so I've been mowing with my zero turn. Spent too much money on lawn stuff this year so gonna wait till next year to fix up the toro. Been mowing at 1.5-2" in the front 3" in the back. It's definitely not at its best but still the best in the neighborhood 😂
Click to expand...

The lawn still looks good!

I know you did a bunch of leveling this year.

Have you tried to go any lower with the Zero Turn?

I am cutting my front yard at 1 inch with my zero turn...and cutting back down to .75 with the reel on the weekends.

I raised my HOC cut yesterday to 1.25 with my ztrac but after cutting the front (it took literally about 7 minutes with the zero turn :lol: )...I ended up cutting back to 1 inch HOC because it looked better to me.

I have some recent pics in my journal of the 1 inch HOC....maybe im scalping a little more at 1 inch than I realize...???


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn Thanks! I have tried but because of the ditch it scalps really bad. And it's super thick so the rotary will tear it up if I go lower. The backyard only looks good above 2.5" with the rotary. It's just gotten away from me, it would probably be better if I was spending the proper amount of time on it. I haven't been on top of it like I was with the reel, I have been spending a lot of time and money on our new travel trailer and upgrading my truck, the lawn has taken a backseat.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn Thanks! I have tried but because of the ditch it scalps really bad. And it's super thick so the rotary will tear it up if I go lower. The backyard only looks good above 2.5" with the rotary. It's just gotten away from me, it would probably be better if I was spending the proper amount of time on it. I haven't been on top of it like I was with the reel, I have been spending a lot of time and money on our new travel trailer and upgrading my truck, the lawn has taken a backseat.


 :thumbup:


----------



## LA Basshole03

Looks awesome.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory

How's the lawn looking with the Zero-Turn?

I guess it's wishful thinking on my part...because I'm getting tired of pushing the Reel this late in the season... :lol:


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory
> 
> How's the lawn looking with the Zero-Turn?
> 
> I guess it's wishful thinking on my part...because I'm getting tired of pushing the Reel this late in the season... :lol:


 :lol:

It doesn't look too bad. I haven't taken any photos of it lately but here's a shot from my security camera 


I haven't fertilized it in a couple months either so it's starting to look shabby. The ditch doesn't look that great, I could mow it with my push rotary but I've pretty much given up for this year.

The backyard looks pretty good. I'll take some pictures when I get home. I'm mowing both of them around 2.5". I was thinking about spraying some tnex on it in a couple days when I put out some fertilizer just to see what happens with it this tall.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory
> 
> How's the lawn looking with the Zero-Turn?
> 
> I guess it's wishful thinking on my part...because I'm getting tired of pushing the Reel this late in the season... :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:
> 
> It doesn't look too bad. I haven't taken any photos of it lately but here's a shot from my security camera
> 
> 
> I haven't fertilized it in a couple months either so it's starting to look shabby. The ditch doesn't look that great, I could mow it with my push rotary but I've pretty much given up for this year.
> 
> The backyard looks pretty good. I'll take some pictures when I get home. I'm mowing both of them around 2.5". I was thinking about spraying some tnex on it in a couple days when I put out some fertilizer just to see what happens with it this tall.
Click to expand...

I feel ya...on the giving up part.

I put out 10 yards of sand this past weekend...hoping my backyard will level out for my rotary next year.

I felt like I "needed" to do it...but I sure didn't want too! :lol:

I also hear ya on the ditch. I sanded my ditch this weekend as well.

My new Zero-Turn is awesome on a flat lawn....but I doesn't cut my ditch as good as my lawn tractor.

Hey look at it this way...your lawn still looks better than 99.9% of other lawns. :thumbup:

If my lawn always looked like yours does right now...I would be happy with that!


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory
> 
> How's the lawn looking with the Zero-Turn?
> 
> I guess it's wishful thinking on my part...because I'm getting tired of pushing the Reel this late in the season... :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:
> 
> It doesn't look too bad. I haven't taken any photos of it lately but here's a shot from my security camera
> 
> 
> I haven't fertilized it in a couple months either so it's starting to look shabby. The ditch doesn't look that great, I could mow it with my push rotary but I've pretty much given up for this year.
> 
> The backyard looks pretty good. I'll take some pictures when I get home. I'm mowing both of them around 2.5". I was thinking about spraying some tnex on it in a couple days when I put out some fertilizer just to see what happens with it this tall.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I feel ya...on the giving up part.
> 
> I put out 10 yards of sand this past weekend...hoping my backyard will level out for my rotary next year.
> 
> I felt like I "needed" to do it...but I sure didn't want too! :lol:
> 
> I also hear ya on the ditch. I sanded my ditch this weekend as well.
> 
> My new Zero-Turn is awesome on a flat lawn....but I doesn't cut my ditch as good as my lawn tractor.
> 
> Hey look at it this way...your lawn still looks better than 99.9% of other lawns. :thumbup:
> 
> If my lawn always looked like yours does right now...I would be happy with that!
Click to expand...

My zero turn is better in the ditch but only because it has an adjustable center scalp wheel. But it's alot more difficult to drive it in the ditch. On the flat ground in the backyard it's way better than my rider.

There is a couple lawns in another section of our neighborhood that look better than mine but mines definitely still better than the surrounding lawns :lol:

Just got home so here's some photos. It definitely needs some fertilizer. The scalped are around the patio is because we were gone for 10 days, it got way over grown


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory

Backyard is looking good!

It has come a long way!!!


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory
> 
> Backyard is looking good!
> 
> It has come a long way!!!


Thanks! Just 2 bare spots left and a few thin areas.


----------



## TN Hawkeye

@Cory man I can relate. If your year has been like ours it has been rough on the lawn. Massive rain early in spring, decent rain in early summer, and no rain lately. I'm very much like you and ready for fall and tiger stripes. With no irrigation there is only so much we can do. At least we aren't over seeding. Wait, you aren't are you?


