# My Renovation.



## Sbcgenii

My wife and I just got our first house. We were both in the Army previously and she just finished her time in December. We ended up getting a house that My uncle, Grandparents and aunt owned at one time. My sister and I also lived there for awhile with my Grandparents. The majority of the house needs renovation and it should be a fun challenging and expensive next few months for us.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The first time I looked at the yard I wasn't to disappointed since I did see some Bermuda in there. The front was slightly overgrown for a normal persons standards and the back was pretty bad. The person selling the house said he was going to mow it...

Father's Day weekend came around and it was killing me all week at work thinking about how bad the yard was and I couldnt wait to scalp it down to as low as my push mower could go. This is what it looked like.







The back was an absolute nightmare. It was so over grown that I found wild strawberries growing in 2 different spots.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Closed on the house today so as soon as I could I went over to the house dropped the mower down to the lowest setting and attacked the front yard. It felt like a plow. I started the back at a 3 and the side discharge kept clogging lol. Mowed through a puddle and ended up raising it to a 5. Hopefully it we be drier tomorrow and I can lower the back down more. The yard also has crazy amounts of nut sedge.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Mulched up my grass clippings from yesterday did some trimming, sprayed roundup and through down some weed and feed. Second time I forgot my tape measure to figure out how much yard I have. Threw down a 5k bag of weed and feed anyways and hoping for the best lol.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Stopped by the house on the way home from work to take a peek at the lawn. Didn't see as much Bermuda in the front as I would have like but the back yard with the strawberries had quite a bit.


I don't know what kind of vegetation was in these brown areas before but it did not like getting cut low.




How about that for a scalp lol. It felt more like a plow that day.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Got a 3x3 drag mat in the mail today.


----------



## JTCJC

Planning on leveling?


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Planning on leveling?


Yes sir! The yard is awful in every way and figured now is the perfect time to start leveling.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I have some massive craters in the yard. I did what every one says not to do and bought some box store top soil #reelrebel. I didn't mind the mulch that came free with it since my soil is so bad right now it will probably reely help it out. I did find a large rock in one bag that I need to get a picture of. I also bought 2 bags of the stay green top soil and it spread great with my new landscape rake.


Apparently I didn't get anymore pictures today. Lots of crabgrass in the front. I bought some stuff to kill it today. I also got to mow the back at the lowest setting today and it looks like it has potential to look decent by the end of the year. I hope my barely used husqvarna push mower I bought last year can make it another year. This yard is beating the crap out of it and me. Also sprayed the ivy on my back fence again.


----------



## Austinite

FIRST thing..... Thank you both for your service!!!

Looks like you have a decent project on your hands. Looking forward to your progress. You have a decent sized area to work with so a transformation will bring some awesome curb appeal!

Best of luck to you.


----------



## JTCJC

The leveling will help the bermuda a lot. Bermuda will spread quickly. Put down a high nitrogen fertilizer too. Bermuda is a nitrogen hound! You will be surprised what bermuda can do in a 1 season.

Here is my backyard from my old house getting the septic system worked on.



This was a little over a year later 1.5 growing seasons. No seed, just leveled and let the Princess 77 bermuda creep back.



Hope this gives you some motivation!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Austinite said:


> FIRST thing..... Thank you both for your service!!!
> 
> Looks like you have a decent project on your hands. Looking forward to your progress. You have a decent sized area to work with so a transformation will bring some awesome curb appeal!
> 
> Best of luck to you.


Your welcome!
Definitely a good size project and the yard is the only thing I am looking forward to. Fortunately I have some good help for the rest of it.


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> The leveling will help the bermuda a lot. Bermuda will spread quickly. Put down a high nitrogen fertilizer too. Bermuda is a nitrogen hound! You will be surprised what bermuda can do in a 1 season.
> 
> Here is my backyard from my old house getting the septic system worked on.
> 
> 
> 
> This was a little over a year later 1.5 growing seasons. No seed, just leveled and let the Princess 77 bermuda creep back.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope this gives you some motivation!


Thanks for the motivation!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Went over to the house tonight to do some work on the inside  We got a brief rain shower while I was there which I was pumped about since it hasn't had any water since before I put the weed/feed down. Looked like my crabgrass killer is starting to work. Threw down some more just in case lol.
Rock I found in my Lowe's top soil.


This is what the staygreen top soil looks like FYI
Don't know what up with the feathers. Possible a bird landed in yard and was eating by one of the giant spiders/frogs.



