# Monsonman's 2021 Journal : St Aug to Celebration



## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Alright, time to fire up my journal as I prepare for the renovation of my backyard.

Backstory: moved here roughly 6 years ago and sodded St. Augustine since that was in the front. It looked great when we put it in but slowly declined as the years went on (mainly due to my lack of knowledge when it comes to proper lawn care). We have 2 kids and a big dog that are now back there constantly. When i started noticing my little boy could barely walk through the backyard without tripping because of how tall and thick the St. Aug was I decided i wanted to look into a more enjoyable yard for everyone (especially me as I'm an avid golfer and love low cut turf). After considering my options, I have settled on Celebration Bermuda for the new turf.

Here is what it looked like when we moved in










Then came the playset. This is getting moved further back into the corner to get back a little more yard while we are doing everything else. (my wife thinks im a lunatic at this point)










Then fast forward to last year when I ordered an Allett Liberty 43 and started hacking down the St Aug and then overseeded with rye for the winter



















And that brings us to yesterday where i made the last mow on the back and then hit it with the first round of glypho about 10 minutes after :lol:


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

No turning back now!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

3/21/21 - Prodiamine + Celsius on front yard St Augustine.

Backyard is about to get a second round of glyphosate. We just got back from a week long vacation and I was surprised at the amount of nutgrass that popped up in the last week.

I'm probably 2-3 weeks away from new sod in the back.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

3/22/21 - Another round of Glyphosate. Warmer temps have me anxious to wipe this out and get the Celebration down and begin the real work of the backyard transformation


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Excited to see this play out. I did a tifway 419 to celebration on backyard last year at beginning of May. Cut it with rotary at 7 days in as it had rooted really well and by Memorial Day weekend I had leveled with sand. You will not be disappointed with celebration.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

@Meximusprime thanks for dropping in! That is an inspiring set of pictures right there.

Please feel free to pop in and check-in on me here as I will take all the guidance and support I can get!


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Will have to keep my eye on this, love some celebration, and seeing another Louisiana lawn on here.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Jacob_S said:


> Will have to keep my eye on this, love some celebration, and seeing another Louisiana lawn on here.


Right on, neighbor! I've been through your journal a few times. Nice work you've done there, hopefully you keep updates on it this season.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I'll likely post some updates this year, last year was, well, different. My JD wasn't running right so used the rotary and I just wasn't motivated, but will get back to normal this season. I will be using my proplugger and moving celebration to the centipede side this year too.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Ran the scarifier to pick up leaves and dead grass. Was surprised to see some green bermuda (common assuming) lurking around.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Some stuff happened today





































Sod is arriving tomorrow!


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

Awesome! Would love to see the pics.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Sod showed up this morning!

Crew is moving a few irrigation heads and finishing up some last minute levelling before laying the sod down.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Update since sod was laid on Wednesday. We had 2 storms come through the last few days so they lawn has gotten plenty of water and i've been supplementing with light irrigation in between.

Today I put down fungicide (heratige) and insecticide (bifen)

Seeing some roots shoot out the bottom of a few pieces of sod I peaked under.



















This was inevitable but tough to watch on the nest cam


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Any thoughts on when and how I should attack the first mow?

I can be as patient as I need to be but probably planning on a mow late this week/weekend or sometime next week.

My Allett can go up to 1.25" - is this tall enough to start? also, i can take the front roller off and put the wheels on so im not just laying down the taller grass.

I can also use a rotary or a manual push reel that can go higher.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Hi Monsonman. I would make sure it has fully rooted. For me last year I ended up cutting it at 6 days after install. I say 1.25 is a safe bet and you might have to go lower to cut anything with reel.

Before I cut it with my reel I did go through it with my rotary (bag)to pick up dead debris.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Right on, today is day 6 since it was laid and most of the sod is rooting nicely. There are a few sections that are a little behind but I wont be able to mow until Friday at the earliest with all the rain that will be coming between today and Thursday.

Also, one more question @Meximusprime , How did you take down your HOC once you started to mow?


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Once I cleaned it up I started right at 3/4 and stayed there. Having new sod and depending on how it was kept/cut at farm you can start low right from the start.

I have also seen folks scalp it down to get old out and start fresh but I would play it safe for now.