----------



## Cory

TN Hawkeye said:


> @Cory man I can relate. If your year has been like ours it has been rough on the lawn. Massive rain early in spring, decent rain in early summer, and no rain lately. I'm very much like you and ready for fall and tiger stripes. With no irrigation there is only so much we can do. At least we aren't over seeding. Wait, you aren't are you?


We've actually had a decent season with rain, I only watered a couple times, I haven't watered at all July and August. The Toro needs a lot of replacement parts and I just couldn't justify spending any more money on lawn stuff this year. Between the new zero turn, sand and a few other things I spent an insane amount of money. Plus we bought the travel trailer, I had been spending a lot of time and money on it so the lawn took a backseat.

I'm definitely not over seeding. Had all the fun I wanted to have with that last year :lol:


----------



## chadh

Any tips on keeping that line against the road clean? I have a similar set up as you with no curb and front drainage ditch. With our road being 20 yeards old, it's just a creeping line. I'd like to clean it up, just weedeat?


----------



## Cory

chadh said:


> Any tips on keeping that line against the road clean? I have a similar set up as you with no curb and front drainage ditch. With our road being 20 yeards old, it's just a creeping line. I'd like to clean it up, just weedeat?


I use a sick edger then go back with the trimmer to get the grass that tries to grow through the cracks in the asphalt


----------



## Cory

Been a crazy few days. I fixed the Toro. Turns out the bearings weren't bad but the seal on the right hand side came loose and was allowing junk inside the bearing. Apparently if you pump too much grease in the right hand side reel bearing it will blow the seal out.

Also figured out why it would shut off at low idle, just needed the throttle cable adjusted. Then half way through scalping I broke the pull start cord so had to fix that. Hopefully it's all good with thing that need fixing for a while :lol:

Spent most of yesterday afternoon and this morning scalping the front. Still has a bit to go I think but it's looking pretty good, had to quit because it was gonna start raining. Wish I wouldn't have let it get get so tall last year, can't believe how much grass there was. I filled at least 10 gorilla carts full. Ready for the season to start! :thumbup:



The line to the neighborhoods lawn.


----------



## SGrabs33

Ah, that was good news on the bearings. But I guess you had already bought them. Did you end up switching to the 8 blade reel? What else did you fix?

Yard is looking good. I'm looking forward to my scalp but going to wait for it to dry up a bit.


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 Thanks! I probably should have waited too but I had the time now so just went for it. The bottom of the ditch is super soggy right now.

I didn't change the reel, didn't want to spend the money on it. The one on it still has some life left so I'm just gonna try to keep it short enough to use it. I only replaced the reel bearings and the seals, changed the air filter and a couple belts. I was surprised how easy it is to change bearings and swap the reel, I thought it was gonna be a lot more complicated than it was. Could use some new belt covers, they are all rusted out on the bottoms but everything else seems to be good.


----------



## SGrabs33

Ah. Glad to know it was fairly easy to swap those things out. Yeah, the belt covers on my GM1000 are also rusted through on the bottom unfortunately. I wonder how so much moisture got in there. They seem to seal up fairly well.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory

I would like to go ahead and at least scalp my backyard...but I was thinking I should wait about another month due to the possibility of last frost / freeze...and it could harm my Bermuda.

Am I wrong on that?

I would love to go ahead and get a jump start!

Thanks


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn if you are more comfortable waiting then it's definitely not gonna hurt it but Im not worried about it. There's still a bit of protection there, I didn't take it to dirt. I ended with the mower set at 0.30", I could get up a bit more if I ran the scarifier over it but I'm probably gonna wait for that. I have scalped the last 2 years mid-late February and haven't had any issues. Two years ago it got covered in snow on March 12th after I scalped on February 23 and it didn't hurt it at all. I think our daytime temps are high enough that the nighttime temps won't hurt it. I highly doubt we will get a long streak of daytime freezing temperatures from now till spring. I guess we could get a week of below freezing highs but even still I'm not worried about it, it would make for a nice experiment.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn if you are more comfortable waiting then it's definitely not gonna hurt it but Im not worried about it. There's still a bit of protection there, I didn't take it to dirt. I ended with the mower set at 0.30", I could get up a bit more if I ran the scarifier over it but I'm probably gonna wait for that. I have scalped the last 2 years mid-late February and haven't had any issues. Two years ago it got covered in snow on March 12th after I scalped on February 23 and it didn't hurt it at all. I think our daytime temps are high enough that the nighttime temps won't hurt it. I highly doubt we will get a long streak of daytime freezing temperatures from now till spring. I guess we could get a week of below freezing highs but even still I'm not worried about it, it would make for a nice experiment.


Sounds good!

I think I am going to go ahead and scalp my backyard hopefully this weekend if weather permits.

Have your thoughts changed any on the Greens-mower vs the California Trimmer?

I keep getting the itch to get a Swardsman "one day" but I have the ditch issue just like you do...and about August of last year I was done with Reel cutting the lawn every two days...and started just cutting with the Zero-turn.


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn It's great in the back because it's a wide open space but im not a fan of the greens mower for my front yard. It can't get all the way down into the ditch like the California Trimmer did so I'm gonna end up with a strip of tall grass in the bottom of the ditch like a rough on a golf course. And all the other issues I've said about it I still feel the same, except I hate changing the HOC even more now after scalping down from 1.25". I had to change the hoc 6 times, it's a major PITA when you have do it that many times within such a short amount of time. If it wasn't for my ditch I probably would be happier with it but the ditch is about 1/3 of my front yard and I can't get rid of it.