Current yard pictures. Looks like the Bermuda is taking off now.


----------



## JTCJC

:thumbup: :thumbup:


Sbcgenii said:


> JTCJC said:
> 
> 
> 
> The leveling will help the bermuda a lot. Bermuda will spread quickly. Put down a high nitrogen fertilizer too. Bermuda is a nitrogen hound! You will be surprised what bermuda can do in a 1 season.
> 
> Here is my backyard from my old house getting the septic system worked on.
> 
> 
> 
> This was a little over a year later 1.5 growing seasons. No seed, just leveled and let the Princess 77 bermuda creep back.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope this gives you some motivation!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the motivation!
Click to expand...

 :thumbup:


----------



## Sbcgenii

Got a mow in. I need some rain and to run a roller over the yard.



So much crabgrass out front it can't die fast enough.


Somehow the back is looking awesome even though it had wild strawberries growing in it 2 weeks ago


----------



## JTCJC

I would mow as low as you can and often as you can. Push the Bermuda to grow laterally! Looking much better!


----------



## Sbcgenii

I have mowed as low as the rotary can go. I am now mowing at 1 notch above bottom. I am not worried about scalping but the mower gets hung up all over the place at the lowest setting and makes it a real pita to mow.


----------



## JTCJC

Looks like its working though  Is the mower bottoming out on the dirt? Then you would have to level that area or raise HOC. Dirt will dull the blade fast!


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Looks like its working though  Is the mower bottoming out on the dirt? Then you would have to level that area or raise HOC. Dirt will dull the blade fast!


Yes the mower frame is bottoming out on the dirt. The blade was jacked the last time I looked at it. I don't mind having to sharpen it if it is helping me level the yard lol. I already have a landscape rake, drag mat and my uncle has a roller I can borrow. I just don't have time right now to have a large order of sand delivered.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Back and side yard are looking great. Still have a bunch of crabgrass out front but it is dying and I have Bermuda coming up in those spots. Used my earthwise push reel at the lowest setting. :thumbup:


----------



## JTCJC

Nice! Color is looking good too! What are you doing for fertilizer?

BTW bother thanks for you and your wife's service!


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Nice! Color is looking good too! What are you doing for fertilizer?
> 
> BTW bother thanks for you and your wife's service!


Your welcome! The only thing that has been put down on the lawn so far is a 5k bag of weed and feed, spot sprayed weed/crabgrass killer and some bug killer. I have a bag of carbon x left over from my parents house that I plan on spoon feeding the lawn. I have no idea why it is such a dark green. I bought some Bermuda seed that I was going to put down but held off because of my herbicide apps. The lawn is filling in so good now that I don't want to put it down and risk it not blending in.


----------



## JTCJC

Don't have to "your welcome* me brother. Been there done that '00 - 08"

Watch the balanced fertilizers. they are often fast acting.

They would lead to the quick green but not support long term green.

However ATM the high fast acting Nitrogen (if it is) is doing great! Keep it up!


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Don't have to "your welcome* me brother. Been there done that '00 - 08"
> 
> Watch the balanced fertilizers. they are often fast acting.
> 
> They would lead to the quick green but not support long term green.
> 
> However ATM the high fast acting Nitrogen (if it is) is doing great! Keep it up!


My dad always used fast acting N when I was growing up. Always the Chance or burning the lawn. I remember him freaking out about it before with some 45-0-0. He still talks about the smell. I also remember him pouring a beer in the hopper because he heard it worked lol. I am all about the slow release now. I don't have time to mess with a burned lawn or worry about it. Cutting height/frequency seems the most important followed by pre em to me now.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Put down a half bag of carbon x yesterday before the rain and got a cut in.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Put down some granular weed killer/Pre em this morning. After I put it down I read the instructions and I figured I needed to put more down. Roughly measured the lawn and came up with 7k feet. I also bought some 13-13-13 that I will put down in 2 days when I water down my herbicide per the instructions. Got something for the moles too. I guess I will level next year. I am more concerned with getting the Bermuda to fill in right now and getting rid of these weeds.


----------



## JTCJC

Still looking good. Just back from vacation so haven't been followed much this week.

The Pre M looks interesting. Let us know how it works. It was hard to read but looks like the leading ingredient is 2-4D. Does the label say apply when the blades are wet?


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Still looking good. Just back from vacation so haven't been followed much this week.
> 
> The Pre M looks interesting. Let us know how it works. It was hard to read but looks like the leading ingredient is 2-4D. Does the label say apply when the blades are wet?


