# HLG's Lawn Journal



## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pay no attention to the pandemic!

I'll be out on the lawn!

First lawn journal here, first pandemic. :dunno: The world is apparently ending, so I might as well have a nice lawn and get out of the house.

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Over winter, I had the triplex serviced. Replaced my plastic rollers with metal. Should make for a more pronounced stripe. Bed knives sharpened, reel grind, replaced a rusty bearing, oil and filter change, radiator, cleaned engine, regreased all joints, replaced some o-rings, bought an extra bedknife, cleaned air filters. Had the height of cut raised a bit to make the turf look better in mid summer, so I'm reel mowing at about 1 3/4".

Power washing it all!

Buy enough stuff they send you free swag:


Several weeks ago I started moving plugs to fill in bare spots. Had a few areas grubs killed and a few beds that I'm converting back to turf that need to fill in.

Last year's renovation area is filling in and should be good this spring. It still needs to be leveled as it collects water. Some of that yucky green stuff growing in it from the wetness.


Cut some areas that grew over winter a few weeks back too.

Dethatched the entire lawn over the last week. It starts getting matted pretty easily.
This is why areas get matted:

Here's the fugly after dethatching:


May need to core aerate a few high traffic spots, like under the basket ball goal where I have groups of teenagers jumping and landing on it all the time.

Ready for my soil sample results.

Bought a used Yardmachine MTD tractor for hauling, spreading, and spraying - it will be perfect. Changed the oil, aired the tires, treated the belts, fixed a few things.

Roses are taking off so I fertilized them with compost, peat moss, milorganite, and some starter.

Next up? Get my fertilizer for the year, time that half app of pre-emergent, blanket spray some Triclopyr to hit those winter weeds in full growth mode, and probably throw some FAS at it.

Need to keep filling in low spots that collect water and kill the turf. Never ending job it seems.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Subscribed. I look forward to following your updates!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> Subscribed. I look forward to following your updates!


Likewise! We are very similar in our goals and setup. Main difference I think is turf species and HOC right now. I'm going for a bit higher HOC. The blueberry lost a LOT of luster late July.

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Cut a few areas of the lawn that are growing. I have spots where animals pee that grow over winter, and where sump lines drain that stay warm enough to grow.

What ISN'T good is mowing with the reels after dethatching when it's wet. Gunked my reels up really badly. Took a while to blow dry them off with the backpack blower.

If you get a triples, get yourself a NICE backpack blower!


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

HoosierLawnGnome said:


> Likewise! We are very similar in our goals and setup. Main difference I think is turf species and HOC right now. I'm going for a bit higher HOC. The blueberry lost a LOT of luster late July.


Agreed. The way we go about lawn care is very similar. We are both growing KBG, just different cultivars. I maintained it alittle longer last year and it looked beautiful. Plan to be shorter this year.. we will see how it goes. To get to the HOC you are aiming for I would need to overhaul my roller setup. I Can't wait to see how yours looks and stripes at that higher HOC!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> HoosierLawnGnome said:
> 
> 
> > Likewise! We are very similar in our goals and setup. Main difference I think is turf species and HOC right now. I'm going for a bit higher HOC. The blueberry lost a LOT of luster late July.
> ...


My last lawn, similar soil, the blueberry was TOP NOTCH at 2.5 in or so.

With the larger lawn, the big difference is frequency of milorganite applications. I don't have the time or budget to do full or double apps all the time.

My friend is the super at the course a mile away, and our goal is to cause an accident from rubbernecking in front of the house :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

I definitely will be following your journal. A Swardman isn't in the budget right now, but I plan on starting at a similar HOC (1.5"-it's max HOC) this year with my vintage push reel mower. I'll maintain it at that HOC as long as I can, before switching over to my rotary when I need to raise HOC. You and @Pete1313 are great examples of what is achievable and are inspirational to others. Thanks in advance.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

@Chris LI thanks that is high praise coming from you!

--------'

First mow 2 days ago. It didnt take much off but looks a lot better and got rid of some of the dethatch debris.

I core aerated high traffic areas and areas that have trouble with drainage that I also plan to level a bit. 2 or 3 passes.

Applied half annual amount of prodiamine, plus some 24D and FAS with a dash of surfactant.

Also made some calls tonget quoted on masonry sand delivered.

Core aerated area on the right
Lawn is starting to really wake up!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Spread 2 lbs per M DAP tonight.