The only thing I really like about it is the stripes, it makes some seriously good looking stripes. But I'm sure a Swardman would do the same. I really want a Swardman and all the attachments but it's just not in my budget right now, we want to become debt free and buying all that definitely wouldn't help :lol:


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn It's great in the back because it's a wide open space but im not a fan of the greens mower for my front yard. It can't get all the way down into the ditch like the California Trimmer did so I'm gonna end up with a strip of tall grass in the bottom of the ditch like a rough on a golf course. And all the other issues I've said about it I still feel the same, except I hate changing the HOC even more now after scalping down from 1.25". I had to change the hoc 6 times, it's a major PITA when you have do it that many times within such a short amount of time. If it wasn't for my ditch I probably would be happier with it but the ditch is about 1/3 of my front yard and I can't get rid of it.
> 
> The only thing I really like about it is the stripes, it makes some seriously good looking stripes. But I'm sure a Swardman would do the same. I really want a Swardman and all the attachments but it's just not in my budget right now, we want to become debt free and buying all that definitely wouldn't help :lol:


 :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

So much for that early spring :lol:


----------



## Ren

that is kind of heartbreaking. lol


----------



## Cory

Got the backyard down to .30" today. The front is starting to green up rapidly, hope the cold stays away


----------



## Cory

Lots of dead spots, many more than last year. Wonder if I should be applying a fungicide at the end of season


----------



## ENC_Lawn

The Bermuda you have that is greening up is it staying "short" from your recent scalp?

I have some green up in my front yard but mostly still dormant...however the some of the green up has already grown and inch or more?

I am wondering if I have some common Bermuda coming up faster than my Princess 77 Bermuda....since the Green up I am seeing is much higher.


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn i haven't mowed it yet, definitely hasn't grown an inch. My backyard is common and there is barely any green at all. But I did take it down to around .30" last Saturday so that could have a little to do with it.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn i haven't mowed it yet, definitely hasn't grown an inch. My backyard is common and there is barely any green at all. But I did take it down to around .30" last Saturday so that could have a little to do with it.


Gotcha...just curious...thanks for the info! :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

The spring dead spot it's supper annoying, if it weren't for all that it would be looking really nice in the front right now.

The backyard is looking rough but it's still early, don't think most of it likes to be mowed at .50" :lol:


----------



## Cory

Still looks like crap :lol: 


Aerated and used the drag mat to break up the cores yesterday, forgot to take a picture of the back when it was finished


----------



## Redtwin

Thanks for the update, Cory. I missed the ditch pictures.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Hey...did you ever get the lawn striping kit on your zero turn?

Curious if you did get it how do you like it and is it worth the money?

I Am thinking of adding one to my JD zero turn.

However John Deere is more of a brush vs a roller.


----------



## Cory

@ENC LawnGuy I got the one Cub Cadet offers but it really only helps to not scalp my ditch. There's only two heights so it ends up either being to high or to low. Not something I would recommend anyone else with a Cub buy.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC LawnGuy I got the one Cub Cadet offers but it really only helps to not scalp my ditch. There's only two heights so it ends up either being to high or to low. Not something I would recommend anyone else with a Cub buy.


Gotcha...thanks for the info! :thumbup:


----------



## TN Hawkeye

@Cory ive got a bunch of spring dead spots as well. According to green doc we are supposed to apply a Fungicide in fall. Not sure which one but maybe we can split a jug if it's something neither of us have. I thought about plugging into the dead spot to help it fill in this spring. But I assume I would need to throw out the plug that came from the dead area to not spread the fungus.


----------



## Cory

@TN Hawkeye I already have Propiconazol, I just didn't remember that I had a problem with it last spring. Definitely won't forget to apply it this fall.


----------



## Cory

Lawn still looks like crap and growing super slow so spent the last couple weeks expanding our deck by the pool adding some privacy.


----------



## SGrabs33

Looks great @Cory. Hope we get some good warm days soon so you can use it. I have no idea when our pool will open with everything going on.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Looking good!!! @Cory


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 Thanks! Usually can't use the pool till late May.

It's possible that there won't be any public pools open this year, pretty crazy.

@ENC_Lawn Thanks!


----------



## Cory

All the dead spots weren't making it ugly enough so it decided to send out an insane amount of seed heads to really drive the nail deeper. :lol: Im so ready for summer to get here!


----------



## sanders4617

Seed heads have went NUTS in my lawn as well. Is it because we had frosts recently? I know I'm in another state, but I imagine it has been pretty chilly at night where you are too. It was starting to really wake up and then bam, seed heads like crazy. Looks awful with a white haze, even after cutting.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> All the dead spots weren't making it ugly enough so it decided to send out an insane amount of seed heads to really drive the nail deeper. :lol: Im so ready for summer to get here!


Ahhhh....that might of explained what I saw in my lawn now that you posted this.

I reel cut my lawn and it looked fine then a couple of days later I had what looked like a bunch of white dead stolons laying on the turf.

I wonder if what I cut off was just a bunch of seed heads as well?

Your lawn is looking dense already this early in the season!!! :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@sanders4617 yeah, mostly because it's stressed from the last frost and it's still fairly cold at night. It started to take off like crazy then we got another cold snap with nighttime temps close to freezing. That's actually happened 3 times this spring.

But also partially because we haven't had any rain in a while and I haven't watered it. Also I forgot to make a note when I last fertilized, think I let it go a little to long without fertilizer.

@ENC_Lawn Possibly.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Going through your journal and seeing how the California Trimmer Stripped your front and back lawn very well.

Any pointers you can share?

I can't seem to get my Bermuda to stripe very well...nowhere as dark a lines as your lawn.


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawnthe front I would double mow the same path if I wanted real good stripes and mow the same pattern for at least 3 mowings or more. The back is always mowed the same path, it's to big an too much of a PITA to alternate patterns.
I also mow the front North to South, the stripes don't look nearly as good of I mow East to West.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawnthe front I would double mow the same path if I wanted real good stripes and mow the same pattern for at least 3 mowings or more. The back is always mowed the same path, it's to big an too much of a PITA to alternate patterns.
> I also mow the front North to South, the stripes don't look nearly as good of I mow East to West.


 :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

Mowed today after 3 days of rain. Still plenty of dead spots but It's getting there.