Yes on both counts. Put 2 more bags down today but I think only the back was damp when i applied it.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Gave her a cut and finished painting the shed today. Before and after pictures.
3 weeks ago

Today


----------



## Sbcgenii

Fresh mow. Manual push needs a reel adjustment.
Slowly killing the crabgrass in patches. What an ugly grass.


----------



## ctrav

Your doing a great job and have come a long way!


----------



## Sbcgenii

ctrav said:


> Your doing a great job and have come a long way!


Some times I can see it. Most times all I see is utter garbage. The life of the obsessive. I want to be cutting tiff eagle or another ultra dwarf at .100 but i barely have time for 1" with no regulation. I don't know how this will end lol. I just want perfection....


----------



## JTCJC

Looking awesome compared to what it was! :thumbup:

The military and our OCD... I find it soothing with a beer in my hand when the sun went down to admire the progress... :lol:


----------



## Sbcgenii

I went to adjust my reel to bedknife and while I was looking at the instructions online I noticed a separate/additional area to make height adjustments. Bench height is supposed to be around .500.
You can see the difference in this pic with only 1 wheel adjusted.



Also put down the rest of my carbon X and watered it in.






No scalping but it also doesn't cut exactly at .500 because when I push it forward the rear rollers come off the ground. I haven't checked yet to see how much the bed knife raises when this happens.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

Sprayed some 24d last night when I got home from the lake. Wish I would have grabbed my bottle of surfactant.


Also can no longer handle the bumps and holes in the yard. I know where I can get some really nice sand in bags. Going to buy 15 of them and see how far that gets me in the best section of my yard.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Ended up with 32 40#bags of extra fine sand for $90


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

I was hoping 1200#s would go farther but oh well. Bought all they had. May try another store tomorrow and see if they have anymore.
I guess I will finally to some trimming again.


----------



## JTCJC

Looking good brother.

FYI - Find a local bulk mulch, stone and sand place. I get 1 cubic yard or 1.25 tons for $32. It took me about 3 yards to fill 2.5k sq ft. I would start with at least 1 yard per 1k sq ft. At first it takes a lot. Once you get it mostly level (took me 3) then the next ones are less.


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Looking good brother.
> 
> FYI - Find a local bulk mulch, stone and sand place. I get 1 cubic yard or 1.25 tons for $32. It took me about 3 yards to fill 2.5k sq ft. I would start with at least 1 yard per 1k sq ft. At first it takes a lot. Once you get it mostly level (took me 3) then the next ones are less.


This was mostly a test. I have never leveled with sand before. I hope to aerate next spring and then get a truckload of sand.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Put 40# of 13-13-13 mostly on the front and side yard. So much work still needs to be done on the yard/landscaping/fence/irrigation. This might take a couple more years.

Day 1



The drag mat found several rocks in the area I used it in. Good tool to save reels. Still finding Saturn missiles and mortar shells in my yard from the 4th of July. Hopefully the yard will be in better shape next year and they will be easier to spot.


----------



## ctrav

Sbcgenii said:


> Put 40# of 13-13-13 mostly on the front and side yard. So much work still needs to be done on the yard/landscaping/fence/irrigation. This might take a couple more years.
> 
> Day 1
> 
> 
> 
> The drag mat found several rocks in the area I used it in. Good tool to save reels. Still finding Saturn missiles and mortar shells in my yard from the 4th of July. Hopefully the yard will be in better shape next year and they will be easier to spot.


Good work!


----------



## JTCJC

Looks nice and level! Wait and watch the Bermuda take off! Take a picture everyday from the same location. It's fun to go and look at it day by day. (At least for me) &#128514;


----------



## Sbcgenii

Mowed the front last night and the back tonight. Also updated pic of my sand test plot. I called on sand today and found some mason sand for $45 per yard plus $75 delivery charge.


----------



## ctrav

Sbcgenii said:


> Mowed the front last night and the back tonight. Also updated pic of my sand test plot. I called on sand today and found some mason sand for $45 per yard plus $75 delivery charge.


Are you watering it in at all? Sand is in my future for sure next year  and buying by the yard is more cost effective


----------



## JTCJC

Wow man, looking better and better everyday! Have you started spoon feeding the area with the sand?


----------



## Sbcgenii

ctrav said:


> Sbcgenii said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mowed the front last night and the back tonight. Also updated pic of my sand test plot. I called on sand today and found some mason sand for $45 per yard plus $75 delivery charge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you watering it in at all? Sand is in my future for sure next year  and buying by the yard is more cost effective
Click to expand...