Off topic - We just finished getting front yard switched over to Celebration.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Thanks, just thinking out loud here: I swapped out the front roller for the wheels to prevent from just laying the grass over but im wondering if the roller would be better suited for the first few mows to reduce any scalping that could occur since its not very level yet. hmm...

Glad to hear you went down with celebration in the front, makes me feel like you like it enough to not go with something else. I've seen some mixed feelings on here with celebration so its reassuring to hear that.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

The Allet is a drum drive like a greens mower isn't it? how heavy is it? I have used my deere as a lawn roller before due to the drum drive and the weight of it.

But to the question I'd think a front roller would be the better option than wheels


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Jacob_S said:


> The Allet is a drum drive like a greens mower isn't it? how heavy is it? I have used my deere as a lawn roller before due to the drum drive and the weight of it.
> 
> But to the question I'd think a front roller would be the better option than wheels


Yes, drum driven and about 85lbs.


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## Lsuwhodat (Apr 29, 2019)

Looking good! What kind of trees are those?
Grab me a burger from Judice Inn and PM it to me please.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

I would definitely stick to the roller.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Lsuwhodat said:


> Looking good! What kind of trees are those?
> Grab me a burger from Judice Inn and PM it to me please.


I believe they are East Palatka Holly

Virtual Burgers headed your way! :lol:

As for other lawn business, i havent done anything except try to keep my GSP off of it and watch the rain soak it the last 3 days. Next week should be dry enough to put the conjugal mow on it.


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## Lsuwhodat (Apr 29, 2019)

Lol thanks!


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Hear ya on the rain, just looked at my weather station, currently sitting at 8" since sunday. Walked in the back yard and way more standing water than looks like from kitchen window.

If/when i get over that way, might have to check out this burger joint, might be worth a ride on the bike.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

First mow complete! Cut at 1" to just take a little off the top.

I'm gonna need a lot of sand. Grass is looking good though.

Before



















After



















Cheers to getting the party started


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Put some hedges (Cleyera) along the back fence. These should look great once they fill in










Going to put another cut on the grass today, this time at .75".

When should i begin a routine fert schedule?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Cut yesterday at .75" plenty of scalping, can't wait to get this thing levelled










Can You find the dog?


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Looking good. I always felt it's better to get it cut down and then let it recover. Celebration is one tough bermuda.
I gave my 7 day old celebration on front yard a cut down to 5/8 on Tuesday and I can still go lower but I won't push it more till im ready to level it with sand.

Is your dog over on the left landscaping area?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Yeah my plan is to let it kind of come back before the next cut, although i'm resisting the urge to throw the scarifier or verticutter cartridge in my Allett and let it pull out all the dead leggy stuff.

And yea thats Winston in the boxwoods :lol:










Sprayed some Clearys fungicide on it today


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## balistek (Jun 5, 2017)

where did you get celebration. Looks awesome


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

Following this thread closely. I just put down 2 pallets of celebration and can't wait until I can start mowing it.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

balistek said:


> where did you get celebration. Looks awesome


Thanks, it came from Turf Grass Farms, INC in Welsh


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Threw the scarifier cartridge in and lightly ran it over the grass, mainly for leaf collection but also i wanted to see how much dead grass material i could get out without really tearing into it.

It pulled out 1 and a half grass catchers worth on one pass. It brought up a lot of the leggy stuff which i think made it easier for the reel to get afterwards. Im really curious on what the verticutter cartridge would do.

Here is what it looked like after the scarifier




























And then after a cut at .86"










Really hoping to see more green coming in within the next couple of weeks


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

Seeing your thread really makes me want to get out there and mow mine. It's just reached 1 week and I can tell the sod is rooting nicely. The tough choice will be what HOC since I maintain the existing Bermuda at .5"


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Luckily I had 4 straight days of rain at the end of week one so that forced me to be patient.

I think most people here maintain their celebration between 3/8" - 3/4". I'm targeting .5" but need to level badly


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

monsonman said:


> Luckily I had 4 straight days of rain at the end of week one so that forced me to be patient.
> 
> I think most people here maintain their celebration between 3/8" - 3/4". I'm targeting .5" but need to level badly


I think I'm about to be in the same situation with the rain forcing my patience. I'll be cutting mine with a greensmaster so it should help roll it somewhat. Not sure if I can get away with a .5" cut to start off with. Seems like the grass that isn't dormant is growing pretty tall and lots of good sized runners already. Did you test the roots by trying to pull the sod up before mowing or did you just go for it since it had been almost 2 weeks?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Yeah I checked the rooting every few days. By week 1 the only spots that hadnt really taken hold were 2 hard corners.