I'd say we are all greened up now.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I mowed again night before last. Didnt take much off but it will be wet sooooooo


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Greened up!

Light rains and lower 70s today did the trick. Cant wait to cut this bad boy when it dries out.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

A field of blueberry KBG. Love it. Looks great.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Oh no. I hope this isnt.... dare I say it even ..... poa trivialis....

I'll be doing a 2 oz per acre tenacity app this afternoon to highlight.

Whatever it is, it's slightly lighter than the other grass and seems to be very patchy. Boat shaped leaves like poa pretensis.





Core aerating where i get kids jumping on the ground all day.

Hard to do when you weigh 60 lbs 🤣



I dont bother posting when I mow. I'm also always doing rose bed work. I think my roses are finally going to do well their 3rd year.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Applied 3 oz of Tenacity tonight mixed with some ammonium sulfate and a bit of surfactant. Spot sprayed with some leftover.

Hopefully that will highlight problem spots and treat the wild onion and clover I always have a bit of. A couple spots with very mild poa annua I hand plucked.

Purpose


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

That greened up a ton in a few weeks! How do you keep the grass from laying over after the front roller with the higher hoc?


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Nice to see you here. Definitely following! You were part of the reason that I also have a Blueberry mono (not as large as yours though). :thumbsup:


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

OnyxsLawn said:


> That greened up a ton in a few weeks! How do you keep the grass from laying over after the front roller with the higher hoc?


Sorry, I'm just now seeing these posts! I figured out I have to subscribe to the thread!

Yes, it has greened up tremendously - it's even a shade or two darker today. I intend on mowing tonight so I'll snap a pic.

As long as it keeps cutting I'm not concerned. The cut is solid now, but it misses in really thick spots. As long as it's not too high it's not bad. I am still playing with the reel speeds, but the grass hasn't been growing gangbusters until just now. If you let it grow too long, you need to mow it twice in two directions to get it down - I learned that a few summers back while travelling frequently out of state.



ericgautier said:


> Nice to see you here. Definitely following! You were part of the reason that I also have a Blueberry mono (not as large as yours though). :thumbsup:


The blueberry color right now is top notch. With my added length this year the color is amazing. I'm hoping it works out overall.

Love your yard too, and looking forward to more collaboration!!!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

@OnyxsLawn I had to adjust the front right unit as it wasnt cutting well, but it did ok taking off an inch in some places

Here is an area I couldnt cut for a week due to mud and was several inches too high here.

You can see the right unit having issues.



I double cut some areas to account for the skipping unit.

I'm at speed 3 on my reels and it seems to be doing well.

I cut the other day after core aerating and I think it dulled my setup. I didn't pick up the cores. Probably should've let those cores break down a few more days.

Turf just starting to lighten up a bit from the Tenacity application a few days ago.

One thing about a monostand is that it doesnt show needing cut as easily as mixed species. I should've cut yesterday but i wanted the tenacity to do its thing more and stretched it.




I am not planning on PGR this year.

I like my color right now. I think this will do much better over the hot months.

Jury is still out on weird spots I pray are not triv.

I already hit the quack i could find once. When this tenacity app highlights non KBG this week I plan to load up a back pack of glyohosate and kill It all. Couple big patches by the road. Then I will edge beds and move plugs in to repair.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

The Tenacity highlighting kicked in earlier this week. I have lighter clumps, but I'm not sure they are triv now. They didnt light up that much and are longer blades. I think some may he blueberry that didnt cut well. The quack lit up really well.

Here are the spots:


Some of these i sprayed, others no.

Tonight I mowed, applied 50 lbs of urea (about half a lb per K)

Finally I loaded up a 4 gallon backpack of glyohosate and sprayed the quack, gravel by the road, and any spots I felt weren't KBG.

I have a few dozen poa annua plants in the back yard that I hope to pull after it rains tonight and tomorrow.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Looking good, what HOC is that at?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

mowww said:


> Looking good, what HOC is that at?


1 3/4 inches ish


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

@HoosierLawnGnome, your lawn is striking. That stand looks very dense.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

social port said:


> @HoosierLawnGnome, your lawn is striking. That stand looks very dense.


Thank you!

Honestly it's a little frustrating right now for me. I'm concerned about those lighter spots. It's also going to look worse here in a week when the quack areas start dying lol. I'll move plugs in and by father's day it will be ok, but still.