I think I watered it in twice and had rain once. I also took the drag mat over it again but it didn't do much.


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Wow man, looking better and better everyday! Have you started spoon feeding the area with the sand?


The whole yard has received lots of fertilizer since have a moved it. I might get some more put down Monday though.


----------



## ctrav

Are you happy with the results of the sand test plot? Did you get more level out of it? Whats the next step since you found a sand delivery place? Will you cut lower? Just curious...


----------



## Sbcgenii

ctrav said:


> Are you happy with the results of the sand test plot? Did you get more level out of it? Whats the next step since you found a sand delivery place? Will you cut lower? Just curious...


Still to early to tell on the level. I want to get the yard aerated then do the sand. I also still need to get rid of my crabgrass. I can't cut any lower at the moment. I am using a manual push reel and it only goes to .500. I would like to try and go much lower in the future. The bottom of my bedknife is hitting in lots of spots currently. I keep finding trash and rocks in the yard too so I am hesitant of using a greens mower this year.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Had to go out of town so the yard got away from me. Updated pic of the the area I leveled. I need to put some more fert down.


----------



## JTCJC

Look at the difference between July 28th and today. Awesome man! :thumbup:


----------



## Sbcgenii

JTCJC said:


> Look at the difference between July 28th and today. Awesome man! :thumbup:


It does look way better! I haven't had any time lately to mess with the yard or even look at the pictures. Time to get back at it!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Mowed Sunday night at 8pm after a 10hr drive. The wife wasn't happy about that. I Mowed the side yard with the manual push and had to switch to the rotary with bagger to save time. I mowed again tonight and raised the HOC up a notch to 3 since when I mowed Sunday at 2 there were several spots the mower didn't want to get through because the yard is so uneven. I also wanted to bag because of the massive amount of crabgrass i still have.

I have spot sprayed the crabgrass 3 times with a total of 5 gallons used. I still had so many weeds and little time that I hired someone to come out and do a blanket app of post emergent and also out down some dimension pre em for me Monday. I didn't want to do that but i think it is actually more cost effective for me right now and it slso saves me tons of time. It appears to be working.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## ctrav

Is it filling in or are you applying more sand?


----------



## Sbcgenii

It is still filling in. I got a whole bunch of things working against me right now. Being out of town, the heat, rotary mowing with a dull blade and blanket herbicide app... I nuked parts of the front yard the last time I sprayed.... I honestly don't know what to concentrate on at this point. I am hoping pre emergent this fall and spring prevent this next year but I would like to kill as much as possible to try and get the Bermuda to fill in.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Nuke pictures.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The smart thing would be to totally kill the yard next year and sprig it. I prefer to do things the hard way though and want to see what I can turn this into next year.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Really felt like giving up earlier today. The yard was looking really bad. The color was gone, it wasnt spreading out and the were weeds still going strong....I mowed this afternoon and most of the crabgrass is dead/dying. I can also see a big increase in the amount of Bermuda in the front yard. I am also starting to get runners over the deeply sanded areas. I think I will be in a good spot for next year now with another month of growing.


----------



## tcorbitt20

You may be surprised how fast it fills in. Looking good!


----------



## HungrySoutherner

Its really coming along


----------



## Sbcgenii

So I have been pretty bummed about how the yard has looked this year. Going back through these photos though I can see I have been making progress. I planted a bunch of flowers in the bed out front and it looks way better. I ordered a ortho dial n spray and today applied some feature 6-0-0 then I went back and applied T-next with it lol. I bought a gallon last year to use on my parents place and I have been dying to use it. Fingers crossed I didn't nuke it. Science.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## cglarsen

This year has been off to a bad start for bermuda grass renovation due to the weather patterns. Keep your chin up though, we have some good heat coming this summer and may have an above average August to make up for spring.


----------



## Sbcgenii

cglarsen said:


> This year has been off to a bad start for bermuda grass renovation due to the weather patterns. Keep your chin up though, we have some good heat coming this summer and may have an above average August to make up for spring.


 My yard came up before everyone else's by a couple weeks. I am Currently disappointed i don't have the best yard on my street. I will not give up though.
My yard is 50% common Bermuda that is just ugly. The other half is some nice looking common and tiff. So I think if I raised my HOC to 1" the yard would fill in faster but with an ugly grass. I Don't know what to do on that but I already raised the reel to 1" earlier today and I want to try it out for a couple weeks and see what happens.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Last night I put down some spectracide weed and crabgrass killer in the back. I hope it works because it will be a lot of work to spot spray lol.