I started at 1" with my reel mower then 2 days later went down to .75"


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Another cut at .86 today




























I'm thinking its time for some sand.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

I noticed you sprayed fungicide. What was the reason for it? Too much rain?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

More so for the amount of irrigation that needs to be run the first few weeks


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Cut down to 5/8" today. That was the lowest i could go without hitting dirt in most places. 2 yards of sand being delivered tomorrow. Plans are to put down some fert tomorrow afternoon and then get to work on Friday.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Still alot of green at 5/8. Once that leveling is done and by end of May that backyard is going to be looking great! I have sand coming next week.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

First sand project complete. Happy with how it turned out although there will likely still be a few small problem areas that will need to be addressed in the future.



















After some water


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## GrassDad (Sep 18, 2019)

Progress looks awesome!!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Meximusprime said:


> Still alot of green at 5/8. Once that leveling is done and by end of May that backyard is going to be looking great! I have sand coming next week.


Yeah I feel like its its starting to catch its stride. we've had consistent days in the 80s now and the lows are high 60's and 70s.

Looking forward to watching yours come around too. You put a scalp on it this week?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

GrassDad said:


> Progress looks awesome!!


Thanks @GrassDad !


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

monsonman said:


> Meximusprime said:
> 
> 
> > Still alot of green at 5/8. Once that leveling is done and by end of May that backyard is going to be looking great! I have sand coming next week.
> ...


Might keep it at 5/8 if I start hitting too much dirt at .5


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Meximusprime said:


> monsonman said:
> 
> 
> > Meximusprime said:
> ...


Yeah i'm targeting .5 as well but don't think i'll quite make it there this season. We will see how it goes after this first leveling but i'm already excited to do another round, even though my back is not.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

48 hour post-level update. Its filling in quicker than i anticipated.

We have some rain coming tonight and for a majority of this week so i'm happy its gotten to this point after only 2 days with the rain on its way.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

72 hours post-level. Also put down an app of Heritage


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## Chuckatuck89 (Mar 28, 2019)

Man that recovery is crazy fast for this time of year. I just picked up a reel mower this year so a sand leveling is definitely on the schedule once my temps warm up a bit. What was your process for spreading it out?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Chuckatuck89 said:


> Man that recovery is crazy fast for this time of year. I just picked up a reel mower this year so a sand leveling is definitely on the schedule once my temps warm up a bit. What was your process for spreading it out?


I'm surprised as well at how quickly its coming back through, although we are consistently in the 80's now with our night time temps sticking around the low-mid 70's. We've also had a ton of rain (almost 5" since sunday) which has fueled the grass and help settle the sand down into the canopy.

I wish it would stop raining though because it needs a mow at this point but we have more rain coming tonight and the lawn still hasnt dried out from this mornings downpour

As for my method of spreading, i loaded a gorilla cart with about 8 shovels worth of sand, wheeled it to the back dumped the cart in piles. Then i used a wide landscape rake to knock the piles and roughly spread the sand around. From there, i just used a level lawn to work the sand around into the low spots. Hope that helps, if you have any other questions fire away


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

1 week since the sand went down. Very pleased with how quick it is recovering.










Put a mow on it this morning at .62"










Afterwards I fed it .25lbs/M of Nitrogen


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Cut it again on Saturday afternoon at .5". Its looking really good.

This was this morning:


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Well we just got a good hammering. When it finally laid off the water drained in about 15 minutes. We got around 7" within 3 hours.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

Man that Bermuda is coming along really nice. Did you notice a big difference in growth after running the scarifier through it and removing the dead leggy material?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

ag_fishing said:


> Man that Bermuda is coming along really nice. Did you notice a big difference in growth after running the scarifier through it and removing the dead leggy material?


I'm not sure if there was a lot of growth because of it but it made me feel a little better to get a lot of that dead material out. I should have gone deeper with it but was scared to tear it up to much in its infancy.

I'm starting to learn you can beat the absolute snot out of this grass though, I need to quit babying it.