The Toro 1600 took a crap as I was almost finished. Blew a drive belt and looks like the drive drum is gonna need new bearings/re built, guess I won't be reel mowing again any time soon. Not gonna but almost want to throw the POS in the trash.


----------



## FlaDave

That's a shame. I'm kinda missing your old reel right now, and it's not even my lawn.


----------



## Cory

FlaDave said:


> That's a shame. I'm kinda missing your old reel right now, and it's not even my lawn.


Yeah, me too :lol: I'm hesitant on spending any more money on it though. I've already spent a few hundred on it, it could use a new reel too but I don't really want to keep dumping money into it. I may just mow it with my zero turn this year. I was looking forward to keeping it nice this year after not reel mowing it for the second half of last season.


----------



## mrbradg

This year has been crazy for my lawn too. It's finally starting to completely fill in with these 80's temps this week.

Looks great man! It will get there. Been following you for awhile.


----------



## Cory

All the parts for the Toro came the other day but didn't fix it yet, just put a new belt on and went for it. Hopefully I can get the bearings swapped soon though.

Got it back down to .30" from 1" last night. Maybe it will recover just in time to win lawn of the month for July again :lol:


----------



## Redtwin

Glad you're back in business. I missed that ditch. I'm getting close to a reno in my front with a similar situation.


----------



## Cory

Almost there!


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Nice! The greenest lawn ever! :thumbup:

Your lawn always reminds me there levels to this lawn game...and your at the top!


----------



## tcorbitt20

Lookin' sharp! I guess the reel is working again.


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn thanks!

@tcorbitt20 not fixed yet, haven't gotten around to it. Just put the new belt on and using it with the bad bearings. I have to double cut or it will look like a washboard

After today's cut 


We got a golf cart today to take camping with us. Looks awesome on the lawn!


----------



## The_iHenry

Cory said:


> Almost there!


Man that looks awesome!


----------



## Redtwin

Cory said:


> After today's cut


Unbelievable! It's amazing how you keep it so nice looking even with a gimp mower.


----------



## SGrabs33

Looks great Cory.

Where did you grab the golf cart from? I've been thinking about picking one up.


----------



## Cory

@The_iHenry @Redtwin Thanks!

@SGrabs33 we got it at Under The Sun golf carts in Youngsville. Club Car is doing 0% financing for 48 months to the end of June. Probably not the best financial decision but you only live once right?! :thumbup:


----------



## Stuofsci02

Popped over from the "cool" side... Lookin really sharp!


----------



## Cory

Stuofsci02 said:


> Popped over from the "cool" side... Lookin really sharp!


Thanks!


----------



## falainwest

Wow Cory, you have one gorgeous lawn. How many times have you leveled your lawn?



Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn thanks!
> 
> @tcorbitt20 not fixed yet, haven't gotten around to it. Just put the new belt on and using it with the bad bearings. I have to double cut or it will look like a washboard
> 
> After today's cut
> 
> 
> We got a golf cart today to take camping with us. Looks awesome on the lawn!


----------



## Cory

@falainwest thanks! I did one major level 2 years ago and did a thin layer last year.


----------



## Don_Bass

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn thanks!
> 
> @tcorbitt20 not fixed yet, haven't gotten around to it. Just put the new belt on and using it with the bad bearings. I have to double cut or it will look like a washboard
> 
> After today's cut
> 
> 
> We got a golf cart today to take camping with us. Looks awesome on the lawn!


Beautiful Lawn! Always On Point Hands Down 👍


----------



## Cory

Had a guy that was treating a lawn down the street stop today, he works for one of largest locally owned lawn care companies in our area. Asked me who treats my lawn, told him I do. He proceeded to tell me I had the best looking lawn he'd ever seen.

Couldn't help to think to myself, you fertilize and kill weeds for a living, doesn't say much about the company you work for. And to add insult to injury, the neighbors across the street with the red Jeep get their lawn treated by them :lol:

Photos from today, mowed last night, hight is at 0.75"


----------



## Backyard Soldier

Cory said:


> Had a guy that was treating a lawn down the street stop today, he works for one of largest locally owned lawn care companies in our area. Asked me who treats my lawn, told him I do. He proceeded to tell me I had the best looking lawn he'd ever seen.
> 
> Couldn't help to think to myself, you fertilize and kill weeds for a living, doesn't say much about the company you work for. And to add insult to injury, the neighbors across the street with the red Jeep get their lawn treated by them :lol:
> 
> Photos from today, mowed last night, hight is at 0.75"


Yeah, but your lawn isn't "typical". It's like an all pro player. Lol. Not all players are the same. .


----------



## BakerGreenLawnMaker

That's a good looking lawn!


----------



## Cory

@Backyard Soldier yeah, but that lawn across the street should at least be in the minor league instead of sitting in the sand lot :lol:

@BakerGreenLawnMaker thanks!


----------



## Backyard Soldier

Cory said:


> @Backyard Soldier yeah, but that lawn across the street should at least be in the minor league instead of sitting in the sand lot :lol:
> 
> @BakerGreenLawnMaker thanks!


They're the Bad News Bears. Hahaha. Maybe I'm dating myself. Lol


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> Had a guy that was treating a lawn down the street stop today, he works for one of largest locally owned lawn care companies in our area. Asked me who treats my lawn, told him I do. He proceeded to tell me I had the best looking lawn he'd ever seen.
> 
> Couldn't help to think to myself, you fertilize and kill weeds for a living, doesn't say much about the company you work for. And to add insult to injury, the neighbors across the street with the red Jeep get their lawn treated by them :lol:
> 
> Photos from today, mowed last night, hight is at 0.75"


@Cory Looks great as always!

Are you using PGR this season?


----------



## Cory

@ENC_Lawn havent yet but I may have to start soon. It's definitely there, I'm having to mow every other day now no matter what.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> @ENC_Lawn havent yet but I may have to start soon. It's definitely there, I'm having to mow every other day now no matter what.


@Cory Which sprayer do you recommend for a lawn similar in size to your front lawn?