Today I triple cut the front and double cut the side and back yard. I then put down fungicide front and back then did a spoon feeding of fert and watered.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

Spot sprayed some ortho ground clear on some dallis grass. I had about a 1/4 left and a good portion of the dallis put front. After it was empty is noticed that it wasn't glyphosate so I don't know how that is going to work out.
I mower when I got home today from work. I needed to cut way more off the grass in the back vs the front and side yard so it looks like I need more PGR in the back.


----------



## probasestealer

Sbcgenii said:


>


Yard looks so much better.

I'm assuming to put down pre-emergent? May be time for round 2 in your area (depending on what you dropped).

Good work! You were brave, I would have been tempted to nuke it and start over, shows us the power of the bermuda weed.


----------



## Sbcgenii

From the spot spraying last night. 

I had my heart set on spending 5 hrs in the yard This Friday but I think I am going to have to work.


----------



## Sbcgenii

probasestealer said:


> Sbcgenii said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yard looks so much better.
> 
> I'm assuming to put down pre-emergent? May be time for round 2 in your area (depending on what you dropped).
> 
> Good work! You were brave, I would have been tempted to nuke it and start over, shows us the power of the bermuda weed.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I need to put some more pre em down just in case. I should nuke it but I have many more projects that involve the yard so I am going to hold off on it for a couple years.


----------



## probasestealer

I wouldn't nuke at this point.

Do you think you have common Bermuda?


----------



## Sbcgenii

probasestealer said:


> I wouldn't nuke at this point.
> 
> Do you think you have common Bermuda?


I think I have more than one type of common and I also have areas with a hybrid that would probably be tiff. The hybrid is spreading or coming back to life because I started noticing it in the back yard now.

My profile says tiff and common because I was taking care of my parents place last year. I have offered to mow for my Dad A couple times this year so I can use the triplex but he won't give it up.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Ratibida Mexican red hat.


----------



## Sbcgenii

As of 10am had 13k steps in today. Double cut the front, quad cut the back and then put some pounds on the ground of biosoilds. I also ordered some Humic 12 and rgs this week. I really didn't want to build a sprayer setup but that is in the future now. I have some stripes in my lawn and I am assuming it's from applying feature with the dial n spray. Yesterday I sprayed weed+crabgrass killer on the front and spot sprayed another gallon of ortho weed and grass killer on the Dallisgrass. Unfortunately I ran out before I could even spray it all of the devil grass.


----------



## Sbcgenii

PGR user for life now.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I started to get some heavy growth back in areas of the yard so I put down some more PGR. For PGR I did .5oz/m And I added 2 oZ per/m feature in the back and 1oz per/m feature in the front. Hopefully I get off tomorrow at a decent time and I can mow and put down some humic.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Early morning cut.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I mowed the front again and lowered the Manual reel one notch. Yesterday I saw a yard in the neighborhood that iS obviously cut with a reel. It looked awesome. Lots more work ahead of me to get top lawn. I found an interesting piece of grass today. One of many varieties in the yard.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Well it has been about a year. Time for comparison pictures. Got it from mostly weeds to mostly Bermuda. I still have lots of big projects to do on the outside before I can take it to another level. I would really like to do some leveling this year though.


----------



## SC Grass Loon

Looking great, that is a transformation!


----------



## Sbcgenii

SC Grass Loon said:


> Looking great, that is a transformation!


Thanks! Hopefully in a few more years everything will be how I want it.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Found some dollar spot this morning. Put down a bag of disease X that I had left over and I am going to order some propiconazole.


----------



## RussellJ

Hi,

I know I am late to the party.
Well done of your yard so far.

Was I the only one who saw the snake??? *arrghhhh*


----------



## Sbcgenii

Sbcgenii said:


> Found some dollar spot this morning. Put down a bag of disease X that I had left over and I am going to order some propiconazole.


The disease X did nothing for my fungus. My Prop arrives today and I will spray it. I ran out of GDD yesterday and will put out some fert to help the yard grow out of the funk.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Spoon feed some fert today. Raised cutting height.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Well I really over did a PGR app on 6-29-20 Which lead to very little growth and a fungus problem.