Also, I can't find someone to deliver sand (yet). And my fertilizer source is closed, so it's going to cost me 2X to fertilizer this year. I have enough fertilizer for the next month or so, but after that, I'll need to get some in. I'm hoping things start to resume in May so it's a non issue.

Gonna use the ol' booger hooks on some poa annua soon. I always get a little bit in the bare spots where water collects when the creek overflows. I can't imagine all the crap seeds I get moved in from upstream.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

@HoosierLawnGnome, how do you maintain the interface between grass and gravel at the road. It has always been a tough area for me with road erosion, rocks that end up in the turf, and generally weaker performing turf especially in summer. I've often debated leaving a buffer strip of longer grass along the road that would perform better, but not sure I would like the look. Seems like I am always filling and touching up areas there. Are you having any issues with you road front?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> @HoosierLawnGnome, how do you maintain the interface between grass and gravel at the road. It has always been a tough area for me with road erosion, rocks that end up in the turf, and generally weaker performing turf especially in summer. I've often debated leaving a buffer strip of longer grass along the road that would perform better, but not sure I would like the look. Seems like I am always filling and touching up areas there. Are you having any issues with you road front?


@Pete1313 uggg, yes, that's the least favorite part of my lawn too.

What do I do with mine? I mow up to about 2-3 in of it and then trim with rotary scissors. I just sprayed the gravel area with glyphosate last night.

I would much rather have a curb.

I also have another problem. We get tractors that drive off the road every so often to make room for cars. I end up with deep tread marks from giant tire tractors. So far they haven't hit a sprinkler head that I know of.

I also have to look for rocks. I mow higher, so most of the time, the gravel is small enough my reel wouldn't hit it. At the beginning of the season, I rake everything back up, and then when I mow / trim it, I keep a sharp eye and move things back. Not really another alternative, although I've though of spraying some sort of tar on it to stick it all together and lessen the risk.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Similar situations here unfortunately. Would also prefer a curb as well. Ive been making sure the lawn is fairly clear of rocks and then I'll make a single pass with the triplex along the roadway. Then when I make my passes mowing I'll lift the heads right before I get to the street and turn around on the street.

Just all the extra attention that small area of grass needs gets annoying and if not careful can really put a beating on the cutting units.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Irrigation system fired up?

Check.



Here come the seedheads! They exploded after the last rain and a warm day or two.





They took the color down a good bit.

I took too much off today. I should've mowed a few days ago. Anyways, I double cut because the seedhead stalks are horrible to cut with a reel.

Planted more hosta roots.

Trimmed the roses.

The peony tree is about to bloom.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Well, I didnt apply primo proxy this year for seedhead suppression and I regret it. My heads are also cutting poorly. The 3rd factor is a taller HOC.
The net result is this monstrosity:





I'm not taking too much off in one mow, but the reels dont mulch it. It hasn't adjusted to it's new height yet, so its thicker and the cut portion is longer, making it more difficult to fall under the canopy. It sits on top and yellows.

And unfortunately i dont have time to cut every other day.

See the section in the middle of the bottom picture? No seedheads and it looks wonderful.

The reel cuts those stalks seedheads very poorly

Here's how I know the blades arent cutting well.

Look at those wounds. This blade will lose color and have a brown tip, affecting color:


Because of that the lawn is less healthy.

So, it was time for some propacanazole and 50 lbs of DAP.

Good timing as I started seeing some black spot on my roses.

Peony tree produced first blooms. Still opening up





Eta: tagging @Pete1313 so he can see what stalky monostands look like lol


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

I'm already following.  I've seen the stalks before, yuck!

This pic concerns me alittle. It does not look like a seed stalk? Have you checked the bedknife to reel clearance recently. Looks like the blade just took 2 impacts but neither one cut it. I set my clearance to .001" and make sure it cuts paper. I also wonder if the spec is good, if it is all the seed stalks clogging up the reel and causing the good grass to not be cut as cleanly as well?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Yes, that's the fruit of the reel problem (haha), those arent stalks. Its cutting horribly. I do think it's a gap issue. I need a few hours to align the bed knives and clean them, make sure they cut paper.

I am getting new reels this fall too.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Seedheads! I'm in the same boat with seedheads. I let the lawn grow a bit longer to cut most of them. It helped, but there are still more seedheads.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

g-man said:


> Seedheads! I'm in the same boat with seedheads. I let the lawn grow a bit longer to cut most of them. It helped, but there are still more seedheads.