I saw the most improvement from mowing low and often.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Snuck in a mow between all the rain we've been getting. Havent been able to touch the lawn since Saturday, and we have more coming for the rest of the week.


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## littlehuman (Jun 10, 2020)

monsonman said:


> Well we just got a good hammering. When it finally laid off the water drained in about 15 minutes. We got around 7" within 3 hours.


7" in 3 hours?! I thought the 2.5" in 5 hours that we got earlier this month was bad. Wow, you had a legitimate flood! Looks like it recovered really well, though. Great drainage!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

littlehuman said:


> monsonman said:
> 
> 
> > Well we just got a good hammering. When it finally laid off the water drained in about 15 minutes. We got around 7" within 3 hours.
> ...


It has been a wet month to say the least.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Cut @ .5" plus .25lbs/M N + FEature + Propiconazole


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Looking good! You plan to stay at .5 or move up?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Meximusprime said:


> Looking good! You plan to stay at .5 or move up?


I'd like to stay at .5 but I think it will do better @ 5/8" until i can get another round of sand in. Still just a few small problem areas at .5.


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## marcjw (Aug 28, 2020)

Looks good!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Put a mow on it yesterday after being gone on vacation for most of the week. Bumped back up to 5/8". I think thats where I will stay for the time being.

Also seems like the sedgehammer application last week did a pretty good number on the nutsedge.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

.15lbs/m N and bifen went down yesterday.



marcjw said:


> Looks good!


Thanks, i've been impressed with where its at so far for only being laid 2 months ago.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Mowed yesterday and then put down .25lbs N. And then mowed again today.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Got a wild hair today and decided to double cut the turf down to just under .5" and then threw in the verticutter cartridge in the Allet and make a few passes. I was a tad underwhelmed by the verticutter cartridge. It just doesnt quite go low enough to really get into the dirt, it more or less tickles the the surface. It did however pull out a ton of dead material so there was still some beneficial aspect to the time spent.





































My plan is to let it recover over the next few days and then start maintaining it back up at 5/8". I also plan to start PGR this weekend as well so im looking forward to seeing the effects over the next couple of weeks.


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## tcorbitt20 (Aug 31, 2018)

Looking good. You'll love the PGR.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

tcorbitt20 said:


> Looking good. You'll love the PGR.


Thanks, first dose went down just a little while ago after a mow! I started at .18fl oz/ 1,000sf. and also sprayed .25lbs of N with it. Looking forward to seeing the effects!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Oh and also the nutsedge is back. May try Blindside this round and see if that smokes it, i have a few other weeds I need to target as well.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

@monsonman Beautiful lawn!!!


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

ENC_Lawn said:


> @monsonman Beautiful lawn!!!


Thank you!

Forgot to upload the pic from todays mow. Recovering nicely from the little beating i put on it last Wednesday.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

monsonman said:


> Oh and also the nutsedge is back. May try Blindside this round and see if that smokes it, i have a few other weeds I need to target as well.


I used sedgehammer and it smoked the sedge. A couple sunny days in the 90s really helped.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

ag_fishing said:


> monsonman said:
> 
> 
> > Oh and also the nutsedge is back. May try Blindside this round and see if that smokes it, i have a few other weeds I need to target as well.
> ...


I used sedgehammer a few weeks ago. It seemed effective but im surprised to see so much of it back this soon.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

monsonman said:


> ag_fishing said:
> 
> 
> > monsonman said:
> ...


Interesting. I'll have to keep a closer eye on it then after I spray another section and see if it comes back or not


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

How's it looking after a week from verticutting?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Redtwin said:


> How's it looking after a week from verticutting?


Looks good, Although I still wonder if I should have just left it alone. It pulled up a lot of stolons but didnt quite slice them up as much I was expecting so there were a lot of runners kind of laying across the top of the turf (i'm not sure if this is typically what i should expect from a verticut or not). After a few mows they started to disappear but there are still a few running along the top here and there. I would rate it a moderate verticutting and I'd say it made full recovery by day 9.










The nutsedge on the other hand has completely EXPLODED and crab grass is out and about as well. I want to hit it with Blindside but am unsure when is best with all this rain on the way over the next couple of days. I suppose I should wait till we are back to dry and hot?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Put down some N, Fe and a shot of Bifen in between rain showers today. I may need to change the name of this journal to Rain Journal lol. Seems like the PGR is starting to kick in as the growth has slowed tremendously.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Noticed any color difference with the Celebration after your first PGR app?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Meximusprime said:


> Noticed any color difference with the Celebration after your first PGR app?