I sprayed a heavy app of propiconazole and it is do for a reapplication. The yard has recovered nicely and i will try and do another PGR app this weekend if I can get a mow in with all the rain we have been having. I will also go back to the .25oz per k rate on the Tnex.


----------



## Meximusprime

Keep up the great work! Only a minor bump on the PGR app and hopefully next app gives you better results. I'm going through exactly what you went thorough on the TNex. Going for a second app next week.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Meximusprime said:


> Keep up the great work! Only a minor bump on the PGR app and hopefully next app gives you better results. I'm going through exactly what you went thorough on the TNex. Going for a second app next week.


Thanks! It's all a learning experience figuring out what your yard wants. Mine didn't want 1oz per k at .500 HOC lol. Now I know what that looks like. The weather has not been good this year for Bermuda. Oh well. I got to Learn about PGR and fungicide. I will be more prepared for next seasons battle!


----------



## Sbcgenii

I sprayed the propicanzole and Tnex yesterday. Also noticed the cheap bags of disease X so I ordered 3 bags of that and will put it down when they come in. Spot sprayed some crabgrass with spectracide.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The 2021 season is upon us!
Upgraded from the manual push reel.



I tried scalping at 1/4 and I was hitting to much dirt so I raised it to 7/16.







My back yard is still soaked so I scalped what I could with the roatary.


I ended up using the nuclear option on the Dallas grass last year so I had some dead spots for awhile. Those spots have Bermuda coming in real nice now. Goal for this year is to put yards of sand down.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Finally got rid of the horribly placed bush in the front yard.



I also picked up a Gorilla cart to make leveling easier.



Manually aeration and picked up the cores on this part of the yard. I hope I never have to do that again.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I scalped again today In preparation for the sand. The back was to wet to do with the reel last time so I am going to try and take the back down to 7/16 aswell. It looked like a had a decent amount of green in the yard until I took pictures of it.

Pretty pumped about these stripes. Obviously not straight but the manual push reel didn't stripe at all lol.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I got more of the back scalped than I thought I would.





So here is my problem. Literal swamp behind my house.



My back patio stays under water way to long after a rain so I should be getting it raised 4" this week. The east side of the back yard is good but it slopes down on the west side. The west side is where my yard stays soggy until summer. After my new patio is installed I am going to start working on this issue.

I am also thinking about getting rid of the chain link fence in the back. It's a never ending battle vs Mother Nature and barb wire is more appealing more me to look at and it will be easier to keep clear of ivy, berries, honey suckle, watermelon strawberries and whatever else might be growing between the two fences.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Redtwin

Sbcgenii said:


>


Let the fun begin!!!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Fun is over!


----------



## Redtwin

Looks great!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Redtwin said:


> Looks great!


I was hoping to have an extra sand pile like you have in the back but I don't know if that is going to happen now. I am jealous of your extra sand lol.


----------



## Sbcgenii

So the temps are supposed to drop close to freezing tonight and I knew this going in but I wasn't going to be moving the sand back and forth. I was hoping to verticut and do some more aeration and let the temps come up before I sanded but the yard was coming in good and I just went for it. Hopefully it fills in decent.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Drag the sand some more this morning while it was dry. I put down some fert and soaking the sand now.


The neighbor called a tree service to trim some trees and grind some stumps so I am having them take care of the neglected side of the house while there are here.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

Tomorrow I have to pick up some small pieces of concrete in the back from getting the patio pored. I also need to put my sun joe together and sharpen it. I want to scalp the back and side yard again then run the sun joe and aerator so I can sand. I won't sand close to the new patio because I need to bring in some dirt to taper away from the patio and house.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I got to use my sunjoe today! That thing is awesome! Definitely my favorite tool to use in the yard. Unfortunately I only had 50ft of extension cord so I picked up a 100ft this evening to finish the back and side yard then I will be putting more sand down.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Update on the front 



Got the side sanded.

Used the sunjoe on the side and back.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Super ecstatic about the results so far. It's going to end up being 10yards on 7k sq feet. I was worried that the cold snap after I put it down up front was going to doom me. I also figured May would be the optimal time to do this project. Better to be lucky than good.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Update. Pretty good chance for some heavy rain tonight so eager to see how it will look tomorrow when I get home from work. Can't wait to mow!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Going to loose my sand.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The forecast sucks. One good day out of the next 10. 
I want to start mowing stripes.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Had to give her a quick cut when I got home. My reel needed work so I gave it a shot.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I put some PGR down in the back. Thinking it might help the grass come up more uniformly since it is foliar absorbed. Everyone says to stay away from PGR when leveling but I like to prove everyone else right. We will see what's happens!