How is that strategy working? Kbg seedheads just started coming in heavy for me. Since I'm at a slighly lower HOC this spring, the kbg seems to be adjusting to produce seedheads at a lower height, just like Poa A, typically does.

Is it worth violating the 1/3 rule a couple of times to let them grow higher, to cut them off?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

The seedheads are so much worse at this height. I'm thinking of lowering HOC.

But first, I tweaked the bedknife to reel. All beknives had caked on grass. I removed it best I could but there has to be a tool for this.

The front right unit was way off. The adjustment screw was very loose. Took me a bit but it was fine. The front left was fine as is, cut paper all the way across.

Didnt have time to get to the rear unit. Tomorrow.

It cut better, but still missed stalky seedheads.

Just not cutting well at all. Uneven and plenty of missed blades.

@Pete1313 and @g-man dont they make a bedknife cleaning tool? My short scraper was a bust.

It looks bad. I do think it's the cut quality.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Chris LI said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> > Seedheads! I'm in the same boat with seedheads. I let the lawn grow a bit longer to cut most of them. It helped, but there are still more seedheads.
> ...


My theory is that reels dont cut as well at the longer HOC, particularly with seedheads. That's what's happening to me, but I cant totally blame it on HOC yet. I have cutting issues.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I use a hose with hand held nozzle on the jet setting. I let the reel spin while I'm hosing it.

Seedheads will be gone in two weeks.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Lots of caked on grass on the bedknife could be a result of not having the clearance set right. I know in the past you said you were not a fan of using water frequently to clean the reels. I do what @g-man mentioned every time I'm done mowing. Only takes a couple minutes. Put in backlap mode, run water thru the reels. Hose down the whole unit. Use the jet nozzle setting first and then run water full flow thru the reels. If you really want to get the reels clean, do an early mow when the grass is wet with dew and rinse off afterwards. The cutting units will look like new. But most importantly, get them cutting good first.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Yeah, I was told by a super not to spray it down but if I mow when its wet it gets clogged. I do blow it dry every time.

It was bad down there.

Lesser of two evil it seems. Maybe today I'll do a deep clean after I tweak the rear reel.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Finally had time to work on my setup.

I did a deep clean on the reels. Lots of caked on grass. Got most of it.

Here was the back:


The back unit wasnt cutting paper anywhere. a couple clicks closer and all was well. Front cutting fine, no adjustments needed.

I played with the reel speed and slowed down a bit, and its cutting much better.

On the left is what incur today, the right was cut yesterday. Much better.


Here is a pic of yesterdays cut. You'll notice the green stripe? That's a good, clean cut strip with no seedheads.


After cutting today it's much better but ibstill have dead material on top. The turf is too thick for it to fall through.

I think it will look much better in a week. I want to hit it with DAP and fungicide again.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Mowed for the 3rd day in a row. Looking much better. Edged and trimmed. Got rained on.

Propacanazole on the rose beds.

Moved plugs into the half the spots I killed with glyphosate a few weeks back.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Put in 3 golf holes yesterday.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Put 70 lbs of DAP out. Mowing as usual. Put annuals out.

Things are opening up here so in should be able to make a bulk fertilizer run.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I put urea out after Memorial Day. Regular mowing. The seedheads are gone, the turf has adjusted to the new HOC. It's looking pretty solid. My wife loves the golf holes I set up, so now I'm looking for a Toro GM1000 or GM1600 to cut greens around each hole. The ball absolutely dies as thick and tall as it is, no roll whatsoever.

Finally feel like I have the reels dialed in. I find I need to tweak the bedknife to reel every 3 - 4 mows.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Looks like you have them dialed in!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> Looks like you have them dialed in!


@Pete1313 thanks!

The problem at the beginning of the season was due to loose bedknife adjustment screws when I got it back from service. I fixed that, and then got them dialed in. Not too happy with my maintenance guy, he got to hear about it lol.

I used to wait until I noticed a cut problem, now I check it every few cuts before a problem arises. By the time I can see the difference, the bed knife needs adjusted a lot, and it's wounding and missing more blades.

Now that the heat has set in, I'm mowing ever 4 days, which I can do with my schedule.