Hard to tell to be honest. I applied some FEature too so I know I was getting color response from that. Also, I went light on first application (.18fl oz per K).

What rate have you worked up to with T-nex on yours @Meximusprime ?

The growth has definitely thrown the brakes on though which is nice since the rain has been constant making it tougher to get out and mow.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

Sounds good @monsonman . I have not started using PGR this season but I will be soon.

Last year on backyard celebration I went with .15-20 oz PGR / Feature at 2 oz per 1K. The color for the most part was not affected but I was able to stretch cut days to at least every 3-4 days.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

I went with .18 fl oz. per K. Will bump that up a tad on next app.

In other news, the sedge is dying quickly. Sprayed Blindside @ .15oz per K on Tuesday and the nutsedge and crabgrass are yellowing and wilting away.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

6/28/21

Applied .36lbs N per K

wishing i could cut more but we have gotten rain every day for the last week, and we are at 50% chance of rain every single day for the next 10 days. Glad I started PGR a couple weeks ago.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Is your Allett a reel mower? If so, you can get out there and mow in the rain. I've had to do it a couple of times. It's very entertaining for the neighbors.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Redtwin said:


> Is your Allett a reel mower? If so, you can get out there and mow in the rain. I've had to do it a couple of times. It's very entertaining for the neighbors.


It is a reel, and i have cut when it was wet out of necessity but i have a couple low spots that like to hold water so i try to avoid when possible.

The few wet mows had me and the mower looking like this :lol:


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Got a mow in yesterday and today at .5".


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

monsonman said:


> Got a mow in yesterday and today at .5".


It's looking solid. Do you have any areas that get a significant amount of shade?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Double post


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

ag_fishing said:


> monsonman said:
> 
> 
> > Got a mow in yesterday and today at .5".
> ...


This section right here gets the most shade. I honestly don't know if it gets any direct sunlight at all honestly. The other issue is that it is a bit of a low corner so it stay a bit wet after rains. If it still looks this rough by next spring (which i assume it will), I plan to thin out the oak that is hanging over it


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Haven't updated in a while. Been out of town since before the Fourth Of July. Came back to a bushy yard covered in nutsedge (no surprise here). Last week I moved the cutting height up to about an inch to try to get it back looking decent.

Well today i decided to just scalp the whole thing and give it a good reset.

So I cut at 5/8" , catching all the clippings (see: hay) and then dropped it to 1/2" and cut again catching all the clippings. Filled 8 yard bags with clippings.

Then I sprayed .4 lbs per M of N and a shot of Bifen then watched a storm drench it all in.



















I assume the grass came out of regulation so I am contemplating doing another round of sand levelling. If anyone has any thoughts on this please chime in.


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## Meximusprime (Jun 21, 2019)

No better time than now. It's scalped and still have a lot of growing season left for us down here in the south. I might end up doing a light sand level next week if we can get at least a week of dry weather.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

IMHO the heat of summer is the best time to sand level (other than the risk of heat stroke). It'll grow through very quickly in July/August.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Meximusprime said:


> ... if we can get at least a week of dry weather.


This will be tougher than i'm probably anticipating based on our season up to this point.



Redtwin said:


> IMHO the heat of summer is the best time to sand level (other than the risk of heat stroke). It'll grow through very quickly in July/August.


It'll be hot, but I dont mind the heat. Maybe i'll get someone to help this time to make it go by a little quicker though.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Not much out of the ordinary going on over here. Just Mow, grow, repeat.

I've started letting the perimeter "rough" grow up a tad mainly to try to hep the shadier areas dense up a bit, also think it looks pretty nice. We will see how long I maintain it this way.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I do this around my firepit because it is so hard to mow around with the greensmower and, like you, I think it helps with the shade a bit. I like the way it looks doing the perimeter like you did. I definitely need to keep watching this as it fills in from the scalp. It sure would make things a bit easier with no tight perimeter turns.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

All you guys with these nice US Open rough areas and I'm over here at St. Andrews like....