----------



## Sbcgenii

Forecast has improved slightly. Temps still don't look that great but we have some sun coming.



At the present time I am glad I put the PGR down now because I might have used to much. It's the preseason though perfect time to practice.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I am Undecided on how I feel about leveling this early. It would be nice to have a break from mowing but if you are getting tired of mowing why would you want to move 10 yards of sand.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Brought in some sandy loam to bring up the areas around the patio and put down box store Bermuda seed. After this fills in I will bring some more sand in.





Covered seed with some good soil and peat.



The northeast corner of the yard has been a nightmare since we moved in. Removed 25 stones from back there 1 bush and 1 tree stump that I cut last year.





Don't know how seed will do growing on top of sand but I threw some seed down and covered it with peat.


I sprayed the fence the other day. The ivy was really getting away from me. I am going to do something about it this spring but don't know what yet. I really could use some sun shine.


----------



## daniel3507

Some sunshine and warmer temps would be nice I agree. It's looking good though!


----------



## Sbcgenii

daniel3507 said:


> Some sunshine and warmer temps would be nice I agree. It's looking good though!


Thank you! Supposed to drop to freezing Tuesday.


----------



## daniel3507

I'm glad I held off on Revolver after checking the forecast. Was not expecting such a drop in temps!


----------



## Sbcgenii

daniel3507 said:


> I'm glad I held off on Revolver after checking the forecast. Was not expecting such a drop in temps!


I think we will be good after Tuesday. So glad the sun is starting to come back out. We are about to be in high gear. Get the PGR ready!


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

Bring on the Freeze.


----------



## daniel3507

I need that kind of green up!


----------



## Sbcgenii

daniel3507 said:


> I need that kind of green up!


I am blessed with an early green up. I have plenty of soil moisture in the spring not by choice and the lawn gets lots of sun when it's not blocked by clouds.


----------



## Sbcgenii

And snow.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Stripes are lookin good. I just need more warm sunny days. I might put some PGR and Feature down in the front. The yard never looks tall when I cut it but I am taking off more leaf than I would like cutting two times a week.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Lots of rain yesterday.






Need to get a drainage plan together.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Quick mow today. Time for PGR. Cutting twice a week and getting lots of leaf material.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Managed to get a quick mow in the back tonight after work. Pretty muddy still. Almost got the mower stuck.



Also was pleasantly surprised to see my yellow rose bush I planted was still alive and kicking. It was a cold winter and I am a total noob when it comes to flowers. Please ignore the weeds in the background. I haven't done anything in the bed areas this year yet.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The first of 2 sunny days in a row for us.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## AFBiker2011

Very nice! Your lawn is looking better and better each week! Keep up the great work sir.


----------



## JRS 9572

Major props for staying in the fight. You're going to win this war, and very soon.

I think if you stay on the round up at the back fence, then go in there and "bush whack" up to the swamp it may help your drainage. That brush behind the fence can be a barrier for water to leave your yard.


----------



## Sbcgenii

AFBiker2011 said:


> Very nice! Your lawn is looking better and better each week! Keep up the great work sir.


Thank you! I hope the trend continues with this weird spring.


----------



## Sbcgenii

JRS 9572 said:


> Major props for staying in the fight. You're going to win this war, and very soon.
> 
> I think if you stay on the round up at the back fence, then go in there and "bush whack" up to the swamp it may help your drainage. That brush behind the fence can be a barrier for water to leave your yard.


Thanks for the kind words! I just went back through my own journal yesterday. It is nice to go back and see the improvement when you think you are not making any progress.

I plan to removed my chain link fence soon. I am sick of looking at that stuff. I also don't like the location of the fence on the sides of the house either. This will also allow me to level from the back to the front yard. Unfortunately the field drains into my yard not the other way around. I would like to put more sand down around June and maybe install some drains later in summer if that field drys up and if PVC isn't crazy expensive.


----------



## Sbcgenii

The weather has been cloudy almost everyday and we have got lots of rain. The rain has been slowing down for me but the yard flooded for the second time this year last week. I mowed some of the side yard yesterday and some of the back but it was a mess. I over applied PGR on the front yard and it looks pretty bad.