Need to get grub and fungal preventatives down this week.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Looks good @HoosierLawnGnome. I didn't know you had so much shade to deal with. Is it like that most of the time or was it just the time of day?


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Good to hear you have worked in a preventative reel/bedknife clearance check.

What HOC are you currently at? Still running without any growth regulator?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Looks good @HoosierLawnGnome. I didn't know you had so much shade to deal with. Is it like that most of the time or was it just the time of day?


Mostly time of day. Pictured is an eastward-facing, treed creekline that gets sun until the early afternoon, then a nice shade. The creek drops the air temperature 10F degrees. I let nature mostly take over. I have a nice carpet of wild violet and lilly of the valley going I find attractive. Built another area out with a hosta bed I'm really enjoying.

Everywhere else is almost full, blistering sun, which makes things difficult with a silty clay soil - it cracks in a few days without rain. I'm watering twice a week right now. A full, deep watering, and then a half inch watering. My sprinkler system runs 5 days a week early mornings this time of year.

I let it get a little drought stressed last week to train the roots, now I'm back to full watering.



Pete1313 said:


> Good to hear you have worked in a preventative reel/bedknife clearance check.
> 
> What HOC are you currently at? Still running without any growth regulator?


No PGR this year at all, cutting @ 1.75 inches. It cuts pretty well at this height right now. It's not as even as a cut as I get when it's been lower, but I think the turf will be healthier over summer.

I know it's sacrilege, but I'm considering only mowing certain areas at this height and going back to a rotary for non play surfaces. The color is just so dramatically darker on Blueberry a little higher.

So, I may actually turn this into more of a "golf course" look, and pick up a walk behind to go down to 1/2" or lower for real greens, let most areas grow to longer lenghts, and then mow fairways with this fairway mower, strategically placing fairways within a watering zone.

I'm thinking about it. It may actually be less mowing if my 14 year old will mow the greens every day.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

That plan sounds so cool! Maybe you can get the 14 year old to stick with every other day if you go with PGR. My 14 year old helped mowing a little 3 or 4 years ago, before electronics took over his brain...maybe when he gets a little older. Lol


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

@Chris LI so far it's a no go unless I can find the greensmower I want (Gm 1600 or 1000).

I put out a pint of Propacanazole and bottle of dominion (merit) last night.

Turf is browning quickly I've been running sprinklers a lot.


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## HoosierDaddy (Sep 5, 2017)

I'm bringing my clubs next time I'm in your area 

My youngest is graduating next year and we might be looking to move down your way. Keep an eye on a good yard for me! (and house too I suppose... you know, for the wife.)


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

HoosierDaddy said:


> I'm bringing my clubs next time I'm in your area
> 
> My youngest is graduating next year and we might be looking to move down your way. Keep an eye on a good yard for me! (and house too I suppose... you know, for the wife.)


Well, they're starting to develop the fields around us just now soooo.... come be a neighbor!

I do love this area! And I strongly dislike Northside traffic.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Went away for a week with the fam. Mowed Sunday night before we left Monday, then it was a great week for summer turf here.

Came home to a nice, green lawn, albeit too tall.

Got out there to mow this morning between thunderstorms, but only got a third done. Going to be hard to mow as thunderstorms are in the forecast for 5 days.

I dont mind mowing in light rain but absolutely wint mow around thunder, and need a canopy for rain cover really.

@Pete1313 any good rain and sun roofs out there?

One other thing I've done for the last several years is apply fungicide before I leave. Big peace of mind for me. One year i about lost a reno to it.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Oh I dunno. :dunno:

I'm sure toro makes a canopy for the 3100D. I wonder the cost. A quick Google search returned a universal one that mounts to the 2" x 2" ROPS, but I don't have any experience with them.

https://www.covermytractor.com/mobile/category.aspx?id=10385&404;http://www.covermytractor.com:80/Toro_3100D_Tractor_Sunshade_Canopy_and_Canopies_s/10385.htm=


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Yeah I've seen those, maybe I'm being cheap because spending 400 for a sun shade turns me off &#128514;&#128514;&#128514;


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Decided to build a golf green.

Spot treated some dollar spot. 90s and humid this week here comes the fungus.

Spot sprayed weeds with an ounce of speed zone in a bottle.

Need to do some maintenance and mow later.

The turf is much stronger at this height than last year.