I'm guessing Chapin...????...but I didn't know if you went with something different incase you decided to spray your back lawn?


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> @ENC_Lawn havent yet but I may have to start soon. It's definitely there, I'm having to mow every other day now no matter what.
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory Which sprayer do you recommend for a lawn similar in size to your front lawn?
> 
> I'm guessing Chapin...????...but I didn't know if you went with something different incase you decided to spray your back lawn?
Click to expand...

I have a chapin 4 gallon battery power backpack for the front and a Chapin 15g atv sprayer With a 3 nozzle boom attached to the back of my rider for my backyard. The backpack has been ok except the one time the pump came off the bottom spilling 4 gallons of chemicals and die on my concrete. I wouldn't buy it again though, not sure what I would get but definitely not the Chapin backpack

Here's the tank on the back of my rider


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory So if you are cutting every other day....when you go to PGR you will cut on what schedule?

Everyone praises PGR...but I can't imagine your lawn looking any "better" than it does now....so the only benefit is reduced mowing and then i am trying to figure out what reduced exactly looks like when mowing less than and inch.

I have heard guys say you are still gonna mow just as much but way less clippings?

Just trying to figure this stuff out....and I like the fact you haven't used any PGR yet and your lawn looks so great without it!


----------



## Cory

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory So if you are cutting every other day....when you go to PGR you will cut on what schedule?
> 
> Everyone praises PGR...but I can't imagine your lawn looking any "better" than it does now....so the only benefit is reduced mowing and then i am trying to figure out what reduced exactly looks like when mowing less than and inch.
> 
> I have heard guys say you are still gonna mow just as much but way less clippings?
> 
> Just trying to figure this stuff out....and I like the fact you haven't used any PGR yet and your lawn looks so great without it!


I still end up mowing every two days but can definitely push it to 3 or 4. It's not really mowing much though, more just to get the stripes back and make it look like it's a fresh cut again.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

Cory said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory So if you are cutting every other day....when you go to PGR you will cut on what schedule?
> 
> Everyone praises PGR...but I can't imagine your lawn looking any "better" than it does now....so the only benefit is reduced mowing and then i am trying to figure out what reduced exactly looks like when mowing less than and inch.
> 
> I have heard guys say you are still gonna mow just as much but way less clippings?
> 
> Just trying to figure this stuff out....and I like the fact you haven't used any PGR yet and your lawn looks so great without it!
> 
> 
> 
> I still end up mowing every two days but can definitely push it to 3 or 4. It's not really mowing much though, more just to get the stripes back and make it look like it's a fresh cut again.
Click to expand...

@Cory Gotcha!!!...Thanks for the info!


----------



## ladycage

Cory your lawn is looks amazing so I'm sure the neighbors next door have been getting on their lawn guys case to find out why their lawn doesn't look as good as yours. Maybe they should hire you do get their lawn in shape, LOL. You take crush thy neighbor to a new level . How often do you fertilize?


----------



## Cory

@ladycage Thanks! I'm fertilizing about every 3 weeks.


----------



## Cory

Happy 4th of July!


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Lawn looking awesome as always!

I am amazed at how you have no scalping in your ditch.

I struggle with that in my ditch constantly.


----------



## Keepin It Reel

ENC_Lawn said:


> @Cory Lawn looking awesome as always!
> 
> I am amazed at how you have no scalping in your ditch.
> 
> I struggle with that in my ditch constantly.


Yeah, I was just thinking that.

Is the ditch mowed at the same height as everything else?

Looks great, man!


----------



## Cory

Thanks @ENC_Lawn

@MeanDean its all the same hight, 3/4" currently. The bottom of the ditch is a bit tall but only because I can get all the way down it with the greens mower I also didn't trim around the culvert with the weedeater last night when I mowed


----------



## Cory

Applied T-Nex on the 9th for the first time this year, Almost forgot how awesome it is. The picture is from today after not mowing for 3 days. Mowed today anyway but it didn't really need it.


----------



## Cory

Oh, and in case you didn't know, a toro 1600 with cut a penny no problem


----------



## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> Oh, and in case you didn't know, a toro 1600 with cut a penny no problem


Glad it didn't half it so you would be searching all over for the other half. Haha. Think that itty bitty piece is down nice and far in the canopy by now :thumbup:


----------



## tcorbitt20

That lawn is what we strive for. Well done!


----------



## Cory

@SGrabs33 I didnt even think to look for the other piece.

@tcorbitt20 thanks!


----------



## JRS 9572

Thanks to my neighbor in the Tarheel State for the reminder of how far I have to go with my lawn. :lol:

Seriously. What an awesome lawn. Great work.


----------



## Cory

@JRS 9572 Thanks!

Here's some photos from today


----------



## falainwest

Gorgeous Cory. Do you recommend Urea apicatiin during summer? If yes what brand do you recommend.


----------



## Cory

falainwest said:


> Gorgeous Cory. Do you recommend Urea apicatiin during summer? If yes what brand do you recommend.


Thanks! I'm probably not the best to get advice from, I had alot of spring dead spot this spring, probably my fault. But I've only used 46-0-0 my last 3 N applications and added some ferrous sulfate with my t-nex application on the 9th. My next N app will be with 46-0-0 then I will switch to 15-0-15 in September. The last two years I was using 34-0-0 but the prill size is too big and would burn every time I used it.


----------



## Brou

Cory said:


> falainwest said:
> 
> 
> 
> Gorgeous Cory. Do you recommend Urea apicatiin during summer? If yes what brand do you recommend.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! I'm probably not the best to get advice from, I had alot of spring dead spot this spring, probably my fault. But I've only used 46-0-0 my last 3 N applications and added some ferrous sulfate with my t-nex application on the 9th. My next N app will be with 46-0-0 then I will switch to 15-0-15 in September. The last two years I was using 34-0-0 but the prill size is too big and would burn every time I used it.
Click to expand...