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Redtwin said:


> I do this around my firepit because it is so hard to mow around with the greensmower and, like you, I think it helps with the shade a bit. I like the way it looks doing the perimeter like you did. I definitely need to keep watching this as it fills in from the scalp. It sure would make things a bit easier with no tight perimeter turns.


Yeah i believe your journal is what got my gears ticking. I'm doing it mostly to help that back fence area under the neighbors oak, but would look odd to just leave that back section a little taller so i thought it would look kinda cool to grow in a perimeter. Eventually would love for the center to be lower and the perimeter to be cut more at fringe height vs rough height but I need to get it a little more level to get below .5"


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Amoo316 said:


> All you guys with these nice US Open rough areas and I'm over here at St. Andrews like....


No such thing as "nice" rough in my book, I try to stay out of all of it!! :lol:


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Haven't updated in a while, ended up catching covid a couple weeks ago which kept me out of the yard.

Finally felt good enough last weekend to shave it back down to .75" but was still unhappy with that height so yesterday I went for another scalp to reset the HOC. Scalped down to .4" and hoping to maintain around .5"

Here is at .75" with the border cut at 1.25" (the highest the Allett will go)



















And then the scalp


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

That's gonna look real nice in a couple of weeks. Did you go lower on the perimeter pass?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Redtwin said:


> That's gonna look real nice in a couple of weeks. Did you go lower on the perimeter pass?


yeah it was shaggy from not being able to mow so I cut it down to 1.25" which is the highest setting on my Allett. It looks really lush and clean at that height so i think i'll keep it there or just under to leave a little room to come up to 1.25" if I must.

It seems to be helping (at least from an appearance standpoint) the shady area that tends to stay a little too wet in that back corner. I plan to address that area next spring and will be definitely picking the mighty brains on this forum on how to best help that spot. I have some ideas.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Havent updated in a bit but have just been growing and mowing. Lawn recovered in about 6 days from the scalp and have been maintaining at 5/8"

This morning I got in one final mow before Ida arrives in a couple of hours. it was wet but got it done. Then i decided to scalp the rough border down. it was getting out of hand and i wont be able to mow for at least 4-5 days

Also i picked up a 10 blade reel. Looking forward to seeing how she cuts.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

Are you going to stick with 5/8" for the remainder of the year and then try and go lower next year?


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## BigBoxLawn (Jul 8, 2020)

Hope you and family are all safe down there. Looks scary


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

ag_fishing said:


> Are you going to stick with 5/8" for the remainder of the year and then try and go lower next year?


Yeah i think thats my plan. I will do another round of sand levelling early in the season and then i should be able to maintain at .5" or maybe even a little lower. For now it just looks so much better at 5/8"



BigBoxLawn said:


> Hope you and family are all safe down there. Looks scary


Thanks, we were just fine and somehow got no rain from the thing. Hoping our friends to the east made it out ok. Its going to be an absolute disaster for Grand Isle unfortunately.


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## ag_fishing (Feb 3, 2021)

monsonman said:


> ag_fishing said:
> 
> 
> > Are you going to stick with 5/8" for the remainder of the year and then try and go lower next year?
> ...


Same with mine. I put down sod 3 different times this year and 5/8" looks the best among all 3 without any sand leveling for now


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Threw in the new 10-blade and gave it another cut today at 5/8"










waiting on some parts to come in for my sprayer so i can repair it and i can get some PGR back down and regulate for the remainder of the season.


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## Cheesetoast (May 1, 2018)

Along your fence line, What kind of lolipop trees are those?


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Cheesetoast said:


> Along your fence line, What kind of lolipop trees are those?


East Palatka Holly :thumbup:


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Haven't updated in a while. Been busy with life and travel, but have still been barely managing to keep up with the lawn. Last week we were in the BVI's for a week on a sailing trip so before I left, I put down a dose of PGR to keep it at bay. When I got home last weekend i was happy to see not much growth. The cooler temps we got last week also played a part, i'm sure.

Gave it a mow on Monday and then put down a half rate of pre-emergent that should get soaked in today with some incoming rain.

It's definitely not in peak shape right now but i'm not completely displeased with where it is at right now being my first season maintaining bermuda.

I bumped up the HOC to around .66" several weeks ago and have been keeping it there. The cut at this height doesn't seem as clean as it does at 1/2" so i will certainly make sure to get on the PGR early and stay on it next season (after another round of sand levelling).


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