Dollar spot is bad here:


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

@Pete1313

For me, I would love to apply PGR but I wasnt getting the mowing reduction for the time and expense of applying PGR. I do love its aesthetics! Proxy discolors too much without Primo and FAS IMO, so I wont use it solo.

I really dont spray my yard much. I have done maybe 5 blanket sprays this year?? 2 Propacanazole, 1 prodiamine, 1 tenacity, 1 imidacloprid.

Knock on wood my yard looks the best it has over summer yet, mostly due to the longer cut and my improved watering.

I like to mow every other day ideally. The blades are fine enough they fall through the canopy as if mulched. Every 3 days is ok. 4 days is really too long this year, not so much from a blade removal standpoint but from how easily the cuttings fall through the canopy. 5 and beyond, I'm in catchup mode. The mower misses patches that are too long and needs multiple passes, after a week its better, rain or a blower help hide them.

Oh, and full sun spots are where it is too long for sure. I get buildup of dead blades in full sun spots.

Sometimes when it rains it will push waves of dead blades around like pine needles.

Here is the back after 2 days before mowing it


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Just in case you all think I'm slacking, here's a link to my golf course project.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Made my big fertilizer run over lunch.

740 lbs of DAP and MAP. Saved $400 compared to equivalent retail product.

This is how I justify the new greensmower &#129315;&#129315;&#129315;

Still need more urea but I'm set for now.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

100 lbs of DAP and 70 lbs of MOP out. Spot sprayed triclopyr on clover, sedgegrasses, wild violet, and poison ivy.

Mowed.

GM 1000 arriving tomorrow.


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

A new toy!! :yahoo: share some pics when you get it!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> A new toy!! :yahoo: share some pics when you get it!


Its coming tomorrow now. Seller is delivering it himself from Dayton rsther than freighting it.

It needs a grind from the pics, so ill probably put the front roller on and take it to the Toro equipment shop for a grind over the weekend.

Next weekend we are having a party and everyone wants to play some golf so i want to cut my KBG down to half an inch for makeshift greens.

Will probably do fairways too but i messed with the major height on my 3100D to test and dont like the way its cutting yet.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Adjusted reel to bednives and gave her another cut today. Lowered the reels a half inch and cut some fairways.







I ran over a bottle of triclopyr so i expect to have a really dead, brown spot in a week. %#%@!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Mowed, trimmed, edged, sprayed 1 pint propiconazole mixed with FAS.

A couple summer patch spots out there with an area of dollar spot, so those got a little more fungicide.

Dialed in the GM 1000 a bit, lowering the overall engine speed. Need to get the bed bar and bed knife back on.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

A little golf action with friends


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

Nice!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Lots of prep for creating the greens.

Neighbor's lawn service sprayed what smelled like 24D at the beginning of a hot, sunny day. I turned on my sprinklers to wash any overspray off.

Lowered HOC to 1 1/4".

Sprayed glyphosate on the greens areas.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I am not loving the 1 1/4" HOC yet. Definitely lost some color. My machine does seem to cut much better here though.

My reels are configured with the front major HOC at the lowest position, and i set the HOC using the rear major adjustor. So the attitude is a higher angle the higher I go, which I think is impacting the cut quality at the top end.

At 1 1/4", a 3 day interval took off much more too. The turf hasnt fully adjusted yet, so I'll give it more time. Trouble is we have 3 days of rain forecasted.

Most discoloration is from cut, longer blades laying on the surface and browning.

Another thing I learned this year is to alternate patterns the more you mow. I was trying to mow 2 directions only this year and some blades would get missed and lay over after getting trained for so long, making the blades longer. if it dries out and you dont mow for several days they stick up and you lose the pool table look and trend back towards the puffy look.

Mowing against the grain occasionally doest fix it entirely either. If you have slight undulations as most lawns do, the reels cant get down in all the different crevices to cut the turf. So, for instance, the slight swails i have need cut at an angle perpendicular to them to keep it uniform.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

The turf looked really solid this morning before the cut at 1 1/4". Its adjusting and growth is picking up. It was a 3 day interval, took off more than i liked.





After the rain knocked the dead stuff under the canopy and broke up the clumps it looked ok.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Converted 2 sprinkler heads to shrub driplines.

Used the blower to remove dead material from fungus spots.

Dethatched heavy thatch areas by hand.