You're fairly close to me. Where do you buy your urea? What's your HOC? Your lawn looks great!


----------



## Cory

@Kamauxx Thanks! Green Resource in Garner. 3/4" currently


----------



## Brou

Nice, that's only a 10 minute drive from me. Thanks.


----------



## Lawn Burgundy

Cory lawn looks great i enjoyed reading the entire journal.
how many times have you thought about dropping a pipe in the ditch and filling it to get that front flat as ice?


----------



## SGrabs33

STRES said:


> Cory lawn looks great i enjoyed reading the entire journal.
> how many times have you thought about dropping a pipe in the ditch and filling it to get that front flat as ice?


Oooooo. This! Prob against HOA I'm guessing.


----------



## Redtwin

STRES said:


> Cory lawn looks great i enjoyed reading the entire journal.
> how many times have you thought about dropping a pipe in the ditch and filling it to get that front flat as ice?


I've been trying to do this for years and my county engineers will not approve it. I'm in the process of building a retaining wall to flatten it. I'll start a journal on it soon.


----------



## Cory

STRES said:


> Cory lawn looks great i enjoyed reading the entire journal.
> how many times have you thought about dropping a pipe in the ditch and filling it to get that front flat as ice?


As the others said, between the HOA and the NC DOT I doubt I could get approval. It gets about half when we get a good downpour. Definitely have thought about it though


----------



## Lawn Burgundy

Never hurts to try, you could even convince the neighbors and but it up to their culvert so you don't need a new one? Either way again great looking lawn! (Even with the Ditch) &#129315;


----------



## Redtwin

STRES said:


> Never hurts to try, you could even convince the neighbors and but it up to their culvert so you don't need a new one? Either way again great looking lawn! (Even with the Ditch) 🤣


Yes! All of us who have ditches are green with envy! :mrgreen:


----------



## Cory

Been mowing to late in the afternoon for photos so here's day after. Green keeper app says my t-nex from the 9th as already wore off but I don't see it as far as growth goes. Think I should listen to the app and apply today or tomorrow or wait?


----------



## CenlaLowell

Cory said:


> Been mowing to late in the afternoon for photos so here's day after. Green keeper app says my t-nex from the 9th as already wore off but I don't see it as far as growth goes. Think I should listen to the app and apply today or tomorrow or wait?


Damn your yard is nice. Keep it up man


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory LOTM nominee right there!


----------



## Cory

@CenlaLowell thanks!

@ENC_Lawn thanks!


----------



## larry626

Wow so beautiful. Especially difficult doing this with the dip area.. Mow every 3 days? that's a bit difficult to keep up. Definitely a winner!


----------



## falainwest

Cory, how many lbs of urea do you put down per 1k? Also do you always water immediately after the application? Thanks


----------



## Cory

@larry626 thanks! Yes, every 3 days with PGR, every other day without.

@falainwest around 2 to 2.5 pounds of product per 1k. I use 1 50 pound bag for my whole lot, probably works out to be a little over 1lbs N per 1k. I need to remeasure my back yard, since I've added some things it's no longer 15k sqft. I try to time it with an overnight rain, I do water it in lightly after applying though.


----------



## falainwest

Cory said:


> @larry626 thanks! Yes, every 3 days with PGR, every other day without.
> 
> @falainwest around 2 to 2.5 pounds of product per 1k. I use 1 50 pound bag for my whole lot, probably works out to be a little over 1lbs N per 1k. I need to remeasure my back yard, since I've added some things it's no longer 15k sqft. I try to time it with an overnight rain, I do water it in lightly after applying though.


Thanks!


----------



## robertgagnon726

Cory said:


> @Kamauxx Thanks! Green Resource in Garner. 3/4" currently


@Cory I just called the Green Resource in Greensboro and I'm about to go down from $65 per 50 lb bag to $18. I'm excited to see what else they have.

Oh and your lawn looks incredible


----------



## Cory

@robertgagnon726 thanks! They have all the herbicides and fungicides you would need and a lot of different options for fert. Pretty much the only place I buy from now.


----------



## Cory

Looks pretty good from the security cameras this morning. Applied PGR and Ferrous Sulfate on the 27th, think I got a bit heavy handed with the iron. It looked pretty bad for a few days but it's starting to recover nicely


----------



## Sbcgenii

Cory said:


> Looks pretty good from the security cameras this morning. Applied PGR and Ferrous Sulfate on the 27th, think I got a bit heavy handed with the iron. It looked pretty bad for a few days but it's starting to recover nicely


Do you have a picture of what it looked like from to much iron? I have never seen this.


----------



## Cory

Sbcgenii said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks pretty good from the security cameras this morning. Applied PGR and Ferrous Sulfate on the 27th, think I got a bit heavy handed with the iron. It looked pretty bad for a few days but it's starting to recover nicely
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have a picture of what it looked like from to much iron? I have never seen this.
Click to expand...

I don't. But it turns a shade of brown, looks like the grass has rust on it.


----------



## falainwest

Cory, are you going to do a lawn journal this season? I have a question, what is your UREA application rate?


----------



## Cory

falainwest said:


> Cory, are you going to do a lawn journal this season? I have a question, what is your UREA application rate?


Doubt it, haven't even had a chance to get prodiamine down yet and we're already starting to green up a little here. Can't remember what was wrong with my reel when I stopped using it last year so not sure I will even reel mow either. To busy to deal with it this year. Think I was doing 3/4-1lbs per 1k sqft per month with urea.


----------



## Cory

Well, I wasn't gonna do much to the lawn this year except keep it from dying and keep the weeds from taking over. But my neighbor got a California Trimmer a couple weeks ago, no way I'm gonna let him have a better looking lawn than mine 😂

Spent the last couple days scalping and removing all the grass, it was at around 3" tall so took a lot of effort to get it back down to .5"


----------



## falainwest

Haha, glad to see you back.


----------



## Redtwin

Yes! The ditch is back!!! That's not a typo and not an Elton John song.