----------



## Sbcgenii

North west side of the house isn't doing so hot. Front looks better than I thought it would. I started mowing one notch higher but I dropped it back down. Northeast side of the backyard is out of suppression now and growing like crazy. Undecided on putting some PGR down back there.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii




----------



## Sbcgenii

Took this picture this morning of the front. The side and back look bad. I started addressing that this afternoon.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I have been watching a lot of French drain videos. I was told the house had a French drain installed so I went looking for it today. I found a pipe with 2 open ends on it. They didn't even use perforated pipe. Once I stabbed some holes in it the water started to drain. Amazing! 🙄 The start of the pipe was also at the highest point of the yard. I think I am going to need 300ft of perf pipe and fabric.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Quick cut today while I was getting the grill going.




After more drain research I have come to the conclusion that my yard is a leach field for the field behind my house. The reason perf pipe wasn't used was because they were just using the pipe to drain the field. I think I will run perf pipe along the back fence and run it into a solid pipe to the street. I just need to figure out where to put the rest of the perf pipe.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Finished digging the trench to the back fence while we were getting a bunch of rain. My fence is acting like a dam aswell. I have a better idea of what needs to be done now.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I called 811 last week so I could have the utility's marked. I would really like to rent a mini excavator to dig the trench's for the drains. I really don't want to install the cheap ADS pipe that you find at the hime improvement stores. I also didn't want to pay $260 for shipping from the french drain man. I need to see what I can find locally that is decent. Not looking forward to this project but it needs to be done.


----------



## Sbcgenii

I cut the front today at .625 and what I could on the back at .875 then switched to the push mower. Parts of back are still to wet to mow.


----------



## Buddy

Curious what you did for the pipe? I'm in a similar situation and I'm doing some planning at this time.


----------



## JRS 9572

Sbcgenii said:


> I called 811 last week so I could have the utility's marked. I would really like to rent a mini excavator to dig the trench's for the drains. I really don't want to install the cheap ADS pipe that you find at the hime improvement stores. I also didn't want to pay $260 for shipping from the french drain man. I need to see what I can find locally that is decent. Not looking forward to this project but it needs to be done.


I've watched a good bit of French Drain Man's channel. Pretty sure he's right in most everything he says. I think using the schedule 40 PVC is a good alternative. I know he runs it down, but if you look at Gate City Foundation and Drainage. He does good work as well. Uses SCH 40 PVC exclusively. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQYkF1jMHlIGxvfQMbfayHw

But the fabric, the big round rock, and so forth are really the most important from what all I've watched. No way would I use the recycled plastic stuff you get at Lowe's or HD.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Never finished my drainage project and the yard got away from me this summer. I ended up scalping the yard in late September with the rotary. I have been maintaining the front at 1.125 with the Mclane and the back with the rotary 1 up from lowest. I over seeded some spf-30 on the main side of the front yard. I also put down some Pencross bentgrass in the back yard. I have never seen either of these grass types before so I am super excited to see them. I noticed some bent today still no sign of bluegrass. I seeded them a few weeks late but we will see how it goes.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Dropped the HOC down to .750 last week. The back yard is going dormat but the front is hanging on. 29* out right now so I think the mowing is pretty much over.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Triple cut the bluemuda at 1/2". Haven't made up my mind if I want to take it down to .250 to maintain at 1/2" or maintain it at 3/4". I also need to put some fert down.





I assume the bluegrass will keep growing in this weather.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Sbcgenii said:


> Triple cut the bluemuda at 1/2". Haven't made up my mind if I want to take it down to .250 to maintain at 1/2" or maintain it at 3/4". I also should probably put some fert down.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Bluemuda is starting to look decent. So far so good. I might bluemuda the whole yard next spring.


I need to bring in a bunch of dirt for the side and back of the house. I also found out I need a roller and I need to level quite a bit before the MacLaine will cut decent at .250. I am thinking about doing bent around the back patio. It probably won't be the best place for it but I think it will look cool. I haven't fertilized any of the bent of bluegrass yet. I think I will put some starter down tomorrow. I used the cheapest scotts broadcast spreader to put all my seed down and you can really tell in spots. Really looking forward to the scalp and sunjoe in the spring.


----------



## Sbcgenii

Starting the year off right by hitting something my son had "buried" in the yard.



The chain to drive the wheels also got knocked off and bent a couple links.



Ordered some new chain and a chain breaker.



Got the new chain installed this morning. I am going to order 2 more chains and I am going replace the other ones on the unit.

Back and side yard are in horrendous shape. Hopefully the Bermuda starts growing soon. No pre em since last spring. Lots of weeds.


----------



## Sbcgenii




----------