I would like to dethatch, aerate, and get prodiamine down again soon.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

HoosierLawnGnome said:


> A little golf action with friends


This photo reminded me of The Kids in the Hall..."I am crushing your head!" :lol:


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Reseeded an area i went nuclear on all summer and spring to get rid of the rest of the quackgrass. 


I applied tupersan last night at 2 oz per k rate.

Dropped seed, applied milo, top dressed with peat moss, watered in by hand.

Some of these areas get missed by sprinklers.

No more blueberry seed left so ill resort to plugs from here out.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I got rough on things today.

Since the ground was nice and soft and its time for fall pre emergent and i need to apply fungicide tonthe rootzone, we core aerated. Dodged patches of yellow nutsedge to discourage spreading.




Then i dethatched




And i put the boy to work moving plugs to fill in quack grass treated areas


Hopefully tonight ill get propiconazole, prodiamine, maybe herbicide down too. A little hot for herbicides yet.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Spot sprayed propicanazole tonight. Ran sprinklers, applied fungicide with soil driplet nozzle, ran sprinklers again to wash it into the root zone as best I can.

There were a few spots of summer patch and brown patch, but mostly dollar spot.

Yes, i know prop isnt the best for summer patch, but its such a minor area it isnt worth dropping the money. Prop will hit it a little and the upcoming surge and N blitz will cover it.

Hopefully this will kill it off enough to recover when the growth surge kicks in soon.

This last pic is of the turf that was dethatched against the grain. Look how long those blades are. Even though im cutting at 1 1/4 inches, the blades are actually much longer.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Blanket sprayed 9 oz prodiamine mixed with 13 oz triclopyr and 8 oz 24d with a little ammonium sulfate.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Applied 1 lb per K MOP and 1.5 lbs per K DAP.

Roughly. Honestly I just pour and go on this much area, make sure it's spread evenly. I do it more by volume.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Got a good day of natural rainfall today, almost perfectly times with my recent fertilization. I can smell fall in the air, here comes the growth surge!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

I have an insect problem. Looks just like a few years ago. Mowing last week i noticed a bunch of insects take flight when i mowed.

It got worse since i treated with fungicide too.


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

What fungicide did you use? I've read that some fungicides like thiophanate methyl actually make some diseases worse?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

leifcat1 said:


> What fungicide did you use? I've read that some fungicides like thiophanate methyl actually make some diseases worse?


Propiconazole

The core aeration, dethatching, not bagging could have spread fungus too.

And then heat stress is setting in.

But im getting some insecticide too


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Treated a few thousand square feet for insect damage, watered in.

Hottest day ofnthe year the soil is rock hard, I'm watering half an inch every other day.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

50 lbs of urea down, nice heavy rain right after.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

HoosierLawnGnome said:


> 50 lbs of urea down, nice heavy rain right after.


Same. Well, except 5# :thumbup:


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

pennstater2005 said:


> HoosierLawnGnome said:
> 
> 
> > 50 lbs of urea down, nice heavy rain right after.
> ...


Man, I miss the days of scooping urea into a handheld spreader and knocking it out in 5 minutes!

I have to get the tractor out, hook up the spreader, put 50 lb bag in it, then drive around for 20 minutes. And really i need to blow it off the driveway afterwards as you cant be as accurate.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Dropped HOC to 7/8" to 1" and double mowed.

Lots of insect damage along the creek and open, sunny north side.

How do I know? Bugs flying around when i mow through. Large groups of birds feeding around damaged areas this morning. Fortunately they are feeding in areas i treated last week.

I will treat again, but im beginning to believe an early August curative application is going to be a regular thing now before damage starts every season.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Big flocks of sparrows and robbins eating insects in the area I recently treated.

I can't find grubs, but there are little black insects flying around. Not june bugs.

I am going to have to do a curative early August from now on.

Wonder if it's more effective to do 2 curatives instead of a Imidacloprid AND a curative?

No bug problem until August.

Lots of dead spots.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

So, main problem now, is sprinkler heads are dying all over. Rotors get stuck. Unless youre watching them for a minute you cant tell, and i run mine so early I can't see them, particularly a few zones from the windows.

Lesson learned, do periodic sprinkler head checks.

I have about 6 that need replaced.

We havent had rain in a few weeks so it's showing.

Spot sprayed sedgegrass today.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

We had 3 weeks with no rain, and the broken heads were easy to find.

I applied 50 lbs DAP and urea


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Well, I haven't fertilized since sept 28.