----------



## ENC_Lawn

@Cory Welcome back and following along! :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

It's been a week, still have a long way to go but starting to get some green.


----------



## tcorbitt20

I guess that means you got your mower working. Looking forward to seeing that lawn again.


----------



## Cory

tcorbitt20 said:


> I guess that means you got your mower working. Looking forward to seeing that lawn again.


Nah, still needs a bunch of work. I have parts to replace just haven't had the time but it still works kinda.


----------



## Amoo316

WTB more back yard grow in updates.


----------



## Cory

Week 2 after scalp. Applied some urea and some of the Lowe's knockoff milo yesterday. Mowing at .60". 




Amoo316 said:


> WTB more back yard grow in updates.


It looks like crap.


----------



## Amoo316

Cory said:


> May 7 with a backyard


@Cory I dunno man, it's come a long way from this.


----------



## Cory

Amoo316 said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> May 7 with a backyard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory I dunno man, it's come a long way from this.
Click to expand...

Yeah but it's thin, it's just wild Bermuda. It's all rutted up from driving on it with the truck and the travel trailers so can't mow it with the reel anymore so it is what it is.


----------



## Amoo316

That sucks man, sorry to hear it. It still looks a whole lot better than before. I know you were enjoying reel mowing it though. This is part of the reason I'm taking my yard back to Bermuda from Centipede. We have a grass driveway, we both own trucks, heavy rains + vehicles = constant rutting/damage. I probably have to fill ruts 3-4 times a year.


----------



## Cory

@Amoo316 it wouldn't be so bad if it were an improved variety. Maybe next year I'll kill it all and seed with a better Bermuda.


----------



## Amoo316

Cory said:


> @Amoo316 it wouldn't be so bad if it were an improved variety. Maybe next year I'll kill it all and seed with a better Bermuda.


That could be fun to follow. I've seen a TON of threads on here where people have tried to kill off common Bermuda and overseed with something better. Sadly most end up with quite a bit of common anyways when things start coming up. I'll be interested to see your approach.


----------



## Cory

Got some checkered stripes going


----------



## Cory

Always looks so good the morning after a mow.


----------



## Redtwin

Looks like you got it back to its glory. Are you dominating the new neighbor?


----------



## Cory

Redtwin said:


> Looks like you got it back to its glory. Are you dominating the new neighbor?


It's still got som bad spots from spring dead spot but they are getting better, another week or so and it should be good. Not a new neighbor, neighbor just got a California trimmer. Think he may have given up 😂. He needs to level but it doesn't look bad, being next to mine makes it look worse than it actually does 😂


----------



## Amoo316

Any new idea on combating the spring dead spot for next year?


----------



## FlaDave

Still one of my favorite lawns. You make it look so effortless. Nice work man! :thumbup:


----------



## Cory

@Amoo316 i thought I had sprayed Propiconazole last year but I guess I didn't. I will definitely be spraying it this year, it got much worse than the year prior and taking a lot longer for it to recover.

@FlaDave Thanks! Wish it was effortless 😂


----------



## Amoo316

Cory said:


> @Amoo316 i thought I had sprayed Propiconazole last year but I guess I didn't. I will definitely be spraying it this year, it got much worse than the year prior and taking a lot longer for it to recover.


I only keep Cleary 3336F and Eagle 20EW on hand as I know they are separate methods of action. Maybe try hitting it with a few MOAs?

Funny enough both Clearys and Eagle take a different approach for the followup application after initial treatment. Worth looking into maybe to use with or instead of Prop.


----------



## Cory

Getting there.


----------



## zcabe

Amoo316 said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Amoo316 i thought I had sprayed Propiconazole last year but I guess I didn't. I will definitely be spraying it this year, it got much worse than the year prior and taking a lot longer for it to recover.
> 
> 
> 
> I only keep Cleary 3336F and Eagle 20EW on hand as I know they are separate methods of action. Maybe try hitting it with a few MOAs?
> 
> Funny enough both Clearys and Eagle take a different approach for the followup application after initial treatment. Worth looking into maybe to use with or instead of Prop.
Click to expand...


Kabuto is an excellent option for SDS.


----------



## Cory

Probably the best it's gonna get this year


----------



## Cory

Looking pretty good for only fertilizing 2 times this year. Still mowing at .60 and haven't had to apply any T-Nex this year so far. Not as green as it usually is with more fert but it's not growing as fast so it's working for me. Applied my first round of propiconazole the other day, hopefully no more spring dead spot next year.


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## Redtwin

The 419 is looking good. Your neighbor's is looking nice as well but no way that Cal-trimmer is going to hang with the Greensmaster.


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## Cory

Redtwin said:


> The 419 is looking good. Your neighbor's is looking nice as well but no way that Cal-trimmer is going to hang with the Greensmaster.


Thanks! He needs to level, if he levels next year it will look really good.


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## BU Bear

Im so glad you started your lawn journal back up this year, it's been one of my favorites to follow. Your ditch gives me hope that one day I can get my ditch not looking like a hot mess.


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## falainwest

This looks wonderful. What type/brand of fertilizer did you apply?


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## Cory

@BU Bear its a PITA to keep nice but since it's a third of my front lawn I don't have a choice 😂

@falainwest thanks! I put out some urea in May and a few weeks ago I used some of the knock off Lowe's milo. Haven't used anything special in a couple years, just generic ferts from our local hardware store or 46-0-0.


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## Cory

Haven't mowed in 3 days, probably gonna have to raise the mower a bit. But it's looking really good today!


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## Amoo316

Sexiest drainage ditch on TLF (don't tell Redtwin). Looking sharp as usual Cory.


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## JayGo

Cory said:


> Haven't mowed in 3 days,....


Curious if you use PGR.
Looks great. You got my vote for LOM.


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## Cory

Thanks @Amoo316!

Thanks @JayGo! Haven't used any PGR this year but did the last two seasons. I have only fertilized twice this year so far and have been able to mow every other day (except this week) so haven't needed it.