My older kids are in fall sports, tennis and golf, so my fall was much busier than previous falls. These sports were largely unaffected by the rona in terms of schedule.

We had a very dry month. Hardly any rain.

I spot sprayed nutsedge with sedgehammer in October.

Spot sprayed clover with triclopyr this past weekend.

Applied FAS this past weekend. I was going to blanket spray triclopyr but there really wasmt a widespread weed problem. A few small spot sprays of herbicide and half app of prodiamine were all the herbicides I applied this fall, and it looks great. My beds are another story hahahaha.

Winterized the sprinkler system early last week.

From the other night:




All that remains is keeping it mowed, trimmed, edged, and then winterized. Maybe another FAS app.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Put out most of the winterizer urea tonight. Battery dead so I did it all with a 5 lb hand spreader. Good exercise.

Also cut today for one last trim. It's possible ill run over it again if it warms up just to smooth it out. Top growth was 1/4 over a weel or two.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Well, we're about to kick this party off. Need to get the mowers primed and replace a sprayer wheel.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

weekend before last I dethatched then aerated. Got the equipment serviced. Started mowing greens. Put a tad urea on the greens as they are awake.

This past weekend I applied prodiamine, triclopyr with a tad N.

Winter weeds already showing affecta today.

Mowed fornthe first time this evening, spot sprayed winter weeds and fringe of the greens to keep the bentgrass at bay.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

All greened up, most of the surface crapp I tore up is gone now.

Need to weed and get beds trued up.

Bad area in the front needs plugged where I blanket sprayed for quackgrass.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

@HoosierLawnGnome How are the greens doing?


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> @HoosierLawnGnome How are the greens doing?


@SNOWBOB11 Well, they grew in fantastically and have established well.

I skipped tupersan on the greens this spring. Im mowing them about 2x a week. Rather, my son is. The low hoc and occasional hand pull are easier than spraying.

I started graduate school this year and took a leadership role with a company, so I'm working far less from home. On top of that, I had soring tennis for the kids this year, so time was very limited. I actuslly went almost 2 weeks without cutting it during the flush!

But the business is taking off, I got a 4.0, and my daughter went 8-1 this season so I wouldn't change a thing!

And now, my 3100D is spewing white smoke and cant run full throttle so I have tonfigure that out. I already replaced fuel filters etc.



So its the worst its looked in a long time but this is a hobby not a psychological addiction haha.

I still havent trimmed this year.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Still looks good. The color of the green in the background of that picture looks so vibrant.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

So, good news is I have great service from the Toro service people. The white smoke can be a bad sign of a blown head gasket - I sure hope not. I'll be without a mower until they can swing by to pick it up, so I'm going to be cutting with a rider. Yikes.

Oh well, this is the way it goes, eh?

I've been religious about maintenance, so at least I did what I could there.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

After 2 seasons of higher priorities during graduate school, I'm whipping the lawn back into shape slowly this fall. Target is for it to be in solid shape come end of Spring 2023.

In the last 2 seasons, I've done what I consider the minimum - fall and spring fertilizer application, mowing regularly with a rotary at 2-4" throughout the season, irrigation, and a pre-emergent application.

Sedgegrass, clover have taken over. The beds are a big mess.

The 3 greens grew tall and matted. Could really play golf on them.

So, this fall I got the 3100D completely serviced. It was NOT CHEAP. More than I paid for the mower originally, but it runs like a top now.

Loaded up on fertilizer for the fall. Still need some more.

Started lowering the HOC a few weeks ago. Mowed with the 3100D at about 1.25" last week. SEcond cut today.

I started replacing broken sprinkler heads. Still have 5 left to replace. Lots of missed areas where the turf has browned.

Also, lots of grub damage spots. I will need a curative like dylox.

Did a few spot sprays for clover this spring. Did a full app of prodiamine this spring as opposed to my normal split app.

Started tackling the greens, getting them back to putting height with my daughters. First was to lower HOC as low as I could with the rotary, then of course with the 3100D. Then, I took the power scissors over each one. After every phase I raked up the dead material. Goal is to have a puttable surface late fall again. One green in particular is very matted - thick mat of stolons on top.

Fertilize, water, mow, treat for weeds. Clean up beds. Lots of work!


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Getting the t1 bentgrass cut back. Slowly drop and rake up material. Probably need to verticut one it is so bad.










Look how thick this mat is!!!


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