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## Redtwin

Amoo316 said:


> Sexiest drainage ditch on TLF (don't tell Redtwin). Looking sharp as usual Cory.


There is no competition here. His ditch is the best by far!!! He got my LOTM vote as well.


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## Amoo316

Redtwin said:


> There is no competition here. His ditch is the best by far!!! He got my LOTM vote as well.


Same from me, but somebody is going to have to bite the bullet and do some cheater stripes to keep up with these Canadians and their rye.


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## Redtwin

Yeah, I was torn between cory and Awar. They both have nice looking landscaping in addition to the turf. It's tough competing against the cool-season guys. It might be sissy grass but dang it stripes like crazy!


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## Amoo316

Redtwin said:


> Yeah, I was torn between cory and Awar. They both have nice looking landscaping in addition to the turf. It's tough competing against the cool-season guys. It might be sissy grass but dang it stripes like crazy!


Agree about Cory vs Awar, it was close for me too, but I gave Cory the edge because Awar cheated and took half the month off :lol:


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## Cory

@Redtwin my landscape is pretty blah compared to his. I would love to add some flowers and such but not sure where to start. I don't know anything about landscaping other than trimming the bushes 😂

@Amoo316 his lawn looks great in those photos. But maybe I read the post wrong, Looks like those photos were from July not recently so not sure how he even qualified.


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## Amoo316

Cory said:


> @Amoo316 his lawn looks great in those photos. But maybe I read the post wrong, Looks like those photos were from July not recently so not sure how he even qualified.


I think Ware totally missed that. TBF he's had a rough month with that thread. I started it off by nominating July's winner and we had a bunch of folks not structure their nominations correctly. I'm sure he just looked at the post date, didn't notice the photo date and made the nomination.

End of the day it's probably going to be moot.


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## Ware

Amoo316 said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Amoo316 his lawn looks great in those photos. But maybe I read the post wrong, Looks like those photos were from July not recently so not sure how he even qualified.
> 
> 
> 
> I think Ware totally missed that. TBF he's had a rough month with that thread. I started it off by nominating July's winner and we had a bunch of folks not structure their nominations correctly. I'm sure he just looked at the post date, didn't notice the photo date and made the nomination.
> 
> End of the day it's probably going to be moot.
Click to expand...

I'll be damned. Yep, I just looked at the post date. :bd:


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## Cory

@Amoo316 @Ware no big deal to me, I've already won before and Canadian lawn should win anyway. Just thought maybe I was missing something when I saw it 😂


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## itslogz

You may have mentioned it previously in this thread but how much of a hard time do you have in the ditch with your GM? We have extremely similar front yards and my 220E wants absolutely no part of the ditch, I've had to resort to reel mowing my back and rotary in front, the opposite of my original plan &#128548;


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## Cory

itslogz said:


> You may have mentioned it previously in this thread but how much of a hard time do you have in the ditch with your GM? We have extremely similar front yards and my 220E wants absolutely no part of the ditch, I've had to resort to reel mowing my back and rotary in front, the opposite of my original plan 😤


It doesn't have a problem with it. It just can't get all the way down when mowing parallel to the street so I have to mow perpendicular to the street to get the bottom of the ditch. But it has no problem climbing out of it. Sometimes it will spin a bit only close to the culvert, if it's wet, or when scalping when it's dormant


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## Cory

Got a little drought stress but it's looking pretty good this morning


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## Reel_Alabama

That looks great! Curious, what direction does your home face?


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## Reel_Alabama

That looks great! Curious, what direction does your home face?


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## Cory

Reel_Alabama said:


> That looks great! Curious, what direction does your home face?


Thanks! North East


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## Reel_Alabama

Cory said:


> Reel_Alabama said:
> 
> 
> 
> That looks great! Curious, what direction does your home face?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! North East
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick response! I know you're limited on your patterns due to that ditch. How visible are your stripes from the road?


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## Cory

Very noticeable. I'm not home to take a picture but if you go back through the journal there's pictures from past years standing in the road like this one


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## Reel_Alabama

Heck yeah! If I recall you were getting a similar look when using a CT. Nice job, man. I appreciate the replies.


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## Cory

Wife said she wanted a tennis court so new project for this year. Not gonna kill what's already there, just gonna overseed it with Yukon and see what happens. Should be fun.


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## SGrabs33

Cory said:


> Wife said she wanted a tennis court so new project for this year. Not gonna kill what's already there, just gonna overseed it with Yukon and see what happens. Should be fun.


Wow. Cool project for sure! How's the bounce?


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## Cory

SGrabs33 said:


> Cory said:
> 
> 
> 
> Wife said she wanted a tennis court so new project for this year. Not gonna kill what's already there, just gonna overseed it with Yukon and see what happens. Should be fun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow. Cool project for sure! How's the bounce?
Click to expand...

It's not bad right now because it's mostly dirt, definitely not the same as a hard court but it's playable (we're not really good anyway 😂). It will be interesting to see how it goes with grass. We are using non pressurized balls, from what I have read they are supposed to get a better bounce the more you use them.


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## Arnezkanizzle

@Cory How do you like the Cub Cadet ZT1? Any issues with it?


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## Cory

Arnezkanizzle said:


> @Cory How do you like the Cub Cadet ZT1? Any issues with it?


Sometimes it didn't want to start after it had been running but other than that it was ok I guess. Didn't cut grass any better than my $800 poulan pro so I sold it.


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## Humbert810

Cory said:


> Arnezkanizzle said:
> 
> 
> 
> @Cory How do you like the Cub Cadet ZT1? Any issues with it?
> 
> 
> 
> Sometimes it didn't want to start after it had been running but other than that it was ok I guess. Didn't cut grass any better than my $800 poulan pro so I sold it.
Click to expand...

Sorry I skipped through some pages in the middle. Is your front still common Bermuda and what is your maintained HOC?


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